图像局部弹性变换中径向基函数紧支撑集的选取

弹性图像配准中常常需要采用紧支撑的径向基函数来实现局部弹性变换,径向基函数的支撑集大小决定了图像局部扭曲的范围,而如何选取基函数的支撑集大小是一个一直没有解决的问题.该文利用弹性变换模型,针对Wendland基函数,从理论上分析了双标志点空间位置与基函数支撑集的关系,并对任意标志点集合通过构造Delaunay三角剖分来确定基函数支撑集大小,文中给出了径向基函数支撑集的选取原则.人工网格图像和医学图像的局部弹性变换实验验证了该文的结论.     

结合Broyden族算法和微分同胚变换的图像自动配准方法

本文采用微分同胚变换预处理图像,得到初始化形变场,提高对形变图像的配准精度;采用Broyden族算法优化能量函数,自动确定迭代次数,提高优化效率;基于Demons算法思想引入图像梯度灰度场相似量构造能量函数,提高灰度信息少的图像配准精度。实验证明,本文算法配准精度优于改进的Demons算法,尤其在配准大形变图像时,本文算法配准精度高的优势更加明显。     

融合SIFT的B样条红外图像非刚性配准

手持式广角镜头红外热像仪所拍摄的不同时刻红外图像具有刚性形变和非刚性形变,传统图像配准算法很难同时矫正刚性形变与非刚性形变,针对该问题,提出一种融合SIFT的B样条配准算法。首先在待配准图像中建立控制网格,其次运用SIFT算法寻找待配准与基准图像间的匹配点对,剔除错误匹配点对并计算出待配准图像与基准图像间的刚性变换参数,接着对控制点进行刚性变换,最后以局部强度和为测度函数,运用B样条非刚性配准算法对广角镜头引起图像的非线性进行矫正。对比实验结果表明,本文算法具有很高配准精度,能够满足实际工程精度要求。     

基于ORB和角点方向夹角约束的快速图像配准方法

针对图像间存在不同形变、光照等情况下配准难度大的问题,基于尺度不变特征变换(SIFT)的配准方法计算量大、无法满足实时性的要求,提出一种基于Oriented FAST and Rotated Brief(ORB)与角点方向夹角约束的快速图像配准方法.首先在两幅图像中分块提取ORB特征点,采用一种基于双阈值的汉明距离进行特征点匹配,针对随机抽样一致性(RANSAC)算法无法剔除错误匹配的特征点,以角点方向夹角一致性为约束条件,有效剔除误配点;然后再用RANSAC算法计算出最佳变换矩阵,完成图像配准.实验表明,采用具有不同形变、光照等情况下的3组图像,该方法不仅能很好地配准图像,并且3组图像配准的平均时间为80.399 ms,不到SIFT配准方法所需时间的1/20,兼顾了图像配准的有效性和实时性.     

基于多图像特征的遥感图像配准新方法

针对不同视角遥感图像配准中的非刚性几何畸变造成的配准误差,文章提出了一种基于尺度不变特征变换(SIFT)特征距离和几何结构描述符的精确方法,用于解决中等地形起伏和成像视点变化条件下遥感图像的配准问题。该方法采用尺度不变特征变换和部分强度不变特征描述符提取可靠的特征点集,利用变换过程中约束几何结构的多图像特征,提出一种新的算法来估计点集之间的精确对应关系。包括特征描述符提取、基于几何结构约束的改进SIFT特征点集配准和非刚性图像变换等步骤。对不同视点的无人机图像和卫星图像的实验结果表明,该方法相对于目前几种先进方法具有更佳的配准性能。     

基于抽样随机一致性和图像特征的图像配准

文中介绍了一种基于Harris角点检测图像特征的图像配准方法。通过随机一致性算法(RANSAC)和正则化交叉相关测度建立了待配准图像和模板图像之间特征点的对应关系。分别采用仿射变换和透射变换通过该对应关系进行图像配准。在完成配准后,分别采用自适应B样条插值算法和多项式插值算法对配准后的图像进行校正。采用信噪比和交叉相关系数作为评价标准,通过对几种方法相结合的图像处理结果进行比较,得出结论:对应超声TOFD图像,仿射变换结合B样条插值校正的方法可以得到最好的效果。     

