A higher-order structure tensor

Abstract

Structure tensors are a common tool for orientation estimation in image processing and computer vision. We present a generalization of the traditional second-order model to a higher-order structure tensor (HOST), which is able to model more than one significant orientation, as found in corners, junctions, and multichannel images. We provide a theoretical analysis and a number of mathematical tools that facilitate practical use of the HOST, visualize it using a novel glyph for higher-order tensors, and demonstrate how it can be applied in an improved integrated edge, corner, and junction detector.