Image processing apparatus, method and integrated circuit used in liquid crystal display by processing block velocity of noisy blocks

An image processing apparatus adapted for use in a liquid crystal display, and for receiving a decoded current frame, the current frame including a plurality of blocks, said image processing apparatus comprising:

• a memory unit having at least one processed reference frame stored therein;
• a computing unit for determining which received blocks are noisy blocks, for finding a most similar reference block for each noisy block from the reference frame stored in said memory unit, and for generating a block velocity for each noisy block;
• and
• a processing unit for processing, among the received blocks and based on the block velocities generated by said computing unit, pixels that are in the noisy blocks having block velocities smaller than a liquid crystal response rate of the liquid crystal display and that are not covered by after-images, and for outputting processed pixels to said memory unit for storage therein, said processing unit directly outputting the other blocks to said memory unit for storage therein;
• wherein the liquid crystal response rate is equal to the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal display divided by a liquid crystal response time of the liquid crystal display, the block velocity being computed by said computing unit as follows:
• V
• b
• =
• x
• 2
• +
• y
• 2
• ·
• D
• p
• Δ
• t
• where Vb is the block velocity, (x,y) is a motion vector of pointing towards the reference block from the noisy block, Dp is the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal display, and Δt is the time difference between the display of the current frame and the reference frame.

An integrated circuit adapted for use in a liquid crystal display, and for receiving a decoded current frame, the current frame including a plurality of blocks, said integrated circuit comprising:

• a memory unit having at least one processed reference frame stored therein;
• a computing unit for determining which received blocks are noisy blocks, for finding a most similar reference block for each noisy block from the reference frame stored in said memory unit, and for generating a block velocity for each noisy block;
• and
• a processing unit for processing, among the received blocks and based on the block velocities generated by said computing unit, pixels that are in the noisy blocks having block velocities smaller than a liquid crystal response rate of the liquid crystal display and that are not covered by after-images, and for outputting processed pixels to said memory unit for storage therein, said processing unit directly outputting the other blocks to said memory unit for storage therein;
• wherein the liquid crystal response rate is equal to the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal display divided by a liquid crystal response time of the liquid crystal display, the block velocity being computed by said computing unit as follows:
• V
• b
• =
• x
• 2
• +
• y
• 2
• ·
• D
• p
• Δ
• t
• where Vb is the block velocity, (x,y) is a motion vector of pointing towards the reference block from the noisy block, Dp is the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal display, and Δt is the time difference between the display of the current frame and the reference frame.