Optimal small kernels for edge detection

An algorithm is developed for defining small kernels that are conditioned on the important components of the imaging process: the nature of the scene, the point-spread function of the image-gathering device, sampling effects, noise, and post-filter interpolation. Subject to constraints on the spatial support of the kernel, the algorithm generates the kernal values that minimize the expected mean-square error of the estimate of the scene characteristic. This development is consistent with the derivation of the spatially unconstrained Wiener characteristic filter, but leads to a small, spatially constrained convolution kernel. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the algorithm is more flexible than traditional small-kernel techniques and yields more accurate estimates