Level Measurement Method Research Articles

Research on design technology of fiber optic fuel level sensor with novel structure

Traditional aircraft fuel level sensors, represented by capacitive fuel level sensors, have inherent shortcomings, making it difficult to meet the increasing aviation needs in terms of intrinsic safety and electromagnetic interference resistance. Therefore, this article studies the design technology of fiber optic fuel level sensors. By analyzing various optical fiber liquid level measurement methods, the fiber Bragg grating method that best meets practical needs is selected, and a novel and reasonable sensor structure design is achieved. Specifically, in order to improve the measurement accuracy, a lever-type sensitivity enhancing structure based on flexure hinge is studied in this paper. Combined with the metal diaphragm, it can generate higher axial strain on the fiber grating under a given liquid pressure. In order to ensure the practicality of the sensor, this paper analyzes the interference factors that may cause the measurement error in the actual fuel tank. Correspondingly, this paper proposes a design of fixed distance double measuring points to compensate the influence of posture, uses the reference fiber grating method to compensate the influence of temperature, and designs a reasonable assembly and sealing scheme. To verify the rationality of the design, the sensor test platform is built and the sensor function is tested comprehensively. The results show that the sensor has good precision and can achieve expected compensation effect.

Comparison of OSC (Off-Site Construction) Level Measurement Methods

Comparison of OSC (Off-Site Construction) Level Measurement Methods

Innovative non-invasive ultrasound method for whisky cask liquid level measurement

Regular measurement and inspection of whisky casks are crucial for ensuring quality and effective inventory management. This process helps detect issues such as leaks, damage, and contamination that can harm the whisky’s condition. Additionally, monitoring the whisky level provides valuable insights into maturation progress, evaporation rates, and production planning to account for expected losses. Currently, the industry relies on dipsticks and pressure sensors to measure liquid levels in casks. Dipsticks require moving casks from high shelves, risking human safety, the utilisation of extensive resources and necessitating cask opening, which has inherent issues. Pressure sensors, installed inside casks, are sensitive to temperature, limiting their accuracy and suitability for warehouse testing. This paper presents a new non-invasive method using ultrasound to measure liquid levels in wooden casks. An external ultrasonic probe glides along the surface of the cask. By leveraging the distinct ultrasonic acoustic properties in the liquid and the air, the sensor can detect the upper boundary of the liquid, thereby indicating the whisky level. Since this new method only needs to access a small portion of the cask to measure the level, it enables distilleries to accurately monitor cask contents on-site, reducing the costs and risks associated with moving casks. The paper also includes quantitative data on ultrasonic properties such as moisture, velocity, and signal attenuation for various cask samples. The prototype system successfully demonstrated this approach on a retired Ex-Bourbon whisky cask, providing precise liquid level measurements on different surfaces and storage orientations without the need for cask opening. It achieved centimetre-level accuracy compared to dipstick reference readings.

Interventions for gender equality in STEM education: A meta‐analysis

AbstractBackgroundAlthough gender inequality in education is gaining increasing attention, female underrepresentation remains pervasive in STEM fields. Many studies have applied various interventions to narrow the gender gap in STEM education.ObjectivesIn this study, we conducted a systematic meta‐analysis to examine the effectiveness of various interventions for gender equality in STEM education and tested the influence of moderator variables.MethodsTen databases—ERIC, IEEE, JSTOR, ProQuest‐Education, SAGE Journals, Scopus, Springer Link, Taylor & Francis, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library—and seven high‐quality journals in related fields were selected as literature resources. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) process was used to identify eligible articles for the random‐effects meta‐analysis.Results and ConclusionsThe overall effect size (Hedges' g) was 0.434, indicating that the interventions promoting gender equality in STEM education had a near‐medium positive effect. There were significant differences by the type of intervention, but not by the type of intervention outcome. The results of the moderator analysis showed a significant difference in moderator variables, including country, educational level, form of experiment, intervention level, and different measurement methods, whereas there was no significant difference in the moderator variables, including economic development level and sample size.ImplicationsThis study examined the effectiveness of gender equality interventions and the impact on it of different types of intervention, intervention outcomes, and moderator variables. These results have implications for the design of gender equality interventions in STEM education.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR MEASURING THE LEVEL OF LIQUIDS IN RESERVOIRS

