JP2007122118A - Image connection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image connection method preventing displacement in positioning of a small image in image connection. <P>SOLUTION: When dividing an imaging target S into lattice-like small sections and connecting the plurality of imaged small images A11-A75 to form the whole image of the imaging target S, a reference small image A43 is selected from the small images each obtained by imaging one of the small sections except the small sections of edge parts including the small sections of four corners among the small sections divided in a lattice state, and the other small images A11-A75 are positioned on the basis of the reference small image A43 and are connected. Thereby, the other small images are not positioned based on the small images having small image information for matching in the connection of the small images, thereby the displacement of the image connection can be prevented in the early stage to form the whole image having small distortion, and the small displacement or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image connection method for forming a whole image of an imaging target by connecting a plurality of small images captured by dividing the imaging target into grid-like small sections.

When creating an enlarged image by imaging an imaging target such as a specimen using an electron microscope, divide the imaging target into grid-like small sections, and then capture the small images obtained by capturing these small sections. An image connection method for reconstructing an entire image to be imaged by connecting in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement is widely used. The edge portions of these small images include overlapping image portions that overlap at the time of connection, and the adjacent small images are matched and connected using the image information of these overlapping portions as a clue ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 11-95125 A

  Conventionally, each captured small image is connected in a certain order and reconstructed into an entire image. In particular, a method of connecting in the column direction line by line on a scanning line called raster scan type tiling is widely used.

  However, when the specimen is a sample of animal or plant tissue or the like collected in a circular well, if the circular well is divided into grid-like small sections and imaged, the four corner small sections become useful outside the circular well. Image information may not be recorded. In this case, when raster scanning type tiling is performed, one of these four corner small images is positioned first, so that when connecting adjacent small images, image information necessary for matching is obtained. Misalignment tends to occur. If such a misalignment occurs in the initial stage of image connection, misalignment may occur in a chain and an inaccurate whole image may be formed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image connection method that does not cause a deviation in positioning of small images during image connection.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of small images obtained by dividing the imaging target into grid-like small sections are connected in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the small sections to form the entire image of the imaging target. In the image connection method, the small image is a rectangular image including a first side and a second side parallel to the horizontal direction, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the vertical direction, A reference small image selection step of selecting, as a reference small image, a small image obtained by imaging any one of the small partitions other than the edge small partitions including the small corners of the four corners among the small partitions divided in the grid pattern; A first connecting step of positioning and connecting the first small image by matching the first side of the reference small image and the second side of the first small image; and the selected reference small image Matching the second side of the image with the first side of the second small image to position the second small image The third small image is positioned and connected by performing matching between the second connecting step of connecting and the third side of the selected reference small image and the fourth side of the third small image. Third connection step, and fourth connection for positioning and connecting the fourth small image by matching the fourth side of the selected reference small image with the third side of the fourth small image Matching the process with the third side of the connected first small image and the fourth side of the fifth small image, and the first side of the connected third small image and the fifth small image A fifth connecting step of positioning and connecting the fifth small image by performing matching with a second side of the image, a third side of the connected second small image, and a sixth side of the sixth small image; 4 and matching between the second side of the connected third small image and the first side of the sixth small image. Performing matching between the fourth side of the connected first small image and the third side of the seventh small image by performing a ching to position and connect the sixth small image And a seventh connecting step of positioning and connecting the seventh small image by matching the first side of the connected fourth small image with the second side of the seventh small image; The fourth side of the connected second small image is matched with the third side of the eighth small image, and the second side of the connected fourth small image and the first side of the eighth small image are matched. And an eighth connecting step of positioning and connecting the eighth small image by performing matching with the side of the image.

