Importance

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Abstract

Motion vectors are determined between a current frame and a preceding frame within a frame duration by employing a time-sharing multi-tier hierarchical motion estimation approach, wherein the candidate blocks being grouped into a multiple number of hierarchical search areas. The motion vector determination scheme is initiated by performing a motion estimation of a highest hierarchy for all of the search blocks; and an error function and a motion vector of the highest hierarchy are stored. Subsequently, motion-estimation of a lower hierarchy is performed for each of the selected search blocks which have the error functions greater than the threshold value of the highest hierarchy. In the next step, the error functions of the highest and the lower hierarchies are compared for each of the selected search blocks and a smaller error function is selected therefrom to thereby update each of the stored potential motion vectors with the motion vector corresponding to the selected error function. The updating process is repeated for the next hierarchies and the stored potential motion vectors are provided as the motion vectors of the current frame when updating process for the stored potential motion vector for a predetermined lowest hierarchy is accomplished or the frame duration is exhausted.

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First Claim