# SDDGR: Stable Diffusion-based Deep Generative Replay for Class Incremental Object Detection

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17323 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.17323/

## Key facts

- Cited by 44 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Robustness, privacy and adversarial aspects, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models.
- Builds on 52 of its 71 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 27 Feb 2024.

## Placed in

- Diffusion models / [Robustness, privacy and adversarial aspects](https://mlsanity.com/diffusion/robustness-privacy-and-adversarial-aspects/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 52)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.04805/) (2018)
- [Learning Transferable Visual Models From Natural Language Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00020/) (2021)
- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [PyTorch: An Imperative Style, High-Performance Deep Learning Library](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01703/) (2019)
- [U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04597/) (2015)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [Microsoft COCO: Common Objects in Context](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1405.0312/) (2014)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Faster R-CNN: Towards Real-Time Object Detection with Region Proposal Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.01497/) (2015)
- [Score-Based Generative Modeling through Stochastic Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.13456/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05233/) (2021)
- [End-to-End Object Detection with Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.12872/) (2020)
- [Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12598/) (2022)
- [Adding Conditional Control to Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.05543/) (2023)
- [LAION-5B: An open large-scale dataset for training next generation image-text models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.08402/) (2022)
- [Deformable DETR: Deformable Transformers for End-to-End Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.04159/) (2020)
- [Learning without Forgetting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.09282/) (2016)
- [iCaRL: Incremental Classifier and Representation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.07725/) (2016)
- [Conditional Generative Adversarial Nets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.1784/) (2014)
- [LAION-400M: Open Dataset of CLIP-Filtered 400 Million Image-Text Pairs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.02114/) (2021)
- [T2I-Adapter: Learning Adapters to Dig out More Controllable Ability for Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08453/) (2023)
- [Continual Learning with Deep Generative Replay](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.08690/) (2017)
- [Grounded Language-Image Pre-training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.03857/) (2021)
- [Experience Replay for Continual Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.11682/) (2018)
- [GLIGEN: Open-Set Grounded Text-to-Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.07093/) (2023)
- [Riemannian Walk for Incremental Learning: Understanding Forgetting and Intransigence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.10112/) (2018)
- [Pseudo Numerical Methods for Diffusion Models on Manifolds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.09778/) (2022)
- [DN-DETR: Accelerate DETR Training by Introducing Query DeNoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.01305/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 44)

- [VLM-PL: Advanced Pseudo Labeling Approach for Class Incremental Object Detection via Vision-Language Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.05346/) (2024)
- [Synthetic Data is an Elegant GIFT for Continual Vision-Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.04229/) (2025)
- [Continual Learning with Diffusion-based Generative Replay for Industrial Streaming Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.15766/) (2024)
- [When Pretty Isn't Useful: Investigating Why Modern Text-to-Image Models Fail as Reliable Training Data Generators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.19946/) (2026)
- [RICO: Two Realistic Benchmarks and an In-Depth Analysis for Incremental Learning in Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.13878/) (2025)
- [BlurDM: A Blur Diffusion Model for Image Deblurring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.03979/) (2025)
- [DODA: Adapting Object Detectors to Dynamic Agricultural Environments in Real-Time with Diffusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.18334/) (2024)
- [Future-Proofing Class-Incremental Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.03200/) (2024)
- [KAC: Kolmogorov-Arnold Classifier for Continual Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21076/) (2025)
- [Enhanced Continual Learning of Vision-Language Models with Model Fusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.10705/) (2025)
- [Harmony: A Unified Framework for Modality Incremental Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13218/) (2025)
- [Avoid Catastrophic Forgetting with Rank-1 Fisher from Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.23593/) (2025)
- [IOR: Inversed Objects Replay for Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.04829/) (2024)
- [LoRA-Loop: Closing the Synthetic Replay Cycle for Continual VLM Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.13568/) (2025)
- [Can Synthetic Images Conquer Forgetting? Beyond Unexplored Doubts in Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.13739/) (2025)
- [Incremental Object Detection with Prompt-based Methods](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.14599/) (2025)
- [YOLO-IOD: Towards Real Time Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.22973/) (2025)
- [Beyond Synthetic Replays: Turning Diffusion Features into Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning Knowledge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.23402/) (2025)
- [Self-Controlled Dynamic Expansion Model for Continual Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.10561/) (2025)
- [DuET: Dual Incremental Object Detection via Exemplar-Free Task Arithmetic](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.21260/) (2025)
- [Trust Region Continual Learning as an Implicit Meta-Learner](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.02417/) (2026)
- [EW-DETR: Evolving World Object Detection via Incremental Low-Rank DEtection TRansformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.20985/) (2026)
- [STAR-IOD: Scale-decoupled Topology Alignment with Pseudo-label Refinement for Remote Sensing Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.20738/) (2026)
- [Focus, Align, and Sustain: Counteracting Gradient Dilution in Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.15253/) (2026)
- [Symbiosis-Inspired Knowledge Distillation for Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.13452/) (2026)
- [HNDiff: Haze-Noise Diffusion for Image Dehazing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.10995/) (2026)
- [CASA: Class-Agnostic Shared Attributes in Vision-Language Models for Efficient Incremental Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.05804/) (2024)
- [Incrementally Learning Multiple Diverse Data Domains via Multi-Source Dynamic Expansion Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.08878/) (2025)
- [B-RIGHT: Benchmark Re-evaluation for Integrity in Generalized Human-Object Interaction Testing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.16724/) (2025)
- [Pathological Prior-Guided Multiple Instance Learning For Mitigating Catastrophic Forgetting in Breast Cancer Whole Slide Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06056/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In the field of class incremental learning (CIL), generative replay has become increasingly prominent as a method to mitigate the catastrophic forgetting, alongside the continuous improvements in generative models. However, its application in class incremental object detection (CIOD) has been significantly limited, primarily due to the complexities of scenes involving multiple labels. In this paper, we propose a novel approach called stable diffusion deep generative replay (SDDGR) for CIOD. Our method utilizes a diffusion-based generative model with pre-trained text-to-diffusion networks to generate realistic and diverse synthetic images. SDDGR incorporates an iterative refinement strategy to produce high-quality images encompassing old classes. Additionally, we adopt an L2 knowledge distillation technique to improve the retention of prior knowledge in synthetic images. Furthermore, our approach includes pseudo-labeling for old objects within new task images, preventing misclassification as background elements. Extensive experiments on the COCO 2017 dataset demonstrate that SDDGR significantly outperforms existing algorithms, achieving a new state-of-the-art in various CIOD scenarios. The source code will be made available to the public.