  The invention according to claim 2 forms a whole image of the imaging target by connecting a plurality of small images obtained by dividing the imaging target into grid-like small sections in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the small sections. In the image connection method, the small image is a rectangular image including a first side and a second side parallel to the horizontal direction, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the vertical direction, A reference small image selection step of selecting, as a reference small image, a small image obtained by imaging any one of the small partitions other than the edge small partitions including the small corners of the four corners among the small partitions divided in the grid pattern; A first positioning step of positioning the connection position of the first small image by matching the first side of the reference small image and the second side of the first small image, and the selected reference Matching between the second side of the small image and the first side of the second small image, the second small image The second positioning step for positioning the connection position, and the matching of the third side of the selected reference small image and the fourth side of the third small image are performed to determine the connection position of the third small image. The third positioning step for positioning is performed, and the fourth side of the selected small reference image and the third side of the fourth small image are matched to determine the connection position of the fourth small image. A first positioning step, matching the third side of the positioned first small image and the fourth side of the fifth small image, and the first side of the positioned third small image; A fifth positioning step for performing matching with a second side of the fifth small image to position a connection position of the fifth small image; a third side of the positioned second small image; Matching with the 4th edge of 6 small images and positioning A sixth positioning step for positioning the connection position of the sixth small image by matching the second side of the third small image with the first side of the sixth small image; Matching the fourth side of the first small image with the third side of the seventh small image and the first side of the positioned fourth small image and the second side of the seventh small image And a seventh positioning step for positioning the connection position of the seventh small image by matching, and matching between the fourth side of the positioned second small image and the third side of the eighth small image And an eighth positioning step of performing matching between the second side of the positioned fourth small image and the first side of the eighth small image and positioning the connection position of the eighth small image The selected reference small image and the positioned first to eighth small images Connecting images to form an entire image of the imaging target.

  According to the present invention, since the positioning of other small images is not performed with reference to a small image with a small amount of image information that is a clue in matching in the connection between small images, a positional shift in the initial stage of image connection Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent the positional shift of small images that occur in a chain, and to form an entire image with little distortion or shift.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a division pattern of an imaging target according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a small image positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a small image positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 (a), (b), FIG. 7 (a), (b), and FIG. 8 form an entire image according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the order of the image connection at the time of doing.

  In FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 1 includes an imaging stage 2, and a plurality of circular wells 3 from which samples S such as animal and plant tissues to be imaged are collected are arranged in parallel. A light source 4 composed of a halogen lamp or the like is disposed below the imaging stage 2 and irradiates the sample S collected on the circular well 3 of the imaging stage 2 from below.

  An imaging unit such as a CCD camera 5 is disposed above the imaging stage 2. The CCD camera 5 includes a main body 6 having a CCD element for converting light into an electric signal, and a lens unit 7 mounted downward from the main body 6, and condenses the light transmitted through the sample S on the CCD element. To do. The lens unit 7 is mounted on the main body 6 so as to be movable up and down, and performs focusing by adjusting the distance between the objective lens and the circular well 3. The electrical signal converted by the CCD camera 5 is converted into digital image data by the camera control unit 8.

  The imaging stage 2 is provided in the XY table 9. The XY table 9 moves horizontally in the XY direction based on a command from the stage control unit 10 and aligns the imaging stage 2 and the CCD camera 5.

  The image processing apparatus 1 includes a processing / control unit 11 that controls the operations of the CCD camera 5 and the XY table 9 and processes captured image data. In the map information storage unit 12, a division pattern for imaging the circular well 3 is set. When imaging the sample S collected in the circular well 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the rectangular region 13 including the entire circular well 3 is divided into lattice-shaped small sections and imaged. In the present embodiment, a divided pattern is illustrated in which the rectangular region 13 is divided into a total of 35 small sections a11 to a75 with 5 columns in the X direction and 7 columns in the Y direction. Each of the small sections a11 to a75 has an overlapping portion overlapping with an adjacent small section. For example, the small sections a32 and a33 overlap in the area α, the small sections a32 and a42 overlap in the area β, and the small section a42. a43 overlaps in area γ, and small sections a33 and a43 overlap in area δ. This division pattern is an example of the division pattern set in the map information storage unit 12, and various division patterns can be set according to the size of the imaging target, the required image resolution, and the like.

