Connected-Component Link-List Shortening for Low-Latency Root Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image processing and computer vision, connected component labeling requires efficient traversal of link lists to identify root components, but existing methods suffer from high latency due to lengthy link lists, which is detrimental for real-time applications like autonomous vehicles and surveillance systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing link-list shortening logic that modifies link pointers to directly point from a leaf component to the root component, reducing the length of the link list and thereby decreasing access time to the root component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional connected component labeling is used with full link lists, then complete object information is preserved, but latency increases due to lengthy traversal paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-computing and storing the root component identifier for each component in the component table during the connected component labeling process. This allows the system to directly access the root component without traversing the entire link list during real-time object analysis, thereby reducing latency while preserving complete object information through the pre-stored root identifiers.
2Productivity
If link list traversal is performed for each component, then accurate object identification is achieved, but processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-computing root component identifiers during the connected component labeling phase and storing them in the component table. During real-time processing, the system directly retrieves these pre-computed root identifiers instead of performing repeated link list traversals, thereby significantly improving processing speed while maintaining accurate object identification through the pre-stored root component information.
3Loss of time
If complete link lists are maintained for all components, then object hierarchy is preserved, but memory access time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information (root component identifier) from the complete link list structure and stores it directly in the component table for each component. This extraction allows the system to maintain object hierarchy information through the stored root identifiers while eliminating the need for repeated memory access to traverse complete link lists during real-time processing, thereby reducing memory access time while preserving hierarchical relationships.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to traverse a link list of connected components forming an object in an image being processed in a machine vision system. The link list may comprise object IDs and link pointers for each component of the object. The link pointers generally identify links between each component from a current leaf component to a root component of the object. Each of the connected components may comprise one or more pixels of the image belonging to the object. The second circuit may be configured to modify at least the link pointer associated with the current leaf component to point to the root component instead of a next component between the current leaf component and the root component by generating a control signal to control replacement of at least an object ID of a next connected leaf component in the link pointer of the current leaf component with the object ID of the root component.