Non-contacting monitor for bridges and civil structures

摘要

A system for monitoring the condition of a bridge includes:a video camera stably positioned at a selected distance from a bridge and having an unobstructed view of a selected portion of the bridge structure; and,a data processing system to analyze the output of the video camera over a selected time interval and calculate a physical parameter related to movement of the selected portion of said bridge structure as a function of time, and further including: a GUI that displays: a fixed image frame from the video camera, corresponding to a particular user-selected time within the time interval;an area selector, movable by the user to select a portion of the structure for analysis; and,a display of the physical parameter versus time for the selected portion over the selected time interval.;The processor may perform some tasks, e.g., area selection, autonomously or via predetermined rules.