Patent ID: 6269121
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An apparatus for performing a motion estimation on a block of N.times.M pixels within a current frame based on a predetermined reference frame, N and M being predetermined positive integers, respectively, the apparatus comprising:means for providing a difference block of N.times.M pixels representing a difference between the block and a corresponding reference block (CRB) based on the block and the predetermined reference frame (PRF);motion estimation (ME) path deciding means for providing a zero vector as a motion vector (MV) for the block if AV.ltoreq.TH1, AV being an activity value of the difference block, providing the block as a first block if TH1<AV.ltoreq.TH2 and dividing the block into a plurality of subblocks of K.times.L pixels if AV>TH2, K and L being predetermined positive integers which are dividers of N and M, respectively, and then providing the subblocks as a set of second blocks of K.times.L pixels if TH2<AV.ltoreq.TH3 and the subblocks as a set of third blocks of K.times.L pixels if AV>TH3 under the condition that TH1<TH2<TH3, wherein TH1, TH2 and TH3 are a first predetermined threshold value (PTV), a second PTV and a third PTV, respectively;first ME means for performing a ME on a sample block within a first predetermined search region (PSR) in a sample reference frame (SRF) by using a first block matching method employing a predetermined full search technique to generate a first MV and a first supplementary signal (SS) and then combining the first MV and the first SS to thereby provide a first ME data for the block, wherein the sample block and the SRF are obtained by subsampling the first blocks and the PRF, respectively, employing a predetermined subsampling technique and the first SS represents that the ME is performed on the sample block;second ME means for carrying out a ME on each of the second blocks within a second PSR in the PRF by using a second block matching method employing a predetermined logarithmic search technique to generate a set of second MV's corresponding to the second blocks and a second SS and then combine the set of the second MV's and the second SS to thereby provide a second ME data for the block, wherein the second SS represents that the ME is carried out on said each of the second blocks; andthird ME means for executing a ME on each of the third blocks within a third PSR in the PRF by using a third block matching method employing a predetermined full search technique to generate a set of third MV's corresponding to the third blocks and a third SS and then combine the set of the third MV's and the third SS to thereby provide a third ME data for the block, wherein the third SS represents that the ME is executed on said each of the third blocks.