  The arrangement of the small sections a11 to a75 is represented by the matrix number of the division pattern or the XY coordinate value corresponding to the matrix number, and is stored in the map information storage unit 12 together with the division pattern. The movement amount of the XY table 9 is controlled based on the matrix number and XY coordinate value of this division pattern, and the alignment of each of the small sections a11 to a75 and the CCD camera 5 is sequentially performed. Small images obtained by imaging the small sections a11 to a75 by the CCD camera 5 are stored in the small image storage section 14 in association with the arrangement of the small sections a11 to a75 stored in the map information storage section 12.

  In FIG. 1, the processing / control unit 11 includes an image linking unit 15, and small images obtained by capturing the small sections a <b> 11 to a <b> 75 stored in the small image storage unit 14 are converted into the small sections a <b> 11 to a <b> 75. The whole image of the sample S is formed by connecting in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of The images connected in the image connecting unit 15 are stored in the connected image storage unit 16. Each small image stored in the small image storage unit 14, the connected image stored in the connected image storage unit 16, and the entire image of the sample S are converted into visible images by the display processing unit 17 provided in the processing / control unit 11. It is converted and displayed on the monitor 18. The operation / input unit 19 is a keyboard, a driver, or the like, and inputs various commands to the processing / control unit 11 to execute each operation described above.

Next, an image connection method in the image processing apparatus 1 will be described. In image connection, a small image obtained by capturing the small sections a11 to a75 stored in the small image storage unit 14 is converted into each small section a.
It is performed by connecting in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of 11 to a75. As described above, since each of the small sections a11 to a75 has an overlapping portion that overlaps with each adjacent small section, each small image obtained by imaging the small sections a11 to a75 also includes an overlapping portion. ing. The small images are connected by superimposing these overlapping portions.

  There are two image connection methods. As shown in FIG. 3, one is a method of connecting small images belonging to the same row or column as a small image serving as a positioning reference when connecting other small images. One is a method of connecting other small images not belonging to the same row and column as the reference small image, as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3A, a small image P1 is a small image that serves as a positioning reference when connecting other small images P2. As described above, overlapping portions of images exist in two small images to be connected. Since the region ε including the left side of the small image P1 and the region ε including the right side of the small image P2 include image information obtained by imaging the same part of the sample S that is the imaging target, the regions ε are overlapped with each other. The small image P2 is positioned by matching the image information. In the overlapping of the regions ε, a reference portion R1 serving as a reference for matching is set in the region ε on the small image P1 side serving as a reference, and a portion including the same image information as the matching portion R1 is set as a small image. A search is made from within the region ε on the P2 side to detect the collated portion R2, and the small image P2 is positioned so that the collated portion R2 overlaps the collated portion R1 and connected to the small image P1 (FIG. 3B). reference).

  In FIG. 3A, when the small image P3 arranged on the right side of the same row as the reference small image P1 and the small images P4, P5 arranged above and below the same column are connected, In the same manner as above, matching is performed, and each is positioned and connected. Further, when another small image P6 is connected to the left side of the positioned small image P2, the small image P6 is positioned with reference to the small image P2.

  In FIG. 4A, small images P2 and P4 are connected to the left and upper sides of the small image P1, respectively. The small image P7 is a small image arranged diagonally to the upper left of the small image P1, and is a small image that does not belong to the same row and column as the small image P1. The small image P2 and the small image P4 are positioned by the connection method described above with reference to the small image P1. The small image P7 is positioned and connected with reference to the two small images P2 and P4 arranged in the oblique direction. That is, a matching portion R2 serving as a reference for matching is set in a region ζ including the upper side of the small image P2, and a matching portion R4 serving as a reference for matching is set in a region η including the left side of the small image P4. A part including the same image information as the collation part R2 is searched from the region ζ including the lower side of the small image P7 to detect the collation part R72, and a part including the same image information as the collation part R4 is set. A search is made from within the area η including the right side of the small image P7 to detect the collated portion R74, and the small image P7 is positioned so that the collated portion R72 overlaps the collated portion R2 and the collated portion R4 overlaps the collated portion R74. And connected (see FIG. 4B).

