Method for automatic detection of targets within a digital image
US6434261B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 13, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30096
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention comprises a method for the detection and segmentation of bright images within a digital image using wavelets. One example of such a bright image is microcalcifications within a mammogram. Multiresolution analysis may be used to detect and segment the possible microcalcification areas by combining Bayes classifiers. By analyzing the time-frequency characteristics of clustered microcalcifications, the inventors first choose the optimized wavelet for the detection of microcalcifications. A wavelet packet analysis is then used to detect different size microcalcifications. An adaptive method of choosing the threshold for detection by using a one-dimensional wavelet transform to analyze the PDF of the images at different scales is used. Then, a scheme to detect different size microcalcifications in different scale wavelet packet transformed images is developed. The processing results show that the inventors' methods are quite effective on a broad sample of mammograms in detecting microcalcifications even at low contrast. These segmentation and detection methods will prove useful in other applications, such as other medical imaging infrared applications, forward-look…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.