OCCLUSION HANDLING IN STERO IMAGING

The handling of occlusions in stereo imaging is disclosed. In one implementation, an association between a discontinuity in one stereo image and an occlusion in a second stereo image is utilized. In such an implementation, the first and second stereo images are segmented. A mapping of a discontinuity within the second stereo image is used to form at least part of a boundary of an occlusion in the first stereo image. The mapped discontinuity is found at a boundary between two segments in the second stereo image, and once mapped, divides a segment in the first stereo image into two patches. An energy calculation is made in an iterative manner, alternating with changes to a solution with the disparities and occlusions of the patches. Upon minimization, disparities and occlusions at the patch and pixel level are available.