System for viscosity determination via thin-film image processing

A system for measuring viscosity, comprising:

• an imaging module (8) including an imaging system (10) configured to capture real-time images of a liquid smear (1) on a substrate (2);
• a computational module (12) operatively connected to the imaging system (10), configured to process the captured images to determine a smear length (7) and analyze intensity variations along the smear length;
• a processing unit configured to calculate the viscosity of the liquid based on the smear length (7) and the intensity gradient, using models that correlate these parameters to a capillary number;
• a user interface (13) configured to display the calculated viscosity in real time;
• a base module (9) designed to securely hold the substrate (2) in place during image capture.

A method for measuring viscosity, comprising:

• capturing real-time images of a liquid smear (1) on a substrate (2) using an imaging system (10);
• processing the captured images with a computational module (12) to determine a smear length (7) by identifying starting and ending points of the smear using user inputs or an edge detection algorithm (5);
• analyzing intensity variations along the smear length to determine an intensity gradient;
• calculating the viscosity of the liquid using a processing unit, based on:
• the smear length (7) using a model that correlates the smear length to a capillary number, or
• the intensity gradient using a model that correlates the intensity gradient to a thickness gradient, which is a function of the capillary number;
• and
• displaying the calculated viscosity in real-time on a user interface (13).

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a device to perform a method for measuring viscosity, the method comprising:

• capturing real-time images of a liquid smear (1) on a substrate (2) using an imaging system (10);
• processing the captured images to determine a smear length (7) by identifying starting and ending points of the smear using user inputs or an edge detection algorithm (5);
• analyzing intensity variations along the smear length to determine an intensity gradient;
• calculating the viscosity of the liquid based on:
• the smear length (7) using a model that correlates the smear length to a capillary number, or
• the intensity gradient using a model that correlates the intensity gradient to a thickness gradient, which is a function of the capillary number;
• and
• displaying the calculated viscosity in real-time on a user interface (13).

A computer program product for measuring viscosity, the product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

• capturing real-time images of a liquid smear (1) on a substrate (2) using an imaging system (10);
• processing the captured images to determine a smear length (7) by identifying starting and ending points of the smear using user inputs or an edge detection algorithm (5);
• analyzing intensity variations along the smear length to determine an intensity gradient;
• calculating the viscosity of the liquid based on:
• the smear length (7) using a model that correlates the smear length to a capillary number, or
• the intensity gradient using a model that correlates the intensity gradient to a thickness gradient, which is a function of the capillary number;
• and
• displaying the calculated viscosity in real-time on a user interface (13).