Title:
IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2000/046751
Kind Code:
A2
Abstract:
In a method of processing first and second stereo pairs of images (I¿L?, I¿R?; I¿L?', I¿R?') of an object (3), imaged by a stereo rig, a first ordered distortion map (D-MAP 1) of the local geometric transformations required to map regions of one image (I¿L?) of the first pair onto the corresponding regions of the other image (I¿R?) of that first pair and a second distortion map (D-MAP 2) of the local geometric transformations required to map regions of one image (I¿L?') of the second pair onto the corresponding regions of the other image (I¿R?') of that second pair are generated. At least some regions of the first and second distortion maps are correlated to register at least one image (I¿L?) of the first stereo pair with at least one image (I¿L?') of the second stereo pair. Gruen's algorithm can be used to generate the distortion maps and for the correlation.
Inventors:
MEIR IVAN DANIEL (GB)
WILSON JEREMY DAVID NORMAN (GB)
WILSON JEREMY DAVID NORMAN (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB2000/000399
Publication Date:
August 10, 2000
Filing Date:
February 07, 2000
Export Citation:
Assignee:
TRICORDER TECHNOLOGY PLC (GB)
MEIR IVAN DANIEL (GB)
WILSON JEREMY DAVID NORMAN (GB)
MEIR IVAN DANIEL (GB)
WILSON JEREMY DAVID NORMAN (GB)
International Classes:
G01C11/06; H04N13/239; (IPC1-7): G06T7/00
Other References:
MEHMET CELENK ET AL: "MULTIPLE STEREO VISION SYSTEM FOR 3-D OBJECT RECONSTRUCTION" INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING,US,NEW YORK, IEEE, vol. -, 9 August 1990 (1990-08-09), pages 555-558, XP000169451
CHEN H H: "DETERMINING MOTION AND DEPTH FROM BINOCULAR ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEUWS" CVGIP IMAGE UNDERSTANDING,US,ACADEMIC PRESS, DULUTH, MA, vol. 54, no. 1, 1 July 1991 (1991-07-01), pages 47-55, XP000248845 ISSN: 1049-9660
KATSUSHI IKEUCHI: "DETERMINING A DEPTH MAP USING A DUAL PHOTOMETRIC STEREO" INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBOTICS RESEARCH,US,SAGE SCIENCE PRESS, THOUSAND OAKS, vol. 6, no. 1, 1 March 1987 (1987-03-01), pages 15-31, XP000012996 ISSN: 0278-3649
CHEN H H: "DETERMINING MOTION AND DEPTH FROM BINOCULAR ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEUWS" CVGIP IMAGE UNDERSTANDING,US,ACADEMIC PRESS, DULUTH, MA, vol. 54, no. 1, 1 July 1991 (1991-07-01), pages 47-55, XP000248845 ISSN: 1049-9660
KATSUSHI IKEUCHI: "DETERMINING A DEPTH MAP USING A DUAL PHOTOMETRIC STEREO" INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBOTICS RESEARCH,US,SAGE SCIENCE PRESS, THOUSAND OAKS, vol. 6, no. 1, 1 March 1987 (1987-03-01), pages 15-31, XP000012996 ISSN: 0278-3649
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
VENNER, SHIPLEY & CO. (20 Little Britain London EC1A 7DH, GB)
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Claims:
Claims
| 1. | A method of processing first (IL, IR) and second (IL', IR') stereo pairs of images of an object (3), the method comprising the steps of generating a first ordered data set (DMAP 1) of the local geometric transformations required to map regions of one image (IL) of the first pair onto the corresponding regions of the other image of that first pair (IR), generating a second ordered data set (DMAP 2) of the local geometric transformations required to map regions of one image (IL') of the second pair onto the corresponding regions of the other image (IR') of that second pair, and correlating at least some regions of the first and second data sets to register at least one image of the first stereo pair with at least one image of the second stereo pair or the object surface derivable from the first stereo pair with the object surface derivable from the second stereo pair. |
| 2. | A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the correlation of a region of the first ordered data set (DMAP 1) is performed by seeking a region of the second ordered data set (DMAP 2) which is related to said region of the first data set by an affine transformation. |
| 3. | A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said geometric transformations are affine transformations and each of said ordered data sets (D MAP 1, DMAP 2) is representative of the distribution of a single parameter of the affine transformation over the image area corresponding to that ordered data set. |
| 4. | A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said parameter is a function of at least one of i) (a, d) and ii) (b, c) where the affine transformation relating the x and y coordinates of a point (xa, Ya) in one image (IL/IL') to the x and y coordinates of a corresponding point (xb, Yb) in the other image (IR/IR') is of the form: wherein a, b, c, d, e and f are constants. |
| 5. | A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said parameter is mod (adbc). |
| 6. | A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein an ordered data set (DMAP 1/DMAP 2) is derived from a correlation of corresponding points (p) of the respective images of a stereo pair. |
| 7. | A method of processing overlapping first and second stereo pairs of images of an object, the method being substantantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing. |
| 8. | A stereoscopic image acquisition arrangement (RG/RG') comprising two cameras (R, L) arranged to acquire overlapping first (IL, IR) and second (IL', IR') stereo pairs of images of an object (3) and processing means (4) arranged to process the stereo pairs of images by a method as claimed in any preceding claim. |
| 9. | A stereoscopic image acquisition arrangement substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing. |
Description:
INTERNATIONALSEARCHREPORT ! nte onat AppttcationNo PCT/GB00/00399 C.(Continuation)DOCUMENTSCONSIDEREDTOBERELEVANT Category° Citationofdocument,withindication,whereappropnate,oftherelev
antpassagesRelevanttoclaimNo. AKATSUSHIIKEUCHI:"DETERMININGADEPTH 1 MAPUSINGADUALPHOTOMETRICSTEREO" INTERNATIONALJOURNALOFROBOTICS RESEARCH,US,SAGESCIENCEPRESS,THOUSAND OAKS, vol.6,no.1,1March1987(1987-03-01), pages15-31,XP000012996 ISSN:0278-3649 abstract;figure1 1
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