Picus Inspection File - Sorbus International
Contents
1. eeeeeesseeeseeeeeneeeennen ene 10 3 3 Mount the equipment on the tree ccc ceecceecceeeceeeceeeceeseeeseeeseeeseeeseeeseeesaeees 11 3 4 Measure the geometry at the measuring level eeeeeessseesessss 12 3 5 Resistance measurement c cccceecceeeceeeceeeceeeceueceueeeeeteuesueceeeseeseeeseeeteeesaeees 13 3 5 1 aeneral inorm atO issis NEENA 13 9 5 2 Treetronic configuration for PC software Q72 4 and later 14 3 9 3 EIT measuring POC CSS TT S 16 3 6 Calculate the Electrical Impedance Tomogram EIT suus 19 4 Software description i ccceiscctncscsxttscndducdenadosdenaaisbedadedcktancedsdsdedadsbsdenedsksdodedsbsdseedsesdedeesten 20 4 1 SANG UNIAN OM OO ONS NETTE 20 4 1 1 SMOOR eee ee eee eee eee ee 20 4 1 2 USES ANUS RI EE TT 21 4 1 3 olei ci TO TOT 21 4 2 Comparing EIT tomograms seesssssssssessesee nennen nnne nennen nnn rn 21 43 OH EN Tonne ez fa Siccscscsiesensteicseceapscantieas ice bea dsauteasiceceapasandeanacanceapasanteanacancenga 22 5 Interpretation PETITUM 23 5 1 How to read EI Tomograms cinciccdetecdcnceientizadeltendseadinesencetacd snndaecteadetendceadincdesaetendas 23 IA mec eee ere UT 26 9 2 1 BI Eogccsli dm a ee ae 26 5 2 2 Crack Bark inclusion or decay beech tre ccceccecseeeeceeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeees2. www argus electronic de 30 6 Additional remarks 6 1 Limitations The EIT data measured are ambiguous several resistance distributions in a tree can cause the same readings on the circumference Therefore the electric impedance measurements may not show the correct results in the following situations 1 Measurements close to ground level The EIT calculation assumes the infinite extension of the tree above and below the measuring level This condition can not be fulfilled when measuring close to the ground because the cylindrical cross section of the trunk develops into the root system beneath ground level However particularly in highly conductive wood near under ground level such as can be found in trees with a fungus infection this will be shown correctly 2 Hollow trees The remaining ring of wood is very conductive compared to the hollow centre of the tree The calculation may not be able to identify the cavity correctly the cavity should have high resistance if the distance between the measuring points is too large Examplei Tree diameter 1 meter Remaining wall thickness 10 cm Distance between MP 30 cm Result an EIT may fail to show the high resistance of the cavity correctly Example 2 Tree diameter 1 meter Remaining wall thickness 10 cm Distance between MP 5 10 cm Result the EIT will show the high resistance of the cavity 3 Water filled cavities A cavity filled with water could be shown with
3. This example shows the EIT of a Quercus robur oak www PiCUS Info com www PiCUS Info com EIT SoT In the EIT the blue ring high conductivity on the outside represents bark sapwood The blue high conductive centre 1 is caused by high concentration of ions These tomograms are typical for sound quercus robur trees Attention Other normal distributions can occur in different species In order to read an EIT correctly you must know the normal resistance distribution You will need experience for each tree species in order to interpret an EIT Recorded by argus electronic Rostock Germany 2009 www argus electronic de 24 There are some general rules that can be used to evaluate EIT and Sonic Tomogramms SoT in combination Case 1 High resistance inside high conductivity outside The table helps evaluate the centre of the tree Sonic velocity m s Resistance O m High brown High red Healthy High brown Low blue Still safe but early decay Low blue violet High red Cavity dead decay Low blue violet Low blue Case 2 Low resistance inside low conductivity outside The table helps to evaluate the centre of the tree Sonic velocity m s Resistance O m High brown Low blue Healthy Low blue violet Low blue Active decay Low blue violet High red Cavity dead decay There are exceptions to these guidelines depending on tree species type of
4. 1 The active fungus infection is very likely the relatively small blue area 2 By using a combination of both types of tomograms the decision was made NOT to fell the tree Recorded by Frits Gielissen The Netherlands 2008 www argus electronic de 27 5 2 3 Crack Bark inclusion or decay Sequoia Giganteum This Sequoia tree is in the municipal zoo of Rostock Germany It was planted in 1883 and is the oldest living organism in the entire zoo The SoT showed a large area through which the sonic waves could not travel But the tree also showed indications of cracks or and bark inclusions at many locations 1 Ut www PiCUS Info com SoT EIT EIT of a sound but very small Sequoia tree is 4 4 r f www PICUS Info com www PICUS Info com The crack detection function of the SoT indicated a high likelinood of cracks Thus the wood in between those cracks 2 was invisible to the sonic investigation The EIT of a sound sequoia on the right shows that the heartwood is usually highly conductive blue colour for these trees Using this information we were able to analyse the EIT of the large sequoia in the middle We were able to conclude that the slow velocity areas in between the possible cracks in the SoT 2 very likely consisted of intact wood because the conductivity seemed to be normal 3 The high resistance area 4 appeared to be a cavity www argus electronic de 28 5 2
