Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Imaging System Camera”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

An electronic pan/tilt/zoom camera system

A small camera system is described for remote viewing applications that employs fisheye optics and electronics processing for providing pan, tilt, zoom, and rotational movements. The fisheye lens is designed to give a complete hemispherical FOV with significant peripheral distortion that is corrected with high-speed electronic circuitry. Flexible control of the viewing requirements is provided by a programmable transformation processor so that pan/tilt/rotation/zoom functions can be accomplished without mechanical movements. Images are presented that were taken with a prototype system using a CCD camera, and 5 frames/sec can be acquired from a 180-deg FOV. The image-tranformation device can provide multiple images with different magnifications and pan/tilt/rotation sequences at frame rates compatible with conventional video devices. The system is of interest to the object tracking, surveillance, and viewing in constrained environments that would require the use of several cameras.

Zimmermann, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2015

Real Time Fatigue Damage Growth Assessment of a Composite Three-Stringer Panel Using Passive Thermography

Fatigue testing of advanced composite structures is critical to validate both structural designs and damage prediction models. In-situ inspection methods are necessary to track damage onset and growth as a function of load cycles. Passive thermography is a large area, noncontact inspection technique that is used to detect composite damage onset and growth in real time as a function of fatigue cycles. The thermal images are acquired in synchronicity to the applied compressive load using a dual infrared camera acquisition system for full (front and back) coverage. Image processing algorithms are investigated to increase defect contrast areas. The thermal results are compared to non-immersion ultrasound inspections and acoustic emission data.

Zalameda, Joseph N.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Speaking Volumes About 3-D

In 1999, Genex submitted a proposal to Stennis Space Center for a volumetric 3-D display technique that would provide multiple users with a 360-degree perspective to simultaneously view and analyze 3-D data. The futuristic capabilities of the VolumeViewer(R) have offered tremendous benefits to commercial users in the fields of medicine and surgery, air traffic control, pilot training and education, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, and military/battlefield management. The technology has also helped NASA to better analyze and assess the various data collected by its satellite and spacecraft sensors. Genex capitalized on its success with Stennis by introducing two separate products to the commercial market that incorporate key elements of the 3-D display technology designed under an SBIR contract. The company Rainbow 3D(R) imaging camera is a novel, three-dimensional surface profile measurement system that can obtain a full-frame 3-D image in less than 1 second. The third product is the 360-degree OmniEye(R) video system. Ideal for intrusion detection, surveillance, and situation management, this unique camera system offers a continuous, panoramic view of a scene in real time.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

Imaging experiment - The Viking Mars Orbiter.

The general objectives of the imaging experiment on the Viking Orbiter are to aid the selection of Viking Lander sites, to map and monitor the chosen sites during lander operations, to aid in the selection of future landing sites, and to extend our knowledge of the planet. The imaging system consists of two identical vidicon cameras each attached to a 1026-mm T/8 telescope giving approximately 1-deg square field of view. From an altitude of 1500 km, the picture elements will be approximately 24 m apart. The vidicon is coupled with an image intensifier which provides increased sensitivity and permits electronic shuttering and image motion compensation. The camera differs from those previously flown to Mars by providing contiguous coverage at high resolution on a single orbital pass, by having sufficient sensitivity to use narrow band color filters at maximum resolution, and by having response in the ultraviolet.

Carr, M. H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Heart Imaging System

Johnson Space Flight Center's device to test astronauts' heart function in microgravity has led to the MultiWire Gamma Camera, which images heart conditions six times faster than conventional devices. Dr. Jeffrey Lacy, who developed the technology as a NASA researcher, later formed Proportional Technologies, Inc. to develop a commercially viable process that would enable use of Tantalum-178 (Ta-178), a radio-pharmaceutical. His company supplies the generator for the radioactive Ta-178 to Xenos Medical Systems, which markets the camera. Ta-178 can only be optimally imaged with the camera. Because the body is subjected to it for only nine minutes, the radiation dose is significantly reduced and the technique can be used more frequently. Ta-178 also enables the camera to be used on pediatric patients who are rarely studied with conventional isotopes because of the high radiation dosage.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Television cameras employing solid-state imaging sensors for manned spacecraft applications