基于互信息的红外与可见光图像快速配准

针对灰度和图像特征存在较大差异的可见光和红外图像配准,给出了一种基于归一化互信息与小波变换相结合的快速图像配准算法。实验表明,该算法加快了配准过程,较利用原图像配准速度提高了约一个数量级,且配准结果具有较高的准确性和稳定性。可见该算法适用于多光谱图像配准。     

基于对齐度和互信息的红外与可见光图像配准

针对红外与可见光图像的特点,在此提出了一种结合边缘对齐度与互信息的图像配准方法。首先通过小波变换边缘检测得到红外与可见光图像的边缘图像,并将对齐度和归一化互信息自适应加权平均得到新的相似性测度函数,最终通过计算相似性测度函数的极值求得待配准图像间的变换参数。实验结果表明,该方法可减少配准所需的时间,具有更高的精确性和鲁棒性。     

蚁群算法和Powell法结合的多分辨率三维图像配准

基于互信息的配准方法具有精度高,鲁棒性强的特点,成为近年来图像配准研究的热点.但基于互信息的目标函数存在许多局部极值,为配准的优化过程带来了很大的困难.该文提出了一种蚁群算法和Powell法相结合的多分辨率搜索优化算法.该算法以互信息作为相似性测度,采用基于小波变换的多分辨率策略,将蚁群算法与Powell法结合起来对三维的CT,MR图像进行了配准.实验结果表明,这种方法能够有效地克服互信息函数的局部极值,大大地提高了配准精度,达到亚像素级.     

基于边界距离场互信息的图像配准方法

基于图像边界平均Hausdorff距离的配准方法实现简单、速度快、有较大应用价值,但对图像边界不完全对应的情况配准效果不好。提出了一种以图像边界距离场互信息作为相似度函数的图像配准方法,以参考边界的距离场和浮动二值边界为两个离散概率分布,将其互信息作为相似度函数进行配准。实验结果表明,该算法对图像内容完全一致和内容不完全对应的图像均可得到良好的配准结果。     

Consistent landmark and intensity-based image registration

Two new consistent image registration algorithms are presented: one is based on matching corresponding landmarks and the other is based on matching both landmark and intensity information. The consistent landmark and intensity registration algorithm produces good correspondences between images near landmark locations by matching corresponding landmarks and away from landmark locations by matching the image intensities. In contrast to similar unidirectional algorithms, these new consistent algorithms jointly estimate the forward and reverse transformation between two images while minimizing the inverse consistency error-the error between the forward (reverse) transformation and the inverse of the the reverse (forward) transformation. This reduces the ambiguous correspondence between the forward and reverse transformations associated with large inverse consistency errors. In both algorithms a thin-plate spline (TPS) model is used to regularize the estimated transformations. Two-dimensional (2-D) examples are presented that show the inverse consistency error produced by the traditional unidirectional landmark TPS algorithm can be relatively large and that this error is minimized using the consistent landmark algorithm. Results using 2-D magnetic resonance imaging data are presented that demonstrate that using landmark and intensity information together produce better correspondence between medical images than using either landmarks or intensity information alone.     