5. 1 1 Electrical impedance tomography on trees Electric Impedance Tomography EIT also called electrical resistive tomography is an inspection method originally developed in the field of geophysics It uses electric voltage and current supplied by electrodes placed on the surface of the earth or in bore holes to locate anomalies in resistance due to underground water etc EIT methods were first applied to trees in 1998 by two geophysics Just and Jacobs The PiCUS Treetronic Tomograph uses the working principles of EIT to inspect the resistance of wood in trees Resistance can by influenced by water content cell structure ion concentration and other factors in wood Why should use the EIT inspection method Our original tomography instrument the PICUS Sonic Tomograph gives you information about how the wood in a certain tree transmits sonic waves It measures the sonic velocity which is determined by the relation between the modulus of elasticity MOE and wood density Because both MOE and density correlate strongly with the soundness of the wood sonic velocity is a good indicator of internal problems in trees Yet sonic tomography SoT cannot always answer all questions about the quality of the wood at the tomography level In some situations the sonic investigation is altered by the internal structure of the wood This makes it necessary to consider using an additional inspection method which relies on other aspects By combining
6. 4 Activity of fungus infection The example shows the SoT and EIT of a linden tree tilia cordata with fungus damage Bodies of fungus were observed near MP 4 to 8 Jt d 7 www PiCUS Info com www PiCUS Info com SoT EIT photo of the linden tree This example shows how different stages of decay are displayed Old dead decay is found around MP 5 6 7 8 Low sonic velocity AND high resistance 1 Active decay is shown by high conductivity 2 in the EIT and moderate sonic velocity compared with the advanced decay area Early stages of decay can be found above the yellow line 3 Sonic velocity is already decreased the wood is higher conductive higher moisture content but no defect is visible 5 2 5 Decay or cavity I The example shows the SoT and EIT of a linden tree tilia cordata The SoT shows slowly decreasing velocity from MP 7 8 9 towards the centre 4 represented by light brown colours In the EIT this area is shown with very high conductivity a clear indication of an active fungus growth Low sonic velocity and high resistance 5 show where the cavity is de www PiCUS Info com zt SoT EIT photo of the linden t cur a gt Eus ree Recorded by argus electronic Rostock Germany 2009 www argus electronic de 2 5 2 6 Decay or cavity II The example shows the SoT and EIT of a linden tree tilia cordata The SoT shows la
7. SoT and EIT which are based on different working principles we gain two different types of information about wood Using both sonic and resistance information enables you to make a more thorough analysis of a tree 1 2 Operational theory The electrical resistance and its reciprocal electrical conductivity are physical properties that allow you to make conclusions about the structure of objects Electrical resistance tomography is used to determine the spatial resistance distribution in a non destructive manner Low resistance can indicate increased moisture content whereas hollowed structures cause increased levels of resistance However in order to appraise the health and stability of trees based on resistance you need to have a lot of experience The measurements rely on point like electrodes nails placed around the boundary of an object A current is injected into the object with two of these electrodes The resulting electric field depends on the resistance distribution and is measured in pairs by the other electrodes in order to obtain a potential difference voltage The following figure shows the electric potential for homogeneous conductivity distribution in normal wood left In cases where there is an increased anomaly centre the potential lines are moved outwards and we observe increased voltage around the periphery If the anomaly is more conductive than the background right the potential lines are attracted and we see low
8. blue colours high conductive in the EIT www argus electronic de 91 6 2 Possible problems 6 2 1 Net generator The net generator calculates the net of triangles In rare cases the calculation of the net can fail This is due to misplacement of sensors The distance between MPx and MPy is too small and the distance between MPx and the centre of the tree is very different to the distance between MPy and the centre v MV Left Net generator works well The distance between the MP is small and the adjacent MP have approximately the same distance to the centre of the tree Right Net generator may fail The distance between the MP is small and the adjacent MP have very different distances to the centre of the tree The result is a tomogram like this The large triangles in the centre indicate a problem in one part of the reconstruction software In some case the problem can be solved if the net fineness Is set to 6 or 8 In general it is better to reposition the critical measuring points in this case 12 and 13 20 6 2 2 Bad data On large diameter trees with big cavities or other large defects the data quality can drop to a level where the tomogram does not give reliable results One indication for bad data quality is a red curve as shown in this example In this case you should try to enlarge the voltage level and repeat the measurements i 2 20 www argus electronic de 32 7 Safe
9. fungus etc High brown High red Dead dry solid wood inside no examples yet found www argus electronic de zu 5 2 Examples 5 2 1 Decay or cavity The example shows a 3 D electric Impedance Tomogram EIT left and a 3 D Sonic Tomogram SoT right of an apple tree with decay The source of the decay was an old branch that was cut off many years ago 165 cm 140 cm 110 cm 85 cm 30 cm EIT all slices drawn with same scale SoT 165 cm scan EIT high conductivity 1 blue area coincides with low sonic velocity 2 very wet material is in this region most likely active decay 140 85 cm scans decreasing conductivity EIT less blue damaged area in SoT is also decreasing 30 cm scan The SoT shows hardly any defects but the EIT shows increased conductivity 3 This may indicate another root related problem an early stage of decay Recorded by argus electronic Aubonne Switzerland 2008 www argus electronic de 26 5 2 2 Crack Bark inclusion or decay beech tree The example shows an SoT and an EIT of a beech with three trunks Bodies of fungus were found between MP 1 and 12 SOT 32 3 191 2 170 1 189 www PiCUS Info com www PiCUS Info com SoT EIT The SoT shows a large damaged area but there is probably bark inclusion between the three trunks This bark inclusion will interfere with the SoT The EIT shows the likely positions of the bark
