Image processing apparatus and image processing method

Abstract

The present invention aims at properly displaying images of low frame content, for example on a television set of high luminance and high contrast. Based on images of a first frame rate, objects having a luminance exceeding a luminance threshold and / or having a motion amount exceeding a motion amount threshold are detected as target objects in each frame. Interpolation images of a predetermined number of frames are inserted between successive two images of the first frame rate, thereby obtaining images of a second frame rate, the second frame rate being greater than the first frame rate, the interpolation images of the predetermined number of frames being subjected to motion compensation that causes the target objects to move sequentially.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This technology relates to image processing apparatus and image processing method, and more specifically to image processing apparatus and image processing method including frame rate conversion. Background Technology

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method to convert a 60Hz frame rate image stream into a 120Hz frame rate image stream by inserting intermediate frame images between each pair of consecutive frames, thereby smoothing the display of moving images. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes a method to achieve the sharp image quality characteristic of film content (film images) by inserting black image frames into portions corresponding to intermediate frame images. However, when black image frames are inserted as intermediate frame images, there is a drawback of reduced overall brightness.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-058785 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention

[0007] The purpose of this technology is to enable high-brightness and high-contrast televisions to display images, such as low frame rate content, effectively.

[0008] Solution to the problem

[0009] The concept of this technology lies in an image processing apparatus, comprising: a target object detection processing unit, which detects objects with brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or motion exceeding a motion amount threshold as target objects for each frame of an image stream having a first frame rate; and an interpolation image insertion processing unit, which acquires an image stream having a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate by inserting a predetermined number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in the image stream having the first frame rate, wherein the predetermined number of interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation that causes the target objects to move sequentially.

[0010] In this technology, the target object detection processing unit detects objects as target objects for each frame based on an image stream with a first frame rate, provided that the object has a brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or a motion amount exceeding a motion amount threshold. For example, the brightness threshold may include the maximum brightness of an object whose flickering (jitter) is not significant in the image stream with the first frame rate. Furthermore, the motion amount threshold may include, for example, the maximum motion amount of an object whose flickering (jitter) is not significant in the image stream with the first frame rate. Additionally, both the brightness threshold and the motion amount threshold may include variables that change according to the environment.

[0011] An interpolation image insertion processing unit acquires an image stream with a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate by inserting a predetermined number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in an image stream with a first frame rate. This predetermined number of interpolated images is obtained by performing motion compensation that sequentially moves the target object. For example, the interpolation image insertion processing unit can vary the amount of movement of the target object in a predetermined number of interpolated images based on the brightness and / or amount of movement of the target object.

[0012] Furthermore, for example, an image stream with a first frame rate may include an image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz and relevant to the movie content. In this case, for example, the second frame rate may be an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz.

[0013] In this technology, an image stream with a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate is obtained by inserting a predetermined number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in an image stream with a first frame rate, as described above. The predetermined number of interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation that causes a target object (which is an object having a brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or a motion amount exceeding a motion amount threshold) to move sequentially. Therefore, even high-brightness, high-contrast televisions can display images, such as movie content, well with minimal jitter but still exhibiting movie-like motion characteristics.

[0014] Furthermore, in this technology, for example, a display panel for displaying an image stream at a second frame rate may also be provided. In this case, for example, the display panel may include a 4K or 8K size display panel. Furthermore, in this technology, an image stream with a first frame rate can be acquired by receiving a broadcast signal, reproducing from memory, or through communication. Furthermore, in this technology, the target object detection processing unit detects objects as target objects that, in addition to having a brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or a motion amount exceeding a motion amount threshold, also have a size exceeding a size threshold. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1This is a diagram illustrating an example of frame rate conversion according to conventional techniques for converting a 24Hz (24P) frame rate movie content image stream into a 120Hz (120P) frame rate image stream.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of frame rate conversion according to the present technology for converting a 24Hz (24P) frame rate movie content image stream into a 120Hz (120P) frame rate image stream.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of frame rate conversion from 24Hz (24P) to 120Hz (120P).

