Sorted Min-Max-Mean Filter for Removal of High Density Impulse Noise

This paper presents an improved Sorted-Min-Max-Mean Filter (SM3F) algorithm for detection and removal of impulse noise from highly corrupted image. This method uses a single algorithm for detection and removal of impulse noise. Identification of the corrupted pixels is performed by local extrema intensity in grayscale range and these corrupted pixels are removed from the image by applying SM3F operation. The uncorrupted pixels retain its value while corrupted pixel’s value will be changed by the mean value of noise-free pixels present within the selected window. Different images have been used to test the proposed method and it has been found better outcomes in terms of both quantitative measures and visual perception. For quantitative study of algorithm performance, Mean Square Error (MSE), Peak-Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and image enhancement factor (IEF) have been used. Experimental observations show that the presented technique effectively removes high density impulse noise and also keeps the originality of pixel’s value. The performance of proposed filter is tested by varying noise density from 10% to 90% and it is observed that for impulse noise having 90% noise density, the maximum PSNR value of 30.03 dB has been achieved indicating better performance of the SM3F algorithm even at 90% noise level. The proposed filter is simple and can be used for grayscale as well as color images for image restoration

A recursive scheme for computing autocorrelation functions of decimated complex wavelet subbands

This paper deals with the problem of the exact computation of the autocorrelation function of a real or complex discrete wavelet subband of a signal, when the autocorrelation function (or Power Spectral Density, PSD) of the signal in the time domain (or spatial domain) is either known or estimated using a separate technique. The solution to this problem allows us to couple time domain noise estimation techniques to wavelet domain denoising algorithms, which is crucial for the development of blind wavelet-based denoising techniques. Specifically, we investigate the Dual-Tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT), which has a good directional selectivity in 2-D and 3-D, is approximately shift-invariant, and yields better denoising results than a discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The proposed scheme gives an analytical relationship between the PSD of the input signal/image and the PSD of each individual real/complex wavelet subband which is very useful for future developments. We also show that a more general technique, that relies on Monte-Carlo simulations, requires a large number of input samples for a reliable estimate, while the proposed technique does not suffer from this problem

Segmentation-assisted detection of dirt impairments in archived film sequences

A novel segmentation-assisted method for film dirt detection is proposed. We exploit the fact that film dirt manifests in the spatial domain as a cluster of connected pixels whose intensity differs substantially from that of its neighborhood and we employ a segmentation-based approach to identify this type of structure. A key feature of our approach is the computation of a measure of confidence attached to detected dirt regions which can be utilized for performance fine tuning. Another important feature of our algorithm is the avoidance of the computational complexity associated with motion estimation. Our experimental framework benefits from the availability of manually derived as well as objective ground truth data obtained using infrared scanning. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method compares favorably with standard spatial, temporal and multistage median filtering approaches and provides efficient and robust detection for a wide variety of test material

A novel fixed-point leaky sign regressor algorithm based adaptive noise canceller for PLI cancellation in ECG signals

In this paper, a novel fixed-point Leaky Sign Regressor Algorithm (LSRA) based adaptive noise canceller has been employed for the cancellation of 60 Hz Power Line Interference (PLI) from the ElectroCardioGram (ECG) signal. A sufficient condition for the convergence in the mean of the LSRA algorithm is also derived. The fixed-point LSRA-based adaptive noise canceller employed in this work is fully quantized using an in-house quantize function. The most effective number of quantization bits required for the various parameters are found to be 6-bits and are determined through rigorous simulations. The filtered ECG signal free from 60 Hz PLI is successfully recovered using a novel 6-bit fixed-point LSRA-based adaptive noise canceller

Blockwise Transform Image Coding Enhancement and Edge Detection

The goal of this thesis is high quality image coding, enhancement and edge detection. A unified approach using novel fast transforms is developed to achieve all three objectives. Requirements are low bit rate, low complexity of implementation and parallel processing. The last requirement is achieved by processing the image in small blocks such that all blocks can be processed simultaneously. This is similar to biological vision. A major issue is to minimize the resulting block effects. This is done by using proper transforms and possibly an overlap-save technique. The bit rate in image coding is minimized by developing new results in optimal adaptive multistage transform coding. Newly developed fast trigonometric transforms are also utilized and compared for transform coding, image enhancement and edge detection. Both image enhancement and edge detection involve generalised bandpass filtering wit fast transforms. The algorithms have been developed with special attention to the properties of biological vision systems