10. trees larger than or smaller than 350 cm in circumference The column BM shows the set distance between B and M The column AB shows the distance between the A and B electrodes The column MN shows the distance between the M and N electrodes The V Level shows the voltage level set between A and B The Max BM dist used selection on the right allows you to chose the maximum distance between B and M This maximum can only be half the value of the total number of MP 12 at most for 24 MP The image on the right shows how the distance between MP B and MP M is counted the distance in between MP 2 B and MP 13 M is 11 MP The distance between MP 1 A and MP 14 N is 11 as well ee PiCUS program settings B M distance 11 MP MN V Level CCAP3HU 7 Max BM dist USED 4 191 1 E 14 N 13m 191 2 2 191 2 131 J 191 d 182 1 182 182 2 eae gl El El El El zl El 1 4 1 4 1 4 4 3 5 3 5 3 5 In screen shot of the measuring parameter window above you gt o see values for a tree larger than 300 cm There is no distinct circumference to switch to the adaptable setup In row 1 the default values for the distances between the electrodes 4 4 N 3 M B and M 1 determines the distance between A and B 1 and ne e 947 between M and N 1 The voltage level here is set at 4 1 1 A 2 B In row 8 the distance between B and M is 8
11. 005 to 2 4 Volt If the voltage measured is below 0 005 Volt try to use a higher voltage level If the voltage is greater than 2 3 Volt try to use a smaller voltage level High voltage current can cause an overrun on the Analogue to Digital converter ADU in the Treetronic In this case the current and voltage measured do not change any more Wrong values 0 Ampere and 2 5 Volt are shown In this case the Treetronic needs be turned off You will need to before continuing with the measurements roughly 20 minutes while the device recovers Wait until the measurements are done Press OK to close the measurement window File Save to save the measurement Run the calculation to see the results Click File gt Save again to save the tomogram calculated in the measuring file TreeTronic Attention Do not touch the tree or any of the wires while the measurements are being taken Voltages can reach up to 100 Volt www argus electronic de 18 3 6 Calculate the Electrical Impedance Tomogram EIT In order to calculate the EIT go to the main menu and click on Calculation Electrical Impedance Tomogram or click the icon 1 PICUS File Edit Measurement Calculation Configuration Mixer Window wi SB OBOG r MBIOKAAHEH f It can take between 5 to 60 seconds for the results to appear surement Calculation Configuration Mixer Window a 0697 OKAAN Click File save to save the tomogram sh
12. 27 5 2 3 Crack Bark inclusion or decay Sequoia Giganteum 28 0 2 4 Activity of fungus INFECTION ccccccecccecccecccececeecceeeceeeceeeceeeceeeceeeceeseaeenass 29 5 2 5 DEC Or CAV lim 29 5 2 6 DECAY Cl Cav ily U sssvidenusctdanerneriancumyidacumvianereseloncunielancwmadantumiatanermatancnnis 30 5 2 Decay in roots Kretschmaria Deusta on a beech tree 30 5 2 8 Decay in roots Meripilus Giganteus on a beech tree 90 6 Additional FOMIAIK NITET E EO 31 s MEME iei 91 SP MES eile Meo fole NETT 32 6 2 1 NCTO MO O MT T OO D 92 6 2 2 Bad d t MN 32 7 Safety information and general NINtS ccccccccsecceseeeeceeeeseeeeseeseseeeeeseeesseeesaeeesees 93 8 Technical INFOPMATION 0 ccecceeccnecceeeeneeeneeeneeeneeeneeeneeseesseeseeeseeeseeeseeeseeeseeeneeeneeenes 34 9 1 JAccumulators and charging uacua iui orta Lor notera ao unen uve t ando netini iaaii 94 8 1 1 Changing the accumulator eseeesseesseeeseeee nennen nnns 94 P EE K egiate Eslereiieue d E UTTT 35 9 Abbreviations rss ateirase ciate se atcramstsesianenipee Um m 35 10 Contact information eessessssssssseseeeeen enne nnne nennen nnns nnn nnns nasse nnne ans 35 WWW argus electronic de 2 1 Introduction
13. 9 322 www argus electronic de info argus electronic de Author of this manual Lothar G cke email Lothar goecke argus electronic de Date 04 February 2010 www argus electronic de zn
14. B Volt MN In this window click on e Voltage level AB gt Same to all 1 This causes the program to use the same voltage for all measurements The option Individual allows you to use different voltages depending on the distance between the points AB and MN e Select a low voltage level at the beginning Start with voltage level 4 2 if the sensor distance is gt 10 cm e Push the button Set Parameter and ABMN config 3 to generate the measuring plan The measuring plan is now shown in the table 4 Turn the PICUS power supply The LED on the Treetronic should flash twice Click on the tabulator Automatic Open the COM port 5 Press Start 6 to start the measurement The measurement starts after 3 seconds Most of the time both Amp AB and Volt MN indicators should be shown in green or E yellow colours If they appear more in red colours you will need to change the voltage level oT www argus electronic de 16 PC Software Q72 4 distributed as of 2010 opens the following window In addition to the window above the distance between AB and BM can be adapted 1 before the button Set Parameter 2 is pushed Proceed as follows e Adapt AB and MN distances and voltage level if needed in the table 1 Select a low voltage level at the beginning Start with voltage level 4 if the sensor distance is 10 cm e Push the button Set Parameter and ABMN config 2 to generate the measuri
