Edge detection based on human visual response

Abstract

An algorithm based on the characteristics of the human visual system is presented by which it is possible to select automatically (without human intervention) the thresholds for detecting the significant edges as perceived by human beings. The threshold value changes with the background intensity according to the criterion governed by the characteristic of one of the De Vries–Rose, Weber, and saturated regions. The effect of background size and splitting image (dynamic thresholding), and a provision for reducing the computation time are also included in the study. The algorithm is found to provide a satisfactory improvement in the performance over the conventional edge detection process for a wide range of input image.