# US 10,321,136 B2 · Image processing apparatus and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,136 B2 - Document ID: US10321136B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/001,963 - Filed: 2016-01-20 - Published: 2016-05-26 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2009-02-19 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Ohji Nakagami; Yoichi Yagasaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321136B2 ## CPC - H04N 19/159: Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction - H04N 19/105: Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction - H04N 19/107: between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh - H04N 19/109: among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes - H04N 19/117: Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing (sub-band filter banks H04N19/635) - H04N 19/503: involving temporal prediction (adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109) - H04N 19/51: Motion estimation or motion compensation - H04N 19/513: Processing of motion vectors - H04N 19/573: Motion compensation with multiple frame prediction using two or more reference frames in a given prediction direction - H04N 19/577: Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures - H04N 19/593: involving spatial prediction techniques - H04N 19/615: using motion compensated temporal filtering [MCTF] - H04N 19/82: involving filtering within a prediction loop - H04N 19/63: using sub-band based transform, e.g. wavelets - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method that can generate a high-accuracy prediction image with a small amount of control information. A motion compensation circuit 51 specifies a macroblock corresponding to a prediction image in a reference frame other than a current frame using a motion vector supplied from a prediction mode determination circuit 41. The motion compensation circuit 51 reads an image of the specified macroblock from a frame memory 19, and extracts the read image as a motion compensation image. An intra-prediction circuit 52 performs intra-prediction on the current frame using an arbitrary method to generate an intra-prediction image IP. The present invention can be applied to, for example, an encoding apparatus and a decoding apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image decoding apparatus, comprising: circuitry configured to: calculate a difference between at least one motion compensation image that has been predicted during decoding and an intra-prediction image that has been predicted decoding, the motion compensation image being generated by performing inter-prediction on a reference frame, the intra-prediction image being generated by performing a prediction operation on a current frame based on neighboring pixels of the current frame, wherein the reference frame and the current frame are read from a frame memory; generate a difference image based on the difference; apply a filter to filter the difference image; and generate a prediction image based on the filtering of the difference image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image decoding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to: decode an encoded image based on the generated prediction image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image decoding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to apply a first filter to filter the difference image, apply a second filter, different from the first filter, to filter an image obtained by applying the first filter, and generate the prediction image based on the applying of the second filter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image decoding apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first filter is a low-pass filter and the second filter is a high-pass filter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The image decoding apparatus of claim 3, wherein the circuitry is configured to add the image obtained by applying the first filter and an image obtained by applying the second filter to the motion compensation image extracted from a preceding frame with respect to a time of the prediction image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image decoding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first filter is a low-pass filter and the second filter is a high-pass filter. ### Claim 7 An image decoding method, comprising: calculating a difference between at least one motion compensation image that has been predicted during decoding and an intra-prediction image that has been predicted during decoding, the motion compensation image being generated by performing inter-prediction on a reference frame, the intra-prediction image being generated by performing a prediction operation on a current frame based on neighboring pixels of the current frame, wherein the reference frame and the current frame are read from a frame memory; generating a difference image based on the difference; applying a filter, using a processor, to filter the difference image; and generating, using the processor, a prediction image based on said filtering of the difference image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image decoding method of claim 7, further comprising: decoding, using the processor, an encoded image based on the generated prediction image. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image decoding method of claim 7, wherein the applying the filter to filter the difference image comprises: applying a first filter to filter the difference image, applying a second filter, different from the first filter, to filter an image obtained by applying the first filter, and generating the prediction image based on said applying the second filter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image decoding method of claim 9, wherein the first filter is a low-pass filter and the second filter is a high-pass filter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The image decoding method of claim 9, further comprising: adding the image obtained by applying the first filter and an image obtained by applying the second filter to the motion compensation image extracted from a preceding frame with respect to a time of the prediction image. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image decoding method of claim 11, wherein the first filter is a low-pass filter and the second filter is a high-pass filter.