15. MP EIT using 10 MP Values 3 cm Values 5 cm www PiCUS a Photo of sapwoo The largest tree ever tested was a Sequoia Sempervirens which was more than 5 meters in diameter The bigger the tree is the more measuring points MP are needed Each Treetronic device has 24 channels If you need to set more MP you can link up to three Treetronic devices together Note In order to detect measure the size of outer layers such as bark sapwood the distance between MP should coincide with the thickness of the layer expected www argus electronic de 8 3 2 3 Installing the nails e You always need an even number of MP to take EIT measurements e henails must be touching the wood itself Make sure that nails are longer than the thickness of the bark so that they penetrate past the outer bark COE e Nails must not be rusty Rust can electrically insolate the nail and block the measurements e Tap inthe nails for your measuring points along an imaginary straight horizontal line 3 2 4 Placing MP in decayed areas When taking EIT measurements you will need to place MP in damaged areas as well This is different than when taking sonic measurements SoT For EIT you will want to have MP positions which are equidistant MP should also be placed in damaged areas because the altered properties of the damaged wood can be detected better this way TreeTronic I2 TreeTronic www argus elect
16. Measure the geometry at the measuring level section 3 4 Resistance measurement section 3 5 Calculate the tomogram section 3 6 ee a The following sub sections describe these different procedures Note Check that all batteries PICUS power supply PiCUS Calliper Laptop PC have sufficient voltage BEFORE you leave your office 3 2 Determine the level number and positions of measuring points 3 2 1 General notes Before starting to work on a tree you must decide e at which level you wish to measure e where to place the measuring points MP and e how many points to use Look for external signs of internal defects such as fungus growth cracks cavities damaged bark etc Use all of your knowledge about trees and diseases and choose the measuring level according to your visual assessment of the tree You should also examine the tree near ground level as many types of fungus grow from the root system upwards into the trunk 3 2 2 Number of measuring points The more MPs used the better the results will be The distance between MP should be roughly the same all around the circumference The number of MP and distance between them determines the level of resolution of the El Tomogram The resolution in the centre of the trunk is lower than on the edges The maximum distance between MP 20 25 cm The minimum distance between MP 1cm The actual distance between MP can be larger than 25 cm but resolution aroun
17. PiCUS Tree Inspection Instruments PiCUS Treetronic Electrical Impedance Tomograph for trees PC software version Q72 x February 2010 argus electronic gmbh Joachim Jungius StraBe 9 18059 Rostock Germany Tel 49 0 381 4059 324 www argus electronic de Table of contents MA sine eile am 3 1 1 Electrical impedance tomography on tre S ccceccceeceseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeneeenees 3 IF ODUNA OY ea T T mmm 3 2 PiCUS Treetronic technical notes ccccececeeeceeseeeseeeseeseseseeseeeeeseeesensesenseseneeeeaes 5 2 1 Contents of measuring C36 re oer tono rete neta nsa trente cor ono ren xu Ead ae 5 2 2 Conditions for taking measurements ccccececeeeceeeeceeeeseeseeeeseeeeeeeeseeeeseeeeaeeess 5 Ae ECTO NNI 6 3 MeasuremeniS sesmaria aeaa eee eee eee eee eee 7 SEE 101 162 OVC NER 7 3 2 Determine the level number and positions of measuring points 7 3 2 1 General NOTES eee eeeccceecccceeeeceeeeseeeeceecesseeeeseecessaeeeseeeeseeeeeseeeesseeeseeeessneeeas 7 3 2 2 Number of measuring points ccccceececeeeeeeeeceeeeseeeseueeceeeeeeesaueeseeesaneeseees 7 3 2 3 Installing the NAIS cc ecceecceeeceeeceeeeeeeseeeceeesaeeseeesseesaeeseeeseeeseeeseeeneeeneeenes 9 3 2 4 Placing MP in decayed areas cccccseccceeeecseeceeeeseeeeseeeeueeseeesueeseueeseeesaes 9 3 2 5 Selecting the measuring level
18. US power supply if the batteries are not connected 8 1 1 Changing the accumulator If the accumulator battery pack needs to be replaced please proceed as follows Turn off the PiCUS unit and disconnect all devices and cables from the power supply Remove the soft cover Disconnect the cable from the old accumulator Connect the new accumulator o qw ce www argus electronic de 94 8 2 Technical specifications The PiCUS Power supply can be used for the Treetronic as well Power supply Charging unit at 100 240 V AC 50 Hz Type of Accumulator NiMH 3800 mAh Accu power As the accumulators get older the number of charging discharging procedures reduces the capacity Charging time max 4 hours no overloading due to automatic turn off Power consumption of Treetronic approx 190 mA power supply approx 150 mA Time of operation at 20 C 0 C 8h 3 5h Note Technical specifications are subject to change without notice 9 Abbreviations d diameter of the tree EIT Electric Impedance Tomography or Tomogram Electric current MOE Modulus of Elasticity MP Measuring Point SoT sonic Tomography or Sonic Tomogram U Voltage Qm Physical unit the EIT is showing Ohm meter 10 Contact information The PiCUS Treetronic was developed by argus electronic gmbh argus electronic gmbh Joachim Jungius Str 9 18059 Rostock Germany Tel 49 0 381 40 59 324 Fax 49 0 381 40 5
19. and the distance B M distance 1 MF between A and B is thus 1 the distance between M and N is 3 and 19 N Nn 10 M the voltage level is set at 5 2 o c When a new measuring file is opened the table displays the default N values which are accurate in most cases If the measurement J quality is not very good you can alter these values using the drop J down buttons in each column These settings can also be changed in the measuring window e shown in the following sections 1 A 2 B B M distance 8 MP M N distance 3 MP www argus electronic de 15 3 5 3 EIT measuring process To run the EIT measurement proceed as follows 1 Measurement Electric Tomography measurement or click the icon File Edit Measurement Calculation Configuration Mixer Window 7 wb BOBO ROKAAR t to open the measuring window Enter a name for the new Treetronic file PC Software Q71 9 to Q72 3 distributed through 2009 opens the following measuring window Automatic Select COM Port PiCUS M Configuration of measuring Parameter ABMN Measuring plan r cout v J Open Connect COM 5 Voltage level AB a ir Generate ABMN plan Same to all 1 4 2 C Individual Load ABMN plan Voltage level 1 12 mAB Voltage CCAPH Set Parameter and ABMN config 3 Max 115 Min 220 apply to all Start 6 Delete values MV Autoscroll 0 0 Volt AB Amp A
