one or more image memories;

at least one integrated hardware unit, which is designed to scan the data of a digital image stored in the image memory, to determine contour points with subpixel accuracy and to store this as continuous list data in a memory;

a computation unit which is designed to use a computation mechanism to determine from the continuous list data which is stored in the image memory the connection probabilities between in each case two contour points taking into account the distance between the points; and

at least one classifier, which uses sets of calculated probabilities to select subsets with at least three probabilities for possible links between at least three adjacent contour points, one of which is a previously defined central contour point, and to sort out for each subset that contour point which is adjacent to the central contour point and has a possible link with the lowest connection probability to an adjacent contour point, provided that the link does not connect two points which are adjacent to the central point and, following this, enters those contour points which have not been sorted out in a contour point list, with connectors which identify the remaining links to the central point.