Oil level measurement in reservoirs is an important process in the oil industry and energy sectors. This process plays an important role for regulation and control in oil storage and transportation processes, floating oil platforms, terminal and storage systems, gas and oil pipelines, or oil refining and technical applications. This article has discussed in detail the current issues and developments in the research and application of technology level measurements. First, the importance of technology level measurements and the main objectives in this field are clearly explained. The article included the analysis of the comparison technologies and the most positive and independent opinions were highlighted as a result of this comparison. The strengths and potential limitations of each technology are assessed, and readers are presented with a broad perspective for further stages of technology implementation. The article provides readers with the latest information in the field of technology level measurements, based on extensive and independent research, objective comparisons and forecasts of further technology development. This article provides readers with a detailed overview, starting with classifying the various level measurement methods and sensors and highlighting the independent aspects of each method and sensor. Our article reflects the experience of level measurement by capacitance-based, electrical, electromechanical, optical, and electromagnetic wave methods. The interrelationship of these theoretical positions and empirical data provides a basis for readers to better understand the topic and apply independent sensor options to other fields. Keywords: Measuring technologies, capacitance-based level measurement, laser method, ultrasonic method, Electrode-based level measurement, level sensors

Water level recognition based on deep learning and character interpolation strategy for stained water gauge

AbstractDue to the diversity of climate and environment in China, the frequent occurrence of extreme rainfall events has brought great challenges to flood prevention. Water level measurement is one of the important research topics of flood prevention. Recently, the image‐based water level recognition method has become an important part of water level measurement research due to its advantages in easy installation, low cost, and zero need of manual reading. However, there are two mainly shortcomings of the existing image‐based water level recognition methods: (1) severely affected by light intensity and (2) low accuracy of water level recognition for stained water gauges. To solve these two problems, this paper proposes a water level recognition method in consideration of complex scenarios. This method first uses a semantic segmentation convolutional neural network to extract the water gauge mask, and then uses the YOLOv5 object detection network to extract the letter “E” on the water gauge. Based on the character sequence inspection strategy, the algorithm dynamically compensates for the missed detection of characters of stained water gauges. Through a large number of experiments, the proposed water level measurement method has good robustness in complex scenarios, meeting the needs of flash flood defense.

FusionDiff: Multi-focus image fusion using denoising diffusion probabilistic models

Multi-focus image fusion (MFIF) is an image enhancement technology with broad application prospects that can effectively extend the depth-of-field of optical lenses. This paper presents a novel MFIF method, named FusionDiff, based on denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPM). FusionDiff uses DDPM to fuse two source images by iteratively performing multiple denoising operations. To predict noise accurately and train the model efficiently, a lightweight U-Net architecture is designed as the conditional noise predictor. FusionDiff does not depend on any specific activity level measurement method, fusion rule or complex feature extraction network. It overcomes many algorithm design and training difficulties in existing image fusion methods. FusionDiff is noise-resistant and can still produce outstanding fusion results from source images with noise interference. In addition, FusionDiff is a few-shot learning method, which makes it suitable for image fusion tasks where training samples are relatively scarce. Experiments show that FusionDiff outperforms representative state-of-the-art methods in both visual perception and quantitative metrics. The code is available at https://github.com/lmn-ning/ImageFusionhttps://github.com/lmn-ning/ImageFusion

A Review of Non-Contact Water Level Measurement Based on Computer Vision and Radar Technology

As pioneering non-contact water level measurement technologies, both computer vision and radar have effectively addressed challenges posed by traditional water level sensors in terms of maintenance cost, real-time responsiveness, and operational complexity. Moreover, they ensure high-precision measurements in appropriate conditions. These techniques can be seamlessly integrated into unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, significantly enhancing the spatiotemporal granularity of water level data. However, computer-vision-based water level measurement methods face the core problems of accurately identifying water level lines and elevation calculations, which can lead to measurement errors due to lighting variations and camera position offsets. Although deep learning has received much attention in improving the generation, the effectiveness of the models is limited by the diversity of the datasets. For the radar water level sensor, the hardware structure and signal processing algorithms have to be further improved. In the future, by constructing more comprehensive datasets, developing fast calibration algorithms, and implementing multi-sensor data fusion, it is expected that the robustness, accuracy, and computational efficiency of water level monitoring will be significantly improved, laying a solid foundation for further innovations and developments of hydrological monitoring.

