模拟飞虫复眼视觉的小目标运动检测与跟踪系统研究

Research on Moving Small Target Detection and Tracking System of Simulated Flying Insect Compound Eye Vision

摘要: 如何准确可靠地辨别嵌入在杂乱移动背景中暗色小物体(小目标)的运动，对于计算机视觉研究领域来说是一个巨大的挑战。自然界中，苍蝇、蜻蜓等一类飞行昆虫在快速飞行过程中准确追踪目标，完成捕食、求偶等却是一种自然特性，受飞虫复眼高适应性和高可靠性地辨别小目标运动的功能优势的启发，本文基于诸如视叶神经纤维网中ON和OFF信号通道、小叶中一类特定小目标运动检测器(STMD)神经元LC11对运动做出精细地选择性响应等昆虫生理学研究的新发现，通过模拟复眼运动视觉信号通路及处理机制，提出一种杂乱移动背景下暗色小目标运动检测与跟踪系统(简称SDC-STMD系统)和相应的算法，实现对杂乱移动背景中小目标运动的解码。多组实验测试表明，所提出的SDC-STMD系统和算法不仅符合当前的昆虫生理学发现，表现了对小目标的运动响应偏好，而且对于在杂乱移动背景下暗色小目标运动检测和跟踪也表现了较高的鲁棒性。

Abstract: It is a huge challenge to accurately and reliably distinguish the movement of darker small objects (i.e., small targets) embedded in cluttered moving backgrounds for computer vision research. In nature, flies, dragonflies and other types of flying insects accurately track targets during fast flight and it is a natural characteristic to complete predation and courtship. Inspired by the advantages of the function of flying insects’ compound eyes to distinguish the movement of small targets with high adaptability and high reliability, this article was based on the new findings of insect physiology, that is, based on the new research findings of the ON and OFF signaling channels in the optic lobe neuropile layers, and a specific type of small target motion detector neurons LC11 in the lobules that make exquisite and selective responses to the movement of small targets, et al. By simulating compound eye’s motion visual signal pathways and processing mechanism, a darker small target motion detection and tracking system (for short SDC-STMD system) and the corresponding algorithm was proposed to decode the motion of translating darker target against cluttered moving backgrounds. Extensive experiment tests showed that the proposed SDC-STMD system and algorithm were not only in accord with current insect physiology findings, i.e., showing its size and motion responsive preferences, but also worked high reliably in detecting the darker small targets against cluttered moving backgrounds.