Stereo Matching By Hierarchical, Microcanonical Annealing

Abstract

An improved stochastic stereo-matching algorithm is presented. It incorporates two substantial modifications to an earlier version: a new variation of simulated annealing that is faster, simpler, and more controllable than the conventional “heat-bath” version, and a hierarchical, coarse-to-fine-resolution control structure. The Hamiltonian used in the original model is minimized, but far more efficiently. The basis of microcanonical annealing is the Creutz algorithm . Unlike its counterpart, the familiar Metropolis algorithm, the Creutz algorithm simulates a thermally isolated system at equilibrium. The hierarchical control structure, together with a Brownian state-transition function, tracks ground states across scale, beginning with small, coarsely coded levels. Results are shown for a 512 x 512 pair with 50 pixels of disparity.