3,524 research outputs found
Extensions of algebraic image operators: An approach to model-based vision
Researchers extend their previous research on a highly structured and compact algebraic representation of grey-level images which can be viewed as fuzzy sets. Addition and multiplication are defined for the set of all grey-level images, which can then be described as polynomials of two variables. Utilizing this new algebraic structure, researchers devised an innovative, efficient edge detection scheme. An accurate method for deriving gradient component information from this edge detector is presented. Based upon this new edge detection system researchers developed a robust method for linear feature extraction by combining the techniques of a Hough transform and a line follower. The major advantage of this feature extractor is its general, object-independent nature. Target attributes, such as line segment lengths, intersections, angles of intersection, and endpoints are derived by the feature extraction algorithm and employed during model matching. The algebraic operators are global operations which are easily reconfigured to operate on any size or shape region. This provides a natural platform from which to pursue dynamic scene analysis. A method for optimizing the linear feature extractor which capitalizes on the spatially reconfiguration nature of the edge detector/gradient component operator is discussed
Design of automatic vision-based inspection system for solder joint segmentation
Purpose: Computer vision has been widely used in the inspection of electronic components. This paper proposes a computer vision system for the automatic detection, localisation, and segmentation of solder joints on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) under different illumination conditions. Design/methodology/approach: An illumination normalization approach is applied to an image, which can effectively and efficiently eliminate the effect of uneven illumination while keeping the properties of the processed image the same as in the corresponding image under normal lighting conditions. Consequently special lighting and instrumental setup can be reduced in order to detect solder joints. These normalised images are insensitive to illumination variations and are used for the subsequent solder joint detection stages. In the segmentation approach, the PCB image is transformed from an RGB color space to a YIQ color space for the effective detection of solder joints from the background. Findings: The segmentation results show that the proposed approach improves the performance significantly for images under varying illumination conditions. Research limitations/implications: This paper proposes a front-end system for the automatic detection, localisation, and segmentation of solder joint defects. Further research is required to complete the full system including the classification of solder joint defects. Practical implications: The methodology presented in this paper can be an effective method to reduce cost and improve quality in production of PCBs in the manufacturing industry. Originality/value: This research proposes the automatic location, identification and segmentation of solder joints under different illumination conditions
Text Line Segmentation of Historical Documents: a Survey
There is a huge amount of historical documents in libraries and in various
National Archives that have not been exploited electronically. Although
automatic reading of complete pages remains, in most cases, a long-term
objective, tasks such as word spotting, text/image alignment, authentication
and extraction of specific fields are in use today. For all these tasks, a
major step is document segmentation into text lines. Because of the low quality
and the complexity of these documents (background noise, artifacts due to
aging, interfering lines),automatic text line segmentation remains an open
research field. The objective of this paper is to present a survey of existing
methods, developed during the last decade, and dedicated to documents of
historical interest.Comment: 25 pages, submitted version, To appear in International Journal on
Document Analysis and Recognition, On line version available at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k2813176280456k3
Automated Quantitative Description of Spiral Galaxy Arm-Segment Structure
We describe a system for the automatic quantification of structure in spiral
galaxies. This enables translation of sky survey images into data needed to
help address fundamental astrophysical questions such as the origin of spiral
structure---a phenomenon that has eluded theoretical description despite 150
years of study (Sellwood 2010). The difficulty of automated measurement is
underscored by the fact that, to date, only manual efforts (such as the citizen
science project Galaxy Zoo) have been able to extract information about large
samples of spiral galaxies. An automated approach will be needed to eliminate
measurement subjectivity and handle the otherwise-overwhelming image quantities
(up to billions of images) from near-future surveys. Our approach automatically
describes spiral galaxy structure as a set of arcs, precisely describing spiral
arm segment arrangement while retaining the flexibility needed to accommodate
the observed wide variety of spiral galaxy structure. The largest existing
quantitative measurements were manually-guided and encompassed fewer than 100
galaxies, while we have already applied our method to more than 29,000
galaxies. Our output matches previous information, both quantitatively over
small existing samples, and qualitatively against human classifications from
Galaxy Zoo.Comment: 9 pages;4 figures; 2 tables; accepted to CVPR (Computer Vision and
Pattern Recognition), June 2012, Providence, Rhode Island, June 16-21, 201
Theoretical quantification of shape distortion in fuzzy hough transform
We present a generalization of classical Hough transform in fuzzy set theoretic framework (called fuzzy Hough transform or FHT) in order to handle the impreciseness/ill-definedness in shape description. In addition to identifying the shapes, the methodology can quantify the amount of distortion present in each shape by suitably characterizing the parametric space. We extended FHT to take care of gray level images (gray FHT) in order to handle the gray level variation along with shape distortion. The gray FHT gives rise to a scheme for image segmentation based on the a priori knowledge about the shapes
Texture Segmentation by Evidence Gathering
A new approach to texture segmentation is presented which uses Local Binary Pattern data to provide evidence from which pixels can be classified into texture classes. The proposed algorithm, which we contend to be the first use of evidence gathering in the field of texture classification, uses Generalised Hough Transform style R-tables as unique descriptors for each texture class and an accumulator is used to store votes for each texture class. Tests on the Brodatz database and Berkeley Segmentation Dataset have shown that our algorithm provides excellent results; an average of 86.9% was achieved over 50 tests on 27 Brodatz textures compared with 80.3% achieved by segmentation by histogram comparison centred on each pixel. In addition, our results provide noticeably smoother texture boundaries and reduced noise within texture regions. The concept is also a "higher order" texture descriptor, whereby the arrangement of texture elements is used for classification as well as the frequency of occurrence that is featured in standard texture operators. This results in a unique descriptor for each texture class based on the structure of texture elements within the image, which leads to a homogeneous segmentation, in boundary and area, of texture by this new technique
Fuzzy-based Propagation of Prior Knowledge to Improve Large-Scale Image Analysis Pipelines
Many automatically analyzable scientific questions are well-posed and offer a
variety of information about the expected outcome a priori. Although often
being neglected, this prior knowledge can be systematically exploited to make
automated analysis operations sensitive to a desired phenomenon or to evaluate
extracted content with respect to this prior knowledge. For instance, the
performance of processing operators can be greatly enhanced by a more focused
detection strategy and the direct information about the ambiguity inherent in
the extracted data. We present a new concept for the estimation and propagation
of uncertainty involved in image analysis operators. This allows using simple
processing operators that are suitable for analyzing large-scale 3D+t
microscopy images without compromising the result quality. On the foundation of
fuzzy set theory, we transform available prior knowledge into a mathematical
representation and extensively use it enhance the result quality of various
processing operators. All presented concepts are illustrated on a typical
bioimage analysis pipeline comprised of seed point detection, segmentation,
multiview fusion and tracking. Furthermore, the functionality of the proposed
approach is validated on a comprehensive simulated 3D+t benchmark data set that
mimics embryonic development and on large-scale light-sheet microscopy data of
a zebrafish embryo. The general concept introduced in this contribution
represents a new approach to efficiently exploit prior knowledge to improve the
result quality of image analysis pipelines. Especially, the automated analysis
of terabyte-scale microscopy data will benefit from sophisticated and efficient
algorithms that enable a quantitative and fast readout. The generality of the
concept, however, makes it also applicable to practically any other field with
processing strategies that are arranged as linear pipelines.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figure
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