  As described above, when the small image P7 that does not belong to the same row and column as the reference small image P1 is connected to the small image group, two collation portions R72 and R74 separated from the small image P7 are combined into one collation portion. And, in the present embodiment, one target of one of the small image groups (three small images P1, P2, and P4 that have already been positioned and connected) in which the to-be-checked portions R2 and R4 that have been separated are already positioned. The small image P7 is positioned by considering it as a collation part and matching the collation part regarded as one and the part to be collated.

Next, a basic order of tiling in image connection, that is, a basic order in which small images are arranged and connected at predetermined positions will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, each small image is a rectangular image, and includes a first side and a second side parallel to the horizontal direction, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the vertical direction.

  First, a reference small image serving as a reference for positioning each small image to be tiled is selected from a plurality of small images stored in the small image storage unit 14 (see FIG. 2) (reference small image selection step). The reference small image may be a small image obtained by imaging any of the small sections other than the small sections at the edge including the small sections at the four corners of the rectangular area 13 in FIG. 2, but is arranged at the center of the rectangular area 13. It is preferable to select a small image. In general, the sample S collected in the circular well 3 often contains a useful substance or the like as a specimen at the center. Therefore, if a small image obtained by capturing such a portion is used as a reference, image information at the time of matching with other small images is abundant, so that problems such as positioning at the initial stage of image connection are less likely to occur. Thus, it is possible to form an entire image of the sample S in which image distortion and the like are eliminated as much as possible.

  For the selection of the reference small image, a small image arranged in the center of the rectangular area 13 is registered in the image connecting unit 15 in advance, and this small image is automatically selected as the reference small image. Alternatively, a desired small image may be selected as a reference small image by the operation / input unit 19 while displaying each small image stored in the small image storage unit 14 on the monitor 18 and confirming it. Then, the small image which imaged the part to observe especially among the samples S can be selected as a reference | standard small image.

  The first to eighth small images in FIG. 5 are small images arranged around the reference small image, and these arrangements are associated with the arrangement of the small sections stored in the map information storage unit 12. And stored in the small image storage unit 14.

  When the reference small image is selected, matching is performed between the first side of the reference small image and the second side of the first small image disposed above the reference small image, and the reference small image of the first small image is selected. A relative position with respect to the image is positioned and connected (first connecting step).

  Further, matching is performed between the second side of the reference small image and the first side of the second small image disposed below the reference small image, and the relative position of the second small image with respect to the reference small image is determined. Position and connect (second connecting step).

  In addition, the third side of the reference small image is matched with the fourth side of the third small image arranged on the left side of the reference small image, and the relative position of the third small image with respect to the reference small image is determined. Are positioned and connected (third connecting step).

  Further, matching is performed between the fourth side of the reference small image and the third side of the fourth small image arranged on the right side of the reference small image, and the relative position of the fourth small image to the reference small image is determined. Are positioned and connected (fourth connecting step).

  Then, matching is performed between the third side of the first small image connected in the first connection step and the fourth side of the fifth small image arranged on the left side of the first small image, and Matching the first side of the third small image connected by the connecting step 3 and the second side of the fifth small image arranged above the third small image, A relative position with respect to the first small image and the third small image is positioned and connected (fifth connecting step).

The third side of the second small image connected by the second connection step is matched with the fourth side of the sixth small image arranged on the left side of the second small image, and the third side Matching is performed between the second side of the third small image connected in the connecting step and the first side of the sixth small image arranged below the third small image, and the second small of the sixth small image is performed. A relative position with respect to the image and the third small image is positioned and connected (sixth connecting step).

  The fourth side of the first small image connected by the first connection step is matched with the third side of the seventh small image arranged on the right side of the second small image, and the fourth side Matching is performed between the first side of the fourth small image connected in the connecting step and the second side of the seventh small image arranged above the fourth small image, and the first small of the seventh small image is performed. A relative position with respect to the image and the fourth small image is positioned and connected (seventh connecting step).

