Instance-Guided Class Activation Mapping for Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation

Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation (WSSS) addresses the challenge of training segmentation models using only image-level annotations, eliminating the need for expensive pixel-level labeling. While existing methods struggle with precise object boundary localization and often focus only on the most discriminative regions, we propose IG-CAM (Instance-Guided Class Activation Mapping), a novel approach that leverages instance-level cues and influence functions to generate high-quality, boundary-aware localization maps. Our method introduces three key innovations: (1) Instance-Guided Refinement that uses ground truth segmentation masks to guide CAM generation, ensuring complete object coverage rather than just discriminative parts; (2) Influence Function Integration that captures the relationship between training samples and model predictions, leading to more robust feature representations; and (3) Multi-Scale Boundary Enhancement that employs progressive refinement strategies to achieve sharp, precise object boundaries. IG-CAM achieves state-of-the-art performance on the PASCAL VOC 2012 dataset with an mIoU of 82.3% before post-processing, which further improves to 86.6% after applying Conditional Random Field (CRF) refinement, significantly outperforming previous WSSS methods. Our approach demonstrates superior localization accuracy, with complete object coverage and precise boundary delineation, while maintaining computational efficiency. Extensive ablation studies validate the contribution of each component, and qualitative comparisons across 600 diverse images showcase the method's robustness and generalization capability. The results establish IG-CAM as a new benchmark for weakly supervised semantic segmentation, offering a practical solution for scenarios where pixel-level annotations are unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

Automated Tomato Maturity Estimation Using an Optimized Residual Model with Pruning and Quantization Techniques

Tomato maturity plays a pivotal role in optimizing harvest timing and ensuring product quality, but current methods struggle to achieve high accuracy along computational efficiency simultaneously. Existing deep learning approaches, while accurate, are often too computationally demanding for practical use in resource-constrained agricultural settings. In contrast, simpler techniques fail to capture the nuanced features needed for precise classification. This study aims to develop a computationally efficient tomato classification model using the ResNet-18 architecture optimized through transfer learning, pruning, and quantization techniques. Our objective is to address the dual challenge of maintaining high accuracy while enabling real-time performance on low-power edge devices. Then, these models were deployed on an edge device to investigate their performance for tomato maturity classification. The quantized model achieved an accuracy of 97.81%, with an average classification time of 0.000975 seconds per image. The pruned and auto-tuned model also demonstrated significant improvements in deployment metrics, further highlighting the benefits of optimization techniques. These results underscore the potential for a balanced solution that meets the accuracy and efficiency demands of modern agricultural production, paving the way for practical, real-world deployment in resource-limited environments.