Patent Document ID: 8594201
Application ID: 13046264
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-based method for visual signal extrapolation or interpolation, comprising: providing at least a first and a second reference picture; conducting motion estimation on the first and second reference picture to generate motion vectors indicative of movement of at least one of the first and second reference picture in relation to the other; and generating an estimate picture by extrapolation or interpolation using the motion vectors; and determining an empty pixel position in said estimate picture; refining the estimate picture having said empty pixel position, wherein a statistic similarity estimation is used in refining the estimate picture by: calculating statistic features for a neighboring block of pixels that surrounds the empty pixel position on the estimate picture; identifying a search area on said first or second reference picture from which the estimate picture is generated; and searching for a best matching block within the search area of multiple blocks having a highest statistic similarity to the neighboring block that surrounds the empty pixel position on the estimate picture, the best matching block surrounding a specific pixel on the first or second reference picture, and a best matching block having said highest statistic similarity to the neighboring block determined according to a statistical similarity index computed by: 
 SSI ( P,Q )=α√{square root over ([Cov( P,Q ) 2 −Var( P )×Var( Q )] 2 )}{square root over ([Cov( P,Q ) 2 −Var( P )×Var( Q )] 2 )}{square root over ([Cov( P,Q ) 2 −Var( P )×Var( Q )] 2 )}+β[μ( P )−μ( Q )] 2 , wherein P is the neighboring block that surrounds the empty pixel position on the estimate picture, Q is a block of pixels within the search area, SSI(P, Q) is the statistic similarity index indicative of the statistic similarity between blocks P and Q, μ(P) is a block sample mean of the block P, μ(Q) is a block sample mean of the block Q, Var(P) is a block sample variance of the block P, Var(Q) is a block sample variance of the block Q, Cov(P, Q) is a covariance between blocks P and Q, and α and β are weighting factors; and filling the empty pixel position with the specific pixel surrounded by the best matching block on the first or second reference picture.