5

ALGORITHM OF BINARY IMAGE

PROCESSING

5.1 Introduction

In this chapter we present several algorithms for processing 3D images, in

particular for treating connected components and figures in a 3D image. Aims
of this chapter are:
(1) to understand processes essential in proceeding to the analysis of a 3D
figure in a 3D gray-tone image
(2) to learn the structure of algorithms through examples
In order to extract significant information from an input 3D gray-tone
image, we first need to segment a 3D figure that is likely to correspond to a 3D
object in the real world. Next, we extract features that have more condensed
information and derive from this a description of the figure. A binary image
is produced as a result of distinguishing figures from the background. Each
connected component corresponds to a 3D figure. If this segmentation of a
figure has been performed correctly, every connected component represents a
3D object meaningful in the real 3D world. This may not always be true in
practical image processing, but this is not currently important.
Information carried by a binary image is mainly in the shape of a figure.
Hence most algorithms presented here relate to processes based on the geo-
metrical properties of a 3D figure. Essential features of those algorithms are
transformations preserving connectivity or topology, extraction of the inside,
outside, and the border surface of a figure, and calculation of the distance on
a digitized image.
From the viewpoint of information concentration, we transform a massive
figure (a 3D figure) to a planar figure (the center plane and/or the border
surface), and transform a planar figure further to a linear figure (or a curve).
In another type of algorithm, we calculate the shortest distance from a voxel
inside of a figure to the background. We then concentrate the information to
local maximum points in the distribution of such distance values. Axis/surface
116 5 ALGORITHM OF BINARY IMAGE PROCESSING

thinning, border surface following, and distance transformation are explained

as examples of algorithms realizing such information concentration.
Algorithms used to execute those processes are also given. Through the ex-
planation of algorithms, we intend to provide algorithms that can be used for
practical applications, and at the same time we expect readers to understand
various characteristics of algorithms and methods to design algorithms by
themselves. As examples, detailed sequential and parallel algorithms, concen-
tration and restoration of figures, serial composition, and 1D decomposition
are presented.
Although most algorithms in this chapter are described by program-like
expressions, they are neither programs themselves nor definitions of algorithms
in their strict meanings. Our aim is to give readers the most essential parts of
algorithms while avoiding ambiguity. We omit some parts of procedures that
might be necessary for correct behavior of a program, but are less important
in the definition of such algorithms as detection of the overflow in numerical
calculation and exceptional processing for the frame of an input image. The
descriptions of some algorithms may vary. This is to avoid errors in rewriting
descriptions from original papers.
All algorithms presented in this chapter have been coded and executed at
least once in the authors’ laboratory and their expected performance has been
confirmed.

5.2 Labeling of a connected component

A connected component was defined already in Def. 4.3. Roughly speaking,

each connected component corresponds to an individual 3D figure. Hence ex-
traction of a connected component is useful as a tool to find the topological
properties of a figure, such as the Euler number. Connected component ex-
traction is very useful also for practical applications of image processing.
Procedures to extract a connected component (= labeling) are basically
the same as those of a 2D image [Rosenfeld82, Watt98]. Here we will present
concrete algorithms for all of four types of connectivity [Yonekura82a]. The
18 -connectivity case is neglected because it is the same as the 6-connectivity
case. We will use positive integers as labels as was stated in Section 4.2.

Algorithm 5.1 (Labeling of connected components).

F = {fijk }: input image (binary image).
L = {lijk }: label image: lijk is a positive integer representing a label of each
connected component, (The value 0 is reserved for the background and
so the value of a 0-voxel is not changed.)
λ: variable representing the number of a connected component.
T (i): label table (1D array).
(1) Initialization: λ ← 0 . Start the raster scan from a voxel (2 , 2 , 2 ).