Hierarchical deformable model for image segmentation

A method of image segmentation, comprising:

• receiving, by a computer system, an input image;
• initializing, by the computer system, a deformable model;
• and
• performing, by the computer system, deformation on vertices of the input image using a hierarchical structure with spatially adaptive boundary detectors to guide the deformable model to a boundary,
• wherein said hierarchical structure is automatically constructed, by the computer system, based on training image data,
• wherein a node of the hierarchical structure represents vertices that are driven in response to a same boundary detector;
• wherein the step of automatically constructing the hierarchical structure comprises performing a process including if a divergence between positive and negative samples in a node of the hierarchical structure is less than a pre-determined threshold, splitting the node by performing clustering based on selected features.

A non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code tangibly embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method for facilitating deformable model-based segmentation of image data, comprising:

• receiving training image data;
• automatically constructing, based on the training image data, a hierarchical structure comprising multiple nodes, wherein a node represents a cluster of vertices having relatively similar characteristics;
• and
• learning at least one spatially adaptive boundary detector based on a node of the hierarchical structure;
• wherein the step of automatically constructing the hierarchical structure comprises performing a process including if a divergence between positive and negative samples in a node of the hierarchical structure is less than a pre-determined threshold, splitting the node by performing clustering based on selected features.

A system for facilitating deformable model-based segmentation of image data, comprising:

• a memory device for storing computer readable program code;
• and
• a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor being operative with the computer readable program code to:
• receive training image data;
• automatically construct, based on the training image data, a hierarchical structure comprising multiple nodes, wherein a node represents a cluster of vertices having relatively similar characteristics, wherein automatically constructing the hierarchical structure further comprises performing a process including if a divergence between positive and negative samples in a node of the hierarchical structure is less than a pre-determined threshold, splitting the node by performing clustering based on selected features;
• and
• learn at least one spatially adaptive boundary detector based on a node of the hierarchical structure.