A Stochastic Approach to Stereo Vision

A stochastic optimization approach to stereo matching is presented. Unlike conventional correlation matching and feature matching, the approach provides a dense array of disparities, eliminating the need for interpolation. First, the stereo matching problem is defined in terms of finding a disparity map that satisfies two competing constraints: (1) matched points should have similar image intensity, and (2) the disparity map should be smooth. These constraints are expressed in an ‘(energy” function that can be evaluated locally. A simulated annealing algorithm is used to find a disparity map that has very low energy (i.e., in which both constraints have simultaneously been approximately satisfied). Annealing allows the large-scale structure of the disparity map to emerge at higher temperatures, and avoids the problem of converging too quickly on a local minimum. Results are shown for a sparse random-dot stereogram, a vertical aerial stereogram (shown in comparison to ground truth), and an oblique ground-level scene with occlusion boundaries.