Experimental research on liquid entrainment in the inclined up tee branch

The tee branch structure is broadly used in the nuclear power systems, and liquid entrainment in the tee branch has been studied in depth. However, most of the existing research focuses on the vertical tee branch, while the study about the entrainment phenomenon in the inclined tee branch hasn’t formed mature contents. This research aims to analyze the liquid entrainment in the inclined up tee branch. The liquid level measurement method of the Automatic Depressurization and Entrainment TEst Loop (ADETEL) was improved and supplementary experiments were conducted with single-end gas inlet of vertical tee branch. In addition, the test loop was modified to conduct visualization experiments on liquid entrainment experiments of the tee branch with a 45 degree angle. The experimental result reveals that the liquid entrainment phenomenon in the inclined tee branch is significantly different from that in the vertical tee branch. Based on the experimental phenomena and data, a new OLE (Onset of Liquid Entrainment) model is proposed which is well fitted with the existing data. Then, an entrainment rate model is proposed by nondimensionalizing the key parameters affecting the steady-state entrainment, with the error within ± 15% of the experimental data.

On-Line Metal Concentration Measurement at an Ultra-Trace Level in DIW by Solid Phase Extraction Method Coupled with ICP-MS

Metal contamination is a critical issue in semiconductor manufacturing processes, where controlling the concentration of metals in the deionized water (DIW) used for wafer rinsing and chemical dilution is necessary. In our previous study, we reported an ultra-trace level measurement method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) with a monolithic resin and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). However, this method had limitations regarding rapid metal concentration confirmation and contamination risks due to manual processing and sample delivery. This study proposes an on-line metal measurement system that uses an automated SPE technique coupled with ICP-MS to address the shortcomings of the conventional method. The system provides continuous on-site monitoring of ultra-trace metal concentrations in DIW, reducing preconcentration volume by up to 60% compared to the conventional method owing to minimizing contamination by automating all processes. Moreover, the system achieved reliable results similar to the conventional method, high analytical stability, with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) within 5% for a concentration of around 0.05 ng/L (n=4) using a test solution. We also evaluated the metal removal filter as an application of the system mentioned above, simultaneously analyzing multiple elements at the single-pg/L level and confirming the performance of the filter.

Machine Learning Method and Visible Light-Based Sensors for Multiinterface Level Measurement

Machine Learning Method and Visible Light-Based Sensors for Multiinterface Level Measurement

Proximate Composition of Anadara granosa and Paphia undulata

The sea region of Indonesia is particularly abundant in natural resources. One of the economically viable aquatic commodities is shellfish. The public has a high demand for the shellfish Anadara granosa and Paphia undulata. The goal of this study was to ascertain the protein, carbohydrate, fat, water, and ash content of Anadara granosa and Paphia undulata. The study's sample was intentionally drawn from the sea waters off the coast of Belawan, North Sumatera. Following the SNI technique, the proximal level measurement method was used. According to the examination of proximate levels, there is a 10–12% protein content, 0.14–0.15% carbohydrate content, 1% lipid content, 70%–80% water content, and 2% ash content. It can be concluded that, as functional foods, Anadara granosa and Paphia undulata include nutrients that are good for your health.

Robust water level measurement method based on computer vision

Compared with traditional methods based on non-visual devices, the water level measurement method based on computer vision has the advantages of low equipment installation and maintenance cost, convenient visualization, and so on. However, the complex condition of the monitoring site, such as different weather, lighting, water quality, staff gauge appearance, camera imaging, etc., pose significant challenges to the existing computer vision method, which can cope with specific situations but often cannot be universal. We propose a robust water level measurement method to overcome this problem. Firstly, we introduce a mapping method, which preprocesses the original image's extended region of interest (EROI) to obtain the transformed image. The region of interest (ROI) here refers to the staff gauge region, and the “extended” means taking advantage of the contextual information. Secondly, we construct a high-resolution representation deep learning regression model for water line positioning in the transformed image. Then, we trained the model with a robust data augmentation method consisting of two submethods: appearance-based data augmentation (ADA) and random extension in the direction (RED). Finally, we did a series of experiments and analyses on the widely distributed test dataset we built with two groups of criteria to evaluate the results, which are normalized since the data set contains samples of different scales. The result of this study is significantly improved compared with other computer vision methods. It shows that this study has robustness in various environments and has vast promotion value and application potential.

