A fast algorithm for computing the Euler number of an image and its VLSI implementation

Euler number is a fundamental topological feature of an image. In this paper, a novel algorithm for computing the Euler number of a binary image based on divide-and-conquer paradigm, is proposed, which outperforms significantly the conventional techniques used in image processing tools. The algorithm can be easily parallelized for computing the Euler number of an N/spl times/N image in O(N) time, with O(N) processors. Using a simple architecture, the proposed method can be implemented as a special purpose VLSI chip.