Method and apparatus for motion vector estimation using block matching.

摘要

For many applications it is necessary to be able to estimate the velocity of objects in a television signal over a large range of velocities. The signal processing to perform this task, e.g. block matching, requires often large and expensive hardware implementations. In consumer applications, the cost of providing an estimate of velocities over a very large range is prohibitively high. As block matching is computationally intensive, real-time hardware implementations of this technique implement some form of parallel processing. The most common form is to have one block matching processor per candidate motion vector. To reduce the computational power, one solution is to cover the same numerical range of motion, but with decreased accuracy. Another solution is to limit the search range at some maximum value. Combinations of both methods can be used. The cost and complexity of such a system can also be reduced by providing a non-uniform measurement of possible motion vectors.