20. ce levels of all files In our example it is Minimum 23 Om Maximum 450 Om Click on each file opened un check the Automatic option in the colour scale and type in these boundary values When the Automatic option is selected all tomograms will use a different scale Re calculate all files Save each file in order to store the calculated EITs in the files Start the 3 D window File New 3 D view of Electric Impedance Tomograms Select all files where images been re calculated Press the 3 D button to see the twisting tomogram F1 shows options You can change the view the angle etc EIT 1 was calculated in Autoscale colour mode All tomograms use the full colour scale from dark blue to dark red EIT 2 4 3 were calculated using the same resistance range variations between levels become visible 1 EIT 1 EIT2 EIT 3 To save the images proceed as follows 1 e 3 Push s to stop the motion Push p to copy the current screen into the 3 D project window Close the 3 D window Right click in the right window to open an on screen menu Select save to save the image Alternatively the alt print keys can be used to copy the current screen into the window clipboard From here it can be pasted into other image processing programs www argus electronic de 22 5 Interpretation 5 1 How to read El Tomograms The main aspect of interpreting EITs is the distribution o
21. d the edges of the trunk is limited Sapwood cannot be found if distance between the MP is too large In many cases it is best to use twice as many MP as you would use for SoT measurements www argus electronic de 7 Example The SoT measurement required 10 MP the average MP distance was 20cm The EIT will require between 10 and 20 MP The number of MP can easily be doubled by placing an additional nail between two SoT nails If you use only 10 MP for the EIT the accuracy around the edges of the trunk will be lower although the centre of the tree will have approximately the same resolution Example The sapwood thickness is estimated to be around 5 cm The EIT tomogram will need MP set at a distance of 4 to 8 cm in order to display the thickness correctly The tomograms below demonstrate this case The 10MP EIT used a MP distance of 9 10 cm The thickness of the high conductive blue ring can be measured in the tomogram 5 cm By doubling the number of MP and creating a 20MP EIT the MP distance was decreased to 24 5 cm The 20MP EIT determines a blue ring thickness of 3 cm The actual size of the high conductive ring shown in the photo on the right is between 2 and 3 cm Lut r NS 7 l 3 dn WIE M tivi ds A VUE DN 4 i al hes DRT d TEN v yr M y g HAS d NA a Any es b xU p UN PP Ma A E ANT NUS Aa A gt j T 7 1111 144 4 33 20 2 1 7 g 115 1 EIT using 20
22. de survey used determines the reliability and resolution The more accurate and dense our measurements the better we are able to determine the resistance distribution It is also necessary to measure the shape of the tree accurately in order to obtain accurate results The colours in the El Tomograms represent values in the unit Ohm meter www argus electronic de A 2 PiCUS Treetronic technical notes 2 1 Contents of measuring case This photo shows the Treetronic instrument in the transporting case We recommend always using the PiCUS Treetronic together with the PiCUS Sonic Tomography unit This allows you to power the Treetronic with the PICUS power supply If you wish to use the Treetronic in a stand alone mode you will need an additional PICUS power supply which you can place in the empty square on the left in this case The measuring case contains the following items Qty Item 1 Treetronic instrument 4 Measuring cables 1 6 7 12 13 18 19 24 2 2 pieces of 6 in one extension cables 1 User manual 1 Power supply optional 1 AC DC Converter Charger with cable optional 1 USB cable optional 1 otrap optional CONOORWND Extension cables The length of the black red cables may be too short to measure larger trees Use the extension cables to reach the distant measuring points Connect the extension cables as shown here 2 2 Conditions for taking measurements Trees change their moistu
23. e 10 3 3 Mount the equipment on the tree Mount the equipment on the tree as shown in the photo below Make sure that the cables of the Treetronic are connected to the correct nails Note Incorrect setup will result in invalid data It is impossible to repair data afterwards Attention Sonic sensors should not be connected to the nails when the EIT measurements are performed The voltage of the Treetronic could damage the sonic sensors Srna in i5 Ry x n Ee Y vi VIR lou 34 bu gw y M x Ew c E MSS gt p iT v M Katy Proceed as follows 1 Mount the Treetronic instrument to the tree near measuring point MP number 1 2 Be sure you have removed all sonic sensors from the nails to avoid damaging them 3 Connect the electrodes to the nails Electrode number 1 is connected to MP 1 etc If you have taken a sonic reading before check that that MP1 of your SoT coincides with MP 1 of the EIT measurement If you do not need all electrodes of a connector keep the unused electrodes on the spooling frame 4 Connect the Treetronic to the PiCUS power supply with the long 7 pin PiCUS Data cable Attention Do not connect the electrodes with one another Also do not mount more than one electrode to a nail www argus electronic de SLE 3 4 Measure the geometry at the measuring level In most cases you will have recorded a PiCUS Sonic Tomogram before taking Electrical I
