A coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments

Abstract

The application discloses a coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments, which comprises a workbench and a subsystem, a pipeline pull rod (44) is fixedly connected with the workbench, a circulating water pump (5) is arranged in a bottom water tank (22), the bottom water tank (22) is arranged on a lower plate surface (2) of the workbench, a medicament water tank (11) is arranged on an upper plate surface (1) of the workbench and is provided with a first stirrer (12) at the top, a mixed water tank (14) is arranged on the upper plate surface of the workbench and is provided with a second stirrer (13) at the top, the mixed water tank (14) is fixedly connected with a water passage corridor (15), an image acquisition water tank (16) is arranged on the upper plate surface (1) of the workbench and is fixedly connected with the water passage corridor (15), and the problems that, in the prior art, a floc image is greatly influenced by environmental light, cannot be used due to large-area overexposure, floc evaluation dimension is reduced, reliability is reduced, image acquisition efficiency is low, reliability is reduced, image quality is poor, a decision error of a machine is large and intermittent work can only be carried out are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of image acquisition systems, and in particular to an image acquisition system for experimental coagulated flocs. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the water treatment industry, the traditional method of manually adding coagulants has been gradually replaced by automated operation, and intelligent control based on machine vision is now a hot research topic.

[0003] To achieve automated coagulant dosing using machine vision technology, a large number of high-quality coagulation floc images are needed to build a dataset for related image recognition algorithm research. However, there are currently no publicly available coagulation floc image datasets. Furthermore, differences in water source quality and water treatment processes mean that coagulation floc datasets are not universally applicable. This necessitates a coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments for universities and water plants that wish to conduct related research. Existing floc image acquisition methods often suffer from uncontrollable lighting and significant background interference, resulting in blurred floc images, missing textures, and severe background interference. This poses numerous difficulties for image preprocessing and affects the reliability of the dataset.

[0004] Technical solution of existing technology 1

[0005] Currently, there is no dedicated image acquisition system for coagulation flocs used in experiments. Universities and water plants usually take images of flocs directly at the coagulation test mixing station.

[0006] Basic Principle: The effectiveness of water treatment largely depends on the quality of coagulation, which can be evaluated by the flocs produced after chemical dosing during the coagulation stage. Traditional methods rely on worker experience, subjectively judging coagulation effectiveness by observing floc characteristics and controlling coagulant dosage. Due to its numerous shortcomings, this approach has been gradually replaced by automated dosing control (such as PID, cascade, and mathematical models). Current research focuses on using machine vision (including image processing) to automatically extract features from floc images and evaluate coagulation effectiveness. This allows for intelligent control of coagulant dosage (unlike automatic control, where the machine is unaware of the effectiveness and human decision-making is still required, while intelligent control completely replaces human decision-making). This is a crucial aspect of building a "smart water plant."

[0007] Table 1 General indicators for evaluating flocs

[0008] Disadvantages of existing technology 1

[0009] Since the concrete mixing plant for flocculation testing is not specifically designed for floc image acquisition, it has many shortcomings for image acquisition. The designs of concrete mixing plants for flocculation testing vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the shortcomings are similar.

[0010] Summary of the shortcomings of the existing technical solution "direct acquisition of coagulation floc images at the coagulation test mixing plant":

[0011] Because the light is only provided to the bottom of the beaker and is uneven and uncontrollable, the flocculent image is overexposed over a large area and cannot be used.

[0012] Providing light only to the bottom of the beaker cannot penetrate the thick flocs, resulting in overhead images that only show outlines without texture. This reduces the number of dimensions (indicators) for floc evaluation and lowers reliability.

[0013] The mixing plant cannot provide a clean and uniformly lit background, which causes background interference and affects the identification of flocs.

[0014] The beaker is cylindrical, and due to the refraction of light, the flocs at the edge are deformed. The images of these flocs cannot reflect their true characteristics and are therefore unusable, resulting in low image acquisition efficiency and reduced reliability.

[0015] For the reasons mentioned above, in order to improve image quality, it is necessary to shoot from both the front and top angles, which directly increases the workload, and often results in poor image quality despite the increased workload.

[0016] Poor image quality leads to poor dataset quality, resulting in lower recognition accuracy and larger decision-making errors by the machine. Furthermore, one of the current research challenges is that flocculent particles become unrecognizable once their size decreases to a certain level, due to extremely poor image quality. In such cases, no amount of noise reduction or algorithm stacking will be effective. Summary of the Invention

[0017] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a flocculent image acquisition system for experiments, which solves the problems of existing technologies such as large-area overexposure of floc images rendering them unusable, reduced floc evaluation dimensions leading to decreased reliability, low image acquisition efficiency resulting in decreased reliability, poor image quality leading to large decision-making errors by the machine, and the inability to operate intermittently.

