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Disparity coding - An approach for stereo reconstruction

As the possibility of stereo-controlled robots becomes a reality, the need to transmit the stereo pair of images to a ground station or space station for man-in-the-loop supervision will be a necessity. The complexity of transmitting stereo images by coding the preprocessed disparity is presently discussed. The approach demonstrates the quantization, modulation, and reconstruction of the stereo images. Results indicate the accuracy of reconstruction in terms of mean-square-error criterion as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio. Key research issues of interpolation from sparse disparity maps and reconstruction of the stereo pairs in the presence of spatial noise are presented. It is concluded that stereo reconstruction is possible, and the noise constraints are given.

Griswold, N. C.

Stereo image visualization of numerically simulated turbulence

Stereo imaging techniques are used in the current study to analyze the results of a direct Navier-Stokes simulation of a turbulent boundary layer. Coherent structures embedded within the unsteady, highly three-dimensional turbulent flow fields are significantly enhanced through the use of stereo computer graphic renderings. In the paper, the geometrical foundations of two different methods for generating stereo images are reviewed. Sufficient detail is provided to enable readers to code stereo display algorithms from scratch. The effects of varying the geometric parameters of the stereo algorithm are demonstrated. Sample image pairs from animations of the turbulence numerical simulation are presented in color. Stereo imagery, especially when used with time-evolving data, provides new insight into the physical processes responsible for the generation an maintenance of turbulence within boundary layers.

Robinson, Stephen K.

Development of a stereo 3-D pictorial primary flight display

Computer-generated displays are becoming increasingly popular in aerospace applications. The use of stereo 3-D technology provides an opportunity to present depth perceptions which otherwise might be lacking. In addition, the third dimension could also be used as an additional dimension along which information can be encoded. Historically, the stereo 3-D displays have been used in entertainment, in experimental facilities, and in the handling of hazardous waste. In the last example, the source of the stereo images generally has been remotely controlled television camera pairs. The development of a stereo 3-D pictorial primary flight display used in a flight simulation environment is described. The applicability of stereo 3-D displays for aerospace crew stations to meet the anticipated needs for 2000 to 2020 time frame is investigated. Although, the actual equipment that could be used in an aerospace vehicle is not currently available, the lab research is necessary to determine where stereo 3-D enhances the display of information and how the displays should be formatted.

Nataupsky, Mark

Recent research results in stereo 3-D pictorial displays at Langley Research Center

Recent results from a NASA-Langley program which addressed stereo 3D pictorial displays from a comprehensive standpoint are reviewed. The program dealt with human factors issues and display technology aspects, as well as flight display applications. The human factors findings include addressing a fundamental issue challenging the application of stereoscopic displays in head-down flight applications, with the determination that stereoacuity is unaffected by the short-term use of stereo 3D displays. While stereoacuity has been a traditional measurement of depth perception abilities, it is a measure of relative depth, rather than actual depth (absolute depth). Therefore, depth perception effects based on size and distance judgments and long-term stereo exposure remain issues to be investigated. The applications of stereo 3D to pictorial flight displays within the program have repeatedly demonstrated increases in pilot situational awareness and task performance improvements. Moreover, these improvements have been obtained within the constraints of the limited viewing volume available with conventional stereo displays. A number of stereo 3D pictorial display applications are described, including recovery from flight-path offset, helicopter hover, and emulated helmet-mounted display.

Parrish, Russell V.

SAD5 Stereo Correlation Line-Striping in an FPGA

High precision SAD5 stereo computations can be performed in an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) at much higher speeds than possible in a conventional CPU (central processing unit), but this uses large amounts of FPGA resources that scale with image size. Of the two key resources in an FPGA, Slices and BRAM (block RAM), Slices scale linearly in the new algorithm with image size, and BRAM scales quadratically with image size. An approach was developed to trade latency for BRAM by sub-windowing the image vertically into overlapping strips and stitching the outputs together to create a single continuous disparity output. In stereo, the general rule of thumb is that the disparity search range must be 1/10 the image size. In the new algorithm, BRAM usage scales linearly with disparity search range and scales again linearly with line width. So a doubling of image size, say from 640 to 1,280, would in the previous design be an effective 4 of BRAM usage: 2 for line width, 2 again for disparity search range. The minimum strip size is twice the search range, and will produce an output strip width equal to the disparity search range. So assuming a disparity search range of 1/10 image width, 10 sequential runs of the minimum strip size would produce a full output image. This approach allowed the innovators to fit 1280 960 wide SAD5 stereo disparity in less than 80 BRAM, 52k Slices on a Virtex 5LX330T, 25% and 24% of resources, respectively. Using a 100-MHz clock, this build would perform stereo at 39 Hz. Of particular interest to JPL is that there is a flight qualified version of the Virtex 5: this could produce stereo results even for very large image sizes at 3 orders of magnitude faster than could be computed on the PowerPC 750 flight computer. The work covered in the report allows the stereo algorithm to run on much larger images than before, and using much less BRAM. This opens up choices for a smaller flight FPGA (which saves power and space), or for other algorithms in addition to SAD5 to be run on the same FPGA.

