Image processing apparatus, image processing method and computer readable medium

A moving picture reproduction method comprising:

• searching for motion vectors between input moving picture frames with respect to predetermined pixel blocks;
• detecting major vectors including a first major vector by:
• detecting the first major vector which is a motion vector included among the motion vectors searched for and has a maximal ratio of the number of blocks corresponding to one kind of motion vector to the number of all blocks included in one of the moving picture frames;
• and detecting, as a major vector, another motion vector wherein the ratio is a first ratio or more;
• determining a method in which interpolation frames to be inserted between the moving picture frames are generated;
• and
• generating the interpolation frames in the method determined by the determining,
• wherein the detecting major vectors including a first major vector comprises:
• detecting major vectors and classifying the motion vectors searched for into vector groups by repeating:
• detecting the first major vector;
• classifying a motion vector whose absolute value of difference between the motion vector and the first major vector is a predetermined value or less as a first major vector group together with the first major vector;
• detecting a second major vector which is a motion vector included among motion vectors obtaining by removing the first major vector group from the motion vectors searched for and in which a ratio of the number of blocks corresponding to one kind of motion vector to the number of all blocks included in one of the moving picture frames is the first ratio or more, and classifying a motion vector whose absolute value determined with respect to the second major vector is the predetermined value or less as a second major vector group together with the second major vector, and
• classifying the motion vectors searched for into a major vector group comprising the first major vector group, a non-major group comprising motion vectors which are other than zero vectors and not included in the major vector group, and a static vector group comprising motion vectors that are zero vectors;
• the determining comprises determining that the interpolation frames should be generated in a first method when a ratio of the number of motion vectors constituting the major vector group to the number of motion vectors constituting both the major vector group and the non-major vector group is a second ratio or more, and determining that interpolation frames should be generated in a second method when the ratio is less than the second ratio;
• and
• the searching for the motion vectors comprises:
• using, as candidates for a search center vector, major vectors including the first major vector detected with respect to the moving picture frames that are input last, when the motion pictures are searched for with respect to the predetermined number of pixel blocks;
• determining one of the candidates that has a lowest matching value as a candidate center vector;
• and
• searching an area around the candidate center vector for a motion vector that has a minimum matching value.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon that is executable by a computer to control the computer to execute functions of:

• searching for motion vectors between a plurality of input moving picture frames with respect to a predetermined number of pixel blocks;
• detecting major vectors including a first major vectors by:
• detecting the first major vector which is a motion vector included among the motion vectors searched for and has a maximal ratio of the number of blocks corresponding to one kind of motion vector to the number of all blocks included in one of the moving picture frames;
• and detecting, as a major vector, another motion vector wherein the ratio is a first ratio or more;
• determining a method in which interpolation frames to be inserted between the moving picture frames are generated;
• and
• generating the interpolation frames in the method determined by the determining,
• wherein the detecting major vectors including a first major vector comprises:
• detecting major vectors and classifying the motion vectors searched for into a plurality of vector groups by repeating:
• detecting the first major vector;
• classifying a motion vector whose absolute value determined with respect to the first major vector is a predetermined value or less as a first major vector group together with the first major vector;
• detecting a second major vector which is a motion vector included among motion vectors obtaining by removing the first major vector group from the motion vectors searched for and in which a ratio of the number of blocks corresponding to one kind of motion vector to the number of all blocks included in one of the moving picture frames is the first ratio or more, and classifying a motion vector whose absolute value determined with respect to the second major vector is the predetermined value or less as a second major vector group together with the second major vector;
• and
• classifying the motion vectors searched for into a major vector group comprising the first major vector group, a non-major group comprising motion vectors which are other than zero vectors and not included in the major vector group, and a static vector group comprising motion vectors that are zero vectors;
• the determining comprises determining that the interpolation frames should be generated in a first method when a ratio of the number of motion vectors constituting the major vector group to the number of motion vectors constituting both the major vector group and the non-major vector group is a second ratio or more, and determining that interpolation frames should be generated in a second method when the ratio is less than the second ratio;
• and
• the searching for the motion vectors comprises:
• using, as candidates for a search center vector, major vectors including a first major vector detected with respect to the moving picture frames that are input last, when the motion pictures are searched for with respect to the predetermined number of pixel blocks;
• determining one of the candidates that has a lowest matching value as a candidate center vector;
• and
• searching an area around the candidate center vector for a motion vector that has a minimum matching value.