Method for adaptive image region partition and morphologic processing

• US 7,813,580 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leica Microsystems Gmbh (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DRVision Technologies, LLC (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Shih-Jong J., Phan, Tuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Strege; John B
• Application Number:
  US11/973,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20080037872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 382/257, 382/258, 382/259, 382/133, 382/276
• US Class Current: 382/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10056 Microscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20012 Locally adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20041 Distance transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20044 Skeletonization; Medial axis transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30024 Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/155 involving morphological operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/187 involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/457 by analysing connectivity, e.g. edge linking, connected component analysis or slices
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/695 Preprocessing, e.g. image segmentation

Abstract

An adaptive dilation method receives an image and performs an adaptive background distance transform to create an adaptive background distance transform image. A threshold is applied to the adaptive background distance transform image to generate adaptive dilation image output. An adaptive erosion method receives an image and performs an adaptive foreground distance transform to create an adaptive foreground distance transform image. A threshold is applied to the adaptive foreground distance transform image to generate adaptive erosion image output.

Claims

1. An adaptive dilation method comprises the steps of:

a) Input a component labeled image and associated characteristics for each component;

b) Perform an adaptive background distance transform using the input component labeled image to create an adaptive background distance transform image wherein the distance transform length values depend on component labels of the input component labeled image;

c) Perform a threshold on the adaptive background distance transform image to generate adaptive dilation image output.

2. An adaptive erosion method comprises the steps of:

a) Input a component labeled image and associated characteristics for each component;

b) Perform an adaptive foreground distance transform using the input component labeled image to create an adaptive foreground distance transform image wherein the distance transform length values depend on component labels of the input component labeled image;

c) Perform a threshold on the adaptive foreground distance transform image to generate adaptive erosion image output.