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Kernel

A kernel is a (usually) smallish matrix of numbers that is used in image convolutions. Differently sized kernels containing different patterns of numbers give rise to different results under convolution. For instance, Figure 1 shows a 3×3 kernel that implements a mean filter.




Figure 1 Convolution kernel for a mean filter with 3×3 neighborhood.

The word `kernel' is also commonly used as a synonym for `structuring element', which is a similar object used in mathematical morphology. A structuring element differs from a kernel in that it also has a specified origin. This sense of the word `kernel' is not used in HIPR.

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©2003 R. Fisher, S. Perkins, A. Walker and E. Wolfart.

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