1. Abstract- Goals- Results- Final Design- Design Alternatives-
Senior Project – Electrical Engineering Image Processing Algorithm for Speech Acoustics Erin Plasse Advisor – Prof. Hanson
Abstract-
A series of cineradiographic x-ray images of the vocal tract were taken in the 1960's in an experiment done by Prof. Kenneth Stevens and Dr. Sven Ohman. In the past, manual methods were used to make tracings of the articulators. Twenty measurements were made on each image. The goal of this project is to design an image processing algorithm to automate the production of these tracings. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB. The tongue was specifically focused on since it required using an algorithm that would work sufficiently on open contours. The final design will use gradient image forces and intensity information in local regions to find the energy minimization of some initial points. Other design alternatives used only gradient image and were only successful at finding closed contours.
Final Design-
Adapted EdgeTrak algorithm for our data
Uses gradient image forces and intensity information in local regions
Open contour
User inputs 5 initial points
33 Snake elements are interpolated using spline interpolation
Internal and External Energies are found for each snake element
Regions defined around each snake element
Internal and External Energies found for elements in region
The point with the lowest energy becomes new snake element
New curve is made from new snake elements of minimal energies
Goals-
Use original data but automate the tracings using image processing techniques via MATLAB
Trace certain articulators, such as, lips, velum, epiglottis, hyoid bone, etc.
Results should be similar to the original tracings
Tracings for 20 utterances not previously analyzed
Final Image after Snake Energy Minimized
Typical frame
Typical tracing
Images courtesy of Perkell, Joseph S.. Physiology of Speech Production: Results and Implications of a Quantitative Cineradiographic Study. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1969.
Results-
Energy of original snake =
Energy of new snake =
Percent change Snake energy =
Design Alternatives-
Snakes: Active Contour Models
-Matlab script written by Eric Debreuve
Chan-Vese Region Based Segmentation
-Matlab script written by Shawn Lankton
EdgeTrak System for Ultrasound images
-VIMS Lab, University of  Delaware