24. er resistance I current is applied and measured U Voltage is measured Please see the PiCUS Sonic Tomograph manual for more information www argus electronic de zo After all measurements are taken the resistance distribution is reconstructed The main problem in using a numerical solution to describe the interior resistance from the measured voltages is the ambiguity i e a variety of models can be used to explain the data By introducing additional constraints e g demanding a smooth model we can restrict such ambiguity and yield a unique solution This procedure is a non linear reconstruction solved iteratively as shown in the following scheme Measured geam ety Tree topography Param etern zation Measured data Solve inverse subproblerm Simulate measurement fl LT With smoothness Finite E lement adellina Check for convergence First the geometry is described and the domain is disjointed parameterised into pieces of constant resistance In the course of iterations the values are subsequently altered and used to simulate a measuring cycle As soon the simulated values agree with the observed values the model can be displayed with a coloured distribution This is done for the two anomalies we saw earlier conductive left and resistive right 4 1 1 0 5 0 x m 1 1 0 5 0 xim 1 Ohmm 7 NN o MN 7 CM 1 58 2 51 3 98 6 31 10 10 12 6 15 8 20 25 1 31 6 39 8 The electro
25. f high and low conductive areas You are looking to see where high resistance is and where low resistance is This information needs to be compared with the normal resistance distribution in sound trees of this particular species The actual value of the resistance given in a tomogram is less important and less accurate due to the ambiguity of the measuring method Due to the nature of trees there are several major resistance distributions 1 Higher conductivity low resistance blue colours on the outside and high resistance low conductivity red colours towards the inside of the tree This EIT shows the normal resistance distribution of a sound beech tree The heartwood of beech trees is less conductive higher resistance than the edge of the tree The blue the ring on the outside shows the bark sapwood 1 for water transportation 2 Low conductivity higher resistance red colours on the outside and low resistance high conductivity blue colours towards the inside of the tree The EIT of a sound sequoia giganteum tree shows a high conductive centre 3 blue colours The bark sap wood is less conductive 4 red colours The absolute values of the sapwood indicate that the wood is conductive because of the moisture content it is not dry but it is less conductive than the heartwood www PiCUS Info com www argus electronic de zt 3 Ring like resistance distribution
26. mpedance measurements Thus the first nails are already in place and the geometry has been recorded If the geometry has not yet been recorded please read the section Geometry in the PICUS Sonic Tomograph manual or in the Calliper manual As noted earlier it is often best simply to double the number of measuring point used for the SoT measurements To do so proceed as follows 1 Start the PiCUS program 2 Click on File New Electrical Impedance Tomogram to open a new Treetronic file One of the options allows you to use a file from the sonic tomograph extension pit in order to import the geometry File New Electrical Impedance Tomogram Use Tree data from pit file 3 If the geometry does not exist create a new geometry using Measurement Tree Geometry Be Edt Mesorevert Configzmen Enema 4 Electric impedance measurements give better results if many MP are used so you should use as many points as possible When using the geometry of an existing sonic file pit tt often makes sense to simply double the number of MP Click on Pious Be fot Hunremnt Conhgurati n frestra 2 an TS I Measurement Tree Geometry 2 x MP in order to double the number of MP This function doubles the number of measuring points by placing a new MP in between all of the old MP The old number MP1 is also the new MP1 A new nail needs to be placed between the old MP nails In many cases the accurac
27. ng plan The measuring plan is now shown in the table 3 e Open the COM port 4 e Press Start 5 to start the measurement e he measurement starts after 6 seconds Select COM Port PiCUS Open Connect coms mmi S 4 Configuration of measuring Parameter AB Voltage CCAPH E 220 Min 1 Max 12 apply to all 2 Max BM dist USED y 191 y 191 BAIRE y 191 zw Doa 182 182 0 288 Volt AB Amp AB Volt MN 0 0024491 0 0016734 0 0016705 0 0016759 0 0016775 0 001674 0 0016747 0 0016782 0 0016753 0 0016715 0 0016744 0 0016747 Attention 0 75851 6 0 76385 6 1 14562 6 1 14517 6 1 17103 6 1 17225 6 1 17225 6 1 17240 6 1 16668 6 1 17080 6 1 17271 6 1 16943 6 1 16905 6 1 16867 6 0 78048 6 3 0 0024453 0 75958 0 0024503 0 76164 0 0024542 0 002444 0 0016709 0 0016734 0 0016763 0 0016715 0 0016721 0 0016769 0 0016782 0 0016775 0 0016728 0 001674 1 14364 1 14181 1 17103 1 17279 1 17134 1 17126 1 16935 1 17141 1 17393 1 16905 1 17141 1 16973 0 0016734 0 77919 TreeTronic Do not touch the cables or the tree while the measurements are running There is a risk of electric shock while current is present www argus electronic de 17 10 Pay attention to the following hints when the measurement is in progress PiCUS Treetronic Measurement E x Automatic r Select COM Port PiCUS Configura
28. nteum circumference at the measuring level is 810cm The sonic data SoT raised the suspicion that there could be significant cracks The EIT calculated with smoothing 1 meaning very sharp interpretation of data shows the likely positions of the cracks most clearly These positions coincide with those calculated in the SoT www PICUS Info com www PICUS Info com Smoothness 20 Smoothness 1 Smoothness 3 www argus electronic de 20 4 1 2 Mesh fineness The cross section of the tree is displayed in the EIT with a network of small triangles Mesh fineness specifies the number of triangles between two MP along the circumference Calculation time increases with rising mesh fineness The standard value is 4 The tomogram must be re calculated before any changing of the mesh fineness takes effect www PiCUS Info com www PiCUS Info com www PiCUS Info com Mesh 2 Mesh 4 Mesh 8 4 1 3 Colour scale There are two ways of using colour in the El Tomogram 1 Automatic is checked the colours scale is stretched between the lowest and highest resistance of the file calculated Dark reds are assigned to the highest resistance levels dark blues are assigned to lowest resistance calculated Sound trees of certain species may have a small variation in resistance across the cross section for instance only 30 Ohm meter With the Automatic option even these tomograms will show the full colour scale from red to blue 2 Au
