Development and Field Testing of a Time-Synchronized System for Multi-Point Displacement Calculation Using Low-Cost Wireless Vision-Based Sensors

摘要

This paper presents a contactless multi-point displacement measurement system using multiple synchronized wireless cameras. Our system makes use of computer vision techniques to perform displacement calculations, which can be used to provide a valuable insight into the structural condition and service behavior of bridges under live loading. The system outlined in this paper provides a low-cost durable solution, which is rapidly deployable in the field. The architecture of this system can be expanded to include up to ten wireless vision sensors, addressing the limitation of current existing solutions limited in scope by their inability to reliably track multiple points on medium- and long-span bridge structures. Our multi-sensor approach facilitates multi-point displacement and additional vision sensors for vehicle identification and tracking that could be used to accurately relate the bridge displacement response to the load type in the time domain. The performance of the system was validated in a series of controlled laboratory tests. This paper will significantly advance current vision-based structural health monitoring systems, which can be cost prohibitive and provides a rapid method of obtaining data which accurately relates to measured bridge deflections.