Patent ID: 7903736

Claim:
A fast mode-searching apparatus for fast motion-prediction, the fast mode-searching apparatus comprising: a probability information obtaining unit using a score function S(x,y) to determine whether at least one of a macroblock of a previous frame, a macroblock of a current frame, and adjacent macroblocks corresponds to P16×16 sub-mode groups comprising at least one of P16×16, P16×8, and P8×16 or corresponds to P8×8 sub-mode groups comprising at least one of P8×8, P8×4, P4×8, and P4×4 in which S ⁡ ( x , y ) = Q ( i , j ) ⁢ Hpreviousframe ⁢ Bin ij ⁡ ( M ij ) + Q ( i , j ) ⁢ Hcurrentframe ⁢ Bin ij ⁡ ( M ij ) where Bin ij (M ij ) is a counting function that increases a count value by 1 when a block mode Is one of P16×16, P16×8, and P8×16, wherein when S(x,y)>0 an inter mode is classified into P16×16 sub-mode groups and otherwise the inter mode is classified into P8×8 sub-mode groups; a first inter mode searching unit performing an inter mode search on a block that is not detected by the probability information obtaining unit; a second inter mode searching unit determining whether the macroblock of the current frame corresponds to P16×16 as a result of performing the inter mode search on a block detected by the probability information obtaining unit; and a selective intra mode searching unit performing an intra mode search if the macroblock of the current frame corresponds to P16×16.