  The fourth side of the second small image connected by the second connection step is matched with the third side of the eighth small image arranged on the right side of the second small image, and the fourth side Matching is performed between the second side of the fourth small image connected in the connecting step and the first side of the eighth small image arranged below the fourth small image, and the second small of the eighth small image is performed. A relative position with respect to the image and the fourth small image is positioned and connected (eighth connecting step).

  The small images arranged around the reference small image are tiled by the first to eighth connection steps. In the first connection step to the eighth connection step, the fifth connection step is a subsequent step of the first connection step and the third connection step, and the sixth connection step is the second connection step and It is a post-process of the third connecting step, the seventh connecting step is a post-step of the first connecting step and the fourth connecting step, and the eighth connecting step is the second connecting step and the fourth connecting step. As long as it is a post-process of a process, it is random and you may carry out in arbitrary orders. Further, the first side to the fourth side of each small section is a concept indicating an edge including each side, and includes image information to be collated at the time of matching.

  Next, based on the basic order of the above tiling, a small image obtained by imaging the small sections a11 to a75 shown in FIG. 2 is tiled to form an entire image of the sample S collected in the circular well 3. A method for connecting small images will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 6, the selected reference small image is a small image obtained by imaging one of the small sections other than the small sections at the edges including the small sections a11, a15, a71, and a75 at the four corners of the rectangular area 13 in FIG. is there. That is, in FIG. 2, a small image obtained by capturing a small section other than the small sections arranged in the first row and the seventh row and the small sections arranged in the first column and the fifth column is used as a reference small image. Selected. In the following description, a small image obtained by capturing the small sections a11 to a75 is represented as A11 to A75, and a method for performing tiling using the small image obtained by capturing the small section a43 at the center of the rectangular area 13 as the reference small image A43 will be described. To do.

  In FIG. 6A, small images A33, A23, and A13 are sequentially connected above the reference small image A43 (arrow b). Small images A42 and A41 are sequentially connected to the left of the reference small image A43 (arrow c). The small image A33 is connected in the first connecting step, and the small image A42 is connected in the third connecting step.

  In FIG. 6B, the small image A32 is positioned and connected based on the small image A33 and the small image A42. The small image A32 is connected in the fifth connection step. Next, the small image A31 is positioned and connected based on the small image A32 and the small image A41 (arrow d). Next, the small image A22 is positioned and connected based on the small image A23 and the small image A32 (arrow e). Next, the small image A12 is positioned and connected based on the small image A13 and the small image A22 (arrow f). Next, the small image A21 is positioned and connected based on the small image A22 and the small image A31 (arrow g).

The small images A32 can be connected in a stage before all the small images are connected in the directions of the arrows b and c as long as the small images A33 and A42 are connected. Further, the small images A31, A22, A12, and A21 connected in the order of the arrows d, e, f, and g can be arranged in an arbitrary order as long as they are positioned and connected with respect to two adjacent small images. Can be linked.

  In FIG. 7A, small images A44 and A45 are sequentially connected to the right side of the reference small image A43 (arrow h). The small image A44 is connected in the fourth connection step. Next, the small image A34 is positioned and connected on the basis of the small image A33 and the small image A44. The tiling of the small image A34 is the seventh connecting step. Thereafter, the small images A35, A24, A14, and A25 are sequentially connected along the arrows i, j, k, and l. The small images A34 can be connected in a stage before all the small images are connected in the directions of arrows b and h, after the small images A33 and A44 are connected. Further, the small images A35, A24, A14, and A25 connected in the order of the arrows i, j, k, and l can be arranged in any order as long as they are positioned and connected with respect to two adjacent small images. Can be linked.

