Refining disparity maps using deep learning and edge-aware smoothing filter

Stereo matching algorithm is crucial for applications that rely on three-dimensional (3D) surface reconstruction, producing a disparity map that contains depth information by computing the disparity values between corresponding points from a stereo image pair. In order to yield desirable results, the proposed stereo matching algorithm must possess a high degree of resilience against radiometric variation and edge inconsistencies. In this article convolutional neural network (CNN) is employed in the first stage to generate the raw matching cost, which is subsequently filtered with a bilateral filter (BF) and applied with cross-based cost aggregation (CBCA) during the cost aggregation stage to enhance precision. Winner-take-all (WTA) strategy is implemented to normalise the disparity map values. Finally, the resulting output is subjected to an edge-aware smoothing filter (EASF) to reduce the noise. Due to its resistance to high contrast and brightness, the filter is found to be effective in refining and eliminating noise from the output image. Despite discontinuities like adiron's lost cup handle or artl's shattered rods, this approach, based on experimental research utilizing a Middlebury standard validation benchmark, yields a high level of accuracy, with an average non-occluded error of 6.79%, comparable to other published methods.