Hierarchical Chamfer Matching: A Parametric Edge Matching Algorithm

Abstract

Matching is a key problem in digital image analysis and edges are perhaps the most important low-level image features. Thus good edge matching algorithms are important. This paper presents such an algorithm, the hierarchical chamfer matching algorithm. The algorithm matches edges by minimizing a generalized distance between them. The matching is performed in a series of images depicting the same scene, but in different resolutions, i.e., in a resolution pyramid. Using this hierarchical structure reduces the computational load significantly. The algorithm is reasonably simple to implement, and it will be shown that it is quite insensitive to noise and other disturbances. This new matching algorithm has been tested in several applications. Two of them will be briefly presented here. In the first application the outlines of common tools are matched to gray-level images of the same tools. Overlapping occurs. In the second application lake edges from aerial photographs are matched to lake edges from a map. Translation, rotation, scale, and perspective changes occur. The hierarchical chamfer matching algorithm gives correct results using a reasonable amount of computational resources in all tested applications. © 1988 IEEE