The efficient motion estimation algorithms are the important research hotspot in the real-time video coding-decoding technology. This paper proposes a novel and simple fast motion estimation algorithm based on adaptive search-pattern. The new algorithm includes three schemes: stationary block prediction, predictive search for non-stationary blocks, choosing a starting point and adaptive refinement search in merging process. Experiments show that the efficient motion estimation algorithm proposed can further reduce the computations of block-matching while improve the compression effect.