Hierarchical Motion Field Alignment for Robust Optical Flow Estimation

Optical flow estimation is a fundamental and long-standing task in computer vision, facilitating the understanding of motion within visual scenes. In this study, we aim to improve optical flow estimation, particularly in challenging scenarios involving small and fast-moving objects. Specifically, we proposed a learning-based model incorporating two key components: the Hierarchical Motion Field Alignment module, which ensures accurate estimation of objects of varying sizes while maintaining manageable computational complexity, and the Correlation Self-Attention module, which effectively handles large displacements, making the model suitable for scenarios with fast-moving objects. Additionally, we introduced a Multi-Scale Correlation Search layer to enhance the four-dimensional cost volume, enabling the model to address various types of motion. Experimental results demonstrate that our model achieves superior generalization performance and significantly improves the estimation of small, fast-moving objects.