[0018] The technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:

[0019] It is recommended to use this system in a dimly lit room ("darkroom") to achieve the best image capture quality.

[0020] An experimental image acquisition system for coagulated flocs includes a workbench and subsystems. The subsystems include a water tank system, a water supply system, a chemical dosing system, and an illumination and acquisition system. The water tank system includes a chemical tank, a mixing tank, a water passageway, an image acquisition tank, connecting valves, a bottom tank, a settling cylinder, and a stirrer. The water supply system includes a circulating water pump, PVC pipes, a 90° elbow, and a flow meter. The chemical dosing system includes a metering pump and rubber hoses. The illumination and acquisition system includes a constant-on light, a light stand, a tracing paper background, a background stand, desktop tracing paper, a computer, a camera, a tripod, an acquisition card, and a polarizing filter. The constant-on light includes a first constant-on light and a second constant-on light.

[0021] The bottom water tank is equipped with a circulating water pump and is placed on the lower surface of the workbench. The reagent water tank is placed on the upper surface of the workbench and has a first agitator on top. The mixing water tank is placed on the upper surface of the workbench and has a second agitator on top. The mixing water tank is fixedly connected to the water passage corridor and is placed on a pad to form a height difference. The image acquisition water tank is placed on the upper surface of the workbench and is fixedly connected to the water passage corridor and is also fixedly connected to the mixing water tank through a connecting valve. The water passage corridor has a slope and has a water-blocking weir plate at one end adjacent to the image acquisition water tank. The settling cylinder is not fixedly placed on the ground. The circulating water pump is suspended inside the bottom water tank. The metering pump is not fixedly placed on the upper surface of the workbench. The second constantly lit lamp is not fixedly placed on the light source bracket. The first constantly lit lamp is fixedly placed on the lamp holder and located on one side of the sulfuric acid paper background. The sulfuric acid paper on the table is not fixedly laid flat on the upper surface of the workbench. The sulfuric acid paper background is fixedly rolled up in the background frame.

[0022] Preferably, the first and second constantly lit lights are used to adjust the background brightness and color.

[0023] Preferably, the bottom plates of the bottom water tank, the medicine water tank, the mixing water tank, and the image acquisition water tank are not horizontal, but have a slope, and all are equipped with valves.

[0024] Preferably, the mixing tank is placed on a pad to create a height difference, ensuring that the water can flow smoothly to the image acquisition tank under the action of gravity during intermittent operation.

[0025] Preferably, the circulating water pump is placed above the bottom water tank, so as to lift water without blocking the inlet of the bottom water tank's vent valve.

[0026] Preferably, the settling cylinder is not fixedly placed on the ground and is used to collect water released from the image acquisition tank.

[0027] Preferably, the metering pump is not fixedly placed on the upper surface of the workbench to accurately measure the amount of liquid coagulant pumped in.

[0028] Preferably, the connecting valve connects the mixing water tank and the image acquisition water tank to control the system's operating mode, i.e., switching between continuous operating mode and intermittent operating mode.

[0029] Preferably, the first agitator and the second agitator are both intelligent agitators, used to set their agitation time and speed to precisely control the G value and GT value of the coagulation stage.

[0030] Preferably, the surface of the image acquisition tank has a hydrophobic film to prevent residual water stains on the tank surface from interfering with the shooting.

[0031] Preferably, a polarizing filter is installed in front of the camera lens to reduce interference from ambient light and improve the system's adaptability.

[0032] The technical advantages of the coagulated floc image acquisition system of this invention used in experiments are as follows:

[0033] 1. This invention has two modes: continuous operation and intermittent operation, which can be switched by connecting a valve.

[0034] 2. This invention can capture the hydrophobic film on the surface of the water tank through images, without leaving water stains that may cause interference, while also reducing the difficulty of manual cleaning and making it convenient to use.

[0035] 3. This invention can reduce the water flow velocity and mitigate the impact on the flocculent material by using the water-retaining weir of the water-passing corridor.

[0036] 4. This invention can overcome the problem of image distortion of flocs by using a cuboid image acquisition tank.

[0037] 5. This invention can provide a clean background and reduce background interference by using tracing paper background and a constantly lit lamp.

[0038] 6. This invention can combine desktop tracing paper and a constantly lit lamp to ensure that the collected floc images have clear outlines, complete details, and fine textures.

[0039] 7. This invention can ensure high-quality images by using uniform and controllable lighting from multiple angles and a clean background, allowing for the capture of images of the flocculent body from only the front, eliminating the need for shooting from the top and reducing workload.

