Digital image stitching

• US 7,006,111 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rothrock, Lewis V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T.
• Application Number:
  US09/435,940
• Time in Patent Office: 2,303 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/430, 345/435, 345/424, 345/425, 345/427, 345/428, 345/582, 345/629, 345/473, 345/488
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20016 Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods

Abstract

Where at least two digital images overlap at a first resolution level is identified. Overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at a second resolution level higher than the first resolution level are obtained. Where the overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level is identified.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying first overlap information regarding where at least two digital images overlap at a first resolution level;

purging memory, subsequent to said identifying, of the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

retrieving, subsequent to said purging, overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at a second resolution level higher than the first resolution level based on the first overlap information; and

identifying second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two digital images are stored at the first and second resolution levels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving comprises:

dividing each of the at least two digital images into a plurality of areas at the second resolution level; and

storing the plurality of areas at the second resolution level in the memory to identify where the plurality of areas overlap at the second resolution level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level and the identifying where overlapping ones of the areas at the second resolution level overlap each comprise using an edge detection technique to identify the first and second overlap information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first overlap information regarding where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level comprises identifying coordinates where the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

and

wherein the retrieving the overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level overlap comprises loading the overlapping areas based on the identified coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

combining the at least two digital images.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at one or more resolution levels higher than the second resolution level.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying further, first overlap information regarding where another set of at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level;

retrieving overlapping areas of the other set of at least two digital images at the second resolution level based on the further, first overlap information;

identifying further, second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level; and

combining the digital images.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving further comprises dividing each of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level into a plurality of tiles each having a size less than a threshold size.

10. A computer readable medium having instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method comprising:

identifying first overlap information regarding where at least two digital images overlap at a first resolution level;

purging memory, subsequent to said identifying, of the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

retrieving, subsequent to said purging, overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at a second resolution level higher than the first resolution level based on the first overlap information; and

identifying second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein each of the at least two digital images are stored at the first and second resolution levels.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the retrieving comprises:

dividing the at least two digital images into a plurality of areas at the second resolution level; and

storing the plurality of areas at the second resolution level in memory to identify where the plurality of areas overlap at the second resolution level.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level and the identifying where overlapping ones of the areas at the second resolution level overlap each comprise using an edge detection technique to identify the first and second overlap information.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the identifying first overlap information regarding where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level comprises identifying coordinates where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level;

and

wherein the retrieving the overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level comprises loading the overlapping areas based on the identified coordinates.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method comprises combining the at least two digital images.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method comprises identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at one or more resolution levels higher than the second resolution level.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method comprises:

identifying further, first overlap information regarding where another set of at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level;

retrieving overlapping areas of the other set of at least two digital images at the second resolution level based on the further, first overlap information;

identifying further, second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas of the other set of at least two digital images overlap at the second resolution level; and

combining the digital images.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the retrieving further comprises dividing each of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level into a plurality of tiles each having a size less than a threshold size.

19. A computer system comprising:

(a) one or more processors; and

(b) a computer readable medium to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform;

(i) identifying first overlap information regarding where at least two digital images overlap at a first resolution level,

(ii) purging memory, subsequent to said identifying, of the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

(iii) retrieving, subsequent to said purging, overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at a second resolution level higher than the first resolution level based on the first overlap information, and

(iv) identifying second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level.

20. The computer system of claim 19, comprising a computer readable medium to store each of the at least two digital images at the first and second resolution levels.

21. The computer system of claim 19, wherein retrieving comprises:

dividing each of the at least two digital images into a plurality of areas at the second resolution level, and

storing the plurality of areas at the second resolution level in memory to identify where the plurality of areas overlap at the second resolution level.

22. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level and the identifying where overlapping ones of the areas at the second resolution level overlap each comprise using an edge detection technique to identify the first and second overlap information.

23. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level comprises identifying coordinates where the at least two digital images at the first resolution level overlap;

and

wherein the retrieving the overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level comprises loading the overlapping areas based on the identified coordinates.

24. The computer system of claim 19, the computer readable medium to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform combining the at least two digital images.

25. The computer system of claim 19, the computer readable medium to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform identifying where the at least two digital images overlap at one or more resolution levels higher than the second resolution level.

26. The computer system of claim 19, the computer readable medium to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform:

identifying further, first overlap information regarding where another set of at least two digital images overlap at the first resolution level,

purging memory, subsequent to said identifying, of the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

retrieving, subsequent to said purging, overlapping areas of at least two digital images at the second resolution level based on the further, first overlap information;

identifying further, second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas of the other set of at least two digital images overlap at the second resolution level.

27. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the dividing comprises retrieving further each of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level into a plurality of tiles each having a size less than a threshold size.

28. A computer system comprising:

means for identifying first overlap information regarding where at least two digital images overlap at a first resolution level;

means for purging memory, subsequent to said identifying, of the at least two digital images at the first resolution level;

means for retrieving, subsequent to said purging, overlapping areas of the at least two digital images at a second resolution level higher than the first resolution level based on the first overlap information; and

means for identifying second overlap information regarding where overlapping ones of the retrieved overlapping areas overlap at the second resolution level.

29. The computer system of claim 28, comprising:

means for dividing the at least two digital images into a plurality of areas at the second resolution level; and

means for storing the plurality of areas at the second resolution level in the memory to identify where the plurality of areas overlap at the second resolution level.

30. The computer system of claim 28, comprising:

means for combining the at least two digital images.

31. The computer system of claim 28, wherein the dividing means comprises means for dividing each of the at least two digital images at the second resolution level into a plurality of tiles each having a size less than a threshold size.