PCT No. PCT/GB91/00856 Sec. 371 Date Jan. 29, 1993 Sec. 102(e) Date Jan. 29, 1993 PCT Filed May 29, 1991 PCT Pub. No. WO91/19265 PCT Pub. Date Dec. 12, 1991.Corresponding points in at least two different images of a scene are matched by the use of a shortest path analysis. An edge point in a continuous edge segment is selected in one image and potentially matching edge points in other images are arranged as a layered network. Weightings are applied to the potential matches and the best match is identified on the basis of a shortest path analysis of the network. In one preferred arrangement epipolar lines are used. For each edge point to be matched the position of the corresponding epipolar line is calculated using matrices defining parameters associated with the capturing of the image. The epipolar line is used to identify in the other image points as potential matches to the selected point in the one image. Further constraints are applied to the identified points to find the one point in the other image that most likely matches the selected point.
Machine vision stereo matching