The recognition of rice images by UAV based on capsule network

It is important to recognize the rice image captured by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for monitoring the growth of rice and preventing the diseases and pests. Aiming at the image recognition, we use rice images captured by UAV as our data source, the structure of capsule network (CapsNet) is built to recognize rice images in this paper. The images are preprocessed through histogram equalization method into grayscale images and through superpixel algorithm into the superpixel segmentation results. The both results are output into the CapsNet. The function of CapsNet is to perform the reverse analysis of rice images. The CapsNet consists of five layers: an input layer, a convolution layer, a primary capsules layer, a digital capsules layer and an output layer. The CapsNet trains classification and predicts the output vector based on routing-by-agreement protocol. Therefore, the features of rice image by UAV can be precisely and efficiently extracted. The method is more convenient than the traditional artificial recognition. It provides the scientific support and reference for decision-making process of precision agriculture.