Development of an automated method for classifying digital images using a combination of image quality modification and Bayesian classification is the subject of this thesis. The specific example is classification of images obtained by monitoring molten plastic in an extruder. These images were to be classified into two groups: the “with particle” (WP) group which showed contaminant particles and the “without particle” (WO) group which did not. Previous work effected the classification using only an adaptive Bayesian model. This work combines adaptive image quality modification with the adaptive Bayesian model. The first objective was to develop an off-line automated method for determining how to modify each individual raw image to obtain the quality required for improved classification results. This was done in a very novel way by defining image quality in terms of probability using a Bayesian classification model. The Nelder Mead Simplex method was then used to optimize the quality. The result was a “Reference Image Database” which was used as a basis for accomplishing the second objective. The second objective was to develop an in-line method for modifying the quality of new images to improve classification over that which could be obtained previously. Case Based Reasoning used the Reference Image Database to locate reference images similar to each new image. The database supplied instructions on how to modify the new image to obtain a better quality image. Experimental verification of the method used a variety of images from the extruder monitor including images purposefully produced to be of wide diversity. Image quality modification was made adaptive by adding new images to the Reference Image Database. When combined with adaptive classification previously employed, error rates decreased from about 10% to less than 1% for most images. For one unusually difficult set of images that exhibited very low local contrast of particles in the image against their background it was necessary to split the Reference Image Database into two parts on the basis of a critical value for local contrast. The end result of this work is a very powerful, flexible and general method for improving classification of digital images that utilizes both image quality modification and classification modeling.

Development of an automated method for classifying digital images using a combination of image quality modification and Bayesian classification is the subject of this thesis. The specific example is classification of images obtained by monitoring molten plastic in an extruder. These images were to be classified into two groups: the “with particle” (WP) group which showed contaminant particles and the “without particle” (WO) group which did not. Previous work effected the classification using only an adaptive Bayesian model. This work combines adaptive image quality modification with the adaptive Bayesian model. The first objective was to develop an off-line automated method for determining how to modify each individual raw image to obtain the quality required for improved classification results. This was done in a very novel way by defining image quality in terms of probability using a Bayesian classification model. The Nelder Mead Simplex method was then used to optimize the quality. The result was a “Reference Image Database” which was used as a basis for accomplishing the second objective. The second objective was to develop an in-line method for modifying the quality of new images to improve classification over that which could be obtained previously. Case Based Reasoning used the Reference Image Database to locate reference images similar to each new image. The database supplied instructions on how to modify the new image to obtain a better quality image. Experimental verification of the method used a variety of images from the extruder monitor including images purposefully produced to be of wide diversity. Image quality modification was made adaptive by adding new images to the Reference Image Database. When combined with adaptive classification previously employed, error rates decreased from about 10% to less than 1% for most images. For one unusually difficult set of images that exhibited very low local contrast of particles in the image against their background it was necessary to split the Reference Image Database into two parts on the basis of a critical value for local contrast. The end result of this work is a very powerful, flexible and general method for improving classification of digital images that utilizes both image quality modification and classification modeling.