Intelligent stitcher for panoramic image-based virtual worlds

Claim 1

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; and determining an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions.

Claim 2

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; and determining an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions.

Claim 3

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image, the environment map being formed of a plurality of pixels representative of the panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; determining an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions; and blending intensity values of pixels of the first warped image with corresponding pixels of the second warped image.

Claim 4

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image, the environment map being formed of a plurality of pixels representative of the panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; determining an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions; and blending intensity values of pixels of the first warped image with corresponding pixels of the second warped image.

Claim 7

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges, wherein generating a set of possible matched solutions includes: calculating an offset function according to the following equation: d(i,k)=min |P a (i)-k-P b (j)|. 1≦j≦N.sub.b where: P a represents edge position values associated with edge position coordinates of the first warped image; P b represents edge position values associated with edge position coordinates of the second warped image; N b is the number edge position values of Pb; k is a user selected variable; calculating a number N p representative of the number of edge position values whose value of d(i,k) is less than a threshold value T 0 ; determining an average value of d(i,k) for values of P a less than threshold value T 0 ; determining an average value of d(i,k) for elements of P a whose d(i,k) is less than a first threshold value T 0 ; and determining that a position k is a possible matched solution when the average value of d(i,k) is less than a second threshold value T 1 and the number N p is larger than a third threshold value T 2 ; and determining an optimum matched offset from the set of possible matched solutions.

Claim 8

A method of stitching together a first and second image, the method comprising: warping the first and second images into an environment map representative of a panoramic image; detecting a first edge for the first warped image and a corresponding second edge of the second warped image; determining a set of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; generating a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges, wherein generating a set of possible matched solutions includes: calculating an offset function according to the following equation: d(i,k)=min |P a (i)-k-P b (j)|. 1≦j≦N.sub.b where: P a represents edge position values associated with edge position coordinates of the first warped image; P b represents edge position values associated with edge position coordinates of the second warped image; N b is the number edge position values of Pb; k is a user selected variable; calculating a number N p representative of the number of edge position values whose value of d(i,k) is less than a threshold value T 0 ; determining an average value of d(i,k) for values of P a less than threshold value T 0 ; determining an average value of d(i,k) for elements of P a whose d(i,k) is less than a first threshold value T 0 ; and determining that a position k is a possible matched solution when the average value of d(i,k) is less than a second threshold value T 1 and the number N p is larger than a third threshold value T 2 ; and determining an optimum matched offset from the set of possible matched solutions.

Claim 11

A system for stitching together a first and a second image of an environment map formed of a plurality of pixels representative of a panoramic image, the system comprising: an edge detector which detects a first edge of the first image and a corresponding second edge of the second image, the edge detector determining sets of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; a memory which stores the sets of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; a hypothesis generator which generates a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; and an optimal hypothesis selector which determines an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions.

Claim 12

A system for stitching together a first and a second image of an environment map formed of a plurality of pixels representative of a panoramic image, the system comprising: an edge detector which detects a first edge of the first image and a corresponding second edge of the second image, the edge detector determining sets of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; a memory which stores the sets of edge position coordinates from each of the detected first and second edges; a hypothesis generator which generates a set of possible matched solutions from the edge position coordinates of the detected first and second edges; and an optimal hypothesis selector which determines an optimum matched offset of the first image relative to the second image from the set of possible matched solutions.