Villalpando, Carlos Y.

Stereo-DIC Challenge 1.0 – Rigid Body Motion of a Complex Shape

Background Stereo-DIC is a widely used optical measurement technique that provides a dense full-field 3D measurement of the shape, displacement, and strain of a solid sample. When compared with 2D-DIC, Stereo-DIC provides greater flexibility and expands its use beyond flat, planar specimens. Furthermore, the widespread availability of commercial systems has led to the adoption of the technique throughout industry, academia, and government research labs. Objective Even though some research has been done to understand the effects of different experimental and stereo-DIC parameters, no reference is available to benchmark and compare the performance of current stereo-DIC algorithms to each other. Methods This paper provides the description and analysis of a carefully controlled 3D experiment and associated images used to compare the results from five subset based DIC software packages. Both the images and analysis codes used in this paper to compare the results are described here and are available for download and use for continued research. Results We show that over a very large range of motion, the 3D errors are very small, less than 80μm over a travel of ±20 mm out-of-plane and ±20 mm in-plane. While all codes performed similarly, there are important differences noted in the paper. Conclusion The image sets and results comparison software are hosted by the International DIC Society (www.iDICs.org) and are freely available for download and analysis for comparison with results in this paper. Furthermore, it is hoped that this set of images can be used for future research in improving stereo-DIC by future authors.

Algorithms comparison

Principles of stereo reconstruction of aerial objects using stationary cameras

An overview is given here of the principles and mathematics of stereo reconstruction of objects in the sky using stationary cameras with an emphasis on meteorological applications. Through its Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, the Department of Energy has operated stereo-photogrammetric cameras since 2017 as part of an effort to measure the life-cycle properties of clouds. At the core of that technology is stereo reconstruction, which calculates the real-world position of an object from the location of the object’s image in two cameras’ photographs. Here, stereo reconstruction is stripped down to its basic elements and presented using conventions tailored to applications in atmospheric science. In addition, the resulting equations are used to illustrate the high sensitivity of reconstructed cloud positions to errors in the cameras’ Euler angles. The interested reader will find here a self-contained guide to performing stereo reconstructions using distortion-corrected images from a pair of calibrated, stationary cameras, as well as a demonstration of the need for high accuracy in the measurement of camera properties and orientations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION

Stereo side-looking radar experiments

The application of side-looking radar images in geoscience fields can be enhanced when using overlapping image strips that are viewed in stereo. A question concerns the quality of stereo radar. This quality is described evaluating stereo viewability and using the concept of vertical exaggeration with sets of actual radar images. A conclusion is that currently available stereo radar data are not optimized, that therefore a better quality can be achieved if data acquisition is appropriately arranged, and that the actual limitations of stereo radar are still unexplored.

Leberl, F.

Stereo side-looking radar experiments

The application of side-looking radar images in geoscience fields can be enhanced when using overlapping image strips that are viewed in stereo. A question concerns the quality of stereo radar. This quality is described evaluating stereo viewability and using the concept of vertical exaggeration with sets of actual radar images. A conclusion is that currently available stereo radar data are not optimized, that therefore a better quality can be achieved if data acquisition is appropriately arranged, and that the actual limitations of stereo radar are still unexplored. Previously announced in STAR as N83-29489

Leberl, F.

On stereo viewing of SAR images

Stereo viewing is indispensable for the measurement of homologue points in two overlapping images and the subsequent reconstruction of the three-dimensional topographic relief. Aspects of stereo viewing geometry are discussed along with problems of radar stereoscopy, taking into account stereo evaluation with an exaggeration factor, the viewability of real images, and radar stereoscopic computations. Attention is given to the definition of radar stereoscopic exaggeration, questions of image simulation, and the accuracy obtained with parallax measurements in radar images. An evaluation with a large set of about 40 radar stereo models demonstrates that same-side arrangements provide good stereo viewability. This result was confirmed for aircraft radar with look angles off-nadir of 60-80 deg and intersection angles between 0.2 deg and 23 deg, and for satellite radar (Seasat) with look angles of 20 deg and interaction angles of 1.2 deg - 4.8 deg.

