Finding logos in real-world images with point-context representation-based region search

Finding logos in the real-world images is a challenging task due to their small size, simple shape, less texture and clutter background. In this paper, through visual logo analysis with different types of features, we propose a novel framework for finding visual logos in the real-world images. First, we exploit the contextual shape and patch information around feature points, merge them into a combined feature representation (point-context). Considering the characteristics of logos, this kind of fusion is an effective enhancement for the discriminability of single point features. Second, to eliminate the interference of the complex and noisy background, we transfer the logo recognition to a region-to-image search problem by segmenting real-world images into region trees. A weak geometric constraint based on regions is encoded into an inverted file structure to accelerate the search process. Third, we apply global features to refine initial results in the re-ranking stage. Finally, we combine each region score both in max-response and accumulate-response mode to obtain the final results. Performances of the proposed approach are evaluated on both our CASIA-LOGO dataset and the standard Flickr logos 27 dataset. Experiments and comparisons show that our approach is superior to the state-of-the-art approaches.     

Nonlocal variational image segmentation models on graphs using the Split Bregman

Variational functionals such as Mumford-Shah and Chan-Vese methods have a major impact on various areas of image processing. After over 10 years of investigation, they are still in widespread use today. These formulations optimize contours by evolution through gradient descent, which is known for its overdependence on initialization and the tendency to produce undesirable local minima. In this paper, we propose an image segmentation model in a variational nonlocal means framework based on a weighted graph. The advantages of this model are twofold. First, the convexity global minimum (optimum) information is taken into account to achieve better segmentation results. Second, the proposed global convex energy functionals combine nonlocal regularization and local intensity fitting terms. The nonlocal total variational regularization term based on the graph is able to preserve the detailed structure of target objects. At the same time, the modified local binary fitting term introduced in the model as the local fitting term can efficiently deal with intensity inhomogeneity in images. Finally, we apply the Split Bregman method to minimize the proposed energy functional efficiently. The proposed model has been applied to segmentation of real medical and remote sensing images. Compared with other methods, the proposed model is superior in terms of both accuracy and efficient.     

Analytical study on cantilever resonance type magnet-integrated sensor device for micro-magnetic field detection

A beam-shaped cantilever resonance type magnetic sensor device has been proposed with a micro magnet. Two structural designs, named as design 1 and design 2, have been comparatively analyzed using ANSYS in order to obtain larger frequency shifts (higher magnetism sensitivity) due to the applied exterior magnetic field. The analytical results show that, in the range of 0–10 mT, the frequency shifts are small, while under 100 mT, a relatively larger frequency shift of about 30 Hz can be theoretically obtained. The power consumption of the proposed devices has been further theoretically studied for preliminary understanding. Using the well-known displacement equations, the estimated power consumption is around 0.21 μW, which is very lower than that of the reported magnetic field sensors. This implies that it is possible to fabricate higher sensitive magnetic field sensor with lower power consumption.