Feature-free registration of dissimilar images using a robust similarity metric
AssigneeCellaVision AB
InventorsMagnus Pettersson, Anders Rosenqvist, Anders Heyden, Martin Almers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image registration (alignment) system which achieves alignment by determining an optimal focus for a composite image produced from the combination of misregistered images. The system also uses optimal or nearly optimal linear filters for filtering the combined image to emphasize (enhance) alignment information in the combined image and to de-emphasize (damp) noise. One set of the nearly optimal linear filters are modified second order difference filters in which the number of internal zeros are modified to tune the filter to the particular equipment.
Claims25
A method for obtaining registration information to align a reference image with an unregistered image comprising the steps of:
- combining the reference image and the unregistered image to generate a composite image;
- determining a focus measure for the composite image;
- and
- determining alignment parameters for at least one of the reference image or the unregistered image from the focus measure for the composite image, the alignment parameters selected to correspond to a focus for the composite image.
A device for aligning a reference image with an unregistered image comprising:
- a transformer for receiving the unregistered image and a transformation, and for generating a transformed image;
- a compositor for combining the reference image and the transformed image to generate a composite image;
- an energy calculator for receiving the composite image and for determining a focus measure based on an energy level of the composite image;
- and
- a transformation generator for receiving the focus measure and for generating the transformation in accordance with the focus measure such that the transformation is selected to correspond to a focus for the composite image.
A method for aligning a reference image with an unregistered image comprising the steps of:
- transforming the unregistered image with a transformation to generate a transformed image;
- combining the reference image and the transformed image to generate a composite image;
- determining a focus measure from the composite image;
- and
- generating the transformation in accordance with the focus measure such that the transformation is selected to correspond to a focus for the composite image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.