Fusion Of Edge Maps In Color Images

In this paper, a new analytic method for the detection, of edges in color images is presented. This method focuses on the integration of three edge maps in order to increase one's confidence about the presence/absence of edges in a depicted scene. The integration process utilizes an algorithm developed by the authors under a broader research topic: The integration of registered multisensory data. It is based on the interaction between the following two constraints: the principle of existence, which tends to maximize the value of the output edge map at a given location if one input edge map features an edge, and the principle of confirmability, which adjusts this value according to the edge contents in the other input edge map at the same location by maximiz-ing the similarity between them. The latter two maximizations are achieved using the Euler-Language Calculus of Variations equations. This algorithm, which fuses optimally two correlated edge maps with regard to the above principles is extended to the simultaneous fusion of three edge maps. Experiments were conducted using not only the red, green, and blue representation of color information but also other bases.