Algorithms for optimal partial matching of free-form objects with scaling effects

A free-form object matching problem is addressed in this paper. Two methods are proposed to solve a partial matching problem with scaling effects and no prior information on correspondence or the rigid body transformation involved. The first method uses umbilical points, which behave as fingerprints of a surface and their qualitative properties can be used for matching purposes. The second method uses an optimization scheme based on the extension of the KH curvature matching method [Comput. Aided Design 35 (2003) 913], first introduced in the context of a matching problem without scaling effects. Two types of curvatures, the Gaussian and the mean curvatures, are used to establish correspondences between two objects. The curvature matching method is formulated in terms of minimization of an objective function depending on the unknown scaling factor, and the rigid body transformation parameters. The accuracy and complexity of the proposed methods as well as the convergence for the optimization approach are analyzed. Examples illustrate the two methods.