A Pupil Segmentation Algorithm Based on Fuzzy Clustering of Distributed Information

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-06, Vol.21 (12), p.4209
• Main Authors: Bai, Kemeng, Wang, Jianzhong, Wang, Hongfeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Algorithms; Clustering; Eye (anatomy); fuzzy clustering; head-mounted eye-tracking system; Histograms; Image filters; Image quality; image segmentation; Light reflection; Line of sight; local features; Localization; Neural networks; Noise; pupil detection
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21124209

Pupil segmentation is critical for line-of-sight estimation based on the pupil center method. Due to noise and individual differences in human eyes, the quality of eye images often varies, making pupil segmentation difficult. In this paper, we propose a pupil segmentation method based on fuzzy clustering of distributed information, which first preprocesses the original eye image to remove features such as eyebrows and shadows and highlight the pupil area; then the Gaussian model is introduced into global distribution information to enhance the classification fuzzy affiliation for the local neighborhood, and an adaptive local window filter that fuses local spatial and intensity information is proposed to suppress the noise in the image and preserve the edge information of the pupil details. Finally, the intensity histogram of the filtered image is used for fast clustering to obtain the clustering center of the pupil, and this binarization process is used to segment the pupil for the next pupil localization. Experimental results show that the method has high segmentation accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. It can accurately segment the pupil when there are interference factors such as light spots, light reflection, and contrast difference at the edge of the pupil, which is an important contribution to improving the stability and accuracy of the line-of-sight tracking.