Towards Robust Image Matching Algorithms
Timothy J. Parsons · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1984
The rapid advance in digital electronics during recent years has enabled the real-time hardware implementation of many basic image processing techniques and these methods are finding increasing use in both commercial and military applications where a superiority to existing systems can be demonstrated. The potential superiority of an entirely passive, automatic image processing based navigation system over the less accurate and active navigation systems based on radar, for example "TERCOM", is evident. By placing a sensor on board an aircraft or missile together with the appropriate processing power and enough memory to store a reference image or a map of the planned route, large scale features extracted from the scene available to the sensor can be compared with the same feature stored in memory. The difference between the aircraft's actual position and its desired position can then be evaluated and the appropriate navigational correction undertaken. This paper summaries work carried out at British Aerospace Hatfield to investigate various classes of algorithms and solutions which would render a robust image matching system viable for such an automatic system flying at low level with a thermal I.R. sensor.