Remote measuring of dynamic system using image processing

In this thesis, Image processing is used for remote measurement of the water flow rateout from open pipes and for measurement the water wave parameters.The first application of the image processing technique proposed in this thesis aims tomeasure the flow of water coming out of pipes. This measuring system is important in awide range of applications. For example the water pump outputs from an open-endedpipe to the atmosphere. Such applications are found in agricultural irrigation, drilling forfresh water and low-temperature geothermal water. The need for a simple andinexpensive metering method may arise where the installation of accurate metering isnot practical and/or too expensive. Image processing approach is used in this thesis todetect the trajectory of the water flow and deduce its equation for metering the waterflow in pipes. In addition, the relation between the water pump power and the outputflow is introduced.The second application is to measure the wave parameters (e.g., wave period, wavelength, and incident height). The water level variation resulting from the wave structureinteraction is recorded by using a digital still camera. The camera zoom is adjustedexactly perpendicular to the linear scale on the glass flume side facing a fixedmeasuring point. The camera is positioned on a vertical stand to avoid variations in thescale of the video frames. The recording time for each run is about 2.5 the time requiredfor a generated wave to travel from the wave generator to the measuring point. Themathematical equation of the wave is obtained. The wave parameters are calculatedfrom the wave equation. The results of the proposed image processing method arecompared against the slow motion technique.This thesis illustrates how image processing can be used in measuring a dynamic systemwith low cost and good accuracy.KeywordsImage processing, Water flow rate, Regular water wave, Remote measuring.