A noniterative thinning algorithm

Thinning algorithms are applied in image processing to compute a skeleton of an image. In this paper a new thinning method is presented which differs in its approach from other thinning algorithms. In the presented algorithm the minimal distance of a pixel to the edge of the containing object is used to extract the skeleton. Given an n x n matrix of pixels, the algorithm runs in time O(n2). Our measurements show that it is faster than other known sequential algorithms. The mathematical background of the algorithm and the proof of essential features of the obtained skeleton are based on the consideration of the pattern as a directed graph.