Hierarchic Voronoi skeletons

Robust and time-efficient skeletonization of a (planar) shape, which is connectivity preserving and based on Euclidean metrics, can be achieved by first regularizing the Voronoi diagram (VD) of a shape’s boundary points, i.e., by removal of noise-sensitive parts of the tessellation and then by establishing a hierarchic organization of skeleton constituents . Each component of the VD is attributed with a measure of prominence which exhibits the expected invariance under geometric transformations and noise. The second processing step, a hierarchic clustering of skeleton branches, leads to a multiresolution representation of the skeleton, termed skeleton pyramid. Index terms — Distance transform, hierarchic skeletons, medial axis, regularization, shape description, thinning, Voronoi tessellation.