Folds and Cuts: How Shading Flows Into Edges

We consider the interactions between edges and intensity distributions in semi-open image neighborhoods surrounding them. Locally this amounts to a kind of figure-ground problem, and we analyze the case of smooth figures occluding arbitrary backgrounds. Techniques from differential topology permit a classification into what we call folds (the side of an edge from a smooth object) and cuts (the arbitrary background). Intuitively, cuts arise when an arbitrary scene is "cut" from view by an occluder. The condition takes the form of transversality between an edge tangent map and a shading flow field, and examples are included.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2001
• Where: ICCV
• Authors: Patrick S. Huggins, Steven W. Zucker
• Keywords: Arbitrary Backgrounds, Arbitrary Scene, Computer Vision, Edge Tangent Map, ICCV 2001, Semi-open Image Neighborhoods, Smooth Object