Combined displacement estimation and segmentation of stereo image pairs based on Gibbs random fields

A technique for displacement estimation in stereo image pairs, which is closely coupled with a segmentation of the images into homogeneously displaced regions, is described. An arbitrary initial displacement field is modified by a displacement vector relaxation, evaluating a statistical optimization criterion. Since the displacements are considered vector by vector during the relaxation, the method provides accurate locations of the boundaries between differently displaced regions. The proposed technique derives its power from the fact that the spatial array of displacements-and hence the resulting segmentation-is modeled by a Gibbs-Markov random field