Patent ID: 8565556

Claim:
An image interpolation method for determining, from two adjacent image lines, pixel values on an image line therebetween, comprising: acquiring brightness changes of pixels between said two image lines; determining a region of said two image lines in which only one portion similar to a portion of the brightness change on one image line is present in the brightness change on the other image line in proximity of said interpolated image, by: for each of a plurality of adjacent pixel pairs between said two image lines, each adjacent pixel pair including a first pixel and a second pixel, classifying an index as a first value where a brightness change from the first pixel to the second pixel is greater than a positive threshold of N; classifying the index as a second value where the brightness change is less than a negative threshold of −N; classifying the index as the third value where the brightness change is not greater than the positive threshold of N and is not less than the negative threshold of −N; selecting a group of pixels within said region having a highest similarity from groups of pixels positioned symmetrically with respect to said interpolated pixel, based on the index of each adjacent pixel pair; and determining a pixel value of said interpolated pixel using pixel values of the selected group.