Supporting Visualization Analysis in Industrial Process Tomography by Using Augmented Reality-A Case Study of an...

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Applied Physics

Background:

• Industrial process tomography (IPT) offers advanced control for industrial heating.
• Effective dataflow pipelines and visualizations are crucial for IPT implementation.
• Microwave tomography (MWT) is a specific IPT application for industrial drying systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a comprehensive data processing and visualization workflow for MWT-controlled industrial microwave drying.
• To introduce an augmented reality (AR) module for enhanced on-site data analysis in IPT systems.
• To demonstrate the integration of AR with real-time process data for improved user comprehension.

Main Methods:

• Development of a data processing pipeline including time reversal imaging for MWT reconstruction.
• Implementation of an automatic tomographic segmentation algorithm for image analysis.
• Integration of volumetric visualization and AR for 3D data representation and on-site interaction.
• Creation of a mobile application for AR visualization on iOS and Android platforms.

Main Results:

• Successful reconstruction of MWT images using the time reversal algorithm.
• Effective segmentation of reconstructed images to extract significant process information.
• Generation of 3D volumetric data for comprehensive visualization.
• Demonstration of AR providing intuitive, real-time process data visualization for domain users.

Conclusions:

• The proposed AR system offers a pioneering approach to visualizing IPT data, enhancing on-site analysis.
• The integrated workflow facilitates improved understanding and control of industrial microwave drying processes.
• AR technology holds significant potential for advancing the application and usability of industrial process tomography.