Fast motion estimation apparatus and method using block matching algorithm

1. A computer implemented fast motion estimation method comprising:

determining whether a sum of absolute differences (SAD) between pixel values of a current block of a current frame and a corresponding matching block of a previous frame is greater than a predefined threshold;

performing an initial search when the SAD is greater than the predetermined threshold to find which search point of a current search pattern is the minimal SAD point and to determine whether the minimal SAD point matches the center of the current search pattern; and

performing an iteration search when the minimal SAD point differs from the center of the current search pattern to reset the minimal SAD point to be a center of the current search pattern and to set a number of search points and the size of a search pattern based on from current search pattern to a center of the search window of the previous frame,

wherein an SAD of a search point monotonously increases as the distance from an optimal motion vector increases, and in the setting of the number of search points, the SAD points that are predictably not the minimal SAD are excluded.

2. The computer implemented fast motion estimation method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of an iteration search comprises,

detecting a quarter rood search pattern including two search points if the center of the search pattern is located in the first, second, third, or fourth quadrant of an XY plane with an origin at the center of the search window of the previous frame;

detecting a half rood search pattern including two search points if the center of the search pattern is located on the X-axis or the Y-axis of the XY plane with an origin at the center of the search window of the previous frame.

3. The computer implemented fast motion estimation method of claim 1 , wherein, in the performing of an iteration search, as the total number of search iterations increases, the size of a search pattern decreases, but not below a predetermined critical value.

4. The computer implemented fast motion estimation method of claim 1 , wherein in the performing an iteration search, the size of a search pattern is L x k+1 =<ρ|O x k+1 −O x k |>=<ρL x k >, L y k+1 =<ρ|O y k+1 −O y k |>=<ρL y k ,

wherein the size of a search pattern to be used in a (k+1)-th search iteration in the direction of an X-axis is determined by multiplying an absolute value of a difference between the x-component of a search pattern used in a k-th search iteration and the x-component of the center of the search pattern to be used in the (k+1)-th search iteration by a predetermined weight and rounding the multiplication result to a closest integer greater than or equal to the multiplication result, the predetermined weight being a value between 0 and 1; and the size of the search pattern to be used in the (k+1)-th search iteration in the direction of a Y-axis is determined by multiplying an absolute value of a difference between the y-component of the center of the search pattern used in the k-th search iteration and the y-component of the center of the search pattern to be used in the (k+1)-th search iteration by the predetermined weight and rounding the multiplication result to a closest integer greater than or equal to the multiplication result.

5. The computer implemented fast motion estimation method of claim 4 , wherein the sizes of the search pattern used in the k-th search iteration in the x- and y-directions, respectively, satisfy the following inequalities:

L x k ≧1; and L y k ≧1.

6. A fast motion estimation apparatus comprising:

a determination unit which determines whether an SAD between pixel values of a current block of a current frame and a corresponding matching block of a previous frame is greater than a predefined threshold;

an initial search unit which performs an initial search when the SAD is greater than the predetermined threshold to find which search point of a current search pattern is the minimal SAD point and to determine whether the minimal SAD point matches the center of the current search pattern; and

a repetitive search unit which performs an iteration search when the minimal SAD point differs from the center of the current search pattern to reset the minimal SAD point to be a center of the current search pattern and to set a number of search points and the size of a search pattern based on from current search pattern to a center of the search window of the previous frame,

wherein an SAD of a search point monotonously increases as the distance from an optimal motion vector increases, and in the setting of the number of search points, the SAD points that are predictably not the minimal SAD are excluded.

7. The fast motion estimation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the search points comprise 4 points forming a diamond-shaped search pattern, the origin for the search iteration, and a motion-estimated point.

8. The fast motion estimation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the repetitive search unit uses a quarter rood search pattern having 2 points as search points, if the center of the search pattern used in the initial search is located in the first, second, third, or fourth quadrant of an XY plane whose origin is the center of the search range window of the previous frame, and uses a half rood search pattern having 3 points as search points if the center of the current search pattern is located on the X-axis or the Y-axis of the XY plane.

9. The fast motion estimation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, as the total number of search iteration iterations increases, the repetitive search unit gradually reduces the size of a search pattern, but not below a predetermined critical value.

10. The fast motion estimation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the size of a search pattern is L x k+1 =<ρ|O x k+1 −O x k |>=<ρL x k >, L y k+1 =<ρ|O y k+1 −O y k |>=<ρL y k ,

wherein the repetitive search unit determines the size of a search pattern to be used in a (k+1)-th search iteration in the direction of an X-axis by multiplying an absolute value of a difference between the x-component of a search pattern used in a k-th search iteration and the x-component of the center of the search pattern to be used in the (k +1 )-th search iteration by a predetermined weight and rounding the multiplication result to a closest integer greater than or equal to the multiplication result, the predetermined weight being a value between 0 and 1; and determines the size of the search pattern to be used in the (k+1)-th search iteration in the direction of a Y-axis by multiplying an absolute value of a difference between the y-component of the center of the search pattern used in the k-th search iteration and the y-component of the center of the search pattern to be used in the (k+1)-th search iteration by the predetermined weight and rounding the multiplication result to a closest integer greater than or equal to the multiplication result.

11. The fast motion estimation apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the sizes of the search pattern used in the k-th search iteration in the x- and y-directions, respectively, satisfy the following inequalities:

L x k ≧1; and L y k y ≧1.