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of generating an interpolated image.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another instance of generating an interpolated image.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between object brightness and brightness parameters, the correspondence between object motion and motion parameters, and the correspondence between each parameter and motion compensation.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating other instances of the correspondence between object brightness and brightness parameters, object motion and motion parameters, and the correspondence between each parameter and motion compensation.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of how the effects of motion compensation can change.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a television receiver as an implementation method.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the frame rate conversion unit. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In the following text, methods for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described. Note that the descriptions will be presented in the following order.

[0026] 1. Implementation Method

[0027] 2. Variation Example

[0028] <1. Implementation Method>

[0029] [Basic Description of this Technology]

[0030] Figure 1 This illustrates an example of frame rate conversion according to conventional techniques for converting a 24Hz (24P) frame rate movie content image stream to a 120Hz (120P) frame rate image stream. In a 24P frame rate image stream, motion is high and jitter is noticeable. A 120P frame rate image stream is obtained by inserting four interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in the 24P frame rate image stream. These four interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation through sequential shifting of the entire image. In this case, interpolation reduces the amount of motion between frames, thus making the jitter less noticeable, but the motion is no longer specific to movie.

[0031] Figure 2 An example of frame rate conversion according to the present technology for converting a 24Hz (24P) frame rate movie content image stream into a 120Hz (120P) frame rate image stream is shown. In this example, the first frame rate corresponds to 24Hz, and the second frame rate corresponds to 120Hz. The 120P frame rate image stream is obtained by inserting four interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in the 24P frame rate image stream. These four interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation only on target objects with high brightness and high motion (i.e., where jitter is obvious). In this case, since motion compensation is performed only on the portions corresponding to objects with obvious jitter, the jitter becomes less noticeable, and the motion characteristic of the movie can be maintained.

[0032] Figure 3 (a) shows two consecutive frames, the nth and (n+1)th frames, in a video stream comprising a 24P frame rate, and Figure 3 (b) shows the 120p frame rate image corresponding to the two consecutive frames. In this case, the five frames, including frames 5n to (5n+4), correspond to the nth frame of the 24p frame rate image stream, the image of frame 5n is the same as the image of frame n, and the four frames, including frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), are interpolated images obtained by performing motion compensation only on the target object.

[0033] Furthermore, similarly, the five frames from frame 5(n+1) to frame 5(n+1)+4 correspond to the (n+1) frame of the 24P frame rate image stream, the image of frame 5(n+1) is the same as the image of frame (n+1), and the four frames from frame (5(n+1)+1) to frame (5(n+1)+4) are interpolated images obtained by performing motion compensation only on the target object.

[0034] Figure 4An example of generating an interpolated image is illustrated. This example is based on a 24P frame rate image stream containing both high-brightness objects with high motion and low-brightness objects with high motion. Note that for high-brightness objects, it is sufficient if they are bright in a localized area, and the entire object does not need to be bright. The same applies to the following description.

[0035] Because high-brightness objects also have a large amount of motion, they are therefore detected as target objects. In each of the four interpolated images comprising frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), the high-brightness object is motion-compensated and placed at the sequentially moved position. In contrast, low-brightness objects have a large amount of motion but low brightness, so no motion compensation is performed. In each of the four interpolated images comprising frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), the low-brightness object is placed at the same position as in the image of frame (5n).

[0036] Figure 5 This illustration shows another example of generating an interpolated image. This example is based on a 24p frame rate image stream containing a high-luminosity object with high motion and another high-luminosity object with low motion.

[0037] High-brightness objects with high motion are detected as target objects, and in each of the four interpolated images comprising frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), the high-brightness object is motion-compensated and placed at the sequentially moved position. In contrast, in each of the four interpolated images comprising frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), high-brightness objects with low motion are not motion-compensated and are placed at the same position as in the image of frame (5n).

[0038] As mentioned above, the target object to be motion compensated in the interpolated image is an object with high brightness and large amount of motion. Figure 6 (a) shows the correspondence between object brightness and the brightness parameter. The brightness threshold Lobj0 is the maximum object brightness in a 24P frame rate image stream, at which value jitter is not noticeable. This brightness threshold Lobj0 is an environmental parameter (variable) that changes according to the brightness of the surrounding area (the environment in which the image is viewed). As object brightness increases beyond the brightness threshold Lobj0, the brightness parameter increases linearly from zero. Note that it is also possible to consider making the brightness parameter change non-linearly.

