Integrating Primary Ocular Processes

Abstract

The study of active vision using binocular head-eye systems requires answers to some fundamental questions in control of attention. This paper presents a cooperative solution to resolve the ambiguities generated by the processes engaged in fixation. We suggest an approach based on integration of these processes, resulting in cooperatively extracted unique solutions. The discussion is started by a look at biological vision. Based on this discussion, a model of integration for machine vision is suggested. The implementation of the model on the KTH-head—a head-eye system simulating the essential degrees of freedom in mammalians—is explained and in this context, the primary processes in the head-eye system are briefly described. The major stress is put on the idea that the rivalry processes in vision in general, and the head's behavioral processes in particular, result in a reliable outcome. As an experiment, the ambiguities raised by fixation at repetitive patterns is tested; the cooperative approach proves to handle the problem correctly and find a unique solution for the fixation point dynamically and in real-time.