LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching

Image matching is a fundamental problem in computer vision, serving as a core component in tasks such as visual localization, structure from motion, and SLAM. While recent advances using convolutional neural networks and transformer have achieved impressive accuracy, their substantial computational...

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Main Authors: Shanquan Ying, Jianfeng Zhao, Guannan Li, Junjie Dai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Imaging
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/5/164
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author Shanquan Ying
Jianfeng Zhao
Guannan Li
Junjie Dai
author_facet Shanquan Ying
Jianfeng Zhao
Guannan Li
Junjie Dai
author_sort Shanquan Ying
collection DOAJ
description Image matching is a fundamental problem in computer vision, serving as a core component in tasks such as visual localization, structure from motion, and SLAM. While recent advances using convolutional neural networks and transformer have achieved impressive accuracy, their substantial computational demands hinder practical deployment on resource-constrained devices, such as mobile and embedded platforms. To address this challenge, we propose LIM, a lightweight image local feature matching network designed for computationally constrained embedded systems. LIM integrates efficient feature extraction and matching modules that significantly reduce model complexity while maintaining competitive performance. Our design emphasizes robustness to extreme viewpoint and rotational variations, making it suitable for real-world deployment scenarios. Extensive experiments on multiple benchmarks demonstrate that LIM achieves a favorable trade-off between speed and accuracy, running more than 3× faster than existing deep matching methods, while preserving high-quality matching results. These characteristics position LIM as an effective solution for real-time applications in power-limited environments.
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institution OA Journals
issn 2313-433X
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Journal of Imaging
spelling doaj-art-4a4bef4bf8bd4dceac99236322a623fd2025-08-20T01:56:19ZengMDPI AGJournal of Imaging2313-433X2025-05-0111516410.3390/jimaging11050164LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature MatchingShanquan Ying0Jianfeng Zhao1Guannan Li2Junjie Dai3College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315212, ChinaCollege of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315212, ChinaHuzhou Institute of Zhejiang University, Huzhou 313000, ChinaCollege of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315212, ChinaImage matching is a fundamental problem in computer vision, serving as a core component in tasks such as visual localization, structure from motion, and SLAM. While recent advances using convolutional neural networks and transformer have achieved impressive accuracy, their substantial computational demands hinder practical deployment on resource-constrained devices, such as mobile and embedded platforms. To address this challenge, we propose LIM, a lightweight image local feature matching network designed for computationally constrained embedded systems. LIM integrates efficient feature extraction and matching modules that significantly reduce model complexity while maintaining competitive performance. Our design emphasizes robustness to extreme viewpoint and rotational variations, making it suitable for real-world deployment scenarios. Extensive experiments on multiple benchmarks demonstrate that LIM achieves a favorable trade-off between speed and accuracy, running more than 3× faster than existing deep matching methods, while preserving high-quality matching results. These characteristics position LIM as an effective solution for real-time applications in power-limited environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/5/164lightweight networksimage feature matchingdeep learningembedded systemsrotation robustness
spellingShingle Shanquan Ying
Jianfeng Zhao
Guannan Li
Junjie Dai
LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
Journal of Imaging
lightweight networks
image feature matching
deep learning
embedded systems
rotation robustness
title LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
title_full LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
title_fullStr LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
title_full_unstemmed LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
title_short LIM: Lightweight Image Local Feature Matching
title_sort lim lightweight image local feature matching
topic lightweight networks
image feature matching
deep learning
embedded systems
rotation robustness
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/5/164
work_keys_str_mv AT shanquanying limlightweightimagelocalfeaturematching
AT jianfengzhao limlightweightimagelocalfeaturematching
AT guannanli limlightweightimagelocalfeaturematching
AT junjiedai limlightweightimagelocalfeaturematching