New single-pass algorithm for parallel thinning

It is well known that many proposed parallel thinning algorithms cannot satisfy all major thinning requirements. In this paper we propose a new parallel thinning algorithm which can satisfy all major thinning requirements. The algorithm we present is a single-pass parallel thinning algorithm using reduction operators with 13-pixel support. A systematic derivation of the template set for the proposed algorithm is described. The proposed algorithm always requires a small number of iterations in thinning while at the same time it produces perfectly 8-connected medial curves. The proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with other existing parallel thinning algorithms. It is shown from detailed experimental results that the new algorithm is superior to other algorithms in computation time and thinning results.