Method and system for image segmentation by evolving radial basis functions

An apparatus for segmenting a target object in an image comprising:

• means for initializing a plurality of radial basis functions (RBFs) defining a contour comprising a plurality of pixels on the image, each of the RBF having an associated weight and a plurality of parameters;
• means for iteratively deforming the contour by updating each of the parameters of each RBF and the weight of each RBF based on each pixel of the contour, until the contour converges;
• and
• means for storing a final contour at convergence as boundaries of said target object.

A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for segmenting a target object in an image, the computer executable instructions defining steps comprising:

• initializing a plurality of radial basis functions (RBFs) defining a contour comprising a plurality of pixels on the image, each of the RBF having an associated weight and a plurality of parameters;
• iteratively deforming the contour by updating each of the parameters of each RBF and the weight of each RBF based on each pixel of the contour, until the contour converges;
• and
• storing a final contour at convergence as boundaries of said target object.