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An Algorithm for Connected-Component Labeling, Hole Labeling and Euler Number Computing

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Abstract

Labeling connected components and holes and computing the Euler number in a binary image are necessary for image analysis, pattern recognition, and computer (robot) vision, and are usually made independently of each other in conventional methods. This paper proposes a two-scan algorithm for labeling connected components and holes simultaneously in a binary image by use of the same data structure. With our algorithm, besides labeling, we can also easily calculate the number and the area of connected components and holes, as well as the Euler number. Our method is very simple in principle, and experimental results demonstrate that our method is much more efficient than conventional methods for various kinds of images in cases where both labeling and Euler number computing are necessary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Artificial Intelligence Institute, College of Electrical and Information Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710021, China

    Li-Feng He (Senior Member, IEEE) & Yu-Yan Chao

  2. Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Aichi Prefectural University, Aichi, 4801198, Japan

    Li-Feng He (Senior Member, IEEE)

  3. Faculty of Environment, Information and Business, Nagoya Sangyo University, Aichi, 4888711, Japan

    Yu-Yan Chao

  4. Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, U.S.A.

    Kenji Suzuki (Senior Member, IEEE)

Authors
  1. Li-Feng He
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  2. Yu-Yan Chao
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  3. Kenji Suzuki
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Correspondence to Li-Feng He.

Additional information

This work was supported in part by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan under Grant No. 23500222.

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He, LF., Chao, YY. & Suzuki, K. An Algorithm for Connected-Component Labeling, Hole Labeling and Euler Number Computing. J. Comput. Sci. Technol. 28, 468–478 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11390-013-1348-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11390-013-1348-y

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