Integrated Digital System for Yarn Surface Quality

Evaluation using Computer Vision and Artificial

Intelligence
Sheng Yan LI, Jie FENG, Bin Gang XU, and Xiao Ming TAO
Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong
Kong

inconsistent. With the rapid development of computer

Abstract - The evaluation method of yarn surface quality
currently in use is mainly based on manual inspection. In
order to resolve the inherent limitations of the human visual
inspection, an intelligent evaluation system has been
developed for the objective and automatic evaluation of yarn
surface quality with computer vision and artificial intelligence.
In this system, all yarn surface features are fully digitalized
and quantitatively processed to ensure an objective evaluation
of yarn surface appearance. This digital system integrates
and controls the whole progress of yarn surface analysis,
including the image acquisition, digital feature extraction,
characteristic parameter computation and yarn quality
classification, in one computer program with an interactive
and friendly user interface. Besides yarn quality
classification, multiple yarn surface characteristics, such as
yarn diameter irregularities, yarn fault areas, foreign matters
and fuzziness, can also be quantitatively obtained and visibly
displayed.
Keywords: Yarn evaluation, Intelligent system, Image
processing, Artificial neural network
1 Introduction
The grade assessment of yarn appearance quality, or so
called yarn surface grading, is one of the important testing
procedures in the textile industry. According to ASTM D
2255 [1], a standard test method is to wind a yarn sample on a
black board using a yarn board winder and then compare the
board with a series of photographic standards representing the
grades A (best), B, C and D (worst), which assesses yarn
surface quality with consideration of the unevenness,
fuzziness, neppiness and visible foreign matter.
Traditionally, the inspection is carried out by direct
observation in which a skilled specialist visually compares
the wound yarn sample with the grade labeled photographic
standard and then judges the quality of the yarn sample
according to the standard definition, as shown in Figure 1.
But the method is subjective, time-consuming, and sometimes
technology, the image processing and artificial intelligence
technologies become more widely used nowadays in textiles.
During the past decades, the investigation on digital yarn
analysis by using computer vision has attracted an increasing
interest of researchers and some valuable research works
have been carried out [2-7].
Yarn sample
Human visual
Yarn board winder
observation
Figure 1. Traditional method for yarn surface evaluation
The paper is an extension of our preliminary work [7]
on digital characterization and evaluation of yarn surface
appearance. In this paper, we have further developed and
implemented an intelligent system for the objective and
automatic evaluation of digital yarn appearance quality using
computer vision and artificial intelligence. The newly
developed system is able to integrate and control the whole
progress of yarn surface analysis, including the image
acquisition, digital feature extraction, characteristic parameter
computation and yarn quality classification, with an
interactive and friendly user interface. Besides yarn quality
classification, multiple yarn surface characteristics, such as
yarn diameter irregularities, yarn fault areas, foreign matters
and fuzziness, can also be quantitatively obtained in this
system for further study and evaluation.
In the following section, the interface and function of
the integrated evaluation system for digital yarn appearance
quality will be firstly introduced in Section 2. Then, in
Section 3, the methodology of the system will be illustrated in
details. Finally the conclusions will be given in Section 4.
 Figure 2. Digital Yarn Surface Grading System

2 Digital and Visible Yarn Surface shown in the input feature frame of the artificial neural
network region.
Grading System
Table 1. Visible Results
2.1 System Interface and Function
Maps and figures Statistical results
The graphics user interface (GUI) of the visible Gray image Value of thick place
evaluation system for digital yarn appearance quality is Binary image Value of thin place
shown in Figure 2. In this system, users can carry out the Hairiness image Value of neps
yarn image processing and appearance classification by a Histogram Mean value of diameter
series of simple operations, and then the figures and relevant Width map Standard deviation of diameter
features of the digital yarn image can be displayed visibly. Saliency map Value of hairiness

As shown in Figure 3, the main steps of the Digital Yarn
Surface Grading System are, firstly, to acquire the yarn image
using a commercial scanner, next to load the image into the
system, then to conduct the yarn image processing, and
finally to classify the yarn appearance grade.
In addition, the system also provides online help for
users, including the user guide (Demo button), flow chat of
the program (Flow Chart button) and the digital yarn
database for training the artificial neural network (Database
button).

