Patent ID: 8340472

Claim:
A pixel interpolation apparatus for interpolating pixels, comprising: an edge pixel detection unit for detecting edge pixels forming an edge, from pixels on lines positioned above/below or to the left/right of an interpolation pixel; a continuous edge detection unit for detecting edge pixels in which two pixels or more consecutively line up among the edge pixels detected by the edge pixel detection unit as a continuous edge; a continuous edge pair detection unit for combining continuous edges detected from lines above and below the interpolation pixel or continuous edges detected from lines to the left and right of the interpolation pixel among the continuous edges detected by the continuous edge detection unit provided that a ratio in length between the continuous edges is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; an edge direction determination unit for determining an edge direction of the interpolation pixel on the basis of a direction of connecting positions of corresponding pixels included in the continuous edges between one set of continuous edges included in a continuous edge pair specified by the continuous edge pair detection unit; and an interpolation pixel calculation unit for calculating an interpolation pixel using the edge direction determined by the edge direction determination unit; wherein the edge direction determination unit specifies a specified edge direction as a basic edge direction of the one set of continuous edge pixels and consecutively determines a final edge direction based on the basic edge direction and pixel correlation of peripheral pixels of the basic edge direction of an interpolation pixel.