Chromaticity and image processing applied to determine the erosion area of vacuum interrupter contacts

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method using color theory and image processing to evaluate erosion on vacuum switch contacts, improving their performance and lifespan.

Contribution

A novel method for evaluating contact erosion using chromaticity and image processing in multiple color systems is proposed.

Findings

Area evaluation is achievable in RGB, HSI, HSL, and HSV color systems.

The HSV color system provides the highest accuracy with less than 3% error.

Abstract

The contact is the core component inside the vacuum switch arc extinguishing chamber. Studying the surface ablation phenomenon of the contact and evaluating the ablation area has an important impact on regulating the evolution of various physical fields in the vacuum arc extinguishing chamber, optimizing the performance of the vacuum arc extinguishing chamber, and extending its service life. This article proposes a method for evaluating the surface ablation area of vacuum switch contacts. This method is based on chromaticity theory and image processing technology. In the RGB, HSI, HSL, and HSV color systems, image feature analysis, pixel statistics, threshold cutting, edge enhancement, and area calculation methods are used to evaluate the ablation area of contact ablation images. Ten sets of test pieces are used for accuracy analysis. The experimental results show that area evaluation can be achieved in the RGB, HSI, HSL, and HSV color systems, and the evaluation accuracy is high in the HSV color system, with an evaluation error controlled within 3 %. This research method can provide evaluation methods and data support for extending the service life of vacuum switches, optimizing contact structures, and other related research.

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