Digital Image Processing

Image Segmentation:
Points, Lines & Edges
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Contents
So far we have been considering image
processing techniques used to transform
images for human interpretation
Today we will begin looking at automated
image analysis by examining the thorny issue
of image segmentation:
– The segmentation problem
– Finding points, lines and edges
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The Segmentation Problem
Segmentation attempts to partition the pixels
of an image into groups that strongly
correlate with the objects in an image
Typically the first step in any automated
computer vision application
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Segmentation Examples
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Segmention
Algorithms are based on one of the 2 properties:
1. Discontinuity : partition an image based on the abrupt
changes in intensity, such edges in an image.

2. Similarity : partitioning an image into regions that are

similar according to a set of predefined criteria.
Thresholding, region splitting and merging
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Detection Of Discontinuities
There are three basic types of grey level
discontinuities that we tend to look for in
digital images:
– Points
– Lines
– Edges
We typically find discontinuities using masks
and correlation
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Point Detection
Point detection can be achieved simply
using the mask below:

Points are detected at those pixels in the

subsequent filtered image that are above a
set threshold
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Point Detection
The response of the mask at any given point is
given by

The musk coefficients sum to zero. Mask response is zero in constant gray areas.
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Point Detection (cont…)

X-ray image of Result of point Result of

a turbine blade detection thresholding
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Line Detection
The next level of complexity is to try to
detect lines
The masks below will extract lines that are
one pixel thick and running in a particular
direction
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Line Detection (cont…)
Binary image of a wire
bond mask

After
Result of
processing
thresholding
with -45° line
filtering result
detector
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Edge Detection
An edge is a set of connected pixels that lie
on the boundary between two regions

Optics, sampling,
image acquisition,
illumination yields
blurred edge
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Edges & Derivatives
We have already spoken
about how derivatives
are used to find
discontinuities
1st derivative tells us
where an edge is
2nd derivative can
be used to show
edge direction
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Derivatives & Noise
Derivative based edge detectors are
extremely sensitive to noise
We need to keep this in mind
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1st Derivative Filtering
Implementing 1st derivative filters is difficult in
practice
For a function f(x, y) the gradient of f at
coordinates (x, y) is given as the column
vector:
 f 
Gx   x 
f      f 
G y   
 y 
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1st Derivative Filtering (cont…)
The magnitude of this vector is given by:
f  mag (f )

 G G2
x
2
y 
1
2

1
 f   f  
2 2 2

      
 x   y  

For practical reasons this can be simplified as:

f  Gx  Gy
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(Cont…..)
• the center point, z5 , denotes f(x, y), z1 denotes
f(x-1, y-1), and so on. The simplest
approximations to a first-order derivative that
satisfy the conditions stated in that section are

•
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1st Derivative Filtering (cont…)
Two other definitions proposed by Roberts [1965] in the
early development of digital image processing use cross
differences:
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Common Edge Detectors
Given a 3*3 region of an image the following
edge detection filters can be used
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Edge Detection Example
Original Image Horizontal Gradient Component

Vertical Gradient Component Combined Edge Image

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Edge Detection Problems
Often, problems arise in edge detection in
that there are is too much detail
For example, the brickwork in the previous
example
One way to overcome this is to smooth
images prior to edge detection
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Edge Detection Example With
20 Smoothing
Original Image Horizontal Gradient Component

Vertical Gradient Component Combined Edge Image

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The Laplacian

Which is approximated by the relation

Or
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Laplacian Edge Detection
We encountered the 2nd-order derivative
based Laplacian filter already

Which are

The Laplacian is typically not used by itself as it is

too sensitive to noise
Usually hen used for edge detection the Laplacian
is combined with a smoothing Gaussian filter
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Laplacian Of Gaussian
The Laplacian of Gaussian (or Mexican hat)
filter uses the Gaussian for noise removal
and the Laplacian for edge detection
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Laplacian Of Gaussian Example
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Summary
In this lecture we have begun looking at
segmentation, and in particular edge detection
Edge detection is massively important as it is
in many cases the first step to object
recognition