  In FIG. 7B, small images A53, A63, and A73 are sequentially connected below the reference small image A43 (arrow m). The small image A53 is connected in the second connection step. Next, the small image A52 is positioned and connected on the basis of the small image A42 and the small image A53. The small image A52 is connected in the sixth connection step. Thereafter, the small images A51, A62, A72, and A61 are sequentially connected along the arrows n, o, p, and q. The small images A52 can be connected in a stage before all the small images are connected in the directions of the arrows c and m, after the small images A42 and A53 are connected. Further, the small images A51, A62, A72, and A61 connected in the order of the arrows n, o, p, and q may be arranged in an arbitrary order as long as they are positioned and connected with respect to two adjacent small images. Can be linked.

  Further, the small image A54 is positioned and connected based on the small image A44 and the small image A53. The small image A54 is connected in the eighth connection step. Thereafter, the small images A55, A64, A74, and A65 are sequentially connected along the arrows r, s, t, and u. The small image A54 can be connected after the small image A44 and the small image A53 are connected in a stage before all the small images are connected in the directions of the arrows h and m. Further, the small images A55, A64, A74, and A65 connected in the order of the arrows r, s, t, and u can be arranged in an arbitrary order as long as they are positioned and connected with respect to two adjacent small images. Can be linked.

  Note that the small corner images A11, A15, A71, and A75 shown by broken lines in FIG. 7B do not necessarily include the image data of the sample S, and therefore need not be connected in the present embodiment.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, first, small images can be connected vertically and horizontally to the reference small image 43 (arrows v, w, x, y). In this way, since the small images in the upper left area B, the upper right area C, the lower left area D, and the lower right area E of the reference small image A43 can be connected simultaneously, the time required for image connection And an entire image can be formed promptly.

As described above, in forming the entire image, a small image obtained by imaging any one of the small sections other than the small sections at the edges including the small sections a11, a15, a71, and a75 at the four corners of the rectangular region 13 in FIG. Since it is selected as a small image, a small image with a small ratio of image data of a portion obtained by imaging the sample S collected in the circular well 3 does not become a reference when positioning other small images. That is, in FIG. 7B, any one of the small images obtained by imaging the sample S collected in the circular well 3 (a total of 15 small images of 3 rows on the left and right and 5 rows on the top and bottom with respect to the small image A43). Since other small images are positioned and connected on the basis of the above, there is abundant image information on the sample S which is a clue at the time of matching, and more accurate positioning is possible. As a result, it is possible to prevent the positional displacement of small images that occur in a chain due to the lack of image information in the initial stage of image connection, and it is possible to form an entire image with little distortion or displacement.

  Further, as long as the basic order of tiling is followed, the small images can be connected in an arbitrary order, so that an image of an arbitrary area can be formed around the reference small image. For example, it is possible to form only a desired area among the areas B, C, D, and E shown in FIG. 8, and it is also possible to form only a peripheral area including the reference small image A43.

  In the above description, the connection method in which the positioned small images A11 to A75 are sequentially connected to the reference small image A43 to form the entire image of the sample S is shown. However, the connection positions of the small images A11 to A75 are shown. After positioning, the reference small image A43 and the other small images A11 to A75 can be connected to form an entire image of the sample S. In this case, the relative position of the other small images positioned with respect to the position of the reference small image A43 is represented by XY coordinate values, or any position is represented by an absolute XY coordinate value, and the connected image is displayed. The whole image of the sample S is formed by connecting the small images stored in the storage unit 16 and connecting the small images based on the XY coordinate values in the image connecting unit 15.

  According to the image linking method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the positional deviation of small images that occur in a chain in the image linking, and it is possible to form an entire image with little distortion, displacement, etc. It is useful in the field of forming a whole image of a sample by connecting a plurality of small images obtained by dividing a sample of tissue such as animals and plants collected in a circular well into grid-like small sections.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the division pattern of the imaging target in one embodiment of this invention (A), (b) Explanatory drawing of the positioning method of the small image in one embodiment of this invention (A), (b) Explanatory drawing of the positioning method of the small image in one embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing which showed the basic order of the image connection in one embodiment of this invention (A), (b) Explanatory drawing which showed the order of the image connection at the time of forming the whole image in one embodiment of this invention (A), (b) Explanatory drawing which showed the order of the image connection at the time of forming the whole image in one embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing which showed the order of the image connection at the time of forming the whole image in one embodiment of this invention

