Device and method for detecting a motion vector of an image

Claim 1

A device for detecting a motion vector of an image comprising: a horizontal edge extractor which extracts and outputs horizontal edges from said input image; a one-line accumulator which accumulates horizontal edges input from said horizontal edge extractor and outputs accumulated data corresponding to one line of pixels; a delay register which holds said accumulated data input from said one-line accumulator for a predetermined time period before outputting said accumulated data; a vertical line memory which stores accumulation data of a preceding field before replacing said accumulation data with said accumulated data input from said delay register; a sign decision memory which stores data input from said vertical line memory and, from a value stored in every cell of said sign decision memory, subtracts a value input from said horizontal edge extractor to output subtracted values; a vertical correlation arithmetic unit which holds correlation values and, according to said value input from each cell of said sign decision memory, performs one of an increase and a decrease in a corresponding correlation value to detect and output a vertical motion vector; a vertical edge extractor which extracts and outputs vertical edges from said input image; a first horizontal line memory which stores and outputs accumulation values of pixel data input from said vertical edge extractor; a second horizontal line memory which dispersedly stores accumulation values of said preceding field and replaces said accumulation values with said accumulation values output from said first horizontal line memory; a comparator which receives said accumulation values from said first horizontal line memory and from said second horizontal line memory and compares said accumulation values to output a comparison result; and a horizontal correlation arithmetic unit which holds correlation values and, according to a comparison result of said comparator, performs one of an increase and a decrease in the correlation values to detect and output a horizontal motion vector.

Claim 2

A device for detecting a motion vector of an image comprising: a horizontal edge extractor which extracts and outputs horizontal edges from said input image; a one-line accumulator which accumulates horizontal edges input from said horizontal edge extractor and outputs accumulated data corresponding to one line of pixels; a delay register which holds said accumulated data input from said one-line accumulator for a predetermined time period before outputting said accumulated data; a vertical line memory which stores accumulation data of a preceding field before replacing said accumulation data with said accumulated data input from said delay register; a sign decision memory which stores data input from said vertical line memory and, from a value stored in every cell of said sign decision memory, subtracts a value input from said horizontal edge extractor to output subtracted values; a vertical correlation arithmetic unit which holds correlation values and, according to said value input from each cell of said sign decision memory, performs one of an increase and a decrease in a corresponding correlation value to detect and output a vertical motion vector; a vertical edge extractor which extracts and outputs vertical edges from said input image; a first horizontal line memory which stores and outputs accumulation values of pixel data input from said vertical edge extractor; a second horizontal line memory which dispersedly stores accumulation values of said preceding field and replaces said accumulation values with said accumulation values output from said first horizontal line memory; a comparator which receives said accumulation values from said first horizontal line memory and from said second horizontal line memory and compares said accumulation values to output a comparison result; and a horizontal correlation arithmetic unit which holds correlation values and, according to a comparison result of said comparator, performs one of an increase and a decrease in the correlation values to detect and output a horizontal motion vector.

Claim 6

A method for detecting a vertical motion vector of an image comprising the steps of: storing, in a sign decision memory, accumulation values corresponding to a preceding field within a searching area; preloading correlation values, into a vertical correlation arithmetic unit, which correspond to said preceding field; extracting a horizontal edge of said image; determining whether a horizontal edge has been extracted; decreasing, when a horizontal edge has been extracted, a value of every cell of the sign decision memory by a predetermined value; determining whether the value of a cell of the sign decision memory is positive; decreasing a correlation value by a predetermined amount when the value of a corresponding cell of the sign decision memory is positive; increasing a correlation value by a predetermined amount when the value of the corresponding cell of the sign decision memory is not positive; determining whether every cell of the sign decision memory has been checked; determining whether calculation is completed up to the final pixel of the current line when every cell of the sign memory has been checked; determining whether, calculation is completed up to the last line when calculation is completed up to the last pixel of the current line; and detecting a minimum value of the correlation values to output a vertical motion vector when calculation is completed up to the last line.

Claim 7

A method for detecting a vertical motion vector of an image comprising the steps of: storing, in a sign decision memory, accumulation values corresponding to a preceding field within a searching area; preloading correlation values, into a vertical correlation arithmetic unit, which correspond to said preceding field; extracting a horizontal edge of said image; determining whether a horizontal edge has been extracted; decreasing, when a horizontal edge has been extracted, a value of every cell of the sign decision memory by a predetermined value; determining whether the value of a cell of the sign decision memory is positive; decreasing a correlation value by a predetermined amount when the value of a corresponding cell of the sign decision memory is positive; increasing a correlation value by a predetermined amount when the value of the corresponding cell of the sign decision memory is not positive; determining whether every cell of the sign decision memory has been checked; determining whether calculation is completed up to the final pixel of the current line when every cell of the sign memory has been checked; determining whether, calculation is completed up to the last line when calculation is completed up to the last pixel of the current line; and detecting a minimum value of the correlation values to output a vertical motion vector when calculation is completed up to the last line.

Claim 11

A method for detecting a horizontal motion vector of an image comprising the steps of: initializing correlation values in a horizontal correlation arithmetic unit; extracting a vertical edge from said image; accumulating a partial-accumulation value of a present field into a first horizontal line memory; comparing accumulation values stored in the first horizontal line memory with accumulation values of a preceding field stored in a second horizontal line memory; perform an increase or decrease in said correlation values in accordance with a result of said comparing step; renewing data of the second horizontal line memory; determining whether there is a portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared; setting the next portion of said image to return to the step of clearing the first horizontal line memory when there is a portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared; and detecting a minimum value out of the correlation values to output a horizontal motion vector when there is no portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared.

Claim 12

A method for detecting a horizontal motion vector of an image comprising the steps of: initializing correlation values in a horizontal correlation arithmetic unit; extracting a vertical edge from said image; accumulating a partial-accumulation value of a present field into a first horizontal line memory; comparing accumulation values stored in the first horizontal line memory with accumulation values of a preceding field stored in a second horizontal line memory; perform an increase or decrease in said correlation values in accordance with a result of said comparing step; renewing data of the second horizontal line memory; determining whether there is a portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared; setting the next portion of said image to return to the step of clearing the first horizontal line memory when there is a portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared; and detecting a minimum value out of the correlation values to output a horizontal motion vector when there is no portion of said image where correlation values are to be compared.