Spherical mosaic construction using physical analogy for consistent image alignment

Mosaics are images with a large field of view obtained by assembling individual overlapping images. Two images recorded by a rotating ideal camera are related by the same transformation that relates the camera´s sensor plane positions and orientations in space at the time the images were captured. Through the intersection line of the sensor planes, the intensity values of both images coincide. This intersection line can be extracted by image registration. A method to construct spherical mosaics is presented which hinges overlapping images to find a consistent position that solves the problem of accumulation of errors in successive image alignment (looping path problem). A physical simulation, offering interactivity, modularity and visualisation capabilities, is used to hinge the images through a set of forces modelled to converge to a stable solution. Images are correctly placed on the surface of a sphere of initially unknown radius (i.e. without knowing the focal length of the camera)