Patent ID: 8675919

Claim:
A method for counting the number of fibers emanating from the surface of a web substrate, the web substrate having a machine direction, MD, a cross-machine direction, CD, orthogonal and coplanar thereto, and a Z-direction orthogonal to both said machine and cross-machine directions, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an image file of said web substrate, said image file containing at least a two-dimensional image of said web substrate wherein at least one of said at least two-dimensions comprises at least a component of said Z-direction; b) establishing a Z-direction baseline with respect to said image file having a length L and being generally co-planar to said Z-direction and having a component orthogonal to said Z-direction; c) determining a pixel intensity of a first pixel disposed above said Z-direction baseline a height, d, and along said length L; d) determining a pixel intensity of a second pixel disposed said height, d, disposed adjacent said first pixel, said second pixel being disposed said height, d, above said Z-direction baseline and generally orthogonal to said Z-direction; e) determining a change of intensity between said first pixel and said second pixel; f) determining a number of positive changes in said change of intensity from step e); and, g) correlating said number of positive changes from said step f) to said number of fibers emanating from said surface of said web substrate.