Recursive Structure and Motion from Image Sequences using Shape and Depth Spaces

In this paper a novel recursive method for estimating structure and motion from image sequences is presented. The novelty lies in the fact that the output of the algorithm is independent of the chosen coordinate systems in the images as well as the ordering of the points. It relies on subspace methods and is derived from both ordinary coordinate representations and camera matrices and from a so called depth and shape analysis. Furthermore, no initial phase is needed to start up the algorithm. It starts directly with the first two images and incorporates new images as soon as new corresponding points are obtained. The performance of the algorithm is shown on simulated data. Moreover, the two different approaches, one using camera matrices and the other using the concepts of affine shape and depth, are unified into a general theory of structure and motion from image sequences.