[0039] Figure 6(b) illustrates the correspondence between object motion and the motion parameter. The motion threshold Mobj0 is the maximum value of object motion in a 24P frame rate image stream where jitter is not significant. This motion threshold Mobj0 is an environmental parameter (variable) that varies depending on the size of the display panel and the viewing distance. As object motion increases beyond the motion threshold Mobj0, the motion parameter increases linearly from zero. Note that it is also possible to consider making the motion parameter change non-linearly.

[0040] In this technique, objects whose value is greater than zero (obtained by multiplying a brightness parameter by a motion parameter) are detected as target objects to be motion compensated. In this case, such as... Figure 6 As shown in (c), for objects whose value is zero when the brightness parameter is multiplied by the motion parameter, motion compensation is off, i.e., no motion compensation is performed; however, for objects whose value is greater than zero when the brightness parameter is multiplied by the motion parameter, motion compensation is on, i.e., motion compensation is performed.

[0041] Note that the effect of motion compensation can also be considered not to be controlled between two levels of on and off, but to vary according to the value obtained by multiplying the brightness parameter by the motion parameter. Figure 7 (c) shows the case where the effect of motion compensation on the target object varies linearly based on the value obtained by multiplying the brightness parameter by the motion magnitude parameter. Note that although... Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 The detailed description of (b), but Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 (b) respectively with Figure 6 (a) and Figure 6 The same as (b). Note that it is also possible to consider making the effect of motion compensation vary non-linearly.

[0042] Here, the maximum effect of motion compensation is... Figure 6 The motion compensation in (c) has the same effect as when it is in the on state. The above Figure 4 and Figure 5 The motion compensation examples shown all illustrate the case where the motion compensation effect is set to its maximum value. Furthermore, the motion compensation effect is minimized when the value obtained by multiplying the brightness parameter by the motion amount parameter equals zero; that is, the motion compensation effect is equal to... Figure 6 The motion compensation in (c) is the same as the motion compensation in the off state.

[0043] Figure 8 Examples illustrating the changes in the effect of motion compensation are shown. Figure 8(a) shows the case where motion compensation is most effective. In this case, when the position of the target object in the image of the 5n frame is represented by R0 and the position of the target object in the image of the 5(n+1) frame is represented by R1, the distance between R0 and R1 is divided into, for example, five parts, and the position of the target object in the interpolated image of the four frames including the (5n+1) frame to the (5n+4) frame is set as the boundary of the five parts.

[0044] Figure 8 (b) shows that the effect of motion compensation is less than Figure 8 Case (a) is an example. In this case, R2 represents a position slightly closer to R0 than R1. The distance between R0 and R2 is divided into, for example, four parts, and the position of the target object in the interpolated image of the four frames, including frames (5n+1) to (5n+4), is set as the boundary between the four parts and R2. Furthermore, Figure 8 (c) shows the effect of motion compensation compared to Figure 8 Case (b) is smaller. In this case, R3 represents a position that is slightly closer to R0 than R2. The distance between R0 and R3 is divided into, for example, four parts, and the position of the target object in the four interpolated frames including frame (5n+1) to frame (5n+4) is set as the boundary of the four parts with R3.

[0045] [TV receiver]

[0046] Figure 9 An example configuration of a television receiver 100 as an embodiment is shown. The television receiver 100 includes: a video input unit 101, an image quality adjustment unit 102, a frame rate conversion unit 103, a panel driving circuit 104, and a display panel 105.

[0047] The video input unit 101 acquires a video signal by receiving a broadcast signal, communication, or playback from a memory (disk). Here, it is assumed that the video signal corresponds to an image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz and is related to the movie content. In the case of a broadcast signal, the 24Hz frame rate video signal related to the movie content is converted to a 60Hz (60P) frame rate video signal at the broadcast station side using, for example, a 2-3 push-pull method and then transmitted to the broadcast signal. The video input unit 101 receives the 60Hz frame rate video signal and extracts individual frames of the original 24Hz frame rate video signal related to the movie content from the received 60Hz frame rate video signal, thereby reconstructing the 24Hz frame rate video signal related to the movie content.

