New connected components algorithms and invariant transformations of digital images

In the paper, using the concept of invariant transformation of a digital picture (transformation which preserves topology) an algorithm for calculation of the number of components, the number of holes and Euler characteristics of an (8, 4) digital picture, and an algorithm for determing whether two marked pixels belong to the same black component are considered. By methods of digital simulation and non-parametric statistics some comparative evaluation of the productivity of the proposed algorithm for the calculation of Euler characteristics with similar algorithms is realized. © 1998 Pattern Recognition Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.