Believe Your Eyes! – WaveCam Makes Vibration Visible with Motion Magnification
Non-contact Measurements, Precision Results
WaveCam is the perfect vibration analysis tool for non-contact and high-resolution vibration measurement for experts and beginners. WaveCam amplifies motion invisible to the human eye. Analyse your vibration data in the time and frequency domain to monitor machines, buildings and structures.
To get started, all you need is a camera and our software to process the data. Save the time handling lots of cables and sensors or setting and measuring single measurement locations consecutively. Every single pixel will serve as an individual sensor allowing you to monitor vibration and track every motion.
Increase the productivity by reducing machine downtime
Improve the life, safety, comfort and sound of the product
Easy set-up, shorter measuring times, no cable effort
Simplification of maintenance, improved damage detection
WaveCam makes vibration visible with motion magnification
Use any camera to capture vibration data including phones; depending on frequency range and resolution requirements.
Import common file formats from any camera, from phone cameras to high-end high-speed-cameras
Save set-up time, measurement time and equipment cost
Quick to learn, intuitive handling, easy configuration
Intuitive execution and analysis of measurements
Analyse data in time and frequency domain
Vibration measurements during operation with subpixel-precision measurement resolution
No preparation of the measured surface necessary
Export deflection shapes in video
Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to amplify motion
Fully automatic, unique data extraction of vibration displacements from video data using improved optical flow and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for quality results with WaveCam
Annual license includes regular updates as the software is constantly progressing. No additional fee for software maintenance.
Applications
Operating Deflection Shapes (ODS)
Natural frequency investigation
Quality assurance
Research & development
Troubleshooting, root-cause analysis
Predictive maintenance
Structural vibration
Transient events
Software Specifications
Vibration measurement data extraction requires uncompressed video files that can be recorded with all available high-speed cameras as well as smartphone cameras. We recommend using
a high-speed camera by Chronos.
Supported video file formats for data extraction:
asf – ASF File
asx – ASX File
avi – AVI File
m4v – MPEG-4 Video
mov – QuickTime movie
mp4 – MPEG-4
mpg – MPEG-1
wmv – Windows Media Video
dng (folder) – CinemaDNG
Technical FAQ
Depending on the frame rate of your camera, a minimum frame rate FPS = 2 x fmax is required to capture the highest frequency of interest fmax.
Phones are sufficient for low frequency applications (current maximum 960 fps). Note: Phones might add a few seconds normal speed at start and end of a slow motion recording.
High framerates lead to low exposure times -> additional flicker free lighting required
Highspeed camera performance in Gpx/s (e.g. Chronos 1.4) trade off – frame rate vs. resolution
Edges and feature points help but are not essentiell
Use uncompressed video formats – cut video in WaveCam
Use angle e.g. 45° as only in plane vibrations are displayed for comparison with reference consider 90° rotation
Record different angles
Measurement time is limited by the RAM of the camera (reduce fps or resolution to increase)
Bottleneck is data transfer RAM->SD Card + processing time
How do the results compare to conventional methods?
Cross validation of amplitudes and frequency content with accelerometer and LDV
Cross validation of mode shapes using soundcam Mikado and nearfield acoustic holography (SONAH)
Videos
WaveCam – Video Vibration Vibration Analysis on Bridge Model
WaveCam is a vibration analysis software that visualizes vibrations with motion magnification and analyzes the data.
Changes in the vibration pattern can indicate damage to the structure. Analyze your vibration data in the time and frequency domain to monitor machines, buildings and structures. The results will help you detect damage faster increase productivity by reducing machine downtime or even improve the life of a product.
Wave Cam – Video Vibration Analysis of a Large Office Building in Tokyo
During a visit in Japan, a video of these large office building in Tokyo was taken. Using motion magnification with the WaveCam software, the vibrations were quickly made visible to the human eye. An easy solution for quick vibration analysis on buildings.
Video Vibration Analysis — Brake Test with Impulse Hammer WaveHitMAX and WaveCam
With the impulse hammer WaveHitMAX, a fully automatic, reproducible and highly precise excitation of the test object takes place without double hits. The high speed camera records the video data and the WaveCam vibration analysis software amplifies the motion so that the vibrations are fast and easily visible and evaluated. A fully automatic brake testing system with reproducible pulse excitation and full-surface vibration measurement.
WaveCam – Video Vibration Analysis with High-Speed Camera
Structural vibrations are often not visible to the human eye. With a high-resolution video recording and a motion magnification by our software WaveCam, you can visually understand the vibrations of the #brake disc yourself in this video.
WaveCam — Video Vibration Analysis on a Steel Frame
This is the easiest and fastest way to perform a vibration test on machines and installations. A video is created with a high speed camera. Using an algorithm in the WaveCam vibration analysis software, we amplify the vibration motion and then visualize and analyze the results.
WaveCam — Video Vibration Analysis of a Loudspeaker
We tested the entire measurement process on a loudspeaker. Never before has a vibration test been completed faster. The excitation was done with a sine sweep. The recorded video data was amplified in motion by software. The results are extremely precise compared to classic sensor systems.
WaveCam – Video Vibration Analysis on a Wind Turbine
What is visible on a small scale – as in the measurement on this Lego wind turbine – also works for real wind turbines. Measurements on energy plants can be carried out easily, quickly and without complex preparations. Motion magnifications through our WaveCam software make it possible to visualize vibrations in a way that the human eye cannot see.
WAVEIMAGE: Experimental Modal Analysis of a car rim
In this measurement example, we investigate the vibration properties of a car rim using the Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) module in WaveImage.
Our NVH engineer, Jan Heimann, hangs car rim freely in a frame to ensure the best possible vibration properties. The structure is excited by the automatic modal hammer WaveHit. The data of this vibration analysis is recorded via 3 laser Doppler vibrometers and gets analyzed in WaveImage. WaveImage offers the entire portfolio for vibration analysis, such as Operational Modal Analysis (OMA), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Operating Deflection Shapes (ODS) and other modules.
