Patent ID: 8705611

Claim:
An image prediction encoding device comprising: a region division means for dividing an input image into a plurality of regions; a motion estimation means for searching for, from an already reproduced signal of a first reproduction picture, a signal having high correlation with a target pixel signal of a target region to be processed in the plurality of regions divided by the region division means, and detects motion information for indicating the searched signal; a prediction signal production means for producing a prediction signal with respect to the target pixel signal of the target region; a residual signal production means for producing a residual signal indicating a difference between the prediction signal produced by the prediction signal production means and the target pixel signal; and an encoding means for encoding the residual signal produced by the residual signal production means and the motion information detected by the motion estimation means, wherein the prediction signal production means includes: a motion compensation means for producing a type 1 candidate prediction signal from the already reproduced signal of the first reproduction picture based on the motion information; a search region determination means for determining a search region that is a partial region of an already reproduced signal of a second reproduction picture based on the motion information, the second reproduction picture being different than the first reproduction picture; a template matching means for searching for, from the search region, one or more prediction adjacent regions having high correlation with a target adjacent region composed of an already reproduced adjacent pixel signal adjacent to the target region, and produces one or more type 2 candidate prediction signals of the target pixel signal from the already reproduced signal of the second reproduction picture based on the one or more prediction adjacent regions; and a candidate prediction signal combining means for producing the prediction signal by using the type 1 candidate prediction signal produced by the motion compensation means and the one or more type 2 candidate prediction signals produced by the template matching means.