Mask-edge connectivity: Theory, computation, and application to historical document analysis

In this paper a new connectivity model is introduced which allows combined clustering and partitioning of structures without distortion, in contrast to mask connectivity. An algorithm to compute morphological attribute filters based on Max-Trees for this new form of connectivity is presented. It is shown that the new form of connectivity is effective in clustering diacritics together with the appropriate letters in historical documents, whilst separating letters from different lines in a single Max-Tree algorithm.