Image interpolating method and apparatus

1. An image interpolation method, comprising:

acquiring a first image and a second image;

computing a matching between the first image and the second image by detecting corresponding points which correspond between the images;

quantizing the range of attribute values of the corresponding points in the first image and second image in a relatively coarse manner;

calculating difference data on the attribute values of the corresponding points based on the quantized range of attribute values; and

generating a corresponding point file based on the matching, where the corresponding point file comprises positional information on the corresponding points and the difference data on attribute values of the corresponding points.

2. An image interpolation method according to claim 1 , wherein the difference data on attribute values comprises a difference between an attribute value of a point in the first image and an attribute value of a corresponding point in the second image.

3. An image interpolation method according to claim 1 , wherein said attribute values of the corresponding points comprise color values of the corresponding points.

4. An image interpolation method according to claim 1 , wherein the difference data are entropy-coded and, thereafter, the entropy-coded difference data are stored in the corresponding point file.

5. An image interpolation method, comprising:

acquiring a corresponding point file which describes a matching result of a first image and a second image wherein the corresponding point file comprises positional information on points which correspond between the first image and the second image and difference data of attribute values of points which correspond between the first image and the second image, wherein the difference data of attribute values comprises data obtained by quantizing the range of attribute values of the points which correspond in a relatively coarse manner and calculating difference data on the corresponding points based on the quantized range of attribute values of the corresponding points; and

generating an intermediate image based on the first image and the second image by performing interpolation based on the first image and the corresponding point file.

6. An image interpolation apparatus, comprising:

an image input unit which acquires a first image and a second image;

a matching processor which computes a matching between the first image and the second image by detecting points that correspond between the images, quantizes the range of pixel values of the corresponding points in the first image and second image in a relatively coarse manner, computes difference data of pixel values on the points that correspond between the images based on the guantized range of pixel values, and generates a corresponding point file,

wherein the corresponding point file comprises positional information on the points that correspond between the images and the difference data of pixel values on the points that correspond between the images.

7. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said matching processor detects points on the second image that correspond to lattice points of a mesh provided on the first image, and based on a thus detected result a destination polygon corresponding to the second image is defined on a source polygon that constitutes the mesh on the first image.

8. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said matching processor entropy-codes the difference data and thereafter stores the entropy-coded difference data in the corresponding point file.

9. An image interpolation apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit which acquires a corresponding point file which describes a matching result of a first image and a second image wherein the corresponding point file comprises positional information on points which correspond between the first image and the second image and difference data of attribute values of points which correspond between the first image and the second image, wherein the difference data of attribute values comprises data obtained by guantizing the range of attribute values of the points which correspond in a relatively coarse manner and calculating difference data on the corresponding points based on the quantized range of attribute values; and

an intermediate image generator which generates an intermediate image based on the first image and the second image by performing interpolation based on the first image and the corresponding point file.

10. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a display unit which displays at least the intermediate image.

11. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a corresponding point file storage unit for storing the corresponding point file in a manner such that the corresponding point file is associated with the first image.

12. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a corresponding point file storage unit for storing the corresponding point file in a manner such that the corresponding point file is associated to the first image.

13. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said intermediate image generator generates said intermediate image by moving a point within the first image according to the positional information and varying the attribute value of the point based on the difference data.

14. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said intermediate image generator generates said intermediate image by moving a point within the first image according to the positional information and varying the attribute value of the point based on the difference data.

15. An image interpolation apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein said intermediate image generator generates said intermediate image by moving a point within the first image according to the positional information and varying the attribute value of the point based on the difference data.

16. A data medium storing a computer program executable by a computer, the program comprising the functions of:

acquiring a first image and a second image;

computing a matching between the first image and the second image by detecting corresponding points which correspond between the images;

quantizing a range of attribute values of the corresponding points in the first image and second image in a relatively coarse manner;

calculating difference data on the attribute values of the corresponding points based on the quantized range of attribute values; and

generating a corresponding point file based on the matching where the corresponding point file comprises positional information on the corresponding points and the difference data on attribute values of the corresponding points.

17. A data medium storing a computer program executable by a computer, the program comprising the functions of:

acquiring a corresponding point file which describes a matching result of a first image and a second image wherein the corresponding point file comprises positional information on points which correspond between the first image and the second image; and difference data of attribute values of points which correspond between the first image and the second image, wherein the difference data of attribute values comprises data obtained by quantizing the range of attribute values of the points which correspond in a relatively coarse manner and calculating difference data of the corresponding points based on the quantized range of attribute values; and

generating an intermediate image based on the first image and the second image by performing interpolation based on the first image and the corresponding point file.

18. The data medium according to claim 17 , wherein said intermediate image does not relate to a known frame between said first image and said second image.

19. An image interpolation method, comprising:

acquiring a first image and a second image;

computing a matching between the first image and the second image by detecting corresponding points which correspond between the images, said matching further comprising computing positional information for said corresponding points and difference data on attribute values for the corresponding points, wherein the difference data is computed using quantized attribute values obtained by quantizing a range of attribute values of the corresponding points in the first image and second image in a relatively coarse manner; and

generating a corresponding point file, wherein the corresponding point file comprises said positional information and said difference data.