Segmentation of a sonar image from a small underwater target using the improved fuzzy clustering algorithm

Abstract

This paper expatiates on the improved fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm. In the algorithm, the membership values are determined via the improved method, and the number of the centers of FCM clustering are determined via the number of the peaks of the two-dimensional histogram on the gray-level values of pixels and gradient values of pixel neighborhoods. The application to segmentation of a sonar image of a small underwater target shows that the improved FCM clustering algorithm can segment the image into the shadow and echo regions of the target, and that the improved algorithm is more intelligent and timesaving than the traditionary FCM clustering algorithm.