29. own in TT the file When re loading the file the tomogram is shown without re calculating The El Tomogramms are scaled with rainbow colours Blues indicate areas of low impedance high water content etc Increasing impedance Reds indicate areas of high impedance lower water content etc www argus electronic de 19 4 Software description 4 1 Calculation options To access the calculation options click on Configuration Settings Calculation PiCUS program settings DE General Owner Calculation Hardware Smooth tree shape Set this check to draw the edge of the cross section with a round curve rather than a polygon General v Smooth tree shape 3 Smoothness 20 default 4 v Mesh fineness 4 default M Colour Scale MV Automatic 55 Minimal Resistor Dhra m B2 Maximal Resistor Dhm m 4 1 1 Smoothness The smoothness level determines how many details are shown in the EIT Low smoothness values 1 3 10 will display more details than larger values 100 but they may also suffer more from measuring errors Smoothness level 20 the default is a well balanced value The data quality is high when the EIT calculated with low smoothness values 1 3 10 is similar to EIT calculated using larger values 20 30 The tomogram must be re calculated before any changing of the smoothness value takes effect The example shows the data of a Sequoia Giga
30. re content continuously over the course of the year but experience shows us that the relation between low impedance areas and high impedance areas remains approximately constant This means that areas of relative high conductivity such as the ring of sapwood and bark shown in blues in an EIT are more conductive than the dryer heartwood in spring summer www argus electronic de ue autumn and winter The heartwood of the tree is less conductive throughout the year and is therefore shown in reds However the absolute values of the resistance calculated can vary Each tree species has its own typical resistance distribution and it is important to know the normal resistance distribution of a certain tree species in order to read an El Tomogram Temperatures near and below zero degrees Celsius can make an electrical impedance tomogram EIT more difficult to understand We recommend not using the EIT unit during or after periods of frost 2 3 Electrodes In general you can use any type of conductive metal electrodes to take EIT measurements We recommend electrical galvanized nails which can be used for taking both sonic and electric impedance measurements www argus electronic de 6 3 EIT Measurements 3 1 General notes There are several steps involved in taking a PiCUS Treetronic measurement 1 Determine the level number and positions of measuring points section 3 2 Mount equipment on the tree section 3 3
31. rge green areas in many parts of the tree 1 In the EIT this area is shown with high conductivity blue colours a clear indication of active fungus growth Low sonic velocity and high resistance 2 show dead old decay the beginning TiO5 187 cm www PiCUS Info com SoT EIT Photo of the trunk www PiCUS Info com 5 2 Decay in roots Kretschmaria Deusta on a beech tree The SoT of this beech shows a typical pattern for a fungus infection the centre of the trunk does NOT have the darkest colours e g highest sonic velocity The EIT clearly shows the high conductive centre 1 a typical indication for fungus activity The EIT on the right shows the typical resistance distribution of a sound beech tree lt i 1 15 aj jue 1 16 14 2749 1 1 its healthy beech tree SoT 5 cm above ground EIT 5 cm EIT of 5 2 8 Decay in roots Meripilus Giganteus on a beech tree The root system of the beech was infected by Meripilus Giganteus The 20 cm sonic scan did not show any defects The EITs at 20cm and 120cm measuring levels indicate high conductivity in the centre of the trunk 1 Sound beech trees are supposed to have less conductive centres red colours in EIT than the EIT in section 5 2 7 above shows 12 cS www PICUS Info com UR IMS Am t jo x SoT 20cm above ground EIT Meripilus Giganteus fruiting bodies
32. ronic de eos 3 2 5 Selecting the measuring level The electric field is 3 dimensional and the El calculation presupposes a vertical extension of the tree below and above the measuring level to a minimum of the diameter of the tree The measuring level may be placed at any height but the calculations will be most accurate when the distance between the measuring level and the root or fork etc is 0 5 to 1 times the diameter of the tree Please see these examples team gt d k a em D Vili In general measurements near the roots should be at least 20 to 40 cm above ground level This is different from sonic measurements which can and sometime should be taken as close to ground level as possible 208 cm The example on the left shows a series of Treetronic EI Tomograms taken on a sound Aesculus hippocastanum Horse chestnut measured at several levels The blue colours 1 indicate lower impedance in the centre of the tree The impedance of the centre gets higher at the upper levels so the moisture content may be lower The wet wood core is typical for horse chestnut trees and does not indicate a problem The resistance contrast ranges from 20 Ohm m to 250 Ohm m The 25 cm bottom tomogram and the 208 cm measurement top tomogram infringe upon the above rule but the result is very likely correct as it shows same pattern as at other levels 5 cm www argus electronic d
33. tion of measuring Parameter ABMN Measuring plan c OM4 v Open Connect COM Voltage level AB a id Generate ABMN plan Same to all 2 zl 4 E C Individual Load ABMN plan Voltage level 1 12 AB Voltage CCAPH Set Parameter and ABMN config 115 Max 115 Min 220 apply to all Start Delete values v Autoscroll 2 60 2 3 Volt AB Amp AB Volt MN e ok od ok Njo n3 1 115 ak na 115 115 115 115 115 Mo B M N VCCH I Level l U g 1 1 2 3 4 115 00012799 1 55998 115 0 0012776 1 55662 2 2 3 4 5 1155 lo D 115 D E 3 3 4 5 6 115 D 4 4 5 6 7 115 5 5 6 7 8 115 6 6 7 8 9 115 7 7 8 9 10 115 5 8 8 9 11 115 g 9 115 ooo cv cc cc co Co CoO CO CLD ooo 7c cc Cc co coco CoO oO 0 ceioljiojojoijjjjejjejaelo ooo cv TF CO CF co co Co CoO oO o oooccc cc cc cc o Fo mom n Cancel OK If the current indicator Amp AB 2 and volt indicator Volt MN 3 appear red often the current voltage can be checked in the table The AB current is shown in the column I 1 in Ampere and should range approximately from 0 001 to 0 013 Ampere If the AB current is smaller try using a higher voltage level 4 If the current indicator Amp AB 2 is on the upper level try using a lower voltage level The MN Voltage is shown in column U 5 in Volt and should vary from 0
