Sensor array processing techniques for super resolution multi-line-fitting and straight edge detection.

A signal processing method is developed for solving the problem of fitting multiple lines in a two-dimensional image. It formulates the multi-line-fitting problem in a special parameter estimation framework such that a signal structure similar to the sensor array processing signal representation is obtained. Then the recently developed algorithms in that formalism can be exploited to produce super-resolution estimates for line parameters. The number of lines may also be estimated in this framework. The signal representation used can be generalized to handle problems of line fitting and of straight edge detection. Details of the proposed algorithm and several experimental results are presented. The method exhibits considerable computational speed superiority over existing single- and multiple-line-fitting algorithms such as the Hough transform method. Potential applications include road tracking in robotic vision, mask wafer alignment in semiconductor manufacturing, aerial image analysis, text alignment in document analysis, and particle tracking in bubble chambers.