• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.4527-4548
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• 2017

This paper proposes a method to generate panoramic images by combining conventional feature extraction algorithms (e.g., SIFT, SURF, MPEG-7 CDVS) with sensed data from inertia sensors to enhance the stitching results. The challenge of image stitching increases when the images are taken from two different mobile phones with no posture calibration. Using inertia sensor data obtained by the mobile phone, images with different yaw, pitch, and roll angles are preprocessed and adjusted before performing stitching process. Performance of stitching (e.g., feature extraction time, inlier point numbers, stitching accuracy) between conventional feature extraction algorithms is reported along with the stitching performance with/without using the inertia sensor data. In addition, the stitching accuracy of video data was improved using the same sensed data, with discrete calculation of homograph matrix. The experimental results for stitching accuracies and speed using sensed data are presented in this paper.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.701-709
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• 2015

Image stitching method is a technique for obtaining an high-resolution image by combining two or more images. In X-ray image for clinical diagnosis, the size of the imaging region taken by one shot is limited due to the field-of-view of the equipment. Therefore, in order to obtain a high-resolution image including large regions such as a whole body, the synthesis of multiple X-ray images is required. In this paper, we propose a rapid stitching method of digital X-ray images using template-based registration. The proposed algorithm use principal component analysis(PCA) and k-nearest neighborhood(k-NN) to determine the location of input images before performing a template-based matching. After detecting the overlapping position using template-based matching, we synthesize input images by alpha blending. To improve the computational efficiency, reduced images are used for PCA and k-NN analysis. Experimental results showed that our method was more accurate comparing with the previous method with the improvement of the registration speed. Our stitching method could be usefully applied into the stitching of 2D or 3D multiple images.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1205-1212
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• 2014

In this paper, we propose a high-quality stitching method of 3D multiple dental CT images. First, a weighted function is generated using the difference of two distance functions that calculate a distance from the nearest edge of an overlapped region to each position. And a blending ratio propagation function for two gradient vectors is parameterized by the difference and magnitude of gradient vectors that is also applied by the weighted function. When the blending ratio is propagated, an improved region growing scheme is proposed to decide the next position and calculate the blending intensity. The proposed method produces a high-quality stitching image. Our method removes the seam artifact caused by the mean intensity difference between images and vignetting effect. And it removes double edges caused by local misalignment. Experimental results showed that the proposed method produced high-quality stitching images for ten patients. Our stitching method could be usefully applied into the stitching of 3D or 2D multiple images.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 2022

Recently, as VR (Virtual Reality) technology has been in the spotlight, 360° panoramic images that can view lively VR contents are attracting a lot of attention. Image stitching technology is a major technology for producing 360° panorama images, and many studies are being actively conducted. Typical stitching algorithms are based on feature point-based image stitching. However, conventional feature point-based image stitching methods have a problem that stitching results are intensely affected by feature points. To solve this problem, deep learning-based image stitching technologies have recently been studied, but there are still many problems when there are few overlapping areas between images or large parallax. In addition, there is a limit to complete supervised learning because labeled ground-truth panorama images cannot be obtained in a real environment. Therefore, we produced three fisheye images with different camera centers and corresponding ground truth image through carla simulator that is widely used in the autonomous driving field. We propose image stitching model that creates a 360° panorama image with the produced fisheye image. The final experimental results are virtual datasets configured similar to the actual environment, verifying stitching results that are strong against various environments and large parallax.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.1648-1672
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• 2020

There are several types of image registration in the sense of stitching separated images that overlap each other. One of these is feature-based registration by a common feature descriptor. In this study, we generate a mosaic of images using feature-based registration for drone aerial images. As a feature descriptor, we apply the scale-invariant feature transform descriptor. In order to investigate the authenticity of the feature points and to have the mapping function, we employ the sample consensus method; we consider the sensed image's inherent characteristic such as the geometric congruence between the feature points of the images to propose a novel hypothesis estimation of the mapping function of the stitching via some optimally chosen initial candidate inliers in the sample consensus method. Based on the experimental results, we show the efficiency of the proposed method compared with benchmark methodologies of random sampling consensus method (RANSAC); the well-ordering property defined in the context and the extensive stitching examples have supported the utility. Moreover, the sample consensus scheme proposed in this study is uncomplicated and robust, and some fatal miss stitching by RANSAC is remarkably reduced in the measure of the pixel difference.

