Moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus

• US 6,339,656 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Marui, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Application Number:
  US09/218,484
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/236, 382/238, 382/240, 382/242, 382/248, 382/250, 358/432, 358/433, 348/384, 348/390, 348/394-395, 348/400-404, 348/407-416, 348/420-421, 348/425, 348/430, 348/431, 348/699
• US Class Current: 382/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/231 using full search
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/43 Hardware specially adapted for motion estimation or compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/433 characterised by techniques for memory access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/55 Motion estimation with spatial constraints, e.g. at image or region borders

Abstract

A moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus for detecting a motion vector by forming the image data of the search area for motion vector with small capacity of memory rapidly and efficiently. A moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus detects the macroblock number by a macroblock counter. A macroblock recognition part recognizes whether the search area for the motion vector of the macroblock is extending over the frame image area or not based on the position of the macroblock in the frame image. A macroblock recognition part generates an extrapolation pattern signal which indicates the pattern of the extrapolation for the inputted macroblock. If the whole search area is within the frame area, image data formed on a frame memory 2 are used. If the search area extends beyond the frame area, image data formed on a prediction memory 3 are used. A control unit 1 includes an image data transmission means. Image data of the current processing macroblock data and surrounding data existing on the frame memory are transferred from the frame memory 2 to the prediction memory 3. The prediction memory 3 includes an image data extrapolation means. The image data extrapolation means performs the extrapolation by specifying row address and column address necessary for the extrapolation based on the transmitted image data from the frame memory and the extrapolation pattern signal.

Claims

1. A moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus comprising:

a frame memory;

a prediction memory for storing image data of a search area for a motion vector detection;

an image data transmission means for transmitting image data of a first macroblock and surrounding image data existing in the frame memory from the frame memory to the prediction memory and writing the transmitted data to a corresponding area wherein the first macroblock is a macroblock whose search area extends beyond the frame image area;

an image data extrapolation means for forming image data to an extrapolation area of the search area where an image data had not been written onto the prediction memory by the extrapolation based on the pixel data located on a boundary with the search area; and

a motion vector detecting part for detecting the unrestricted motion vector based on the image data of the search area formed on the prediction memory.

2. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a macroblock recognition part for recognizing whether an input macroblock is a macroblock whose whole motion vector search area is within the frame image data area or a macroblock whose motion vector search area at least partly extends beyond the frame image data area, wherein the motion vector detecting part detects the motion vector based on the image data formed on the frame memory if an inputted macroblock is the macroblock whose whole motion vector search area is within the frame image data area, and detects the motion vector based on the image data formed on the prediction memory if an inputted macroblock is the macroblock whose motion vector search area at least partly extends beyond the frame image data area.

3. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the macroblock recognition part recognizes an inputted macroblock as the macroblock whose motion vector search area extends beyond the frame image data area if the position of the inputted macroblock is in a surrounding edge area of the frame image and recognizes an inputted macroblock as the macroblock whose whole motion vector search area is within the frame image data area if the position of the inputted macroblock is in an internal area excluding the surrounding edge area of the frame image.

4. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the prediction memory is composed of (N+2M)×

(N+2M) capacity of memory when the macroblock is composed of N×

N pixels and the search area has M data pixel length to upper side, lower side, right-hand side, and left-hand side.

5. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the image data extrapolation means comprises

a first extrapolation means for writing the pixel data located on the boundary with the search area to the same row address of the extrapolation area which pixel data is positioned in the nearest pixel to the extrapolation area when transmitted image data are mapped on the prediction memory if there are image data having the same row address with the extrapolation area in the transmitted image data,

a second extrapolation means for writing the pixel data located on the boundary with the search area to the same column address of the extrapolation area which pixel data is positioned in the nearest pixel to the extrapolation area when transmitted image data are mapped on the prediction memory if there are image data having the same column address with the extrapolation area in the transmitted image data,

a third extrapolation means for writing the corner pixel data located on the boundary with the search area to the faced extrapolation area which pixel data is positioned in the nearest corner pixel to the extrapolation area when transmitted image data are mapped on the prediction memory if there are no image data having the same row address or the same column address with the extrapolation area in the transmitted image data.

6. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

the macroblock recognition part outputs an extrapolation pattern signal indicating the position of the macroblock in the surrounding edge if the inputted macroblock is in the surrounding edge, and

the image data extrapolation means performs the extrapolation based on the extrapolation pattern.

7. The moving picture encoding decoding processing apparatus according to claim 6 wherein

the image data extrapolation means comprises

a row decoder generating one or plural sets of row addresses for the prediction memory by decoding based on the address signal indicating accessing address of the prediction memory, the extrapolation pattern signal and the read/write signal for the prediction memory;

and

a column decoder generating one or plural sets of column addresses for the prediction memory by decoding based on the address signal indicating accessing address of the prediction memory, the extrapolation pattern signal and the read/write signal for the prediction memory.