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US 8,009,897 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for image matching
AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company
InventorsLi-Qun Xu, Bangjun Lei
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AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company
InventorsLi-Qun Xu, Bangjun Lei
Estimating the term…
The invention provides a method and apparatus for performing correspondence estimation between pixels of a stereo image pair to obtain matching information for corresponding pixels in each image. To perform a match for a particular pixel in a first image firstly an adaptive curve is constructed about the pixel, being a sequence of connected pixels with similar intensity values to the pixel being matched. The adaptive curve thus constructed is then used as a matching element within the second image to find a matching pixel representative of the same 3D scene point in the second image to the particular pixel. By performing matching in this manner for every pixel in an image, accurate disparity maps can be obtained which are then used in a known image synthesis algorithm to produce novel images of a scene of improved quality.
A computer implemented method of matching picture elements between at least a first image and a second image each comprising a plurality of picture elements, the method comprising the steps of:
An apparatus for matching picture elements between at least a first image and a second image each comprising a plurality of picture elements, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From multiple images: from stereo images
Image preprocessing: aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
Video; Image sequence: stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
Special algorithmic details: hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
About 1 year 3 months of term left · ends 2 Feb 2028 (estimated)
This application is the US national phase of international application PCT/GB02/04547 filed 4 Oct. 2002 which designated the U.S. and claims benefit of 0125774.0, dated 26 Oct. 2001, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for matching corresponding picture elements between two images, and to a method and apparatus for using the obtained matching information to generate a new third image.
3D perception is a very important aspect of human vision. While human beings can perceive 3D information effectively and effortlessly, it is still quite hard for a computer to extract a 3D model out of natural scenes automatically. Furthermore, whilst using 3D perception to imagine scenes from a slightly different angle is also effortless for a human being, the similar operation for a machine is fundamentally dependent upon the extraction of a suitable 3D model which the computer may then use to generate another image of the scene from the different angle.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, presented by way of example only, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, and wherein:—
FIG. 1 is a graphical schematic of a typical stereo configuration used for capturing stereo images for use in the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan and elevation view of the usual arrangement of a prior art video conferencing apparatus;
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 21. The hardware and software elements required to provide the apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail first, followed by a detailed description of the operation of the hardware and software elements with respect to the method of the invention.
FIG. 19 illustrates the hardware and software elements which are required to provide both the pixel matching apparatus and the novel image synthesise apparatus of the present invention. It should be noted that the invention is implemented on a standard computer, and hence whilst FIG. 19 illustrates the main elements thereof, the skilled man will understand that other elements and parts not shown or discussed below are required to render a computer operable.
With respect to the present invention, however, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a central processing unit 192, as is commonly known in the art.