Report Number: CS-TR-96-1573
Institution: Stanford University, Department of Computer Science
Title: Depth Discontinuities by Pixel-To-Pixel Stereo
Author: Birchfield, Stan
Author: Tomasi, Carlo
Date: July 1996
Abstract: This report describes a two-pass binocular stereo algorithm that is specifically geared towards the detection of depth discontinuities. In the first pass, introduced in part I of the report, stereo matching is performed independently on each epipolar pair for maximum efficiency. In the second pass, described in part II, disparity information is propagated between the scanlines. Part I. Our stereo algorithm explicitly matches the pixels in the two images, leaving occluded pixels unpaired. Matching is based upon intensity alone without utilizing windows. Since the algorithm prefers piecewise constant disparity maps, it sacrifices depth accuracy for the sake of crisp boundaries, leading to precise localization of the depth discontinuities. Three features of the algorithm are worth noting: (1) unlike most stereo algorithms, it does not require texture throughout the images, making it useful in unmodified indoor settings, (2) it uses a measure of pixel dissimilarity that is provably insensitive to sampling, and (3) it prunes bad nodes during the search, resulting in a running time that is faster than that of standard dynamic programming. Part II. After the scanlines are processed independently, the disparity map is postprocessed, leading to more accurate disparities and depth discontinuities. Both the algorithm and the postprocessor are fast, producing a dense disparity map in about 1.5 microseconds per pixel per disparity on a workstation. Results on five stereo pairs are given.
http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/cs/tr/96/1573/CS-TR-96-1573.pdf