Detecting Edges from Non-uniform Fourier Data Using Fourier Frames

Abstract

Edge detection plays an important role in identifying regions of interest in an underlying signal or image. In some applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or synthetic aperture radar (SAR), data are sampled in the Fourier domain. Many algorithms have been developed to efficiently extract edges of images when uniform Fourier data are acquired. However, in cases where the data are sampled non-uniformly, such as in non-Cartesian MRI or SAR, standard inverse Fourier transformation techniques are no longer suitable. Methods exist for handling these types of sampling patterns, but are often ill-equipped for cases where data are highly non-uniform or when the data are corrupted or otherwise not usable in certain parts of the frequency domain. This investigation further develops an existing approach to discontinuity detection, and involves the use of concentration factors. Previous research shows that the concentration factor technique can successfully determine jump discontinuities in non-uniform data. However, as the distribution diverges further away from uniformity so does the efficacy of the identification. Thus we propose a method that employs the finite Fourier approximation to specifically tailor the design of concentration factors. We also adapt the algorithm to incorporate appropriate smoothness assumptions in the piecewise smooth regions of the function. Numerical results indicate that our new design method produces concentration factors which can more precisely identify jump locations than those previously developed in both one and two dimensions.