To increase the accuracy of motion vectors in an image frame as a whole by calculating the motion vectors by block matching.
A corresponding point information generation part 110 matches a source image frame and a destination image frame in image data having consecutive image frames to determine corresponding point information on a pixel basis. A motion vector detection part 152 determines motion vectors of the pixels in the source image frame according to the result of matching. A confidence area separation part 154 divides the image frame in which the motion vectors are determined into blocks, and classifies each block as a confidence area relatively high in calculated motion vector accuracy or a nonconfidence area relatively low in motion vector accuracy. As applying the motion vector of the confidence area to pixels of the nonconfidence area adjacent to the confidence area, a motion vector improvement part 160 calculates errors between pixel values after movements under the application and pixel values of the corresponding pixels in the destination image frame, combines the pixels whose error is smaller than a threshold with the confidence area, and replaces the motion vectors of the pixels by the motion vector of the confidence area.
BOROVIKOV IGOR
YAMASHITA SHINICHI
ENDO MASUHARU
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