Rank transform stereo algorithm with adaptive window

The stereo algorithm is composed of an improved rank transform method and a new adaptive window method. The improved rank method transforms image data from gray-level plane to the rank level plane. It could solve the difficult problems for area-based stereo algorithm such as image distortion, noise and brightness difference etc. Most adaptive stereo matching algorithms utilize an evaluation function of disparity and intensity to choose the appropriate windows for image pixels. To construct an appropriate evaluation function is a very difficult problem. While our algorithm chooses the appropriate window only by the intensity variance based on edge detection approach and the process has no relation with disparities. It reduces the complexity to construct the evaluation function. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm, it has been tested by stereo images with ground truth in Middlebury stereo database. The results show that our algorithm has high correct matching rate and it is comparable to the best local algorithm. Meanwhile it is robust with few parameters to be set.