Module: H-Maxima ()

Description:

This module merges regional maxima based on a contrast coefficient criterion h.

The input is subtracted from the contrast coefficient h, then a Grayscale Reconstruction / Reconstruction By Dilation is performed on the result of the subtraction. The regional maxima of the reconstructed image are called the H-Maxima.

This commands is useful for filtering noisy maxima sets. It can also be used as particle markers in various algorithms, e.g., watershed detection.

Figure 1: Input image and, in white, its merged maxima (factor 60)

See also: H-Minima, Regional Maxima, Regional Minima, Reconstruction By Dilation, Reconstruction By Erosion.

Connections:

Input Image [required]
The image to be processed. Supported types are: grayscale/color image excepted 32-bit signed and floating point (Uniform Scalar Field/Uniform Color Field).

Ports:

Interpretation

This port specifies whether the input will be interpreted as a 3D volume or a stack of 2D images for processing.

• "3D": the module configuration is set to 3D. The image will be processed as a whole in 3D.
• "XY planes": the module configuration is set to 2D. The image will be processed slice per slice.

Neighborhood

In 3D configuration, this port refers to the type of connectivity considered for processing adjacent voxels:

• 6: voxels with a common face are considered connected
• 18: voxels with at least one common edge are considered connected
• 26: voxels with at least one common vertex are considered connected

Contrast

This port specifies the merging coefficient. Higher values increase the number of merged maxima, therefore reduce the final number of remaining isolated maxima.