Adaptive active contour algorithms for extracting and mapping thick curves

Two new adaptive active contour algorithms for the extraction and mapping of the skeleton of a thick curve are described. They are based on conditions which guarantee uniqueness and fidelity of the solution. Both algorithms modify the regularization constant K_o in an attempt to maintain convexity of the energy function while simultaneously improving the fidelity of the result. The first algorithm changes K_o over time while the second adapts K_o spatially. Both algorithms are evaluated on experiments with synthetic curves; both demonstrate an improved performance compared to a fixed-parameter active contour algorithm