Abstract: Provided is a fast mode-searching apparatus and method for motion-prediction. The fast mode-searching apparatus includes a probability information obtaining unit, a first inter mode searching unit, a second inter mode searching unit, and a selective intra mode searching unit. The probability information obtaining unit detects whether at least one of a macroblock of a previous frame, a macroblock of a current frame, and adjacent macroblocks corresponds to at least one of P16×16, P16×8, and P8×16. The first inter mode searching unit performs an inter mode search on a block that is not detected by the probability information obtaining unit. The second inter mode searching unit determines whether the macroblock of the current frame corresponds to P16×16 as a result of performing the inter mode search on a block detected by the probability information obtaining unit. The selective intra mode searching unit performs an intra mode search if the macroblock of the current frame corresponds to P16×16.

Abstract: A motion vector estimation method and continuous discrete image generation method based on a convexity property of a sub-pixel are provided. The method of estimating a motion vector includes: generating an objective function for a differential definition of a sub-pixel system composed of a chain of arbitrary n-tap filters with respect to an arbitrary k-th order sub-pixel, based on the relation between an integer pixel and a sub-pixel generated through linear FIR filtering; and estimating a motion vector of a sub-pixel by applying a conjugated quadratic algorithm to the objective function.

Abstract: A fast motion estimation apparatus and method in which motion estimation is carried out on a current block of a current frame of video image data with reference to a corresponding matching block of a previous frame are provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a half-pel motion estimation method. The calculation object half-pel, which is in the block of the previous or next reference frame, is not estimated additionally for each block of the current frame divided into blocks of a predetermined size. The present invention suggests an algorithm that can perform half-pel search only with a SAD value used in integer-pel search and a random variable for correcting errors. Since the present invention does not have to generate half-pel for motion estimation, the calculation amount is amazingly reduced and the calculation time is reduced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method to effectively implement motion estimation, which is a part of digital video signal processing algorithm, in mobile device like embedded system with small internal memory space. In the present invention, with recognition to the overlapped block of the reference search area between the current and its next macro block, only non-overlapped blocks are transferred to internal memory when motion estimation of next macro block is performed. So the access of external memory and power consumption is reduced and the usability of internal memory is increased. Then, the system performance to implement complex algorithm of MPEG-4 video encoder in mobile devices is improved.