Line Detection Using A Spatial Characteristic Model

Line or linear structure detection is a very basic, yet important problem in image processing and computer vision. Many line detection algorithms are based on edge detection and consider lines as extended or contiguous edges. Most techniques require that a binary edge map be first extracted from the image before line detection is performed. In this paper, we propose a new line detection technique that is based on a model that describes spatial characteristics of line structures in an image. This line model uses simple properties of lines that include both graylevel and geometric features. The performance of the line detector on natural scenes and medical images will be shown. The technique is shown to be capable of detecting lines of different width, lines of varying width, as well as curves.