Rotation invariant real-time optical edge detector

A method for omnidirectional real-time optical edge extraction is proposed. The method consists on the design of a complex filter that is implemented in a Vander Lugt like optical processor. It is emphasized the rotation invariance of the technique, as its equivalence with the Canny edge detector. Numerical simulations have been performed to compare the proposed implementation with some frequently used edge detectors and enhancers. Experimental results are presented to show the very good performance of the method.