[0048] The image quality adjustment unit 102 performs image quality adjustment processing on the video signal acquired by the video input unit 101 to adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. The frame rate conversion unit 103 performs processing on the video signal SVA output from the image quality adjustment unit 102 to convert the frame rate from 24Hz to 120Hz, and outputs a video signal SVb corresponding to the image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz.

[0049] Figure 10 An example configuration of the frame rate conversion unit 103 is shown. The frame rate conversion unit 103 includes: a brightness comparison processing unit 131, a motion comparison processing unit 132, a target object detection processing unit 133, and an interpolated image insertion processing unit 134.

[0050] The luminance comparison processing unit 131 receives an input of a video signal SVA corresponding to an image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz and related to the movie content. The luminance comparison processing unit 131 detects the luminance of each frame in predetermined units (e.g., in macroblocks), and compares the luminance of each unit with a luminance threshold Lobj0 (see...). Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 The image is compared with (a) and information about the unit portion of the image with brightness exceeding the brightness threshold Lobj0 is obtained. In addition to location information, the information about the unit portion also includes information about brightness parameters (see [reference]). Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 (a)

[0051] The motion comparison processing unit 132 receives an input of a video signal SVA corresponding to the image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz and related to the movie content. The motion comparison processing unit 132 detects motion vectors for each frame in predetermined units (e.g., in macroblocks), and compares the motion amount of each unit with a motion amount threshold Mobj0 (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 6 (b) and Figure 7 (b) is compared, and information about the unit portion of the image with motion exceeding the motion threshold Mobj0 is obtained. In addition to the motion vector and motion magnitude (the size of the motion vector), the information about the unit portion also includes information about the motion parameters (see [link to documentation]). Figure 6 (b) and Figure 7 (b)) information.

[0052] For each frame, the target object detection processing unit 133 is provided with information acquired by the brightness comparison processing unit 131 and associated with a unit portion of the image having a brightness exceeding the brightness threshold Lobj0, and information acquired by the motion comparison processing unit 132 and associated with a unit portion of the image having a motion amount exceeding the motion amount threshold Mobj0. Based on the information provided in the manner described above, the target object detection processing unit 133 detects objects (corresponding to objects) existing in the image for each frame that have a brightness exceeding the brightness threshold Lobj0 and a motion amount exceeding the motion amount threshold Mobj0. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The target object is a bright object with high motion in the instance. Note that although a detailed description of the method used to detect the object is omitted, any conventionally known method can be used, for example.

[0053] The interpolation image insertion processing unit 134 provides information about each target object detected by the target object detection processing unit 133. This information includes position information, motion vectors, brightness parameters, and motion parameters associated with the target object. Additionally, the interpolation image insertion processing unit 134 also receives a video signal SVa corresponding to the aforementioned 24Hz frame rate image stream and related to the movie content.

[0054] The interpolation image insertion processing unit 134 acquires a 120Hz image stream by inserting four interpolated images between each pair of consecutive two frames in a 24Hz image stream, and outputs a video signal SVb corresponding to the 120Hz image stream. In this case, the interpolation image insertion processing unit 134 performs the interpolation based on information about each target object (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 4 and Figure 5 ), performs motion compensation that moves the target object sequentially across four interpolated images.

[0055] Furthermore, in this case, the interpolated image insertion processing unit 134 performs, for example, according to a predetermined setting. Figure 6 The motion compensation shown in (c) or Figure 7 The motion compensation is shown in (c). In, as in... Figure 6 In the motion compensation shown in (c), regardless of the value obtained by multiplying the brightness parameter by the motion parameter, motion compensation is always performed for each target object to maximize its movement (see [reference]). Figure 8 (a)). In contrast, in Figure 7 In the motion compensation shown in (c), motion compensation is performed such that the larger the value obtained by multiplying the brightness parameter by the motion amount parameter, the greater the amount of movement becomes (see, in turn). Figure 8 (c) Figure 8 (b) and Figure 8(a)

[0056] Note that some or all of the processing of the various parts of the frame rate conversion unit 103 can also be performed by software processing executed by a computer.

[0057] Return to reference Figure 9 The panel driving unit 104 drives the display panel 105 based on the video signal SVb acquired by the frame rate conversion unit 103 and corresponding to an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz, so that the display panel 105 displays an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz. The display panel 105 is a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL display panel, a CLED (crystal LED) panel, etc. The display panel 105 is, for example, a 4K-sized display panel, an 8K-sized display panel, etc.

