Effective Quantification of the Paper Surface 3D Structure

This thesis covers the topic of image processing in relation to the segmentation and analysis of pores protruding the surface in the three dimensional surface structure of paper. The successful analysis of pores is related to a greater goal of relating such an analysis to the perceived quality of the surface of a paper sample. The first part of the thesis gives an introduction to the context of image processing in relation to paper research. Also, an overview of the image processing framework used for image processing plugin development, ImageJ, is provided, together with the current status of ImageJ plugins for surface characterization. The second part of the thesis gives an overview of an envisioned future paper quality assessment system. The quality assesment system described consists of six phases, three of which are treated in this thesis. These are the Image Processing phase, the Modeling phase, and the Measurement phase. The Image Processing phase is further divided into three subphases. These are the Error Correction subphase, the Pore Extraction subphase, and the Segmentation phase. Together with the description of the phases of the system, techniques are presented that are relevant to the phase currently being described. The third part of the thesis covers the development of new plugins for surface characterization within the ImageJ framework. Examples are given and evaluated to show the usage and results of each plugin, and each plugin is related to a specific part of the quality assesment system. Also, a tutorial covering use of several plugins in sequence is presented. The parts of the system receiving the most attention in relation to plugin development are segmentation and modeling