自适应的低照度图像增强变分模型

针对低照度图像具有低对比度、强噪声等问题，提出了一种自适应的低照度图像增强变分模型。根据亮度分量初步估计低照度图像取反之后图像的透射率，并利用Retinex算法进行细化，以丰富图像的细节。为了抑制噪声的放大且保持边缘信息，根据亮通道先验原理和局部方差构建权重，自适应地调节正则化参数。采用交替迭代最优化方法求解包含透射率和恢复图像的能量泛函得到最优解。实验结果表明，该模型可有效地增强低照度图像，且能保留更多的图像细节、抑制噪声放大，相比于[l1]范数正则化方法，图像尺寸越大，该模型计算效率越高，计算时间优势越明显。     

Hierarchical bayesian models for regularisation in sequential learning

We show that a hierarchical Bayesian modeling approach allows us to perform regularization in sequential learning. We identify three inference levels within this hierarchy: model selection, parameter estimation, and noise estimation. In environments where data arrive sequentially, techniques such as cross validation to achieve regularization or model selection are not possible. The Bayesian approach, with extended Kalman filtering at the parameter estimation level, allows for regularization within a minimum variance framework. A multilayer perceptron is used to generate the extended Kalman filter nonlinear measurements mapping. We describe several algorithms at the noise estimation level that allow us to implement on-line regularization. We also show the theoretical links between adaptive noise estimation in extended Kalman filtering, multiple adaptive learning rates, and multiple smoothing regularization coefficients.     

Efficient collision detection using a dual OBB-sphere bounding volume hierarchy

We present an efficient algorithm for collision detection between static rigid objects using a dual bounding volume hierarchy which consists of an oriented bounding box (OBB) tree enhanced with bounding spheres. This approach combines the compactness of OBBs and the simplicity of spheres. The majority of distant objects are separated using the simpler sphere tests. The remaining objects are in close proximity, where some separation axes are significantly more effective than others. We select 5 from among the 15 potential separating axes for OBBs. Experimental results show that our algorithm achieves considerable speedup in most cases with respect to the existing OBB algorithms.     

基于遗传算法的盲超分辨率图像的重建

针对盲超分辨率图像复原问题,提出了一种基于遗传算法的盲超分辨率图像重建方法。这种方法建立了一个由高分辨率图像和模糊项相关联的正则化函数,并利用遗传算法的全局寻优能力使得这个正则化函数最小化,从而由一组退化的低分辨率图像求得高分辨率图像,同时评估出导致模糊原因。仿真结果表明算法的可行性。     

小波域噪声分布估计的自适应正则化图像恢复

提出一种正则化图像恢复中自适应选择局部正则化参数的方法．首先提出局部正则化参数的大小应正比于降质图像局部噪声方差;然后在小波域内给出一种估计降质图像局部噪声方差的算法;最后根据小波域噪声方差估计值的分布自适应地确定局部正则化参数．实验结果表明,对于存在多种类型噪声的降质图像,文中方法对噪声方差的估计在分布上与真实噪声一致,而在恢复效果上则要优于Katsaggelos所提出的方法．     

Multiview Visibility Estimation for Image-Based Modeling

In this paper, we investigate the problem of determining regions in 3D scene visible to some given viewpoints when obstacles are present in the scene. We assume that the obstacles are composed of some opaque objects with closed surfaces. The problem is formulated in an implicit framework where the obstacles are represented by a level set function. The visible and invisible regions of the given viewpoints are determined through an efficient implicit ray tracing technique. As an extension of our approach, we apply the multiview visibility estimation to an image-based modeling technique. The unknown scene geometry and multiview visibility information are incorporated into a variational energy functional. By minimizing the energy functional, the true scene geometry as well as the accurate visibility information of the multiple views can be recovered from a number of scene images. This makes it feasible to handle the visibility problem of multiple views by our approach when the true scene geometry is unknown.     

Distant Collision Response in Rigid Body Simulations

We use a finite element model to predict the vibration response of objects in a rigid body simulation, such that rigid objects are augmented to provide a plausible elastic collision response between distant objects due to vibration. We start with a generalized eigenvalue decomposition of the elastic model to precompute a response to an impact at any point on an elastic object with fixed boundary conditions. Then, given a collision between objects, we generate an approximate response impulse to distribute to other objects already in contact with the colliding bodies. This can lead to distant impacts causing an object to slip, or a delicate stack of objects to fall. We also use a geodesic distance based spatial attenuation approximation for travelling waves in objects to respond to an impact at one contact with an impulse at other locations. This response ultimately allows a long distance relationship between contacts, both across a single object being struck, but also traversing the contact graph of a larger collection of objects. We qualitatively validate our approach with a ground truth simulation, and demonstrate a number of scenarios where a long distance relationship between contacts is valuable.     

