Fast block motion estimation using adaptive simulated annealing

This paper presents a simulated annealing (SA)-based algorithm for fast adaptive block motion estimation. The new algorithm begins with a set of checking points by exploiting the high correlations among the motion vectors of the temporally and spatially adjacent blocks. The SA algorithm is then employed in the decision process to determine the next searching patterns. This new scheme provides the possibility of being able to move out of local minima so that the search process is less susceptible to such a dilemma. Additionally, an alternating search strategy is also addressed to visit more points without increasing computations. Simulation results show that the new algorithm offers superior performance with lower computational complexity compared with previous works.