Background-Oriented Schlieren Refractive Index Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Background-oriented schlieren measurements of refractive index distribution are hindered by the time required to remove and reposition substances, leading to inaccuracies due to changes in measurement conditions.
Innovation Solution
A measurement method and apparatus that acquire two pictures of a background pattern through a substance from different positional relations, calculating a shift amount to accurately determine refractive index gradients without the need for substance removal or repositioning, using a system with an imaging device, moving devices, and a controller to process the images and calculate displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If substance removal or repositioning is performed to acquire reference image, then measurement capability is improved, but measurement time increases and measurement accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing the substance to create a reference image, the patent keeps the substance in place and uses image processing techniques to simulate the reference image by removing the substance's effect from the measurement image. This inverts the conventional approach of physical substance removal to a computational approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of physically removing and repositioning the substance with an optical and computational system. The imaging device captures images, and image processing algorithms computationally eliminate the substance's refractive effects to generate the reference image, avoiding mechanical manipulation entirely.
2Measurement precision
If substance removal or repositioning is performed to acquire reference image, then measurement capability is improved, but measurement accuracy decreases due to condition changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary image processing to generate the reference image from the measurement image itself, rather than acquiring a separate reference image under potentially different conditions. By computationally removing the substance's effect before final analysis, the system ensures both images represent the same temporal and environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms as an intermediary between the captured images and the final measurement results. This computational intermediary processes both the measurement image and the simulated reference image to consistently remove the substance's refractive effects, ensuring comparable analysis conditions without physical manipulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances measurement accuracy by eliminating the need for substance removal and repositioning, allowing for more precise calculation of refractive index gradients and reducing the time interval between measurements.
Implementation Method 1
a first picture including a background image and a substance, the substance allowing transmission of light from the background image
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a measurement method includes: acquiring a first picture including a background image and a substance, the substance allowing transmission of light from the background image; acquiring a second picture including the background image and the substance in a different positional relation with respect to the first picture; and calculating a first displacement amount representing a difference in position of the background image between the first picture and the second picture.