[0058] A brief description Figure 9 The operation of the television receiver 100 shown is illustrated. In the video input unit 101, a video signal corresponding to an image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz and related to the movie content is acquired by receiving broadcast signals, communications, or playback from a memory (disk), and the acquired video signal is provided to the image quality adjustment unit 102. In the image quality adjustment unit 102, image quality adjustment processing is performed on the video signal corresponding to the image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz to adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. The video signal SVA obtained as a result of the image quality adjustment processing is supplied to the frame rate conversion unit 103.

[0059] In the frame rate conversion unit 103, the video signal SVA output from the image quality adjustment unit 102 is processed to convert the frame rate from 24Hz to 120Hz, thereby obtaining a video signal SVb corresponding to an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz. In this case, four interpolated images are inserted between every pair of consecutive frames in the image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz to obtain an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz. Here, in the four interpolated images, only target objects with a brightness exceeding the brightness threshold Lobj0 and a motion amount exceeding the motion amount threshold Mobj0 are motion compensated to move sequentially.

[0060] The video signal SVb, which is acquired by the frame rate conversion unit 103 and corresponds to an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz, is supplied to the panel driving circuit 104. In the panel driving unit 104, the display panel 105 is driven based on the video signal SVb, and an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz and related to the movie content is displayed on the display panel 105.

[0061] As mentioned above, in Figure 9In the television receiver 100 shown, the frame rate conversion unit 103 inserts four interpolated images between each pair of consecutive frames in an image stream with a frame rate of 24Hz, thereby obtaining an image stream with a frame rate of 120Hz. These four interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation that sequentially moves only target objects with brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and motion exceeding a motion amount threshold. Therefore, even televisions with high brightness and high contrast can display movie content well with minimal jitter but appropriate jitter.

[0062] <2. Variation Example>

[0063] Note that in the above embodiments, objects with brightness exceeding the brightness threshold and motion exceeding the motion amount threshold are identified as target objects to be motion compensated. However, it can also be considered that objects with brightness exceeding the brightness threshold or objects with motion exceeding the motion amount threshold are identified as target objects to be motion compensated.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the target object to be motion compensated is determined without considering the size of the object. However, it is also possible to determine only objects whose size exceeds the size threshold as the target object to be motion compensated.

[0065] Furthermore, although not described above, the frame rate conversion described above in this technology can be applied when the user sets the image quality mode to movie mode, or when movie content is detected in automatic mode.

[0066] Furthermore, although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the scope of the invention is not limited to these examples. It is obvious to anyone skilled in the art that various variations or modifications will arise within the scope of the technical concept described in the claims, and naturally, it should be understood that these examples also fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0067] Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely illustrative or exemplary, and not restrictive. That is, in addition to or instead of the effects described above, the technology according to this disclosure can bring about other effects that are obvious to those skilled in the art as described in this specification.

[0068] In addition, this technology may also have the following configurations.

[0069] (1) An image processing apparatus, comprising:

[0070] The target object detection processing unit, based on an image stream having a first frame rate, detects objects as target objects for each frame that have a brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or a motion amount exceeding a motion amount threshold; and

[0071] The interpolation image insertion processing unit obtains an image stream with a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate by inserting a predetermined number of interpolation images between each pair of consecutive two frames in an image stream with a first frame rate. The predetermined number of interpolation images are obtained by performing motion compensation that causes the target object to move sequentially.

[0072] (2) The image processing apparatus according to (1), wherein the brightness threshold is the maximum value of the brightness of an object in an image stream with a first frame rate where jitter is not obvious.

[0073] (3) The image processing apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the motion threshold is the maximum value of the motion of an object in an image stream with a first frame rate where jitter is not obvious.

[0074] (4) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein both the brightness threshold and the motion threshold include variables that change according to the environment.

[0075] (5) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the interpolation image insertion processing unit changes the amount of movement of the target object in a predetermined number of interpolation images according to the brightness and / or amount of movement of the target object.

[0076] (6) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the image stream having a first frame rate includes an image stream with a frame rate of 24 Hz and related to the movie content.