Study of the Instantaneous Water Level Measurement Method on Unsteady Flow Based on Single Camera and Fixed Scale Compensation in the Tunnel Model

The shape of instantaneous water surface profiles for the unsteady flow in the tunnel model can be determined by measuring the instantaneous water levels at multiple points synchronously. However, the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic method is affected greatly because of the complex state of the water surface when water level changes rapidly. Using an optical method, multicamera synchronous measurement is difficult to control, and the cost is high. For single camera measurement, the reading of the steel ruler in the image cannot be clearly seen when the distance between the measuring point and single camera is far. When the distance is short, all steel rulers cannot be captured at the same time. Hence, in this paper, a single camera and fixed scale compensation method for instantaneous water level observation in unsteady flow is proposed. A series of fixed scales is placed with the same height and width near the water surface to be measured. In order to capture dynamic images of all fixed scales with a clear water surface, a single camera is set at a far position to continuously record the water level change process within the model range. According to the height of the fixed scale, the image accuracy is compensated and the effect of the wide-angle image distortion is automatically avoided. The water level elevation is obtained according to the relationship between the fixed scale and the water surface. In this paper, the unsteady flow model measuring test is applied to the Southern Main Tunnel and the Water Distribution Pool of the Huangchigou Water Diversion Project. The accuracy of this method in measuring the dynamic water level is 1–2 mm, which meets the accuracy requirement and greatly reduces the observation cost of the model test. The proposed method may also be suitable for measuring the instantaneous water level of the unsteady flow in other similar hydraulic model tests.

Study on Hydraulic Characteristic of Unsteady Flow at Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub by Observing Instantaneous Water Level Based on Single-Camera and Fixed-Scale Compensation Method

The Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub is the core water distribution structure in the Hanjiang-to-Weihe Valley Water Diversion Project. It plays a decisive role in ensuring the safety of downstream water transport, allocating water reasonably and reducing the waste of abandoned water. The study on its unsteady-flow hydraulic characteristics is of key significance in the formulation for the opening and closing rules of the hub gates. The shape of the instantaneous water surface profile is an important factor for the hydraulic characteristics of the unsteady flow in the hub. The effect of the traditional instantaneous water level measurement method is not ideal. A single-camera and fixed-scale compensation method is proposed for an instantaneous water level observation. The proposed method meets the requirement of measurement accuracy and reduces the observation cost of the model test. The unsteady-flow test of the hydraulic model in the Southern Main Tunnel of the Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub was carried out under two operating conditions when the model flow is 0.0246 m3/s. Precise data such as wave front propagation velocity and hydraulic oscillation recovery time of unsteady flows in the Southern Main Tunnel was obtained. It has an important reference value for the research and design of water transfer dispatching and gate-opening and gate-closing rules for the Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub.

Comparison of Soundscape Evaluation in Forest-Type and Urban-Type Han Chinese Buddhist Temples

Soundscapes are one of the main means of creating a religious atmosphere in Han Chinese Buddhist temples, which are the most important religious sites in China. This paper selected several representative forest-type and urban-type Han Chinese Buddhist temples and employed a questionnaire and sound level measurement methods to conduct a comparative analysis of four aspects of acoustic environment evaluation, i.e., quietness, comfort, harmony, and sound preference, to identify and compare the characteristics of respondents’ soundscape evaluation in these two types of temples. The results showed that compared with urban-type temples, respondents found the acoustic environment in forest-type temples to be quieter, more comfortable and more harmonious with the religious atmosphere. The sound level, measured with the questionnaire and respondents’ social characteristics, such as age, occupation, level of education, purpose and frequency of visiting the temples, and attitude towards Buddhist thought, influenced their soundscape evaluation of urban-type and forest-type temples to different degrees. Among the various kinds of sounds in the temple, natural sounds, such as the sounds of flowing water, birds and insects, and rustling leaves, were preferred in forest-type temples, while Buddhism-related human-made sounds, including chanting and background music, were preferred in urban-type temples.

