An illumination and highlights invariant colour model for image matching

Abstract

Colour can provide critical information for a variety of computer vision tasks such as image matching, object recognition and image retrieval. However, for it to be useful in practice, the colour model used to represent the intrinsic properties of the imaged objects must be insensitive of imaging conditions such as lighting geometry, illumination colour and highlights. In this paper, we present a colour model for image matching and object recognition that is invariant for illumination and highlights. The colour model is defined as the ratios of the colour differences between neighbouring pixels for each colour component. Based on the dichromatic reflection colour model, it is shown that the proposed colour model is invariant to lighting geometry, illumination colour, highlights and diffuse lighting. Experimental results show robust image matching using the proposed colour model on objects that are illuminated under different illumination colours and lighting geometry. The proposed colour model can be used as a prepossessing step for applications where limited or no constraints on the imaging process can be imposed.     

Synthesis of zirconia nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes and their potential for enhancing the fracture toughness of alumina ceramics

Nanoparticles of zirconia (ZrO₂) were in situ synthesized on the surface of carbon nanotubes by means of liquid phase reactions and a proper heat treatment process. The size of the nanoparticles could be controlled by the amount of zirconium source materials in a solution and its reaction times. In this study, the size of the nanoparticles ranged from several nanometers to twenty nanometers. It was particularly noted that the synthesized zirconia possessed a cubic structure (c-phase) which generally existed as a stable form of zirconia crystals at high temperatures (above 2370 °C) as well as a form of zirconia that could be used for enhancing the fracture toughness of alumina ceramics. Experimental results showed that the mechanical properties of alumina ceramics mixed with in situ synthesized nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanotubes were much better than that of pristine nanotubes or zirconia nanoparticles alone. The existence of the nanoparticles on the surface of nanotubes results in improving the dispersion and bonding properties of the nanotubes in alumina matrix environment. The fracture toughness of CNT/ZrO₂ alumina ceramics was also improved by the mechanism of bridging effect.