[0077] (7) The image processing apparatus according to (6), wherein the second frame rate is an image stream of 120Hz.

[0078] (8) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7) further comprises:

[0079] The display panel shows the image stream with a second frame rate.

[0080] (9) The image processing apparatus according to (8), wherein the display panel includes a 4K size or an 8K size display panel.

[0081] (10) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein an image stream having a first frame rate is acquired by receiving a broadcast signal, reproducing from a memory, or communicating.

[0082] (11) The image processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the target object detection processing unit detects an object as a target object, which has a size exceeding a size threshold in addition to having a brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or a motion exceeding a motion threshold.

[0083] (12) An image processing method, comprising:

[0084] Based on an image stream with a first frame rate, the steps include detecting objects with brightness exceeding a brightness threshold and / or motion exceeding a motion threshold as target objects for each frame; and

[0085] The step of obtaining an image stream with a second frame rate greater than the first frame rate by inserting a predetermined number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive two frames in an image stream with a first frame rate, wherein the predetermined number of interpolated images are obtained by performing motion compensation that causes the target object to move sequentially.

[0086] List of reference numerals

[0087] 100: TV receiver

[0088] 101: Video Input Unit

[0089] 102: Image quality adjustment unit

[0090] 103: Frame Rate Conversion Unit

[0091] 104: Panel driving unit

[0092] 105: Display Panel

[0093] 131: Brightness Comparison Processing Unit

[0094] 132: Exercise Volume Comparison and Processing Department

[0095] 133: Target Object Detection and Processing Department

[0096] 134: Interpolated Image Insertion Processing Unit.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a target object detection processing section configured to detect, for each frame, a moving object whose luminance in a partial area exceeds a luminance threshold as a target object, based on an image stream having a first frame rate; and an interpolated image insertion processing section configured to insert a number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive two frames of images in the image stream having the first frame rate to generate an image stream having a second frame rate larger than the first frame rate, if the luminance in the partial area of the moving object exceeds the luminance threshold, the number of interpolated images being obtained by performing motion compensation that moves only the target object sequentially. The luminance threshold is a maximum value of luminance of an object for which jitter is not apparent in the image stream having the first frame rate.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The luminance threshold is a variable that changes according to an environment.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The interpolated image insertion processing section is configured to vary an amount of movement of the target object in the number of interpolated images according to luminance of the target object.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The image stream having the first frame rate includes an image stream having a frame rate of 24 Hz and related to a movie content.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The second frame rate is 120 Hz.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein 7.The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display panel configured to display the image stream having the second frame rate. The display panel includes a display panel of 4K size or 8K size.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The image stream having the first frame rate is acquired by receiving a broadcast signal, reproducing from a memory, or communication.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The target object detection processing section is configured to detect, for each frame, a moving object whose size exceeds a size threshold as the target object, in addition to the luminance in a partial area of the moving object exceeding a luminance threshold.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The target object detection processing section is further configured to detect, for each frame, a moving object whose luminance in a partial area exceeds a luminance threshold and whose amount of motion exceeds an amount of motion threshold as the target object, based on the image stream having a first frame rate.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The amount of motion threshold is a maximum value of an amount of motion of an object for which jitter is not apparent in the image stream having the first frame rate.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein The image processing apparatus is a television receiver.

13. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein 14.An image processing method comprising: detecting, for each frame, a moving object whose luminance in a partial area exceeds a luminance threshold as a target object, based on an image stream having a first frame rate; and inserting a number of interpolated images between each pair of consecutive two frames of images in the image stream having the first frame rate to generate an image stream having a second frame rate larger than the first frame rate, if the luminance in the partial area of the moving object exceeds the luminance threshold, the number of interpolated images being obtained by performing motion compensation that moves only the target object sequentially. The method further comprises: ​ 15. The image processing method of claim 14, wherein, ​ Based on the image stream having the first frame rate, for each frame, a moving object whose luminance in a partial area exceeds a luminance threshold and whose motion amount exceeds a motion amount threshold is detected as the target object.

16. The image processing method of claim 15, wherein, The motion amount threshold is a maximum value of a motion amount of an object whose shaking is not apparent in the image stream having the first frame rate.

Images