The Space Shuttle television system incorporates a versatile complement of TV equipment which allows the positioning, quantity, and performance capabilities of the multiple TV cameras to vary as dictated by the particular mission. However, current TV camera technology employing glass enclosed, vacuum processed image sensors results in a bulky device that restricts its location and versatility. Problems and potential solutions that can be achieved through the employment of solid-state image sensors for both monochrome and color applications are discussed.

Embrey, B. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

CMOS Image Sensors: Electronic Camera On A Chip

Recent advancements in CMOS image sensor technology are reviewed, including both passive pixel sensors and active pixel sensors. On- chip analog to digital converters and on-chip timing and control circuits permit realization of an electronic camera-on-a-chip. Highly miniaturized imaging systems based on CMOS image sensor technology are emerging as a competitor to charge-coupled devices for low cost uses.

Space Microelectronics Image Sensors APS Digital I↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optical Imaging on Z LDRD: Design and Development of Self-Emission and Debris Imagers

We present an overview of the design and development of optical self-emission and debris imaging diagnostics for the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories. These diagnostics were designed and implemented to address several gaps in our understanding of visibly emitting phenomenon on Z and the post-shot debris environment. Optical emission arises from plasmas that form on the transmission line that delivers energy to Z loads and on the Z targets themselves; however, the dynamics of these plasmas are difficult to assess without imaging data. Addressing this, we developed a new optical imager called SEGOI (Self-Emission Gated Optical Imager) that leverages the eight gated optical imagers and two streak cameras of the Z Line VISAR system. SEGOI is a low cost, side-on imager with a 1 cm field of view and 30-50 µm spatial resolution, sensitive to green light (540-600 nm). This report outlines the design considerations and development of this diagnostic and presents an overview of the first diagnostic data acquired from four experimental campaigns. SEGOI was fielded on power flow experiments to image plasmas forming on and between transmission lines, on an inertial confinement fusion experiment called the Dynamic Screw Pinch to image low density plasmas forming on return current posts, on an experiment designed to measure the magneto Rayleigh-Taylor instability to image the instability bubble trajectory and self-emission structures, and finally on a Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) experiment to image the emission from the target. The second diagnostic developed, called DINGOZ (Debris ImagiNG on Z), was designed to improve our understanding of the post-shot debris environment. DINGOZ is an airtight enclosure that houses electronics and batteries to operate a high-speed (10-400 kfps) camera in the Z Machine center section. We report on the design considerations of this new diagnostic and present the first high-speed imaging data of the post-shot debris environment on Z.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Investigation on the NASA 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Mission

The Panoramic Camera System (Pancam) is part of the Athena science payload to be launched to Mars in 2003 on NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions. The Pancam imaging system on each rover consists of two major components: a pair of digital CCD cameras, and the Pancam Mast Assembly (PMA), which provides the azimuth and elevation actuation for the cameras as well as a 1.5 meter high vantage point from which to image. Pancam is a multispectral, stereoscopic, panoramic imaging system, with a field of regard provided by the PMA that extends across 360 of azimuth and from zenith to nadir, providing a complete view of the scene around the rover.

Bell, J. F., III↗
DOE OSTI2024

In-line, High-Throughput Quality Monitoring for Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Components Based on Transmission and Reflection Imaging

