Patent ID: 6038349
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G06K,G06T,H04N

Abstract:
In a digital image alignment system, an apparatus for optimally joining more than two overlapping image fragments of a complete image to recover said complete image, said apparatus comprising:means for measuring an aligrunent error among at least two overlapping ones of said more than two image fragments in accordance with a first predeternined metric;means for refining an alignment between two selected overlapping image fragments of said more than two fragments to reduce an alignment error between said two selected overlapping image fragments;means, coupled to said measuring means, for accumulating a total alignment error between every possible overlapping pair of said more than two image fragments in accordance with said first predetermined metric; andglobal optimization means, coupled to said accumulating means and said refining means, said global optimization means flirther comprising:means for sorting said more than two overlapping image fragments according to said alignment error to form a sorted list of overlap-ping fragments;means for selecting a pair of overlapping fragments from said sorted list of overlaying fragments;means for applying said refining means to said selected pair of overlapping image fragments to arrive at an improved alignment;means for applying said accumulating means to all pairs of overlapping image fragments from said sorted list to arrive at said total alignment error;means for determining whether said improved alignment produces an involvement in said total alignment error;means for selectively applying said improved alignment to said selected pair of overlapping image fragments, if said means for determining finds that said total alignment error would improve as a result of applying said improved alignment, otherwise selectively discarding said improved alignment to said selected pair of overlapping image fragments, if said means for determining finds that said total alignment error would not improve as a result of applying said improved alignment; andmeans for repeatedly applying said means for selecting, means for refining, means for accumulating, means for determining and means for selectively applying to successive pairs of said overlapping image fragments to optimally reduce said total alignment error.