A new color contrast enhancement algorithm for robotic applications

In this paper, we introduce a new spatial domain color contrast enhancement algorithm based on the alpha weighted quadratic filter. The goal of this work is to utilize the characteristics of the nonlinear filter to enhance contrast while recovering the color information. Automatic parameter selection is also important for autonomous robot systems. Therefore, we also present a modified image contrast measure Global logAMEE to incorporate the global image information in regular logAMEE. The new measure helps to choose the optimal parameters and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can enhance the contrast and color efficiently and effectively, even in the presence of noise. Thus, the algorithm is suitable for use in real time robotic applications. Comparison with existing algorithms will be also presented.