Patent ID: 6738497
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
A method of choosing an optimal candidate value to be used for matching a block from a first image with an area from a second image, the method comprising:(a) making a set (45) of candidate values (20, 21, 22, 23) for determining an area to be matched from the second image, (b) for each candidate value from the set (45), determining an area to be matched from the second image, based on said candidate value, matching the block from the first image with this area and calculating a matching error, and (c) choosing the optimal candidate value from the set (45) based on the calculated matching errors (24), characterized in that, when the chosen optimal candidate value is an extreme value of the set (45), the following steps are executed, (d) extending the set (45) by a first candidate value (30) outside the interval determined by a minimum (20) and a maximum (23) of the set (45), (e) determining, based on the first candidate value (30), an area to be matched from the second image, matching the block from the first image with this area and calculating a matching error, and (f) choosing the optimal candidate value from the extended set (45â€²) based on the calculated matching errors (24).