Color image segmentation in RGB using vector angle and absolute difference measures

This paper introduces a multi-pronged approach for segmentation of color images of man-made structures like cargo containers, buildings etc. A combination of vector angle computation of the RGB data and the absolute difference between the intensity pixels is used to segment the image. This method has the advantage of removing intensity based edges that occur where the saturation is high, while preserving them in areas of the image where saturation is very low and intensity is high. Thus, unlike previous implementations of vector angle methods and edge detection techniques, relevant objects are better segmented and unnecessary details left out. A novel method for connecting broken edges after segmentation using the Hough transform is also presented.