[0040] 8. This invention can directly change the brightness and color of the tracing paper background and the desktop tracing paper by adjusting the brightness and color of the first and second constantly lit lamps, making it easier for researchers to adjust the background to best suit the actual situation and obtain the best results.

[0041] 9. This invention can provide high-quality flocculent images, reduce the difficulty of image preprocessing, and increase the reliability and recognition accuracy of the dataset. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the experimental system of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the workbench of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 3 These are three views of the worktable of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the water tank system of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 5 The image shows three views of the pharmaceutical tank of this invention.

[0047] Figure 6 The above are three views of the mixing tank of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 7 The three-view diagrams are of the water-conducting corridor of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 8 The image acquisition tank of this invention has three views.

[0050] Figure 9 The image shows three views of the bottom water tank of this invention.

[0051] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the water supply system of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 11 These are three views of the water supply system of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the drug delivery system of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 13 These are three views of the dosing system of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the illumination and acquisition system of the present invention.

[0056] Attached reference numerals: 1-Upper plate, 2-Lower plate, 3-Tempered glass, 4-Light source bracket, 5-Circulating water pump, 6-PVC pipe, 7-90° elbow, 8-Flow meter, 9-Metering pump, 10-Rubber hose, 11-Reagent tank, 12-First agitator, 13-Second agitator, 14-Mixing tank, 15-Water passageway, 16-Image acquisition tank, 18-First PVC pipe, 19-First faucet, 20-Second PVC pipe, 21-Second faucet, 22-Bottom tank, 23-Third PVC pipe, 24-Third faucet, 25-First constantly lit light, 26-Sulphurized paper background, 27-Background stand, 28-Second constantly lit light, 29-Desktop sulphurized paper, 30-Computer, 31-Tripod, 32-Camera, 40-Lamp stand, 42-Settling cylinder, 43-Connecting valve, 44-Pipe tie rod, 45-Plate. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described below to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes are obvious as long as they are within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined and determined by the appended claims. All inventions utilizing the concept of the present invention are protected.

[0059] Please see Figures 1 to 14 The present invention provides an experimental coagulation floc image acquisition system, including a workbench, a water supply system, a dosing system, a lighting system, an acquisition system, and a water tank system.

[0060] The lower plate 2 of the workbench has an opening for installing tempered glass 3 that allows light to pass through. The lower plate 2 of the workbench has a pipe tie rod 44 for supporting the pipes of the water supply system. The bottom of the upper plate 1 of the workbench is fixedly connected to the light source bracket 4 with screws for mounting the second constantly lit lamp 28. The workbench has a lower plate 2 for mounting the bottom water tank 22.

[0061] The subsystems include a water tank system, a water supply system, a chemical dosing system, and an illumination and acquisition system. The water tank system holds all the water for the experimental system and includes: a bottom water tank 22, a chemical tank 11, a stirrer 12, a mixing tank 14, a stirrer 13, a water passageway 15, an image acquisition tank 16, connecting valves 43, and a pad 45. The water supply system is responsible for lifting the water and includes: a circulating water pump 5, a flow meter 8, a 90° elbow 7, and a PVC pipe 6. The chemical dosing system is responsible for lifting the coagulant and includes: a metering pump 9 and a rubber hose 10. The illumination and acquisition system provides light to the flocs and acquires images of the flocs and includes: a constant-on light 25, a light stand 40, a constant-on light 28, a background stand 27, a tracing paper background 26, a desktop tracing paper 29, a tripod 31, a camera 32, an acquisition card, and a computer 30.

[0062] The bottom water tank 22 is equipped with a circulating water pump 5, which transports the water in the tank to the mixing tank 14. The bottom water tank 22 is placed on the lower plate 2 of the workbench 1.

[0063] The chemical tank 11 is placed on the upper plate 1 of the workbench and is equipped with a stirrer 12 on top to mix solid coagulant and water to form liquid coagulant.

[0064] The mixing tank 14 is placed on the upper plate 1 of the workbench and on the pad 45. The top is equipped with a stirrer 13 to mix the liquid coagulant and water. The mixing tank 14 is fixedly connected to the water passage corridor 15 to transport water to the image acquisition tank 16. The mixing tank 14 is fixedly connected to the connecting valve 43 to transport water to the image acquisition tank 16.

[0065] The surface of the image acquisition water tank 16 has a hydrophobic film to prevent residual water stains from interfering with the shooting. It is placed on the upper plate 1 of the workbench and fixedly connected to the water passage corridor 15 to receive water delivered from the mixing water tank 14. The water passage corridor 15 has a slope and a water-blocking weir 41 is provided at one end adjacent to the image acquisition water tank 16 to slow down the water flow speed and reduce damage to the flocs.

[0066] The circulating water pump 5 is placed in the bottom water tank 22, which lifts water without blocking the inlet of the vent valve of the bottom water tank 22.

