An Image Change Detection Algorithm Based on Multi-Feature Self-Attention Fusion Mechanism UNet Network

Abstract

Various UNet architecture-based image change detection algorithms promote the development of image change detection, but there are still some defects. First, under the encoder–decoder framework, the low-level features are extracted many times in multiple dimensions, which generates redundant information; second, the relationship between each feature layer is not modeled so sufficiently that it cannot produce the optimal feature differentiation representation. This paper proposes a remote image change detection algorithm based on the multi-feature self-attention fusion mechanism UNet network, abbreviated as MFSAF UNet (multi-feature self-attention fusion UNet). We attempt to add multi-feature self-attention mechanism between the encoder and decoder of UNet to obtain richer context dependence and overcome the two above-mentioned restrictions. Since the capacity of convolution-based UNet network is directly proportional to network depth, and a deeper convolutional network means more training parameters, so the convolution of each layer of UNet is replaced as a separated convolution, which makes the entire network to be lighter and the model’s execution efficiency is slightly better than the traditional convolution operation. In addition to these, another innovation point of this paper is using preference to control loss function and meet the demands for different accuracies and recall rates. The simulation test results verify the validity and robustness of this approach.