Motion vector detector, distance detector, motion vector detection method and computer program product

A motion vector detection method comprising:

• searching for, in each block in a first input image having a resolution of interest that is a predetermined resolution, an area having a high degree of correlation with a second input image having the resolution of interest;
• generating a first flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest;
• generating a second flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by changing a set of motion vectors having a lower resolution than the resolution of interest to have a higher resolution;
• generating a third flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by combining motion vectors included in the first flow and motion vectors included in the second flow in such a way that a gradient-technique objective function is optimized;
• and
• generating a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by optimizing a gradient-technique objective function having initial value set to the third flow.

A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing a program executed by a computer for detecting motion vectors, the program causing the computer to execute:

• searching for, in each block in a first input image having a resolution of interest that is a predetermined resolution, an area having a high degree of correlation with a second input image having the resolution of interest;
• generating a first flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest;
• generating a second flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by changing a set of motion vectors having a lower resolution than the resolution of interest to have a higher resolution;
• generating a third flow that represents a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by combining motion vectors included in the first flow and motion vectors included in the second flow in such a way that a gradient-technique objective function is optimized;
• and
• generating a set of motion vectors having the resolution of interest by optimizing a gradient-technique objective function having initial value set to the third flow.