Contrast enhancement using histogram equalization with bin underflow and bin overflow

Abstract

The histogram equalization (HE) is a widely used contrast enhancement method. But what is missing from the HE is a mechanism to control the rate of enhancement. The enhanced image always follows the uniform distribution. This paper presents a simple enhancement rate control mechanism for the HE. The gradient of the mapping function is controlled by putting contraints on the probability density function with the bin underflow (BU) and bin overflow (BO). The BUBO operation can provide the rate of enhancement from non to the full HE with a single parameter. With the enhancement rate control mechanism available, the HE can be used to perform image processing tasks such as black/white level stretch or automatic brightness control as well as variable rate contrast enhancement.