A hybrid algorithm for dense stereo correspondences in challenging indoor scenes

The algorithms for dense correspondences in stereo images are an extensively researched topic, since it is an essential step in a large number of applications. Despite the fact that the first stereo matching algorithms were proposed some decades ago, novel approaches regarding typical, but also cutting-edge applications, are always in demand. Stereo matching is an inverse, ill-posed problem, which usually depends on the application and the scenario. In this contribution, a hybrid approach for stereo matching is proposed, which is based on graph-cuts optimization (global) and cross-based aggregation (local) under a hierarchical scheme. It is shown that the combined effect of a global method in a coarse layer and a local method in finer layers improves the matching results. This hybrid approach exploits the strengths and ameliorates the weaknesses of the individual global and local algorithms. The resulted disparity map is robust without outliers even in untextured areas and at the same time high fidelity details are accurately represented. This hybrid scheme is evaluated on challenging indoor datasets. It is also computationally efficient for applying it on low-processing power applications.