Method and device for making virtual image region for motion estimation and compensation of panorama image

A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of generating a virtual image region for motion estimation and motion compensation of a panorama image to be divided into tiled patch units and transmitted from a transmitting side, wherein the computer readable recording medium comprises:

• a first set of instructions for searching a previous panorama image for reference data corresponding to all or part of a virtual image region of a current patch desired to be motion-estimated and motion-compensated in order to determine the presence of the reference data and retrieving the reference data if found;
• a second set of instructions for judging whether or not the reference data was updated within a predetermined time if the result of the retrieval indicates that there is reference data;
• and
• a third set of instructions for mapping the reference data to all or part of the virtual image region if the result of the judging indicates that the reference data was updated within the predetermined time.

A method of motion estimation of a panorama image to be divided into tiled patch units and transmitted from a transmitting side, the method comprising the steps of:

• controlling a retrieval unit for determining if reference data corresponding to all or part of a virtual image region of a current patch desired to be motion-estimated is in a previous panorama image and controlling a mapping unit for mapping the reference data to all or part of the virtual image region;
• controlling a motion estimation unit for performing a motion estimation of the current patch using a comparison with the reference data;
• and
• controlling the motion estimation unit for generating a motion vector of the current patch in relation to a reference image by using all or part of the virtual image region on which the reference data is mapped for image transmission from a transmitting side.

A method of encoding a panorama image to be divided into tiled patch units and transmitted from a transmitting side, the method comprising the steps of:

• controlling a retrieval unit for determining if reference data corresponding to all or part of a virtual image region of a current patch desired to be motion-estimated is in a previous panorama image and controlling a mapping unit for mapping the reference data to all or part of the virtual image region;
• controlling a motion estimation unit for generating a motion vector of the current patch in relation to a reference image by using all or part of the virtual image region on which the reference data is mapped and encoding data of at least the current patch and the motion vector of the motion estimation for transmission;
• and
• controlling a motion compensation unit for performing motion compensation for the current patch by using the motion vector for image transmission from a transmitting side.

A method of motion compensation of a panorama image divided into tiled patch units and received at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

• controlling a retrieval unit for receiving an input of a motion vector for a current patch included in a current panorama image;
• controlling the retrieval unit for determining if reference data indicated by the motion vector and corresponding to all or part of a virtual image region of the current patch is in the previous panorama image;
• and
• controlling a mapping unit for mapping the reference data to all or part of the virtual image region by applying the motion vector to all or part of the virtual image region on which the reference data is mapped to provide motion compensation for image combination at a receiving side.

A method of motion compensation of a panorama image divided into tiled patch units and received at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

• controlling a retrieval unit for receiving an input of a motion vector for a current patch included in a current panorama image;
• controlling the retrieval unit for determining if reference data indicated by the motion vector and corresponding to all or part of a virtual image region of the current patch is in the previous panorama image;
• controlling a mapping unit for mapping the reference data to all or part of the virtual image region;
• controlling a motion compensation unit for performing motion compensation of a reference image by using all or part of the virtual image region on which the reference data is mapped;
• and
• controlling a clipping unit for restoring the current patch by using a differential signal of the current patch and the motion-compensated patch, and the motion-compensated patch for image combination at a receiving side.