The dual-bootstrap iterative closest point algorithm with application to retinal image registration

Motivated by the problem of retinal image registration, this paper introduces and analyzes a new registration algorithm called Dual-Bootstrap Iterative Closest Point (Dual-Bootstrap ICP). The approach is to start from one or more initial, low-order estimates that are only accurate in small image regions, called bootstrap regions. In each bootstrap region, the algorithm iteratively: 1) refines the transformation estimate using constraints only from within the bootstrap region; 2) expands the bootstrap region; and 3) tests to see if a higher order transformation model can be used, stopping when the region expands to cover the overlap between images. Steps 1): and 3), the bootstrap steps, are governed by the covariance matrix of the estimated transformation. Estimation refinement [Step 2)] uses a novel robust version of the ICP algorithm. In registering retinal image pairs, Dual-Bootstrap ICP is initialized by automatically matching individual vascular landmarks, and it aligns images based on detected blood vessel centerlines. The resulting quadratic transformations are accurate to less than a pixel. On tests involving approximately 6000 image pairs, it successfully registered 99.5% of the pairs containing at least one common landmark, and 100% of the pairs containing at least one common landmark and at least 35% image overlap.     

Hybrid retinal image registration.

This work studies retinal image registration in the context of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) standard. The ETDRS imaging protocol specifies seven fields of each retina and presents three major challenges for the image registration task. First, small overlaps between adjacent fields lead to inadequate landmark points for feature-based methods. Second, the non-uniform contrast/intensity distributions due to imperfect data acquisition will deteriorate the performance of area-based techniques. Third, high-resolution images contain large homogeneous nonvascular/texureless regions that weaken the capabilities of both feature-based and area-based techniques. In this work, we propose a hybrid retinal image registration approach for ETDRS images that effectively combines both area-based and feature-based methods. Four major steps are involved. First, the vascular tree is extracted by using an efficient local entropy-based thresholding technique. Next, zeroth-order translation is estimated by maximizing mutual information based on the binary image pair (area-based). Then image quality assessment regarding the ETDRS field definition is performed based on the translation model. If the image pair is accepted, higher-order transformations will be involved. Specifically, we use two types of features, landmark points and sampling points, for affine/quadratic model estimation. Three empirical conditions are derived experimentally to control the algorithm progress, so that we can achieve the lowest registration error and the highest success rate. Simulation results on 504 pairs of ETDRS images show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm.     

Registration of stereo and temporal images of the retina

The registration of retinal images is required to facilitate the study of the optic nerve head and the retina. The method we propose combines the use of mutual information as the similarity measure and simulated annealing as the search technique. It is robust toward large transformations between the images and significant changes in light intensity. By using a pyramid sampling approach combined with simulated reannealing we find that registration can be achieved to predetermined precision, subject to choice of interpolation and the constraint of time. The algorithm was tested on 49 pairs of stereo images and 48 pairs of temporal images with success.     

利用梯度方向的Hausdorff 距离配准红外和可见光图像

基于Hausdorff距离的算法已经被广泛应用于异源图像配准,但是现有的Hausdorff距离配准算法是在整幅图像上找最相近的点对,不仅容易出现错误匹配的情况,而且计算量很大。为了减少计算冗余和消除误配情况,提高配准的准确度,提出了一种利用梯度方向的Hausdorff距离配准算法。在进行配准时,将提取到的角点集合按照每个角点的不同梯度方向角分解为8个子集合。然后计算两幅图像中同一方向区间所对应的两个子集合间的Hausdorff距离。由于只在对应的子集合内找最相近的配准点对,减少了干扰点的数目和计算的次数,提高了计算的有效性和异源图像配准的准确度。实验结果表明,利用梯度方向的Hausdorff距离算法能够较好地运用于红外图像和可见光图像的配准,并且表现出较好的准确度和稳健性。     

基于JS测度和层次B样条的医学图像弹性配准

为了精确得到图像的不规则局部几何变形,提出了一种基于标记点的医学图像弹性配准新方法.首先用Jensen-Schur(JS)测度对图像进行粗配准,然后用该测度自动选取标记点对,最后用能够解决逼近精度和光滑性平衡问题的B样条细化的层次B样条插值技术来实现图像弹性配准.实验表明,本文提出的标记点自动选取方法能够产生准确的表示不规则局部变形的标记点对,所提出的配准方法能够产生光滑、准确的弹性配准变换.     

Image registration using log-polar mappings for recovery of large-scale similarity and projective transformations.