• Advances in Automotive Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.143-152
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• 2018

In this study an economical image stitching algorithm for use in automotive industry is developed for retrofittable panoramic image assistance applications. The aim of this project is to develop a driving assistance system known as Panoramic Parking Assistance (PPA) which is cheap, retrofittable and compatible for every type of automobiles. PPA generates bird's eye view image using cameras installed on the automobiles. Image stitching requires to get bird's eye view position of the vehicle. Panoramic images are wide area images that cannot be available by taking one shot, attained by stitching the overlapping areas. To achieve correct stitching many algorithms are used. This study includes some type of these algorithms and presents a simple one that is economical and practical. Firstly, the mathematical model of a wide view of angle camera is provided. Then distorted image correction is performed. Stitching is implemented by using the SIFT and SURF algorithms. It has been seen that using such algorithms requires complex image processing knowledge and implementation of high quality digital processors, which would be impracticle and costly for automobile use. Thus a simpler algorithm has been developed to decrase the complexity. The proposed algorithm uses one matching point for every couple of images and has ease of use and does not need high power processors. To show the efficiency, images coming from four distinct cameras are stitched by using the algorithm developed for the study and usability for automotive application is analyzed.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.97-102
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• 2016

Image stitching is a process of combining two or more images with overlapping area to create a panorama of input images, which is considered as an active research area in computer vision, especially in the field of augmented reality with 360 degree images. Image stitching techniques can be categorized into two general approaches: direct and feature based techniques. Direct techniques compare all the pixel intensities of the images with each other, while feature based approaches aim to determine a relationship between the images through distinct features extracted from the images. This paper proposes a novel image stitching method based on feature pixels with approximated clustering filter. When the features are extracted from input images, we calculate a meaning of the minutiae, and apply an effective feature extraction algorithm to improve the processing time. With the evaluation of the results, the proposed method is corresponding accurate and effective, compared to the previous approaches.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2019

This paper describes in detail the processing path leading to successful phase images stitching in digital holographic microscope for the extension of the field of view. It applies FIJI Grid/Collection Stitching Plugin, which is a general tool for images stitching, non-specific for phase images. The FIJI plugin is extensively supported by aberration and phase offset correction. Comparative analysis of different aberration correction methods and data processing strategies is presented, together with the critical analysis of their applicability. The proposed processing path provides good background for statistical phase analysis of cell cultures and digital phase pathology.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.1143-1153
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• 2015

In this paper, we propose an efficient architecture for a real-time image stitching engine for vision SoCs found in motor vehicles. To enlarge the obstacle-detection distance and area for safety, we adopt panoramic images from multiple telegraphic cameras. We propose a stitching method based on a fixed homography that is educed from the initial frame of a video sequence and is used to warp all input images without regeneration. Because the fixed homography is generated only once at the initial state, we can calculate it using SW to reduce HW costs. The proposed warping HW engine is based on a linear transform of the pixel positions of warped images and can reduce the computational complexity by 90% or more as compared to a conventional method. A dual-core SW/HW image stitching engine is applied to stitching input frames in parallel to improve the performance by 70% or more as compared to a single-core engine operation. In addition, a dual-core structure is used to detect a failure in state machines using rock-step logic to satisfy the ISO26262 standard. The dual-core SW/HW image stitching engine is fabricated in SoC with 254,968 gate counts using Global Foundry's 65 nm CMOS process. The single-core engine can make panoramic images from three YCbCr 4:2:0 formatted VGA images at 44 frames per second and frequency of 200 MHz without an LCD display.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.2464-2478
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• 2013

Image stitching techniques produce an image with a wide field-of-view by aligning multiple images with a narrow field-of-view. While conventional algorithms successfully stitch images with a small parallax, structure misalignment may occur when input images contain a large parallax. This paper presents an image stitching algorithm that aligns images with a large parallax by regional linear warping. To this end, input images are first approximated as multiple planar surfaces, and different linear warping is applied to each planar surface. For approximating input images as multiple planar surfaces, the concept of dominant edges is introduced. Dominant edges are defined as conspicuous edges of lines in input images, and extracted dominant edges identify the boundaries of each planar surface. Dominant edge extraction is conducted by detecting distinct changes of local characteristics around strong edge pixels. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm successfully stitches images with a large parallax without structure misalignment.