Patent Document ID: 5406642
Application ID: 08044077
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for matching first and second images located on an image plane using a processor, said first and second images being segmented into a plurality of blocks, comprising the steps of: a) retrieving a segmented block of the first image and a segmented block of the second image from a first memory; b) superimposing the segmented block of the first image on the segmented block of the second image using the processor; c) detecting a correlation between the superimposed block of the first image and the segmented block of the second image using the processor; d) moving the superimposed block of the first image by a predetermined amount in the image plane and representing a location of the superimposed block with respect to a reference point of the image plane by a vector; e) repeating the steps c) and d) to produce a plurality of said correlations and a plurality of said vectors; f) detecting a maximum of said correlations and storing the vector associated with the maximum correlation into a second memory as a matching vector; g) repeating the steps (a) to (e) to create a map of the matching vectors in a second memory; and h) replacing each of said matching vectors in a second memory with a correction vector which minimizes a sum of a direction sensitivity function of said block and a smoothing function of said block, said direction sensitivity function being represented by a squared value of second order of a differential equation of luminance distribution of said block.