During the manufacturing of fuel cell and electrolyzer membranes and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), real-time, in-line, high-throughput optical-based quality monitoring methods are essential for detecting defects and monitoring thickness variations, thus improving the performance and increasing the durability of fuel cell and electrolyzer in the hydrogen industry. For the MEAs with very opaque coatings, optical transmission-based imaging has been developed and applied in the Roll-to-Roll system using a flashlight and a high-sensitivity CCD camera. We observed high signal-to-noise ratio images while the Roll-to-Roll system ran at 5 ft/min. The entire sample image could quickly be recovered from the discrete frames using customized Python codes for automatic frame cropping and stitching. We detected significant non-uniformities in our experimental MEAs specimen. For fuel cell and low-temperature electrolysis (LTE) transparent membranes, we used optical reflectance hyperspectral imaging with interference fringe-based thickness mapping. We set up a hyperspectral camera to measure various rolls of commercial membranes. The measurement results are analyzed to find the thickness distribution of each roll and to check for defects. Transmission and reflection imaging-based quality monitoring techniques demonstrated in this project can be widely used in the mass production environment to improve the production yield and performance of hydrogen devices.

DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION,ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1995

Laser-Directed Ranging System Implementing Single Camera System for Telerobotics Applications

The invention relates generally to systems for determining the range of an object from a reference point and, in one embodiment, to laser-directed ranging systems useful in telerobotics applications. Digital processing techniques are employed which minimize the complexity and cost of the hardware and software for processing range calculations, thereby enhancing the commercial attractiveness of the system for use in relatively low-cost robotic systems. The system includes a video camera for generating images of the target, image digitizing circuitry, and an associated frame grabber circuit. The circuit first captures one of the pairs of stereo video images of the target, and then captures a second video image of the target as it is partly illuminated by the light beam, suitably generated by a laser. The two video images, taken sufficiently close together in time to minimize camera and scene motion, are converted to digital images and then compared. Common pixels are eliminated, leaving only a digital image of the laser-illuminated spot on the target. Mw centroid of the laser illuminated spot is dm obtained and compared with a predetermined reference point, predetermined by design or calibration, which represents the coordinate at the focal plane of the laser illumination at infinite range. Preferably, the laser and camera are mounted on a servo-driven platform which can be oriented to direct the camera and the laser toward the target. In one embodiment the platform is positioned in response to movement of the operator's head. Position and orientation sensors are used to monitor head movement. The disparity between the digital image of the laser spot and the reference point is calculated for determining range to the target. Commercial applications for the system relate to active range-determination systems, such as those used with robotic systems in which it is necessary to determine the, range to a workpiece or object to be grasped or acted upon by a robot arm end-effector in response to commands generated by an operator. In one embodiment, the system provides a real-time image of the target for the operator as the robot approaches the object. The system is also adapted for use in virtual reality systems in which a remote object or workpiece is to be acted upon by a remote robot arm or other mechanism controlled by an operator.

Wells, Dennis L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Viking Lander Atlas of Mars

Half size reproductions are presented of the extensive set of systematic map products generated for the two Mars Viking landing sites from stereo pairs of images radioed back to Earth. The maps span from the immediate foreground to the remote limits of ranging capability, several hundred meters from the spacecraft. The maps are of two kinds - elevation contour and vertical profile. Background and explanatory material important for understanding and utilizing the map collection included covers the Viking Mission, lander locations, lander cameras, the stereo mapping system and input images to this system.

Liebes, S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR Level 1B2 Ellipsoid Data (MI1B2E_V1)

The MISR instrument consists of nine pushbroom cameras which measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four cameras pointing forward and four cameras pointing aftward. It takes 7 minutes for all nine cameras to view the same surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid, are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm. The Ellipsoid product is referenced to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) ellipsoid, which approximates the Earth's shape at sea level. In this product, the radiances and associated altitudes are projected to the ellipsoid, so that higher elevation data appear displaced from their true location for non-nadir camera views, much as they are seen by the instrument. (A cloud at location F, or a mountain top at location T in the image below appears as if it is at location E.) The more oblique the camera view, or the higher in altitude the feature, the more displaced the elevated data will appear. This displacement is used to advantage in MISR stereo retrievals, and this product is the primary input to Level 2 top-of-atmosphere/cloud processing. [Location=GLOBAL] [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=563.2 km (cross-track); Longitude_Resolution=140.8 km (along-track); Horizontal_Resolution_Range=250 meters - < 500 meters; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day; Temporal_Resolution_Range=about 15 orbits/day].