Active Polarization Descattering

Vision in scattering media is important but challenging. Images suffer from poor visibility due to backscattering and attenuation. Most prior methods for scene recovery use active illumination scanners (structured and gated), which can be slow and cumbersome, while natural illumination is inapplicable to dark environments. The current paper addresses the need for a non-scanning recovery method, that uses active scene irradiance. We study the formation of images under widefield artificial illumination. Based on the formation model, the paper presents an approach for recovering the object signal. It also yields rough information about the 3D scene structure. The approach can work with compact, simple hardware, having active widefield, polychromatic polarized illumination. The camera is fitted with a polarization analyzer. Two frames of the scene are taken, with different states of the analyzer or polarizer. A recovery algorithm follows the acquisition. It allows both the backscatter and the object reflection to be partially polarized. It thus unifies and generalizes prior polarization-based methods, which had assumed exclusive polarization of either of these components. The approach is limited to an effective range, due to image noise and illumination falloff. Thus, the limits and noise sensitivity are analyzed. We demonstrate the approach in underwater field experiments.     

A General Method for Sensor Planning in Multi-Sensor Systems: Extension to Random Occlusion

Systems utilizing multiple sensors are required in many domains. In this paper, we specifically concern ourselves with applications where dynamic objects appear randomly and the system is employed to obtain some user-specified characteristics of such objects. For such systems, we deal with the tasks of determining measures for evaluating their performance and of determining good sensor configurations that would maximize such measures for better system performance. We introduce a constraint in sensor planning that has not been addressed earlier: visibility in the presence of random occluding objects. occlusion causes random loss of object capture from certain necessitates the use of other sensors that have visibility of this object. Two techniques are developed to analyze such visibility constraints: a probabilistic approach to determine “average” visibility rates and a deterministic approach to address worst-case scenarios. Apart from this constraint, other important constraints to be considered include image resolution, field of view, capture orientation, and algorithmic constraints such as stereo matching and background appearance. Integration of such constraints is performed via the development of a probabilistic framework that allows one to reason about different occlusion events and integrates different multi-view capture and visibility constraints in a natural way. Integration of the thus obtained capture quality measure across the region of interest yields a measure for the effectiveness of a sensor configuration and maximization of such measure yields sensor configurations that are best suited for a given scenario. The approach can be customized for use in many multi-sensor applications and our contribution is especially significant for those that involve randomly occurring objects capable of occluding each other. These include security systems for surveillance in public places, industrial automation and traffic monitoring. Several examples illustrate such versatility by application of our approach to a diverse set of different and sometimes multiple system objectives. Most of this work was done while A. Mittal was with Real-Time Vision and Modeling Department, Siemens Corporate Research, Princeton, NJ 08540.     

Cutaways and ghosting: satisfying visibility constraints in dynamic 3D illustrations

For an illustration to fulfill the purposes for which it is designed, it is often important that certain objects depicted not be blocked by others. We describe an automated approach to the problem of generating illustrations that satisfy a set of visibility constraints for a given viewing specification. We introduce a family of algorithms that automatically identify potentially obscuring objects, and render them using cutaway and ghosting effects modeled after those used by illustrators. These algorithms exploit modernz-buffer-based 3D graphics hardware to make possible dynamic illustrations that maintain a set of visibility constraints as a user interactively updates the viewing specification.     

Consistent Depth Maps Recovery from a Video Sequence

This paper presents a novel method for recovering consistent depth maps from a video sequence. We propose a bundle optimization framework to address the major difficulties in stereo reconstruction, such as dealing with image noise, occlusions, and outliers. Different from the typical multi-view stereo methods, our approach not only imposes the photo-consistency constraint, but also explicitly associates the geometric coherence with multiple frames in a statistical way. It thus can naturally maintain the temporal coherence of the recovered dense depth maps without over-smoothing. To make the inference tractable, we introduce an iterative optimization scheme by first initializing the disparity maps using a segmentation prior and then refining the disparities by means of bundle optimization. Instead of defining the visibility parameters, our method implicitly models the reconstruction noise as well as the probabilistic visibility. After bundle optimization, we introduce an efficient space-time fusion algorithm to further reduce the reconstruction noise. Our automatic depth recovery is evaluated using a variety of challenging video examples.     

Efficient data structures for model-based 3-D object recognitionand localization from range images

An effective method of surface characterization of 3D objects using surface curvature properties and an efficient approach to recognizing and localizing multiple 3D free-form objects (free-form object recognition and localization) are presented. The approach is surface based and is therefore not sensitive to noise and occlusion, forms hypothesis by local analysis of surface shapes, does not depend on the visibility of complete objects, and uses information from a CAD database in recognition and localization. A knowledge representation scheme for describing free-form surfaces is described. The data structure and procedures are well designed, so that the knowledge leads the system to intelligent behavior. Knowledge about surface shapes is abstracted from CAD models to direct the search in verification of vision hypotheses. The knowledge representation used eases processes of knowledge acquisition, information retrieval, modification of knowledge base, and reasoning for solution     

An efficient deconvolution algorithm for estimating oxygen consumption during muscle activities

The reconstruction of an unknown input function from noisy measurements in a biological system is an ill-posed inverse problem. Any computational algorithm for its solution must use some kind of regularization technique to neutralize the disastrous effects of amplified noise components on the computed solution. In this paper, following a hierarchical Bayesian statistical inversion approach, we seek estimates for the input function and regularization parameter (hyperparameter) that maximize the posterior probability density function. We solve the maximization problem simultaneously for all unknowns, hyperparameter included, by a suitably chosen quasi-Newton method. The optimization approach is compared to the sampling-based Bayesian approach. We demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the deconvolution algorithm by applying it to reconstructing the time courses of mitochondrial oxygen consumption during muscle state transitions (e.g., from resting state to contraction and recovery), from the simulated noisy output of oxygen concentration dynamics on the muscle surface. The model of oxygen transport and metabolism in skeletal muscle assumes an in vitro cylindrical structure of the muscle in which the oxygen from the surrounding oxygenated solution diffuses into the muscle and is then consumed by the muscle mitochondria. The algorithm can be applied to other deconvolution problems by suitably replacing the forward model of the system.     

