Patent ID: 6128341
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
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:block dividing means for dividing the block into a plurality of subblocks (SB's) of K.times.L pixels and then classifying the SB's into A-group SB's and B-group SB's in accordance with the rule that all of the SB's in a same group be diagonally adjacent to each other, thereby providing the A-group SB's (ASB's) and the B-group SB's (BSB's), wherein K and L are predetermined positive integers which are dividers of N and M, respectively;first decision means for deciding a pixel satisfying a first predetermined condition among the pixels in each of the ASB's as an A-group representative pixel for said each of the ASB's to thereby supply A-group representative pixels (ARP's) corresponding to the ASB's;second decision means for deciding a pixel satisfying a second predetermined condition among the pixels in each of the BSB's as a B-group representative pixel for said each of the BSB's to thereby supply B-group representative pixels (BRP's) corresponding to the BSB's, wherein the second predetermined condition is different from the first predetermined condition;sample block generation means for combining the ARP's with the BRP's to thereby generate a sample block;reference frame subsampling means for generating a sample reference frame (SRF) by subsampling the predetermined reference frame in accordance with the same method as that of generating the sample block through said block dividing means, said first decision means, said second decision means and said sample block generation means, wherein the SRF has a plurality of candidate blocks (CB's), the size of each CB being equal to that of the sample block;means, based on the sample block and the SRF, for detecting a CB having a smallest error value to the sample block among the CB's as a best matching candidate block by using a predetermined block matching method; andmeans for generating a displacement between the sample block and the best matching candidate block as a motion vector (MV) corresponding to the sample block.