Integrated image processing

A typical application is the determination of position, size and orientation of an object together with the material information as control parameters for an automatic sorter. For clean, non-overlapping samples it is sufficient to determine the centre of each object and the approximate size to control the sorting unit. However, frequently these ideal conditions cannot be guaranteed, as samples overlap or surface adhesions may interfere with the classification, as shown in Fig. 7.4. Such artefacts will lead to (partially) false information about size and position of an object and hence to incomplete or erroneous sorting. 

As an example, a bottle (A, B, C, D) with a (paper) label should be detected as one single object, not as two separate entities with a piece of paper between (A, B) or on top (C) and a different polymer part next to it (PE cap in object A, PP caps in objects B, C, D). Otherwise, based on the classification result, a subsequent sorting or turnout stage would try to handle all these as separate objects (as indicated by the blob centre markers in Fig. 7.4(c)) instead of one object. This requires an image processing step to process the classification results and deliver the correct size and shape of the different objects, regardless of the presence of, for example, interfering paper labels that partially obscure the objects surfaces. 

To achieve that, an object reconstruction algorithm detects connected components (blobs) in the binary images of each material class. In a first step, blobs that do not meet pre-defined size restrictions are considered as classification errors and filtered out (e.g. the black line due to a faulty camera pixel in object D). The binary image of each material class (material and overlay) is then morphologically dilated 

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Figure 16.18 Integral imaging processes (a) pick-up, and (b) reconstruction.

Photopolymerization is not restricted to imaging processes. However, such processes form the most spectacular applications of photochemical reactions, as they are used to make printed circuits and integrated circuits for the electronics industry. 

Photo-resist technology is widely used for imaging processes in such applications in electronics. If it is wished to produce a metallic pattern of connections between many electronic components (resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, etc.), this can be done by the selective etching of a thin copper plate deposited on an insulating base. The copper layer is protected by a resist which is a polymer, deposited in such a way that it prevents the attack of the metal by an etching solution which will solubilize only the unprotected, exposed copper (Figure 6.8). 

Koliopoulos, T.C. 2008a. Carbon dioxide emissions at Mid Auchencarroch experimental site and environmental impact assessment—Utilization of remote sensing and digital image processing software for an integrated landfill gas risk assessment. RASAYAN Journal of Chemistry, l(4) 766-73. 

Data analysis (image processing, normalization, and interpretation) Format of produced data, normalization approach Integrated software packages, supervised data interpretation... 

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