Digitization of Analog Gauge Readings from Video Footage

Continuously checking analog gauges manually in high-voltage or high magnetic field environments is neither safe nor efficient. A computer algorithm has been developed to retrieve the position of the dial-pointer of analog gauges from laboratory camera footage. For circular dials, the image is mapped to a linear image and then the pixel position of the pointer is converted to a scale value using a calibration factor. The digitized reading can be logged, plotted, and accessed remotely, and alerts can be sent over the network depending on predetermined thresholds. The program is being implemented in the Centrifugal Mirror Fusion Experiment (CMFX) to digitize and log pressure readings of gauges on superconducting coils and compressors near high-voltage capacitors.