Patent ID: 7305033

Claim:
A method of encoding and decoding a motion picture comprising the steps of: dividing a middle frame at about the midpoint between a previous key frame and a succeeding key frame in chronological order into a large number of patch-like regions according to its textural characteristics; estimating forward and backward motion vectors based on the previous key frame and the succeeding key frame respectively for each of the region-divided patch images in the middle frame; evaluating the reliability of each of the estimated forward and backward motion vectors to encode information on the motion picture including information on the previous and succeeding key frames, the patch images in the middle frame, the forward and backward motion vectors, and the reliability of each of the vectors; decoding frames near the previous key frame by interpolating the forward motion vectors between the previous key frame and the patch images in the middle frame; decoding frames near the succeeding key frame by interpolating the backward motion vectors between the patch images in the middle frame and the succeeding key frame; decoding frames between the previous key frame and the succeeding key frame by interpolating either of the motion vectors that has higher reliability to compensate for their motion; and encoding the motion picture by estimating a global motion between the previous key frame and the succeeding key frame, decoding the center portion of an image in each of frames previous to the middle frame using the texture of the succeeding frame in accordance with a result of the global motion estimation when unintentional non-prediction occurs in the patches, decoding the outside edge portion of the image in each of frames previous to the middle frame using the texture of the previous frame in accordance with a result of the global motion estimation when unintentional nonprediction occurs in the patches, decoding the center portion of the image in each of frames subsequent to the middle frame using the texture of the previous frame in accordance with a result of the global motion estimation when unintentional non-prediction occurs in the patches, and decoding the outside edge portion of the image in each of frames subsequent to the middle frame using the texture of the succeeding key frame in accordance with a result of the global motion estimation when unintentional non-prediction occurs in the patches.