Top-down image segmentation using the Mumford-Shah functional and level set image representation

A top-down image segmentation method is proposed in this paper, utilizing level set image representation and the piecewise-constant Mumford-Shah functional. The method achieves top-down hierarchical segmentation by taking advantage of the tree structure provided by level set image representation. The piecewise-constant Mumford-Shah functional is utilized in the proposed method to determine if each node in the tree segments the image. Experimental results show that this method is able to segment complicated real images.