Method and system for image combination using a parallax-based technique

A method of processing a plurality of images to generate a three-dimensional mosaic of a scene comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of images of the scene;
• registering each image in said plurality of images along a non-planar parametric surface to produce registered images;
• and
• determining, in response to said registered images, translation parameters and a parametric motion field useful in aligning the images along the non-planar parametric surface;
• and
• generating a parallax field representing parallax of objects within the scene;
• constructing, in response to said translation parameters, parametric motion field, and said parallax field, said three-dimensional mosaic containing an image mosaic and a shape mosaic, where said image mosaic represents a panoramic view of the scene and said shape mosaic represents a three-dimensional geometry of the scene.

A method of processing a plurality of images to generate a three-dimensional mosaic of a scene comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of images of the scene;
• simultaneously registering said images in said plurality of images along a parametric surface to produce registered images, determining, in response to said registered images, translation parameters and a parametric motion field useful in aligning the images along the parametric surface, and generating a parallax field representing parallax of objects within the scene;
• and
• constructing, in response to said translation parameters, parametric motion field, and said parallax field, said three-dimensional mosaic containing an image mosaic and a shape mosaic, where said image mosaic represents a panoramic view of the scene and said shape mosaic represents a three-dimensional geometry of the scene.

An image processing system for generating a three-dimensional mosaic of a scene from a plurality of images of the scene, comprising:

• means for storing said plurality of images;
• a plane-then-parallax registration processor for aligning said images along a parametric surface that extends through the plurality of images to produce initial translation parameters and an initial parametric motion field used to align the images within the image mosaic and then for determining an initial parallax field representing objects within the scene that do not lie in the parametric surface;
• and
• a plane-and-parallax registration processor, connected to an output of said plane-then-parallax registration processor, for simultaneously aligning said images along said parametric surface to produce final translation parameters and a final parametric motion field used to align the images within the image mosaic and for determining a final parallax field representing objects within the scene that do not lie in the parametric surface.