Image reproducing apparatus

Claim 2

An image reproducing apparatus, comprising: (a) reproducing means for reproducing an image signal from a recording medium to provide a reproduced image signal divided into blocks each including a plurality of pixels; (b) error correcting means for correcting an error in the reproduced image signal; (c) constructing means for constructing a replacement block of the image signal for an error block including an error which cannot be corrected by said error correcting means by using blocks adjacent to the error block; and (d) control means for detecting error correction results of each of the blocks adjacent to the error block and determining the blocks to be used by said constructing means among the blocks adjacent to the error block according to the error correction results of each of the blocks adjacent to the error block.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the operation of said constructing means on the basis of an arrangement of the one block within the blocks which are adjacent to the one block.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the operation of said constructing means on the basis of a number of the blocks which are adjacent to the one block and which include an error uncorrectable image signal.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said constructing means includes a plurality of constructing circuits each for constructing a replacement block of image signal by a different algorithm.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means includes a selection circuit for detecting whether operations by said plurality of constructing circuits can be performed or not on the basis of the error correction situations, and for selectively generating the replacement blocks from said plurality of constructing circuits on the basis of a result of said detection.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said constructing means includes: a first constructing circuit which can construct a plurality of kinds of image signals by using an image signal on a frame including an error uncorrectable image signal; and a second constructing circuit for constructing an image signal by using an image signal on a frame which is different with respect to time from the frame including the error uncorrectable image signal.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said first constructing circuit includes an intra-frame interpolating circuit for constructing a first image signal by using the image signals of the blocks which are adjacent in upper and lower directions to the one block, for constructing a second image signal by using the image signals of the blocks which are adjacent in right and left directions to the one block, and for constructing third and fourth image signals by using the image signals of the blocks which are adjacent in oblique directions to the one block.

Claim 9

An image processing apparatus, comprising: (a) input means for inputting an image signal which is divided into a plurality of blocks each including a plurality of pixels and is then high-efficiency encoded by blocks; (b) decoding means for decoding the image signal which was inputted by said input means; (c) detecting means for detecting decoding results indicating whether each of a plurality of blocks adjacent to an error block which is not correctly decoded by said decoding means is correctly decode by said decoding means ; (d) constructing means for constructing a replacement image signal for the error block by using the decoded image signal of the plurality of blocks adjacent to the error block, said constructing means determining the blocks to be used among the plurality of blocks adjacent to the error block according to the decoding results detected by said detecting means.

Claim 10

An image processing apparatus, comprising: (a) input means for inputting an image signal which is divided into a plurality of blocks each including a plurality of pixels and is then high-efficiency encoded by blocks; (b) decoding means for decoding the image signal which was inputted by said input means; (c) detecting means for detecting decoding results indicating whether each of a plurality of blocks adjacent to an error block which is not correctly decoded by said decoding means is correctly decode by said decoding means ; (d) constructing means for constructing a replacement image signal for the error block by using the decoded image signal of the plurality of blocks adjacent to the error block, said constructing means determining the blocks to be used among the plurality of blocks adjacent to the error block according to the decoding results detected by said detecting means.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising control means for controlling an operation of said constructing means on the basis of an arrangement of the one block within blocks of the image signal which are adjacent to the one block.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said constructing means can construct a plurality of kinds of image signals by different algorithms in different operations.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said control means includes a selection circuit for detecting whether the operations of said constructing means can be performed or not on the basis of said error correction situations and for selectively generating the plurality of kinds of image signals on the basis of a result of the detection.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said constructing means can construct a plurality of kinds of first image signals by using the image signal of a frame including the error uncorrectable image signal and can also construct a second image signal by using the image signal of a frame which is different with respect to time from the frame including the error uncorrectable image signal.

Claim 15

An image processing apparatus for processing an image signal which is divided into a plurality of pixel blocks each including a plurality of pixels on a screen and high-efficiency encoded by blocks, comprising: (a) decoding means for decoding the image signal; (b) concealing means for producing a concealing image signal for an error block including an image signal of low reliability by using the decoded image signals of other pixel blocks around the error block, said concealing means including a plurality of concealing circuits each for producing a concealing image signal by a different algorithm; (c) detecting means for detecting whether each of the other pixel blocks around the error block on the screen includes the image signals having high reliability; and (d) control means for determining the concealing circuit to be used by said concealing means among the plurality of concealing circuits according to a detection result of said detecting means so that said concealing means selectively produces the concealing image signals from said plurality of concealing circuits.

