Efficient hierarchical motion estimation algorithm based on visual pattern block segmentation

A new hierarchical block-matching motion estimation algorithm with the segmentation of variable block size and visual pattern is presented. The block partition with visual patterns which exploits the properties of the human visual systems (HVS) is employed to get a more precise motion estimation for the detailed regions with complex motion in an image. The hierarchical search expedites the motion estimation and simplifies the processing of the stationary area. Simple control overhead and low side information are required due to the regular decomposition of visual pattern structures. The performance of proposed method is superior over the conventional full search block-matching motion estimation while reducing computational complexity drastically. Extensive experimental results are included in this paper