EnNet: Enhanced Interactive Information Network with Zero-Order Optimization

Interactive image segmentation extremely accelerates the generation of high-quality annotation image datasets, which are the pillars of the applications of deep learning. However, these methods suffer from the insignificance of interaction information and excessively high optimization costs, resulting in unexpected segmentation outcomes and increased computational burden. To address these issues, this paper focuses on interactive information mining from the network architecture and optimization procedure. In terms of network architecture, the issue mentioned above arises from two perspectives: the less representative feature of interactive regions in each layer and the interactive information weakened by the network hierarchy structure. Therefore, the paper proposes a network called EnNet. The network addresses the two aforementioned issues by employing attention mechanisms to integrate user interaction information across the entire image and incorporating interaction information twice in a design that progresses from coarse to fine. In terms of optimization, this paper proposes a method of using zero-order optimization during the first four iterations of training. This approach can reduce computational overhead with only a minimal reduction in accuracy. The experimental results on GrabCut, Berkeley, DAVIS, and SBD datasets validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, with our approach achieving an average NOC@90 that surpasses RITM by 0.35.