30,253 research outputs found
Image segmentation with adaptive region growing based on a polynomial surface model
A new method for segmenting intensity images into smooth surface segments is presented. The main idea is to divide the image into flat, planar, convex, concave, and saddle patches that coincide as well as possible with meaningful object features in the image. Therefore, we propose an adaptive region growing algorithm based on low-degree polynomial fitting. The algorithm uses a new adaptive thresholding technique with the L∞ fitting cost as a segmentation criterion. The polynomial degree and the fitting error are automatically adapted during the region growing process. The main contribution is that the algorithm detects outliers and edges, distinguishes between strong and smooth intensity transitions and finds surface segments that are bent in a certain way. As a result, the surface segments corresponding to meaningful object features and the contours separating the surface segments coincide with real-image object edges. Moreover, the curvature-based surface shape information facilitates many tasks in image analysis, such as object recognition performed on the polynomial representation. The polynomial representation provides good image approximation while preserving all the necessary details of the objects in the reconstructed images. The method outperforms existing techniques when segmenting images of objects with diffuse reflecting surfaces
Tracking Table Tennis Balls in Real Match Scenes for Umpiring Applications
Judging the legitimacy of table tennis services presents many challenges where technology can be judiciously applied to enhance decision-making. This paper presents a purpose-built system to automatically detect and track the ball during table-tennis services to enable precise judgment over their legitimacy in real-time. The system comprises a suite of algorithms which adaptively exploit spatial and temporal information from real match video sequences, which are generally characterised by high object motion, allied with object blurring and occlusion. Experimental results on a diverse set of table-tennis test sequences corroborate the system performance in facilitating consistently accurate and efficient decision-making over the validity of a service
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
An extension of min/max flow framework
In this paper, the min/max flow scheme for image restoration is revised. The novelty consists of the fol-
24 lowing three parts. The first is to analyze the reason of the speckle generation and then to modify the
25 original scheme. The second is to point out that the continued application of this scheme cannot result
26 in an adaptive stopping of the curvature flow. This is followed by modifications of the original scheme
27 through the introduction of the Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) field and the zero-crossing detector, so as
28 to control the smoothing effect. Our experimental results with image restoration show that the proposed
29 schemes can reach a steady state solution while preserving the essential structures of objects. The third is
30 to extend the min/max flow scheme to deal with the boundary leaking problem, which is indeed an
31 intrinsic shortcoming of the familiar geodesic active contour model. The min/max flow framework pro-
32 vides us with an effective way to approximate the optimal solution. From an implementation point of
33 view, this extended scheme makes the speed function simpler and more flexible. The experimental
34 results of segmentation and region tracking show that the boundary leaking problem can be effectively
35 suppressed
An improved image segmentation algorithm for salient object detection
Semantic object detection is one of the most important and challenging problems in image analysis. Segmentation is an optimal approach to detect salient objects, but often fails to generate meaningful regions due to over-segmentation. This paper presents an improved semantic segmentation approach which is based on JSEG algorithm and utilizes multiple region merging criteria. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is encouraging and effective in salient object detection
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