On Solving 2D and 3D Puzzles Using Curve Matching

We approach the problem of 2-D and 3-D puzzle solving by matching the geometric features of puzzle pieces three at a time. First, we define an affinity measure for a pair of pieces in two stages, one based on a coarse-scale representation of curves and one based on a fine-scale elastic curve matching method. This re-examination of the top coarse-scale matches at the fine scale results in an optimal relative pose as well as a matching cost which is used as the affinity measure for a pair of pieces. Pairings with overlapping boundaries are impossible and are removed from further consideration, resulting in a set of top valid candidate pairs. Second, triples arising from generic junctions are formed from this rank-ordered list of pairs. The puzzle is solved by a recursive grouping of triples using a best-first search strategy, with backtracking in the case of overlapping pieces. We also generalize aspects of this approach to matching of 3-D pieces. Specifically, ridges of 3-D fragments s...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2001
• Where: CVPR
• Authors: Weixin Kong, Benjamin B. Kimia
• Keywords: 3-D Pieces, Computer Vision, Curve Matching Approach, Curve Matching Method, CVPR 2001, Puzzle Pieces, Robust Numerical Method