[0067] The settling cylinder 42 is not fixedly placed on the ground and is used to collect water released from the image acquisition water tank 16.

[0068] The metering pump 9 is not fixedly placed on the upper plate 1 of the workbench and is used to accurately measure the amount of liquid coagulant pumped in.

[0069] The second constant-on light 28 is not fixedly placed on the light source bracket 4, illuminating the flocculent from the bottom of the image acquisition tank 16. The light passes through the tracing paper 29 on the tabletop, providing texture details of the flocculent image. The second constant-on light 28 is fixedly placed on the lamp stand 40 and located behind the tracing paper background, illuminating the flocculent from directly behind the image acquisition tank 16. The light passes through the tracing paper background 26, providing a clear outline and clean background of the flocculent image. The brightness and color of the first constant-on light 25 and the second constant-on light 28 can be adjusted so that researchers can make adjustments according to the actual site lighting.

[0070] The tracing paper 29 is laid flat on the upper surface 1 of the workbench without being fixed, so that the light from the second constantly lit lamp 28 is evenly and softly distributed on the horizontal plane. The tracing paper background 26 is fixedly rolled up on the background frame 27, so that the light from the first constantly lit lamp 25 is evenly and softly distributed on the vertical plane.

[0071] The bottom plates of the bottom water tank 22, the medicine water tank 11, the mixing water tank 14, and the image acquisition water tank 16 are not horizontal, but have a slope, and all are equipped with valves. This design makes it easy to empty the containers and prevents water from accumulating when emptying the containers.

[0072] A polarizing filter is installed in front of the camera lens to reduce interference from ambient light. This design makes the experimental system more adaptable, and it can capture high-quality floc images even without a separate, enclosed room.

Claims

1. A coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments, characterized in that, The system comprises a workbench and subsystems, the subsystems comprising a water tank system, a water supply system, a dosing system, an illumination and collection system; the water tank system comprising a reagent water tank, a mixing water tank, a cushion plate, a water passage corridor, an image collection water tank, a bottom water tank, a settling cylinder, a first stirrer, a second stirrer; the water supply system comprising a circulating water pump, a PVC pipe, a 90° elbow, a flow meter; the dosing system comprising a metering pump, a rubber hose; the illumination and collection system comprising a constant light, a light stand, a sulfuric acid paper background, a background stand, a desktop sulfuric acid paper, a computer, a camera, a tripod, a collection card, a polarizer; the constant light comprising a first constant light and a second constant light; The reagent water tank is arranged on the upper plate surface of the workbench and is provided with the first stirrer at the top for mixing solid coagulant and water to form liquid coagulant; the mixing water tank is arranged on the upper plate surface of the workbench and is placed on the cushion plate and is provided with the second stirrer at the top for mixing liquid coagulant and water; the mixing water tank is fixedly connected with the water passage corridor to deliver water to the image collection water tank; the bottom water tank is arranged on the lower plate surface of the workbench; the metering pump is non-fixedly arranged on the upper plate surface of the workbench and is used for accurately metering the amount of liquid coagulant pumped in; the image collection water tank is arranged on the upper plate surface of the workbench, the surface of the image collection water tank body is provided with a hydrophobic film, the water passage corridor has a slope and is provided with a water retaining weir plate at one end close to the image collection water tank; the circulating water pump is arranged in the bottom water tank in an overhanging manner to deliver water to the mixing water tank; the upper plate surface of the workbench is fixedly connected with the light source support through screws at the bottom; the second constant light is non-fixedly arranged on the light source support to illuminate the flocculation from the bottom; the first constant light is fixedly arranged on the light stand and is located at one side of the sulfuric acid paper background to illuminate the image collection water tank from the back; the image collection water tank and the first constant light are respectively located at two sides of the sulfuric acid paper background; the desktop sulfuric acid paper is non-fixedly laid on the upper plate surface of the workbench; the sulfuric acid paper background is fixedly placed on the background stand; and the polarizer is fixedly installed in front of the camera lens.

2. The coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first constant light and the second constant light are used for adjusting the brightness and color of the background.

3. The coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom plate of the bottom water tank, the reagent water tank, the mixing water tank and the image collection water tank are not horizontal but have a slope and are each provided with a valve.

4. The coagulation floc image collection system for experiments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The settling cylinder is non-fixedly arranged on the ground and is used for receiving water discharged from the image collection water tank.

5. The coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting valve connects the mixing water tank and the image collection water tank and is used for controlling the working mode of the system.

6. The coagulation floc image acquisition system for experiments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first stirrer and the second stirrer are intelligent stirrers and are used for setting the stirring time and speed to accurately control the G value and GT value in the coagulation stage.

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