Hierarchical mesh-based motion estimation using a differential approach and application to video coding

In this paper, we present a motion estimation scheme based on a non-uniform hierarchical triangular mesh and the nodal motion vectors optimization by means of a multi-resolution differential method. The mesh pyramid is obtained by locally splitting triangular elements, where the prediction error is high. The multiresolution source image pyramid is coupled to the mesh pyramid in such a way that the coarsest mesh corresponds to the lowest image resolution, leading to efficient and fast motion estimation and motion field refinement. To illustrate the performances of the method, results concerning the motion mesh and the prediction error are presented and compared to classical approaches with one single mesh level.