The Difference of the Surrounding Environment's Function Complexity on the Formation of Environmental Sound Character

The development of Surakarta has shaped the urban spatial structure into two regions: the north and the south. Every region has royal mosques: the Grand Mosque in the north and the Al Wustho Mosque in the south. The Grand Mosque is located in the middle of the textile trade centre, while the Al Wustho mosque is in the middle of an educational area. This study used the two royal mosques to find the sound or acoustic character. The sound around the building will give the place identity and affect the building design. This study aims to reveal the differences in area character concerning mosques' environmental acoustic character using a soundscape approach. The research employed a sound pressure level measurement method, visitor's behaviour, interview, and descriptive analysis. The data reveal that high environmental function complexity is not always associated with a high noise impact, while low environmental function complexity is associated with a high noise impact. This study's findings highlight the importance of considering outdoor materials as a landscape component with a high noise absorption capacity. One of the research findings is that south beach sand has good acoustic performance in the environmental sound absorption process.

Spatially Non-Stationary Response of Carbon Emissions to Urbanization in Han River Ecological Economic Belt, China.

Within the context of the "30·60 dual carbon" goal, China's low-carbon sustainable development is affected by a series of environmental problems caused by rapid urbanization. Revealing the impacts of urbanization on carbon emissions (CEs) is conducive to low-carbon city construction and green transformation, attracting the attention of scholars worldwide. The research is rich concerning the impacts of urbanization on CEs but lacking in studies on their spatial dependence and heterogeneity at multiple different scales, especially in areas with important ecological statuses, such as the Han River Ecological Economic Belt (HREEB) in China. To address these gaps, this study first constructed an urbanization level (UL) measurement method. Then, using a bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis and geographically weighted regression model, the spatial relationships between UL and CEs from 2000 to 2020 were investigated from a multiscale perspective. The results were shown as follows. The total CEs in the HREEB witnessed an upsurge in the past two decades, which was mainly dispersed in the central urban areas of the HREEB. The ULs in different regions of the HREEB varied evidently, with high levels in the east and low levels in the central and western regions, while the overall UL in 2020 was higher than that in 2000, regardless of the research scale. During the study period, there was a significant, positive spatial autocorrelation between UL and CEs, and similar spatial distribution characteristics of the bivariate spatial autocorrelation between CEs and UL at different times, and different scales were observed. UL impacted CEs positively, but the impacts varied at different grid scales during the study period. The regression coefficients in 2020 were higher than those in 2000, but the spatial distribution was more scattered, and more detailed information was provided at the 5 km grid scale than at the 10 km grid scale. The findings of this research can advance policy enlightenment for low-carbon city construction and green transformation in HREEB and provide a reference for CE reduction in other similar regions of the world.

Is Raman the best strategy towards the development of non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring devices for diabetes management?

Diabetes has no well-established cure; thus, its management is critical for avoiding severe health complications involving multiple organs. This requires frequent glycaemia monitoring, and the gold standards for this are fingerstick tests. During the last decades, several blood-withdrawal-free platforms have been being studied to replace this test and to improve significantly the quality of life of people with diabetes (PWD). Devices estimating glycaemia level targeting blood or biofluids such as tears, saliva, breath and sweat, are gaining attention; however, most are not reliable, user-friendly and/or cheap. Given the complexity of the topic and the rise of diabetes, a careful analysis is essential to track scientific and industrial progresses in developing diabetes management systems. Here, we summarize the emerging blood glucose level (BGL) measurement methods and report some examples of devices which have been under development in the last decades, discussing the reasons for them not reaching the market or not being really non-invasive and continuous. After discussing more in depth the history of Raman spectroscopy-based researches and devices for BGL measurements, we will examine if this technique could have the potential for the development of a user-friendly, miniaturized, non-invasive and continuous blood glucose-monitoring device, which can operate reliably, without inter-patient variability, over sustained periods.

Sound level measurement accessories

Measurement standards provide sound level measurement methods and the information to be recorded. There are also many documents about the best practices utilized for completing the measurements. The current paper provides examples of some useful sound level measurement accessories. Luggage, safety equipment, hand tools, and tripods are some of the accessories covered. The accessories help accomplish the measurements.