Leberl, F. W.

Near real-time stereo vision system

The apparatus for a near real-time stereo vision system for use with a robotic vehicle is described. The system is comprised of two cameras mounted on three-axis rotation platforms, image-processing boards, a CPU, and specialized stereo vision algorithms. Bandpass-filtered image pyramids are computed, stereo matching is performed by least-squares correlation, and confidence ranges are estimated by means of Bayes' theorem. In particular, Laplacian image pyramids are built and disparity maps are produced from the 60 x 64 level of the pyramids at rates of up to 2 seconds per image pair. The first autonomous cross-country robotic traverses (of up to 100 meters) have been achieved using the stereo vision system of the present invention with all computing done onboard the vehicle. The overall approach disclosed herein provides a unifying paradigm for practical domain-independent stereo ranging.

Anderson, Charles H.

Depth-viewing-volume increase by collimation of stereo 3-D displays

Typical stereo 3-D displays are produced using a single-image-source, which is time-multiplexed, to present disparate, directly-viewed views (stereo pairs) of the visual scene to each eye. However, current stereoscopic viewing techniques impose severe restrictions in the effective viewing-volume of the stereo 3-D display. Recent experiments at Langley Research Center determined that the effective region of stereopsis cuing, the depth-viewing volume, increased with increasing viewer-to-screen distances. This increase was also accompanied by a decrease in the field-of-view of the system. It was postulated that collimation of the display source would dramatically increase the depth-viewing volume, as the effective accommodation distance would be near infinity, while maintaining the field-of-view at required levels. The goal of this proof-of-concept effort was to investigate whether or not a dramatic increase in depth-viewing volume for stereo 3-D displays would be provided by the application of collimated optics to the stereo display source.

Busquets, Anthony M.

Stereo Imaging Velocimetry Technique Using Standard Off-the-Shelf CCD Cameras

Stereo imaging velocimetry is a fluid physics technique for measuring three-dimensional (3D) velocities at a plurality of points. This technique provides full-field 3D analysis of any optically clear fluid or gas experiment seeded with tracer particles. Unlike current 3D particle imaging velocimetry systems that rely primarily on laser-based systems, stereo imaging velocimetry uses standard off-the-shelf charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras to provide accurate and reproducible 3D velocity profiles for experiments that require 3D analysis. Using two cameras aligned orthogonally, we present a closed mathematical solution resulting in an accurate 3D approximation of the observation volume. The stereo imaging velocimetry technique is divided into four phases: 3D camera calibration, particle overlap decomposition, particle tracking, and stereo matching. Each phase is explained in detail. In addition to being utilized for space shuttle experiments, stereo imaging velocimetry has been applied to the fields of fluid physics, bioscience, and colloidal microscopy.

McDowell, Mark

STEREO WAVES Capabilities for Studying Initiation and Early-time Dynamics of Solar Eruptions

In 2006, NASA will launch the twin STEREO spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center into a pair of heliocentric orbits near 1 AU such that the spacecraft will move away from Earth (ahead and behind) at about 22 degrees per year. The purposes of the STEREO Mission are to understand the causes and mechanisms of coronal mass ejection (CME) initiation and to follow the propagation of CMEs through the heliosphere. Additionally, STEREO will study the mechanisms and sites of solar energetic particle (SEP) acceleration and determine 3-D time-dependent traces of the magnetic topology, temperature, density and velocity of the solar wind between the sun and Earth. To accomplish these goals, each STEREO spacecraft will be equipped with set of optical and particles and fields instruments including the STEREO WAVES (SWAVES) instrument which will use radio waves to track the location of CME-driven shocks (via type I1 bursts) and the 3-D topology of open field lines along which energetic particles flow (via the ubiquitous type I11 bursts). Type 11 bursts very often commence with a series of special type 111 bursts (called SA or type 111-L bursts) that likely coincide with CME liftoff time, thus SWAVES should be able to determine this time to within 15 sec. It is also known that the occurrence of SEP events is usually accompanied by type I1 radio bursts at decametric wavelengths as well as strong type III bursts at all wavelengths. SWAVES will be able to determine the initiation of these bursts to within 15 sec, and from the simultaneous measurements from the two spacecraft, should be able to triangulate their source locations. The utility of radio observations and the capabilities of SWAVES will be illustrated by showing a number of examples using the similar Wind WAVES instrument in combination with SOH0 coronagraph and RHESSI high energy X-ray/gamma ray observations.

