Regularized motion estimation techniques and their applications to video coding

Novel regularized motion estimation techniques and their possible applications to video coding are presented. A block matching motion estimation algorithm which extracts better block motion field by forming and ininimizing a suitable energy function is introduced. Based on ciri ¿idciptive structure onto block sizes, cui cidvcinced block matching ¿ilgorithm is presented. The block sizes are adaptively ¿idjusted according to the motion. Blockwise coarse to fine segmentation based motion estimation algorithm is introduced for further reduction on the number of bits that are spent lor the coding of the block motion vectors. Motion estiiricition algorithms which can be used lor ¿iverage motion determination and artificial frame generation by fractional motion compensation are ¿ilso developed. Finallj^, an alternative motion estimation cind compensation technique which defines feciture based motion vectors on the ob ject boundciries and reconstructs the decoded frame from the interpolation of the compensated object boundaries is presented. All the algorithms developed in this thesis are simulated on recil or synthetic images cind their performance is demonstrcited.