Foveal automatic target recognition using a multiresolution neural network

This paper presents a method for detecting and classifying a target from its foveal (graded resolution) imagery using a multiresolution neural network. Target identification decisions are based on minimizing an energy function. This energy function is evaluated by comparing a candidate blob with a library of target models at several levels of resolution simultaneously available in the current foveal image. For this purpose, a concurrent (top-down-and-bottom-up) matching procedure is implemented via a novel multilayer Hopfield neural network. The associated energy function supports not only interactions between cells at the same resolution level, but also between sets of nodes at distinct resolution levels. This permits features at different resolution levels to corroborate or refute one another contributing to an efficient evaluation of potential matches. Gaze control, refoveation to more salient regions of the available image space, is implemented as a search for high resolution features which will disambiguate the candidate blob. Tests using real two-dimensional (2-D) objects and their simulated foveal imagery are provided.