ST-FlowNet: An Efficient Spiking Neural Network for Event-Based Optical Flow Estimation

Fuente: arXiv
Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Sun, Hongze, Wang, Jun, Cai, Wuque, Chen, Duo, Liao, Qianqian, He, Jiayi, Cui, Yan, Yao, Dezhong, Guo, Daqing
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1866908339567329280
author Sun, Hongze
Wang, Jun
Cai, Wuque
Chen, Duo
Liao, Qianqian
He, Jiayi
Cui, Yan
Yao, Dezhong
Guo, Daqing
author_facet Sun, Hongze
Wang, Jun
Cai, Wuque
Chen, Duo
Liao, Qianqian
He, Jiayi
Cui, Yan
Yao, Dezhong
Guo, Daqing
contents Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) have emerged as a promising tool for event-based optical flow estimation tasks due to their ability to leverage spatio-temporal information and low-power capabilities. However, the performance of SNN models is often constrained, limiting their application in real-world scenarios. In this work, we address this gap by proposing a novel neural network architecture, ST-FlowNet, specifically tailored for optical flow estimation from event-based data. The ST-FlowNet architecture integrates ConvGRU modules to facilitate cross-modal feature augmentation and temporal alignment of the predicted optical flow, improving the network's ability to capture complex motion dynamics. Additionally, to overcome the challenges associated with training SNNs, we introduce a novel approach to derive SNN models from pre-trained artificial neural networks (ANNs) through ANN-to-SNN conversion or our proposed BISNN method. Notably, the BISNN method alleviates the complexities involved in biological parameter selection, further enhancing the robustness of SNNs in optical flow estimation tasks. Extensive evaluations on three benchmark event-based datasets demonstrate that the SNN-based ST-FlowNet model outperforms state-of-the-art methods, delivering superior performance in accurate optical flow estimation across a diverse range of dynamic visual scenes. Furthermore, the inherent energy efficiency of SNN models is highlighted, establishing a compelling advantage for their practical deployment. Overall, our work presents a novel framework for optical flow estimation using SNNs and event-based data, contributing to the advancement of neuromorphic vision applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_10195
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle ST-FlowNet: An Efficient Spiking Neural Network for Event-Based Optical Flow Estimation
Sun, Hongze
Wang, Jun
Cai, Wuque
Chen, Duo
Liao, Qianqian
He, Jiayi
Cui, Yan
Yao, Dezhong
Guo, Daqing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Neurons and Cognition
Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) have emerged as a promising tool for event-based optical flow estimation tasks due to their ability to leverage spatio-temporal information and low-power capabilities. However, the performance of SNN models is often constrained, limiting their application in real-world scenarios. In this work, we address this gap by proposing a novel neural network architecture, ST-FlowNet, specifically tailored for optical flow estimation from event-based data. The ST-FlowNet architecture integrates ConvGRU modules to facilitate cross-modal feature augmentation and temporal alignment of the predicted optical flow, improving the network's ability to capture complex motion dynamics. Additionally, to overcome the challenges associated with training SNNs, we introduce a novel approach to derive SNN models from pre-trained artificial neural networks (ANNs) through ANN-to-SNN conversion or our proposed BISNN method. Notably, the BISNN method alleviates the complexities involved in biological parameter selection, further enhancing the robustness of SNNs in optical flow estimation tasks. Extensive evaluations on three benchmark event-based datasets demonstrate that the SNN-based ST-FlowNet model outperforms state-of-the-art methods, delivering superior performance in accurate optical flow estimation across a diverse range of dynamic visual scenes. Furthermore, the inherent energy efficiency of SNN models is highlighted, establishing a compelling advantage for their practical deployment. Overall, our work presents a novel framework for optical flow estimation using SNNs and event-based data, contributing to the advancement of neuromorphic vision applications.
title ST-FlowNet: An Efficient Spiking Neural Network for Event-Based Optical Flow Estimation
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Neurons and Cognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.10195