Adaptive order-statistics multi-shell filtering for bad pixel correction within CFA demosaicking

As today's digital cameras contain millions of image sensors, it is highly probable that the image sensors will contain a few defective pixels due to errors in the fabrication process. While these bad pixels would normally be mapped out in the manufacturing process, more defective pixels, known as hot pixels, could appear over time with camera usage. Since some hot pixels can still function at normal settings, they need not be permanently mapped out because they will only appear on a long exposure and/or at high ISO settings. In this paper, we apply an adaptive order-statistics multi-shell filter within CFA demosaicking to filter out only bad pixels whilst preserving the rest of the image. The CFA image containing bad pixels is first demosaicked to produce a full colour image. The adaptive filter is then only applied to the actual sensor pixels within the colour image for bad pixel correction. Demosaicking is then re-applied at those bad pixel locations to produce the final full colour image free of defective pixels. It has been shown that our proposed method outperforms a separate process of CFA demosaicking followed by bad pixel removal

Detection of dirt impairments from archived film sequences : survey and evaluations

Film dirt is the most commonly encountered artifact in archive restoration applications. Since dirt usually appears as a temporally impulsive event, motion-compensated interframe processing is widely applied for its detection. However, motion-compensated prediction requires a high degree of complexity and can be unreliable when motion estimation fails. Consequently, many techniques using spatial or spatiotemporal filtering without motion were also been proposed as alternatives. A comprehensive survey and evaluation of existing methods is presented, in which both qualitative and quantitative performances are compared in terms of accuracy, robustness, and complexity. After analyzing these algorithms and identifying their limitations, we conclude with guidance in choosing from these algorithms and promising directions for future research

Multistage adaptive noise cancellation and multi-dimensional signal processing for ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation

Ultrasonic signal processing presents several challenges with respect to both noise removal and interpretation. The interference of unwanted reflections from material grain structure can render the data extremely noisy and mask the detection of small flaws. It is therefore imperative to separate the flaw reflections from grain noise. The interpretation or classification of ultrasonic signals in general is relatively difficult due to the complexity of the physical process and similarity of signals from various classes of reflectors;Adaptive noise cancellation techniques are ideally suited for reducing spatially varying noise due to the grain structure of material in ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation. In this research, a multi-stage adaptive noise cancellation (MANC) scheme is proposed for reducing spatially varying grain noise and enhancing flaw detection in ultrasonic signals. The overall scheme is based on the use of an adaptive least mean square error (LMSE) filter with primary and reference signals derived from two adjacent positions of the transducers. Since grain noise is generally uncorrelated, in contrast to the correlated flaw echoes, adaptive filtering algorithms exploit the correlation properties of signals in a C-scan image to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the output signal;A neural network-based signal classification system is proposed for the interpretation of ultrasonic signals obtained from inspection of welds, where signals have to be classified as resulting from porosity, slag, lack of fusion, or cracks in the weld region. Standard techniques rely on differences in individual A-scans to classify the signals. This thesis investigates the need for investigating signal features that incorporate the effects of beam spread and echo dynamics. Such effects call for data interpretation schemes that include a neighborhood of A-scans carrying information about a reflector. Several ultrasonic signal features based on the information in a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic waveforms, ranging from the estimation of statistical characteristics of signals to two and three-dimensional transform-based methods, are evaluated. A two-dimensional scan of ultrasonic testing is also represented in the form of images (B- and B\u27-scans). Multidimensional signal and image-processing algorithms are used to analyze the images. Two and three-dimensional Fourier transforms are applied to ultrasonic data that are inherently three-dimensional in nature (2 spatial and 1 time). A variety of transform-based features are then utilized for obtaining the final classification