Patent ID: 7778328

Claim:
A difference vector estimation method comprising: identifying, by a computer, one or more pixels in a first frame of a multi-view video sequence; constraining a search range associated with a second frame of said multi-view video sequence to a first area vertically centered on an epipolar line in the second frame, wherein said epipolar line corresponds to said one or more pixels in the first frame, the first area is defined by a having a vertical height specified by a first correlation between efficient compression and semantic accuracy received by the computer from a user, wherein said vertical height increases if the first correlation is weighted toward efficient compression and said vertical height decreases if the first correlation is weighted toward semantic accuracy, wherein semantic accuracy relies on use of geometric configurations of cameras capturing the multi-view video sequence, wherein the vertical direction is defined as the direction perpendicular to said epipolar line, and wherein said search range is further constrained using a disparity vector computed for said one or more pixels in the first frame and wherein the constrained search range is repositioned relative to said epipolar line using said disparity vector in addition to constraining said vertical height using the first correlation; searching the second frame within said constrained search range for a match of said one or more pixels identified in the first frame for subsequent use in computing a difference vector for said one or more pixels in the first frame, said difference vector to be transmitted as part of a compressed representation of the first frame; receiving a second correlation between efficient compression and semantic accuracy from the user; and searching a third frame within a search range constrained by a second correlation between efficient compression and semantic accuracy, the second correlation specified by the user and a value of the second correlation is different from a value of the first correlation.