Shrinkage-based regularization tests for high-dimensional data with application to gene set analysis

Traditional multivariate tests such as Hotelling’s test or Wilk’s test are designed for classical problems, where the number of observations is much larger than the dimension of the variables. For high-dimensional data, however, this assumption cannot be met any longer. In this article, we consider testing problems in high-dimensional MANOVA where the number of variables exceeds the sample size. To overcome the challenges with high dimensionality, we propose a new approach called a shrinkage-based regularization test, which is suitable for a variety of data structures including the one-sample problem and one-way MANOVA. Our approach uses a ridge regularization to overcome the singularity of the sample covariance matrix and applies a soft-thresholding technique to reduce random noise and improve the testing power. An appealing property of this approach is its ability to select relevant variables that provide evidence against the hypothesis. We compare the performance of our approach with some competing approaches via real microarray data and simulation studies. The results illustrate that the proposed statistics maintains relatively high power in detecting a wide family of alternatives.     

Radiosity for dynamic scenes in flatland with the visibility complex

The radiosity method is particularly suitable for global illumination calculations in static environments. Nonetheless, recent applications of image synthesis such as architectural simulation or lighting design require the ability to modify environments. Previous methods have attempted to deal with dynamic environments (environments where the geometry, the material properties, etc., can change)but still suffer some limitations in the case of moving objects. One of the main problems remaining is the efficient and accurate detection of which form factors must really be recomputed, since their calculation is the most time-consuming part of the radiosity method. To correctly understand and solve this problem, we start with a method in 2D for polygonal scenes using the visibility complex. It is a powerful data structure representing the visibility relationships between objects in the plane. We have developed and implemented an algorithm which uses this structure to efficiently compute the discontinuity mesh and the form factors for static scenes. We also propose an extension to our algorithm to efficiently update only the modified form factors when an object is moving. This approach enhances our understanding and will hopefully lead to efficient solutions in 3D.     

基于惩罚最大似然优化模型的各向异性约束磁共振成像方法

传统磁共振(MR)傅里叶成像方法由于傅里叶不确定性,k空间扩展编码采样长度能提高图像空间分辨率,但是以降低图像信噪比为代价.提出基于最大似然优化模型的各向异性约束MR成像新方法,将离散傅里叶变换模型改进为惩罚约束函数的最优值搜索问题.利用医学结构的先验信息,将正则化惩罚运算细化至平滑区域、边界邻域、边界和边界的方向.实验结果表明,该方法不但能扩展k空间高频数据采样长度同时有效降低高斯噪声,而且能克服现有相关约束成像方法的二次模糊和Gibbs环状伪影.     

Lazy Visibility Evaluation for Exact Soft Shadows

This paper presents a novel approach to compute high quality and noise‐free soft shadows using exact visibility computations. This work relies on a theoretical framework allowing to group lines according to the geometry they intersect. From this study, we derive a new algorithm encoding lazily the visibility from a polygon. Contrary to previous works on from‐polygon visibility, our approach is very robust and straightforward to implement. We apply this algorithm to solve exactly and efficiently the visibility of an area light source from any point in a scene. As a consequence, results are not sensitive to noise, contrary to soft shadows methods based on area light source sampling. We demonstrate the reliability of our approach on different scenes and configurations.     

一种利用整体变分的深度恢复算法

由散焦图像恢复三维景物的深度信息是一个不适定问题.提出一种新的基于整体变分的散焦图像深度恢复算法:首先将散焦图像深度恢复转化为带有整体变分正则化项的能量泛函极值问题,然后采用变分原理将其中的最小化问题转为偏微分方程的求解,最后通过方程迭代获得深度的最优解.该算法避免了解不适定问题的逆,恢复聚焦图像等问题.模拟图像和真实图像的实验结果表明该算法是有效的,与最小二乘法相比具有较小的均方根误差.     

基于对象的多级图像增强法

针对图像局域增强时出现的噪声过增强和环块状伪轮廓问题,提出了基于对象的多级对比度拉伸图像增强法。首先采用形态学分水岭及区域合并法对图像进行分割,得到图像的构成对象;然后在对象之间采用相邻极点间拉伸法增大对象间灰度动态范围,在对象内部采用线形拉伸法增强对象纹理并保持对象形态。实验结果表明,该方法在增强图像结构的同时,能够有效避免环块状伪轮廓,抑制平滑区域噪声过增强,保持图像原始整体亮度,使增强后的图像具有自然的外观。