ii EMBEDDED DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION IN A FULL-FIELD DISPLACEMENT SENSOR

iii This thesis presents an embedded implementation of the digital image correlation algorithm, which is used for measuring the full-field displacement of the surface of a structure under load. The main goal of this thesis is to develop technology needed for a portable sensing unit for calculating the full-field displacement. The portable sensing unit consists of an embedded microprocessor module, a low-cost webcam and a communication module. The digital image correlation algorithm is implemented on an embedded microprocessor module so that it is easily deployable in the field. The algorithm is written in the C language using fixed-point and floating-point mathematics. The system transmits the measured displacement of 36 surface points wirelessly to the base station via a Bluetooth communication link, which has a transmission range of up to 20 meters. The difference in the maximum correlation values measured using the DIC algorithm implemented in fixed-point mathematics and the DIC algorithm implemente