Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining which pair of a plurality of objects in an image has a minimum separation distance. In the method, centroids of groups are ordered in a sequence according to X and Y coordinates. A distance is measured between a reference object and an object adjacent in the ordered sequence to the reference. Objects in the sequence which are not adjacent in the sequence to the reference are excluded from measurement based upon relationships between the coordinate values of the reference object, the adjacent object and the non adjacent object being evaluated for exclusion. This exclusion reduces the total number of steps necessary to determine which pair of objects has the minimum distance. Distance measurements are made to non-excluded objects. Similar steps are repeated for other reference objects. The pair objects which have the smallest measured distance are indicated as the objects having the minimum separation. In the apparatus, the image is stored in a frame memory and an index indicating the centroid of the group may also be stored. The memory may be read in a raster scan order, thus generating an ordered sequence of centroid locations.

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First Claim