Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection

Custom inspection using X-ray imaging is a very promising application of modern pattern recognition technology. However, the lack of data or renewal of tariff items makes the application of such technology difficult. In this paper, we present a data augmentation technique based on a new image-to-ima...

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Main Authors: Hyunwoo Cho, Haesol Park, Ig-Jae Kim, Junghyun Cho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/21/7294
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author Hyunwoo Cho
Haesol Park
Ig-Jae Kim
Junghyun Cho
author_facet Hyunwoo Cho
Haesol Park
Ig-Jae Kim
Junghyun Cho
author_sort Hyunwoo Cho
collection DOAJ
description Custom inspection using X-ray imaging is a very promising application of modern pattern recognition technology. However, the lack of data or renewal of tariff items makes the application of such technology difficult. In this paper, we present a data augmentation technique based on a new image-to-image translation method to deal with these difficulties. Unlike the conventional methods that convert a semantic label image into a realistic image, the proposed method takes a texture map with a special modification as an additional input of a generative adversarial network to reproduce domain-specific characteristics, such as background clutter or sensor-specific noise patterns. The proposed method was validated by applying it to backscatter X-ray (BSX) vehicle data augmentation. The Fréchet inception distance (FID) of the result indicates the visual quality of the translated image was significantly improved from the baseline when the texture parameters were used. Additionally, in terms of data augmentation, the experimental results of classification, segmentation, and detection show that the use of the translated image data, along with the real data consistently, improved the performance of the trained models. Our findings show that detailed depiction of the texture in translated images is crucial for data augmentation. Considering the comparatively few studies that have examined custom inspections of container scale goods, such as cars, we believe that this study will facilitate research on the automation of container screening, and the security of aviation and ports.
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spelling doaj.art-35adbe6a39f94563a90fff1916f4e6332023-11-22T21:39:27ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202021-11-012121729410.3390/s21217294Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo InspectionHyunwoo Cho0Haesol Park1Ig-Jae Kim2Junghyun Cho3Center for Artificial Intelligence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, KoreaCenter for Artificial Intelligence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, KoreaCenter for Artificial Intelligence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, KoreaCenter for Artificial Intelligence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, KoreaCustom inspection using X-ray imaging is a very promising application of modern pattern recognition technology. However, the lack of data or renewal of tariff items makes the application of such technology difficult. In this paper, we present a data augmentation technique based on a new image-to-image translation method to deal with these difficulties. Unlike the conventional methods that convert a semantic label image into a realistic image, the proposed method takes a texture map with a special modification as an additional input of a generative adversarial network to reproduce domain-specific characteristics, such as background clutter or sensor-specific noise patterns. The proposed method was validated by applying it to backscatter X-ray (BSX) vehicle data augmentation. The Fréchet inception distance (FID) of the result indicates the visual quality of the translated image was significantly improved from the baseline when the texture parameters were used. Additionally, in terms of data augmentation, the experimental results of classification, segmentation, and detection show that the use of the translated image data, along with the real data consistently, improved the performance of the trained models. Our findings show that detailed depiction of the texture in translated images is crucial for data augmentation. Considering the comparatively few studies that have examined custom inspections of container scale goods, such as cars, we believe that this study will facilitate research on the automation of container screening, and the security of aviation and ports.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/21/7294backscatter X-raydata augmentationcargo inspectiongenerative adversarial networkimage translation
spellingShingle Hyunwoo Cho
Haesol Park
Ig-Jae Kim
Junghyun Cho
Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
Sensors
backscatter X-ray
data augmentation
cargo inspection
generative adversarial network
image translation
title Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
title_full Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
title_fullStr Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
title_full_unstemmed Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
title_short Data Augmentation of Backscatter X-ray Images for Deep Learning-Based Automatic Cargo Inspection
title_sort data augmentation of backscatter x ray images for deep learning based automatic cargo inspection
topic backscatter X-ray
data augmentation
cargo inspection
generative adversarial network
image translation
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/21/7294
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