Parameterizable hardware architectures for automatic synthesis of motion estimation processors

A new class of fully parameterizable multiple array architectures for motion estimation (ME) in video sequences based on the full search block matching (FSBM) algorithm is proposed in this paper. This class is based on a new and efficient AB2 single array architecture with minimum latency, maximum throughput and full utilization of the hardware resources. It provides the ability to configure the target processors according to the setup parameters, the processing time and the circuit area specified limits. With this purpose, a software configuration tool has been implemented to determine the set of possible configurations which fulfill the requisites of the video coder, providing the ability to automatically generate the VHDL description of the selected configuration. The implementation of a single array processor configuration on a single-chip is presented. Experimental results evidence the ability to estimate motion vectors in real-time with this configuration.