Claim 16

An image processing apparatus for processing an image signal which is divided into a plurality of pixel blocks each including a plurality of pixels on a screen and high-efficiency encoded by blocks, comprising: (a) decoding means for decoding the image signal; (b) concealing means for producing a concealing image signal for an error block including an image signal of low reliability by using the decoded image signals of other pixel blocks around the error block, said concealing means including a plurality of concealing circuits each for producing a concealing image signal by a different algorithm; (c) detecting means for detecting whether each of the other pixel blocks around the error block on the screen includes the image signals having high reliability; and (d) control means for determining the concealing circuit to be used by said concealing means among the plurality of concealing circuits according to a detection result of said detecting means so that said concealing means selectively produces the concealing image signals from said plurality of concealing circuits.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said concealing means includes: at least one first concealing circuit for producing a first concealing image signal by using an image signal of the frame including the image signal of low reliability; and a second concealing circuit for producing a second concealing image signal by using an image signal of a frame which is different with respect to time from the frame including the image signal of low reliability.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said concealing means has at least two of said first concealing circuits each for producing a different image signal.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said control means controls said concealing means so as to preferentially generate the first concealing image signal from said first concealing circuit.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said detecting means detects whether each of the other image signals around the image signal of low reliability is an image signal of low reliability or not, and detects whether to operate said plurality of concealing circuits or not in accordance with the result of the detection.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least said first concealing circuit can operate in the case where the image signal which is used is an image signal other than the image signal of low reliability.

Claim 22

An image reproducing apparatus comprising: (a) reproducing means for reproducing an image signal including an image signal of low reliability from a recording medium, the reproduced image signal being divided into a plurality of blocks each including a plurality of pixels; (b) concealing means for producing a concealing image signal to conceal an error block including the image signal of the low reliability, by selectively using a plurality of different concealing methods; and (c) control means determining the concealing method to be used by said concealing means in accordance with whether a reproducing speed of said reproducing means is a speed corresponding to a recording speed of the image signal.

Claim 23

An image reproducing apparatus comprising: (a) reproducing means for reproducing an image signal including an image signal of low reliability from a recording medium, the reproduced image signal being divided into a plurality of blocks each including a plurality of pixels; (b) concealing means for producing a concealing image signal to conceal an error block including the image signal of the low reliability, by selectively using a plurality of different concealing methods; and (c) control means determining the concealing method to be used by said concealing means in accordance with whether a reproducing speed of said reproducing means is a speed corresponding to a recording speed of the image signal.

Claim 24

An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said control means includes a mode detection circuit for detecting whether said apparatus is in a first mode in which the reproducing speed is substantially the same as the recording or a second mode in which the reproducing speed differs from the recording speed.

Claim 25

An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said concealing means includes: at least one first concealing circuit for producing a first concealing image signal by using an image signal of a frame including the image signal of low reliability; and a second concealing circuit for producing a second concealing image signal by using an image signal of a frame which is different with respect to time from the frame including the image signal of low reliability.

Claim 26

An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said control means preferentially generates the first concealing image signal from said first concealing circuit in at least said second mode.

Claim 27

An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said concealing means has at least two of said first concealing circuits each for producing a different first concealing image signal.

Claim 28

An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said control means further includes a confirmation circuit to confirm whether each of the first and second concealing circuits can operate or not and controls said concealing means on the basis of an output of said confirmation circuit.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said confirmation circuit confirms whether another image signal around the image signal of low reliability is an image signal of low reliability or not, and confirms whether said first concealing circuit can operate or not in accordance with a result of the detection.

Claim 30

An image processing apparatus, comprising: reproducing means for reproducing an image signal which is divided into a plurality of blocks each comprising a plurality of pixels, from a recording medium; error correcting means for correcting an error in the reproduced image signal; concealing means for generating a concealing image signal for an error block including an error which cannot be corrected by said error correcting means by using blocks adjacent to the error block, said concealing means generating said concealing image signal by selectively using a plurality of groups of blocks respectively including a plurality of blocks of the other blocks; and control means for detecting error correcting results of each of the other blocks adjacent to the error block and determining the groups to be used by said concealing means among the plurality of groups of blocks according to the error correction results of each of the other blocks adjacent to the error block.

Claim 31

An image processing apparatus, comprising: reproducing means for reproducing an image signal which is divided into a plurality of blocks each comprising a plurality of pixels, from a recording medium; error correcting means for correcting an error in the reproduced image signal; concealing means for generating a concealing image signal for an error block including an error which cannot be corrected by said error correcting means by using blocks adjacent to the error block, said concealing means generating said concealing image signal by selectively using a plurality of groups of blocks respectively including a plurality of blocks of the other blocks; and control means for detecting error correcting results of each of the other blocks adjacent to the error block and determining the groups to be used by said concealing means among the plurality of groups of blocks according to the error correction results of each of the other blocks adjacent to the error block.