Depth map computation using hybrid segmentation algorithm

In this paper, a stereo matching algorithm based on image segments is presented. We propose the hybrid segmentation algorithm that is based on a combination of the Belief Propagation and Mean Shift algorithms with aim to refine the depth map by using a stereo pair of images. Firstly, a color based segmentation method is applied for segmenting the left image of the input stereo pair (reference image) into regions. The aim of the segmentation is to simplify representation of the image into the form that is easier to analyze and is able to locate objects in images. Secondly, results of the segmentation are used as an input of the local window-based matching method to determine the disparity estimate of each image pixel. The obtained experimental results demonstrate that the final depth map can be obtained by application of segment disparities to the original images.