An image stitching algorithm for the mineralogical analysis

Mineralogical analysis performed by automatic techniques, it includes qualitative and quantitative data about composition, grain size and mineral liberation, is a very important process while being the first step in the mineral processing and is one of the most useful parameters for metallurgists. Currently, there are many mineralogical analysis methods, but the problem is that analysis equipment is expensive and in-situ analysis is not possible. Therefore, in this paper, we have proposed an in-situ mineralogical analysis method using a relatively inexpensive handheld microscope. At this time, image stitching was applied to solve the inconvenience of observation due to the small field of view of the microscope. Experiments using a ferruginous quartzite ore confirmed that this method is very useful for immediate mineralogical analysis and detection of interesting areas for more detailed analysis. The algorithm suggested in this paper can be applied to the development of a dedicated mineralogical analysis system in future.

Automated summary

Mineralogical analysis is a crucial step in mineral processing, providing qualitative and quantitative data about the composition and structure of ores. This paper introduces a method for in-situ mineralogical analysis using a handheld microscope, which addresses the issues of expensive analysis equipment and infeasible in-situ analysis. Experimental results have confirmed the utility and feasibility of this method, suggesting potential for future development of dedicated mineralogical analysis systems.