34. tomatic is un checked Dark red colours are assigned to the maximal resistor value Dark blues are assigned to the minimal resistor value Resistance larger than the maximal resistor value will also be drawn in dark red resistance lower than the minimal resistor will be shown in dark blue 4 2 Comparing EIT tomograms The same EIT calculation options should be applied to all files recorded on a tree in order to compare measurements with each other Mesh fineness and Smoothness factors should be kept at a fixed level The smoothing level 20 is a good value which will work for most situations www argus electronic de 21 4 3 3 D EIT Tomograms In order to calculate 3 D tomograms of a tree the measurements at each level need to be calculated using similar calculation options Please refer to section 4 14 Proceed as follows 1 2 Close all files Select calculation options for the EIT calculation Configuration Settings Calculation For instance Smoothness 4 Mesh 6 Colour scale Automatic Open all files recorded on the tree and run the calculations Write down the minimum and maximum resistance recorded shown in the legend of each EIT Example 20 cm scan minimal resistance 23 Om maximal resistance 318 Om 60 cm scan minimal resistance 46 Om maximal resistance 290 Om 60 cm scan minimal resistance 39 Om maximal resistance 450 Om Identify the minimum and maximum resistan
35. ty information and general hints Do not touch nails electrodes or the tree during El measurements Voltages of up to 100 Volt are possible Before taking measurements with the Treetronic remove all sonic sensors from the nails The voltage of the Treetronic can destroy the sonic sensors TreeTronic Do not connect the electrodes with one another Do not mount more than one electrode to each nail www argus electronic de Eg 8 Technical information 8 1 Accumulators and charging Note Do not store accumulator batteries when they are completely empty If they are totally discharged the end of the charging process may not be detected correctly and will be terminated after only 15 minutes Disconnect the charger wait for 10 seconds and the reconnect the charger to restart the charging process The charging time is now 4 6 hours To charge accumulators proceed as follows 1 Connect the AC DC converter supplied to a power socket Connect the DC plug to the PiCUS charging socket 2 The charging LED displays a green light when charging Accumulators can also be charged while taking measurements 3 he accumulators are fully loaded when the charge LED is off Depending on the accumulator status this can take up to 6 hours Do not forget to charge your PC PocketPC before going out to take measurements Warning Do NOT operate the PiCUS unit without the batteries connected The charger MUST not be connected to the PiC
36. ware Q72 4 and later 3 5 2 1 ab Hardware selection There are two firmware versions of the Treetronic devices the software in the device which controls all functions The first version was supplied through 2009 and the subsequent version Version 12 is valid as of 2010 You will need this newer Version 12 in order to operate two or more Treetronic devices in tandem Before the Treetronic can be used you will have to indicate the firmware version you are using in the configuration window 1 This must be done for every PC you use with the unit PiCUS program settings ms Resistor 1200hm Instruction Set Single Treetronic box valid through 2009 z Allocation Treetronic s Ol os Di on A wl ho Wl oO sy Di oO A wl ho 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 O O lc The Allocation map specifies how the electrodes are mapped when two or more Treetronics e g more than 24 MP are used www argus electronic de 14 3 5 2 2 Measuring parameters The electrode distribution can be specified using the tab Measuring parameter image below This table shows the standard measurements or settings that occur and allows you to enter your own values as necessary This table shows the distances between the points of the AB electrodes and the MN electrodes The distances can vary according to the space between the B and M electrodes The Measuring plan allows you to chose between
37. y of the geometry recorded this way will be good enough However in some cases you will need to record the geometry correctly The screen looks like this www argus electronic de 12 3 5 Resistance measurement 3 5 1 General information When taking measurements voltage is applied to two electrodes These electrodes are A and B This voltage causes an electric current to flow through A to B and this current is measured At the same time the voltage between two other electrodes M and N is measured The points where the current is put in AB and the point where the voltage is measured MN change continuously im vt SN 4 N 4 M 3 M e 3 B WE 2 B ES 2 A Ts V 5 N oN 5M 4 M 2 o n gt 3 B WP 2B WWE 2 A 1 A On large diameter trees 350 cm circumference this electrode distribution scheme might have to be changed The measuring data will be more stable if a larger distance between M an N electrode is used as can be seen here Up to three Treetronic devices can be used in tandem if the number of MP exceeds 24 The number of measuring points specified determines the number of Treetronic boxes used Each Treetronic has 24 channels In case there are 36 measuring points the channel distribution is like this Treetronic 1 Address 71 will cover MP 1 to 24 Treetronic 2 Address 72 will cover MP 25 to 36 www argus electronic de 13 3 5 2 Treetronic configuration for PC soft
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