Changing motion estimation precision to maintain encoding within desired time

• US 9,055,301 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Meehan, Joseph Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US12/050,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20090238277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,639 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.2, 375/240.19, 375/240.27, 375/240.03, 375/240, 375/240.16, 382/232, 382/236, 382/239
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/102 characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/426 using memory downsizing methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/523 with sub-pixel accuracy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/57 Motion estimation characterised by a search window with variable size or shape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

A system comprising a processor and a compression module coupled to the processor. The compression module is adapted to perform motion estimation on video data using an algorithm, the motion estimation performed at a rate. If the processor determines a difference between the rate and a target rate, the processor adjusts a precision level of the algorithm such that the difference is decreased.

Claims

1. A process of video encoding comprising:

(A) receiving frames of video data in processor circuitry;

(B) performing motion estimation with a first precision level and then encoding each frame of video data in video encoding circuitry;

(C) for a specific frame of video data, performing the motion estimation with a second precision level and then encoding that specific frame of video data in other than a desired length of time; and

(D) for a frame of video data subsequent to the specific frame of video data, changing to a third precision level of the motion estimation to maintain the performing motion estimation and then encoding within the desired length of time.

2. The process of claim 1 including detecting in processor circuitry the performing motion estimation with the second precision level and then encoding that specific frame of video data in other than the desired length of time.

3. The process of claim 1 including performing in the processor circuitry the performing motion estimation with the second precision level and encoding each frame of video data in video encoding circuitry.

4. The process of claim 1 in which the changing the precision level of the motion estimation includes reducing the precision level of a motion estimation algorithm.