Method and apparatus for motion estimation using block matching

Claim 1

Apparatus for motion estimation using two-sided block matching wherein a current field or frame to be interpolated and which is non-existing in an original picture signal is regarded as having notional pixel blocks which cover the field or frame to be interpolated and are correctly placed in that field or frame to be interpolated, comprising: field or frame delay means, line delay means and sample delay means for providing for each current of said notional pixel blocks pixels of the required pixel positions of a forward search window, having a preselected width, of a forward field or frame, further field or frame delay means, line delay means and sample delay means for providing for the current of said notional pixel blocks, the pixels of the required pixel positions of a backward search window, having said preselected width of a backward field or frame; processing elements each having two inputs and being connected to said field or frame delay means, line delay means and sample delay means and/or to said further field or frame delay means, line delay means and sample delay means for matching respective forward candidate pixel blocks within the forward search window in the forward field or frame with respective backward candidate pixel blocks within the backward search window in the backward field or frame by accumulating the errors between such pixels which arrive at its two inputs, and means for storing the partial results in order to arrive at a total error for each block; detection means connected to said processing elements for selecting a motion vector related to the location of the best matching pair of blocks from the forward field or frame and the backward field or frame, in order to select one motion vector for the current of said notional pixel blocks (I FB), whereby a first half of said motion vector points to the location of the best matching block in the backward field or frame search window and the second half of said motion vector points to the location of the best matching block in the forward field or frame search window, both vector parts depending on a same candidate motion vector, wherein the candidate motion vector all pass through the same points in said current field or frame to be interpolated, and wherein every point in the interpolated field has precisely one motion vector assigned thereto to eliminate motion vector gaps and conflicts within areas in the interpolate field.