Interconnect-efficient reference data shift for optimized analog motion estimation

A new simple method for shifting reference image data within an analog cellular array for variable block-size motion estimation is presented. The method leads to a greatly reduced number of neighborhood connections for each cell of the array, and allows for all shifts within the Marku, J., et al, (2007) search area to be performed in a single step, with simple digital controls. The new shift circuitry, together with some other cell and system level optimization of the analog motion estimation (AME) array, reduces silicon area and array layout complexity, enabling faster and more efficient parallel full search motion estimation hardware.