An Improved Heuristic-based Approach for Solving Square Jigsaw Puzzles

An algorithm for assembling square jigsaw puzzles is presented. We commence by introducing criteria that govern the selection of proper jigsaw puzzle solving method for a given application. Our algorithm uses the gray level profiles of border pixels for local matching of the puzzle pieces. Unlike the classical best-first search, the algorithm simultaneously locates the neighbors of a puzzle piece during the search. To improve the search for a global solution, every puzzle piece is considered as starting piece at various starting locations. Experiments using well-known images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach over the classical piece-by-piece matching approach. The performance evaluation is based on a more precise new performance measure.