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A combinational algorithm for connected-component labeling and Euler number computing

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Abstract

Connected-component labeling and Euler number computing are two essential processing tasks for extracting objects’ features in a binary image for the pattern recognition, image analysis, and computer (robot) vision. In general, the two processing tasks are usually executed independently by different algorithms in different scans. This paper proposes a combinational algorithm for labeling connected components in a binary image and computing the Euler number of the image simultaneously. In our algorithm, for the current pixel, the two processing tasks use the same information obtained from its neighbor pixels in the same scan. Moreover, the information obtained during processing the current pixel will be used for processing the next pixel. Our method is simple in principle and powerful in practice. Experimental results demonstrated that our method is much more efficient than conventional methods on various kinds of images, either in the case where the Euler number is calculated alone or in the case where both connected-component labeling and the Euler number computing are necessary.

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Notes

  1. http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/toolbox/images/bweuler.html.

  2. For an N × M-size binary image, a safe value of G is N × M/4.

  3. http://sampl.ece.ohio-state.edu/data/stills/sidba/index.htm.

  4. http://sipi.usc.edu/database/.

  5. http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/CAVE/software/curet/.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous referees for their valuable comments that improved this paper greatly. We are grateful to the associate editor for his/her kind cooperation. 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. 26330200, the Grant-in-Aid for Social Development Research Project of the Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province of China under No. 2014K11-02-01-13, and the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of Administration of Science and Technology of Xi’an of China under Grant No. CXY1343.

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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, Shaanxi, China

    Lifeng He, Xiao Zhao, Bin Yao & Yun Yang

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

    Lifeng He

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

    Yuyan Chao

  4. School of Computer Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Zhenghao Shi

  5. Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Kenji Suzuki

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  1. Lifeng He
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  2. Xiao Zhao
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Correspondence to Lifeng He.

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He, L., Zhao, X., Yao, B. et al. A combinational algorithm for connected-component labeling and Euler number computing. J Real-Time Image Proc 13, 703–712 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11554-014-0433-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11554-014-0433-y

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