This paper describes a novel technique to recover large similarity transformations (rotation/scale/translation) and moderate perspective deformations among image pairs. We introduce a hybrid algorithm that features log-polar mappings and nonlinear least squares optimization. The use of log-polar techniques in the spatial domain is introduced as a preprocessing module to recover large scale changes (e.g., at least four-fold) and arbitrary rotations. Although log-polar techniques are used in the Fourier-Mellin transform to accommodate rotation and scale in the frequency domain, its use in registering images subjected to very large scale changes has not yet been exploited in the spatial domain. In this paper, we demonstrate the superior performance of the log-polar transform in featureless image registration in the spatial domain. We achieve subpixel accuracy through the use of nonlinear least squares optimization. The registration process yields the eight parameters of the perspective transformation that best aligns the two input images. Extensive testing was performed on uncalibrated real images and an array of 10,000 image pairs with known transformations derived from the Corel Stock Photo Library of royalty-free photographic images.     

Efficient least squares multimodal registration with a globally exhaustive alignment search.

There are many image registration situations in which the initial misalignment of the two images is large. These registration problems, often involving comparison of the two images only within a region of interest (ROI), are difficult to solve. Most intensity-based registration methods perform local optimization of their cost function and often miss the global optimum when the initial misregistration is large. The registration of multimodal images makes the problem even more difficult since it limits the choice of available cost functions. We have developed an efficient method, capable of multimodal rigid-body registration within an ROI, that performs an exhaustive search over all integer translations, and a local search over rotations. The method uses the fast Fourier transform to efficiently compute the sum of squared differences cost function for all possible integer pixel shifts, and for each shift models the relationship between the intensities of the two images using linear regression. Test cases involving medical imaging, remote sensing and forensic science applications show that the method consistently brings the two images into close registration so that a local optimization method should have no trouble fine-tuning the solution.     

Elastic registration of biological images using vector-spline regularization

We present an elastic registration algorithm for the alignment of biological images. Our method combines and extends some of the best techniques available in the context of medical imaging. We express the deformation field as a B-spline model, which allows us to deal with a rich variety of deformations. We solve the registration problem by minimizing a pixelwise mean-square distance measure between the target image and the warped source. The problem is further constrained by way of a vector-spline regularization which provides some control over two independent quantities that are intrinsic to the deformation: its divergence, and its curl. Our algorithm is also able to handle soft landmark constraints, which is particularly useful when parts of the images contain very little information or when its repartition is uneven. We provide an optimal analytical solution in the case when only landmarks and smoothness considerations are taken into account. We have applied our approach to perform the elastic registration of images such as electrophoretic gels and fly embryos. The validation of the results by experts has been favorable in all cases.     

Georegistration of Landsat data via robust matching of multiresolution features

The goal of the project described in this paper is to build a prototype of an operational system, which will provide registration within subpixel accuracy of multitemporal Landsat data, acquired by either Landsat-5 or Landsat-7 Thematic Mapper instruments. Integrated within an automated mass processing system for Landsat data, the input to our registration system consists of scenes that have been geometrically and radiometrically corrected, as well as preprocessed for detection of clouds and cloud shadows. Such preprocessed scenes are then georegistered relative to a database of Landsat chips. This paper describes the entire registration process, including the use of landmark chips, feature extraction performed by an overcomplete wavelet representation, and feature matching using statistically robust techniques. Knowing the approximate longitudes and latitudes or the UTM coordinates of the four corners of each incoming scene, a subset of the chips that represent landmarks included in the scene are selected to perform the registration. For each of these selected landmark chips, a corresponding window is extracted from the incoming scene, and each chip-window pair is registered using a robust wavelet feature-matching methodology. Based on the transformations from the chip-window pairs, a global transformation is then computed for the entire scene using a variant of a robust least median of squares estimator. Empirical results of this registration process, which provided subpixel accuracy for several multitemporal scenes from different study areas, are presented and discussed.