US 5,703,650 A · Method of and device for estimating motion in a video signal

Abstract

The method described enables a high accuracy of motion measurement to be achieved with simple circuitry and overcomes some of the most important sources of error introduced in other systems. Many of the previous techniques may be extended by using a hierarchical technique to improve the accuracy or resolution of a simple estimator e.g. hierarchical block matching or successive approximate gradient systems. The invention described in this patent introduces novel techniques of weighted-sample area matching, effectively giving soft boundaries to the picture areas used to assess motion within a picture, and/or with a technique of adjusting the picture resolution between successive stages of motion measurement. The combination of these techniques reduces many of the limitations of previous techniques.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A device for estimating motion in an electronic visual signal, comprising;

a first channel for receiving the signal and a second channel for receiving a comparison signal;
a first filter arranged to receive said signal;
a second filter arranged to receive said comparison signal;
a motion estimator coupled to said filters to receive said filtered signal and said comparison filtered signal for estimating the motion in the signal;
and
a further first filter for prefiltering the signal and providing a prefiltered signal to said first filter, a further second filter for prefiltering the comparison signal and providing a prefiltered comparison signal to said second filter and a further motion estimator coupled to said further filters and arranged to receive the output of said motion estimator for estimating motion in the signal at a higher resolution than the motion estimator.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of and device for estimating motion in a video signal

Life of this patent

Method of and device for estimating motion in a video signal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21