Kaiser, M. L.

MISR Level 2 TOA/Cloud Stereo parameters (MIL2TCST_V1)

The MISR Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA)/Cloud Stereo geophysical parameters include stereoscopically-derived cloud motion vectors (winds), cloud-top heights, and an accompanying cloud mask. The Stereo product geophysical parameters include a stereoscopically-derived cloud mask and cloud height on a 1.1 km grid. It also includes cloud motion vectors on a 70.4 km grid. The three types of stereo heights are: the BestWind heights are only calculated for those regions where the associated wind vectors passed the quality tests. Therefore, they have sparse coverage but since the wind correction is included, these contain our 'best guess' as to what the true heights are. The WithoutWind heights are calculated assuming a constant wind vector of zero. They have almost complete coverage and therefore form a nice 'pretty picture' of the relative cloud heights over small areas. The RawWind heights are a diagnostic product as they are calculated using all available wind vectors (even the bad ones). It is therefore recommended that one only use the Best and Without wind products. It is important to remember that the stereo matchers pick up the layer of maximum contrast, which is not necessarily the same as the highest cloud so all the stereo heights are keyed to this level of maximum contrast. Therefore, higher and thinner cirrus layers may not be detected by any of the height fields. [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=1.1 km; Longitude_Resolution=1.1 km; Horizontal_Resolution_Range=1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day; Temporal_Resolution_Range=Daily - < Weekly].

EOSDIS

MISR Level 2 TOA/Cloud Stereo parameters (MIL2TCST_V2)

The MISR Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA)/Cloud Stereo geophysical parameters include stereoscopically-derived cloud motion vectors (winds), cloud-top heights, and an accompanying cloud mask. The Stereo product geophysical parameters include a stereoscopically-derived cloud mask and cloud height on a 1.1 km grid. It also includes cloud motion vectors on a 70.4 km grid. The three types of stereo heights are: the BestWind heights are only calculated for those regions where the associated wind vectors passed the quality tests. Therefore, they have sparse coverage but since the wind correction is included, these contain our 'best guess' as to what the true heights are. The WithoutWind heights are calculated assuming a constant wind vector of zero. They have almost complete coverage and therefore form a nice 'pretty picture' of the relative cloud heights over small areas. The RawWind heights are a diagnostic product as they are calculated using all available wind vectors (even the bad ones). It is therefore recommended that one only use the Best and Without wind products. It is important to remember that the stereo matchers pick up the layer of maximum contrast, which is not necessarily the same as the highest cloud so all the stereo heights are keyed to this level of maximum contrast. Therefore, higher and thinner cirrus layers may not be detected by any of the height fields. [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=1.1 km; Longitude_Resolution=1.1 km; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day].

CLOUD MASK

Orbit Determination and Navigation of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)

This paper provides an overview of the required upgrades necessary for navigation of NASA's twin heliocentric science missions, Solar TErestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) Ahead and Behind. The orbit determination of the STEREO spacecraft was provided by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) in support of the mission operations activities performed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The changes to FDF s orbit determination software included modeling upgrades as well as modifications required to process the Deep Space Network X-band tracking data used for STEREO. Orbit results as well as comparisons to independently computed solutions are also included. The successful orbit determination support aided in maneuvering the STEREO spacecraft, launched on October 26, 2006 (00:52 Z), to target the lunar gravity assists required to place the spacecraft into their final heliocentric drift-away orbits where they are providing stereo imaging of the Sun.

Mesarch, Michael

Orbit Determination and Navigation of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)

This paper provides an overview of the required upgrades necessary for navigation of NASA's twin heliocentric science missions, Solar TErestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) Ahead and Behind. The orbit determination of the STEREO spacecraft was provided by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) in support of the mission operations activities performed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The changes to FDF's orbit determination software included modeling upgrades as well as modifications required to process the Deep Space Network X-band tracking data used for STEREO. Orbit results as well as comparisons to independently computed solutions are also included. The successful orbit determination support aided in maneuvering the STEREO spacecraft, launched on October 26, 2006 (00:52 Z), to target the lunar gravity assists required to place the spacecraft into their final heliocentric drift-away orbits where they are providing stereo imaging of the Sun.

Mesarch, Michael A.