Patent Document ID: 20040165662
Application ID: 10654582
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of interpolating images comprising: receiving a sequence of video images for interpolation between a first original image (Or(t−T)) and a second original image (Or(t&plus;T)) of the sequence, wherein the interpolation includes estimation of at least one motion vector associated with at least one pixel of a current interpolated image (In(t)); wherein the estimation of the motion vector associated with a given pixel block (B(x,y)) of a current interpolated image includes: a) preselecting a given number P of first motion vectors associated respectively with first other pixel blocks (B(x−l,y), B(x,y−1)) that are adjacent to the given pixel block in the current interpolated image, where P is an integer, for which there is already an estimated motion vector; b) preselecting a given number Q of second motion vectors associated respectively with second other pixel blocks (B(x&plus;1,y), B(x,y&plus;1)) that are adjacent to the given pixel block in the previous interpolated image (In(t−2T)), where Q is an integer; and c) selecting, from the first motion vectors and the second motion vectors, the motion vector which minimizes a cost function between: pixels of a first given pixel block, which is pointed into the first original image by the motion vector from the given pixel blocks of the current interpolated image; and pixels of a second given pixel blocks, which is pointed into the second original image by a symmetrical vector of the motion vector from the given pixel block of the current interpolated image.