Explanation of symbols

a11 to a75 Small section A11 to A75 Small image A43 Standard small image S Sample

Claims (2)

An image connection method for forming a whole image of the imaging target by connecting a plurality of small images captured by dividing an imaging target into grid-like small sections in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the small sections,
The small image is a rectangular image composed of a first side and a second side parallel to the horizontal direction and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the vertical direction;
A reference small image selection step of selecting, as a reference small image, a small image obtained by imaging any of the small partitions other than the edge small partitions including the small corners of the four corners among the small partitions divided into the lattice shape;
A first coupling step of positioning and coupling the first small image by matching the first side of the selected reference small image and the second side of the first small image;
A second connecting step of positioning and connecting the second small image by performing matching between the second side of the selected reference small image and the first side of the second small image;
A third connecting step of matching the third side of the selected reference small image with the fourth side of the third small image to position and connect the third small image;
A fourth connecting step of matching the fourth side of the selected reference small image with the third side of the fourth small image to position and connect the fourth small image;
The third side of the connected first small image and the fourth side of the fifth small image are matched, and the first side of the connected third small image and the fifth side of the fifth small image are matched. A fifth connecting step for positioning and connecting the fifth small image by performing matching with two sides;
The third side of the connected second small image and the fourth side of the sixth small image are matched and the second side of the connected third small image and the sixth side of the sixth small image are matched. A sixth connecting step of positioning and connecting the sixth small image by performing matching with one side;
The fourth side of the connected first small image is matched with the third side of the seventh small image, and the first side of the connected fourth small image and the seventh side of the seventh small image are matched. A seventh connecting step of positioning and connecting the seventh small image by performing matching with two sides;
The fourth side of the connected second small image is matched with the third side of the eighth small image, and the second side of the connected fourth small image and the eighth side of the eighth small image are matched. An eighth connecting step of positioning and connecting the eighth small image by performing matching with one side;
A method for connecting images. An image connection method for forming a whole image of the imaging target by connecting a plurality of small images captured by dividing an imaging target into grid-like small sections in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the small sections,
The small image is a rectangular image composed of a first side and a second side parallel to the horizontal direction and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the vertical direction;
A reference small image selection step of selecting, as a reference small image, a small image obtained by imaging any of the small partitions other than the edge small partitions including the small corners of the four corners among the small partitions divided into the lattice shape;
A first positioning step of performing matching between a first side of the selected reference small image and a second side of the first small image to position a connection position of the first small image;
A second positioning step of performing matching between the second side of the selected reference small image and the first side of the second small image to position the connection position of the second small image; and A third positioning step of performing matching between the third side of the reference small image and the fourth side of the third small image to position the connection position of the third small image;
A first positioning step of performing matching between a fourth side of the selected reference small image and a third side of the fourth small image to position a connection position of the fourth small image;
The third side of the positioned first small image is matched with the fourth side of the fifth small image, and the first side of the positioned third small image and the fifth side of the fifth small image are matched. A fifth positioning step for performing matching with the side of 2 and positioning a connection position of the fifth small image;
The third side of the positioned second small image is matched with the fourth side of the sixth small image, and the second side of the positioned third small image and the sixth side of the sixth small image are matched. A sixth positioning step of performing matching with one side to position a connection position of the sixth small image;
The fourth side of the positioned first small image is matched with the third side of the seventh small image, and the first side of the positioned fourth small image and the seventh side of the seventh small image are matched. A seventh positioning step of performing matching with the side of 2 and positioning a connection position of the seventh small image;
The fourth side of the positioned second small image is matched with the third side of the eighth small image, and the second side of the positioned fourth small image and the eighth side of the eighth small image are matched. An eighth positioning step for performing matching with one side to position a connection position of the eighth small image;
An image connecting step of connecting the selected reference small image and the positioned first to eighth small images to form an entire image of the imaging target;
A method for connecting images.

Images