Improving the generalized Hough transform through imperfect grouping

Abstract

This paper analyses the improvements that can be gained in the generalized Hough transform method for recognizing objects through the use of imperfect perceptual grouping techniques. In particular, we consider simple grouping techniques that determine pairs of points that are likely to belong to the same object using a criterion based on connectedness in the image edge map. It is shown that such imperfect grouping techniques can considerably improve both the efficiency and accuracy of object recognition. Experiments are described that demonstrate the improvements in performance.