Weighted D-filtering

A new type of filter which has the most desirable properties of an image smoothing filter is proposed. These properties are 1) robust smoothing efficiency, 2) edge preservation, and 3) thin-line detail preservation. The new filter, called the weighted D filter, computes its output as the median of weighted averages, instead of plain averages as used in the Hodges-Lehman D filter, of symmetrically placed order statistics. Experiments in which one particular weighting scheme is considered in detail are discussed. The experimental and comparison results verify the useful properties of the proposed filter.