EOSDIS↗
NASA NTRS1987

The Mars observer camera

A camera designed to operate under the extreme constraints of the Mars Observer Mission was selected by NASA in April, 1986. Contingent upon final confirmation in mid-November, the Mars Observer Camera (MOC) will begin acquiring images of the surface and atmosphere of Mars in September-October 1991. The MOC incorporates both a wide angle system for low resolution global monitoring and intermediate resolution regional targeting, and a narrow angle system for high resolution selective surveys. Camera electronics provide control of image clocking and on-board, internal editing and buffering to match whatever spacecraft data system capabilities are allocated to the experiment. The objectives of the MOC experiment follow.

Malin, M. C.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Innovative approaches to neutron beam optimization: A case study of FP14 at LANSCE

This paper describes an experimental method to acquire high resolution energy- and spatially- resolved neutron beam spots using the time-gated neutron imaging system with Teledyne Pi-MAX4 camera. These experimental data offer a unique opportunity for benchmarking beam spot simulations. High-quality simulations depend significantly on a high-fidelity geometry model, which can be challenging for legacy facilities. We informed our MCNPX geometry model by latest metrology survey employing Leica laser tracker ATS600. It gave us a high fidelity description of our facility geometry. Such a robust integration of novel tools and methods yields a previously unattainable level of accuracy in both predicting and capturing neutron beam spots, marking a notable advancement over traditional methods reliant on static image plates. Here, to demonstrate the practical application of these tools, we are showing a non-uniform beam spot challenge at our Flight Path 14 (FP14) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Our precise MCNPX prediction of beam spot shifting as function of neutron energy was confirmed by experimental beam spot measured with extremely high level of detail. Results of this research demonstrate a significant leap in neutron beam optimization at LANSCE and set a new benchmark in beam spot characterization. The advanced methods presented here have potential for adoption at similar research facilities worldwide, aiming at substantial improvement in neutron beam delivery for experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1993

Imaging Hydrogen Leaks With Raman Scattering

Proposed spectral imaging system used to detect leaking hydrogen from distance of 100 ft or more. Video cameras form images of leaking hydrogen by use of Raman scattering of laser beam from hydrogen. By indicating potentially explosive concentrations of hydrogen in air, system contributes to safety at facilities producing and handling hydrogen, such as fueling stations for hydrogen-burning automobiles of near future.

Mcdermid, Iain S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Stereoscopic camera and viewing systems with undistorted depth presentation and reduced or eliminated erroneous acceleration and deceleration perceptions, or with perceptions produced or enhanced for special effects

Methods for providing stereoscopic image presentation and stereoscopic configurations using stereoscopic viewing systems having converged or parallel cameras may be set up to reduce or eliminate erroneously perceived accelerations and decelerations by proper selection of parameters, such as an image magnification factor, q, and intercamera distance, 2w. For converged cameras, q is selected to be equal to Ve - qwl = 0, where V is the camera distance, e is half the interocular distance of an observer, w is half the intercamera distance, and l is the actual distance from the first nodal point of each camera to the convergence point, and for parallel cameras, q is selected to be equal to e/w. While converged cameras cannot be set up to provide fully undistorted three-dimensional views, they can be set up to provide a linear relationship between real and apparent depth and thus minimize erroneously perceived accelerations and decelerations for three sagittal planes, x = -w, x = 0, and x = +w which are indicated to the observer. Parallel cameras can be set up to provide fully undistorted three-dimensional views by controlling the location of the observer and by magnification and shifting of left and right images. In addition, the teachings of this disclosure can be used to provide methods of stereoscopic image presentation and stereoscopic camera configurations to produce a nonlinear relation between perceived and real depth, and erroneously produce or enhance perceived accelerations and decelerations in order to provide special effects for entertainment, training, or educational purposes.

Diner, Daniel B.↗