Patent ID: 6370194
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
A motion vector estimation circuit for setting, as motion vector candidates, vectors in an appropriate range for a macro block, which is an image of a predetermined range in a frame or field in a moving picture, to calculate a difference between signal strength for images corresponding to motion vector candidates of original and reference images, to accumulate the calculated difference between the signal strength for images in the macro block to derive accumulation results to select, as a motion vector, a motion vector candidate having a local maximum or local minimum accumulation result from the motion vector candidates, said motion vector estimation circuit comprising:grouping means for dividing motion vector candidates in a search range, which is set for said motion vector candidates, into a plurality of motion vector candidate groups; priority order determining means for predicting an order from a motion vector candidate group, which has a high possibility of including a true motion vector, to a motion vector candidate group, which has a low possibility of including the true motion vector, to determine priority orders for accumulation to estimate motion vectors for each of motion vector candidate groups in accordance with the predicted order; accumulating means, comprising a plurality of accumulating circuits connected as a pipeline, for parallel inputting original and reference image data for said motion vector candidates of a plurality of motion vector candidate groups in accordance with the priority orders determined by said priority order determining means, to parallel process accumulation operations for a plurality of motion vectors; accumulation stopping means for separately stopping the accumulation operation for each of said accumulating circuits of said accumulating means; and control means for controlling supply of said original and reference image data for said motion vector candidates for each of said accumulating circuits, to output a separate stop signal for stopping accumulation in one of said accumulating circuits from said accumulation stopping means to stop accumulation in the one of said accumulating circuits, and for causing said accumulation stopping means to output said stop signal in an initial stage of a series of reviewing operations by causing said accumulating means to review said motion vector candidates of said group having the high possibility to complete the reviewing of said motion vector candidate having the high possibility serving as a final motion vector candidate in said initial stage of said series of reviewing operations.