Measurement and identification of vegetable matter (VM) in wool using digital image analysis

Existing methods and means for measurements and identification of the vegetable matter (VM) in wool fibre assemblies are time consuming, labour-intensive and therefore expensive. This paper presents the measurements of VM content, sorting and counting (identification) of VM particles using digital image processing and analysis. A measuring system has been constructed, and the compound light mode has been used for the measurements. A formula has been derived to translate the VM content by area into the VM content by mass. MATLAB and its image processing toolbox have been used in the image processing and analysis. The area, perimeter and shape factor of each VM particle were measured, and using the values of the boundary limits of the shape factor for each type of VM, sorting and counting of four types of VM in wool have been carried out.