title: Coupled parametric active contours.
abstract: We propose an extension of parametric active contours designed to track nonoccluding objects transiently touching each other, a task where both parametric and single level set-based methods usually fail. Our technique minimizes a cost functional that depends on all contours simultaneously and includes a penalty for contour overlaps. This scheme allows us to take advantage of known constraints on object topology, namely, that objects cannot merge. The coupled contours preserve the identity of previously isolated objects during and after a contact event, thus allowing segmentation and tracking to proceed as desired.
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Image Analysis Group, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. czimmer@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Olivo-Marin
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods; D018715:Microscopy, Video / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D013382:Subtraction Technique