Open scanner to Load scan image 2.2 Digital Yarn Database

obtain yarn image into the program
A series of weaving and knitting yarns with different
appearance qualities are produced by different spinning
methods using different materials and spinning parameters.
Yarn appearance Online image All these yarn samples are physically measured by Uster
classification processing Tensorapid for yarn strength, Zweigle hairiness tester for yarn
hairiness and Uster III tester for yarn evenness. And the
Figure 3. Main steps of the Digital Yarn Surface Grading digital yarn images, which are labeled for training the
System artificial neural network in the yarn surface grading system,
are acquired by a scanner.
In yarn image processing, the important processing
figures and the statistical results of yarn image listed in Table In order to manage the yarn information, a digital yarn
1 can be computed and shown in the system interface. database management system is established based on Access
Besides, the extracted features for yarn appearance database, as shown in Figure 4, which can be started by
classification based on the image processing can also be clicking Database button in the grading system. By
retrieving yarn count, yarn appearance grade or the specified
ID of yarn samples (see Figure 4 (a)), the physical properties
and digital images of yarn can be displayed in the system
interface (see Figure 4 (b)).

(a) A grade yarn

(a) Index and queries interface

(b) C grade yarn

Figure 6. Original scanned yarn images with different
appearance grades

3.2 Image Processing

(1) Wavelet transformation for yarn hairiness extraction

(b) Detailed information interface
Figure 4. Yarn image sample database management system
3 Methodology
Wavelet transform provides a multi-resolution analysis
and is exploited to extract texture characteristics of yarn
hairiness. Figure 7 shows identification results of yarn
hairiness from the two yarn images.

3.1 Image Acquisition

In the interface of the intelligent evaluation system,

clicking the Scan Yarn Image button on the left top corner
can open a scanner for digital yarn image acquisition, with
the main steps shown in Figure 5. High image resolution is
adopted in digital yarn image acquisition to allow the
accurate and consistent evaluation results. Figure 6 shows
two scanned images of different grade yarns. These two (a) A grade yarn
samples will be used for showing the performance of the
methodology in the system when analyzing different grade
yarns.

Yarn sample Scanner

Yarn board winder Computer

(b) C grade yarn
Figure 5. Yarn image acquisition Figure 7. Hairiness image
(2) Fast Fourier transform for yarn diameter segmentation
4
x 10
2

In digital yarn image processing, fast Fourier transform 1.5

(FFT), Butterworth filters and threshold method are employed
to segment yarn diameter from the whole image. Firstly, the 1
scanned color yarn image is transferred to gray image, then
changed into frequency domain (FFT) for filtering the
0.5
hairiness and noise using Butterworth filter. After that an
automatic threshold method - Otsu method which chooses the
0
threshold to minimize the interclass variance of the black and 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

white pixels, is used to get the binary image, as shown in

(a) A grade yarn
Figure 8.
14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

(a) A grade yarn (b) C grade yarn

Figure 9. Histogram of yarn diameter

(b) C grade yarn

Figure 8. Binary image

(a) A grade yarn

3.3 Feature Extraction and Classification

(1) Yarn diameter statistics

Statistical measurement is employed for feature

extraction of yarn diameter. Figures 9 to 11 show the
histogram, width map and saliency map of yarn diameter.
Saliency map [8] is an visual attention method which can
topographically identify the visual saliency or distinguished
areas of a visual scene by considering the centre-surround
contrasts in terms of visual features, including intensity, color (b) C grade yarn
and orientations. Here, saliency map is used for yarn fault
(abnormal region) detection. Figure 10. Width map of yarn diameter

(a) A grade yarn
(b) C grade yarn
Figure 11. Saliency map based yarn fault detection
(2) Artificial neural network for yarn appearance
classification
In the interface of the developed evaluation system, the Yarn
Appearance Classification button is used to employ an
artificial neural network to classify and grade yarn surface
quality. Based on the above yarn image processing, 18
features including statistical results of yarn diameter and
texture characteristics of yarn hairiness, are extracted as input
parameters for the artificial neural network. With over 400
training samples in different yarn linear densities (20Ne-80Ne)
and appearance grades, the result shows around 87% of over
170 testing samples can be correctly classified by using this
artificial neural network [7].
4 Conclusions
A novel integrated intelligent evaluation system was
developed to replace the conventional manual inspection for
the objective and automatic evaluation of yarn surface
appearance with computer vision and artificial intelligence.
In the developed system, some recent advances in digital
processing and computer science, such as saliency map
analysis, wavelet transform and artificial neural network, are
developed and incorporated to fully extract the yarn surface
characteristic features and then to classify and grade yarn
surface qualities based on the digital features. This system
integrates the whole progress of yarn surface analysis and
shows the important characteristic results with an interactive
and friendly user interface. This computerized technology is
potential for commercialization and can be applied in textile
testing laboratories and spinning mills for yarn surface quality
control and assurance.
5 Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the funding support
from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the work
reported here. Miss Li SY and Mr Feng J would also thank
the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for providing them
with postgraduate scholarships.
6 References
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