Patent ID: 8194184

Claim:
A method of increasing the frame rate of an input video signal by interpolating video frames between original video frames of the input video signal and inserting interpolated video frames between original video frames of the input video signal to produce an output video signal having a higher frame rate than the input signal, the method comprising: for each of plural regions in a first frame of an input video signal and plural corresponding regions of a second frame of the input video signal: (A) estimating six affine parameters of an affine model that represent relative motion between a region in a first frame of an input video signal and a corresponding region in a second frame of the input video signal; (B) decomposing said six affine parameters into six 2-dimensional motion parameters; (C) interpolating the six 2-dimensional motion parameters for a time instant between the first and second frames to obtain interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters that represent motion from a region in an interpolated frame to at least one of (i) said region in the first frame and (ii) said region in the second frame, wherein the interpolated frame is to be inserted between the first and second frames and wherein said region in the interpolated frame corresponds to said regions in the first and second frames; (D) obtaining, from said interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters, six affine parameters that represent (i) motion from said region in the interpolated frame to said region in the first frame in the case that said interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters represent motion from the region in the interpolated frame to said region in the first frame and/or (ii) motion from said region in the interpolated frame to said region in the second frame in the case that said interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters represent motion from the region in the interpolated frame to said region in the second frame; and, (E) locating a position in (i) the first frame in the case that said interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters represent motion from the region in the interpolated frame to said region in the first frame, and/or (ii) the second frame in the case that said interpolated 2-dimensional motion parameters represent motion from the region in the interpolated frame to said region in the second frame, said position corresponding to a pixel in said region of the interpolated frame and being located by using the respective six affine parameters obtained in step (D), and obtaining an intensity of said pixel in said region of the interpolated frame as a function of the intensities at said position(s); and, having by (E) interpolated plural regions of the interpolated frame such that the whole of the interpolated frame has been obtained, inserting said interpolated frame between said first and second frames.