Fast Motion Estimation Techniques with Adaptive Variable Search Range

In this paper, we present two fast motion estimation techniques with adaptive variable search range using spatial and temporal correlation of moving pictures respectively. The first technique uses a frame difference between two adjacent frames which is used as a criterion for deciding search window size. The second one uses deviation between the past and the predicted current frame motion vectors which is also used as a criterion for deciding search window size. Simulation results show that these methods reduce the number of checking points while keeping almost the same image quality as that of full search method. key words: motion estimation, motion compensation, image coding, block matching, variable search range