Correspondence Search Algorithm for Feature Tracking with Incomplete Trajectories

The correspondence problem is known to be difficult to solve because false positives and false negatives almost always exist in real image sequences. In this paper, we propose a robust feature tracking algorithm considering incomplete trajectories such as entering and/or vanishing trajectories. We solve the correspondence problem as the optimal graph search problem, by considering false feature points and by properly reflecting motion characteristics. The proposed algorithm finds a local optimal correspondence so that the effect of false feature points can be minimized in the decision process. The time complexity of the proposed graph search algorithm is given by O(mn) in the best case and O(m$^2$n) in the worst case, where m and n are the number of feature points in two consecutive frames. The proposed algorithm can find trajectories correctly and robustly, which has been shown by experimental results.