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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.

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At least 829 records · Page 46

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NASA NTRS1976

Computer-aided analysis of CCD linear image sensors

Special test equipment and techniques to collect and process image information from charge coupled devices (CCDs) by digital computer were reviewed. The video channel was traced from the CCD to the direct memory access bus of the Interdata Computer. Software was developed to evaluate and characterize a CCD for (1) dark signal versus temperature relationship, (2) calculation of temporal noise magnitude and noise shape for each pixel, (3) spatial noise into the video chain due to dark signal, (4) response versus illumination relationship (gamma), (5) response versus wavelength of illumination (spectral), (6) optimization of forcing functions, and (7) evaluation of an image viewed by a CCD. The basic software differences and specific examples of each program operating on real data are presented.

Prince, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Air Force research in optical processing

Optical and optical electronic hybrid processing especially in the application area of image processing are emphasized. Real time pattern recognition processors for such airborne missions as target recognition, tracking, and terminal guidance are studied.

Neff, J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The new near-infrared array camera at the University of Rochester

A near-infrared array camera system has been constructed for use in the 1-5 micron region. The camera is based on a 32 x 32 element InSb focal plane array. The performance of most of the individual detectors in the system is found to be comparable to or better than the performance of any single-element InSb detector system currently in use. A thorough description of the camera system and its image processing subsystems is given, and some sample images are provided.

Forrest, W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Systems integration for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Robotics Applications Development Laboratory (RADL)

A laboratory for developing robotics technology for hazardous and repetitive Shuttle and payload processing activities is discussed. An overview of the computer hardware and software responsible for integrating the laboratory systems is given. The center's anthropomorphic robot is placed on a track allowing it to be moved to different stations. Various aspects of the laboratory equipment are described, including industrial robot arm control, smart systems integration, the supervisory computer, programmable process controller, real-time tracking controller, image processing hardware, and control display graphics. Topics of research include: automated loading and unloading of hypergolics for space vehicles and payloads; the use of mobile robotics for security, fire fighting, and hazardous spill operations; nondestructive testing for SRB joint and seal verification; Shuttle Orbiter radiator damage inspection; and Orbiter contour measurements. The possibility of expanding the laboratory in the future is examined.

Davis, V. Leon↗

NASA NTRS1989

Raster Metafile and Raster Metafile Translator

The intent is to present an effort undertaken at NASA Langley Research Center to design a generic raster image format and to develop tools for processing images prepared in this format. Both the Raster Metafile (RM) format and the Raster Metafile Translator (RMT) are addressed. This document is intended to serve a varied audience including: users wishing to display and manipulate raster image data, programmers responsible for either interfacing the RM format with other raster formats or for developing new RMT device drivers, and programmers charged with installing the software on a host platform.

Taylor, Nancy L.↗

NASA NTRS2024

Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment: Initial Operations and Flight Results

This paper presents initial flight results for angles-only navigation of a swarm of small spacecraft, conducted during the Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment (StarFOX). StarFOX is one of four experiments aboard the NASA Starling mission, which consists of four CubeSats launched in July 2023. Angles-only methods apply inter-satellite bearing angles obtained by on-board cameras for navigation, increasing satellite autonomy and enabling new mission concepts. Nevertheless, prior flight demonstrations have only featured one observer and target and have relied upon a-priori target orbit knowledge for initialization, translational maneuvers to resolve target range, and external absolute orbit updates to maintain convergence. StarFOX overcomes these limitations by applying the angles-only Absolute and Relative Trajectory Measurement System (ARTMS), which integrates three novel algorithms. Image Processing detects and tracks multiple targets in images, using multi-hypothesis methods and domain-specific kinematic modeling, and computes target bearing angles. Batch Orbit Determination computes initial swarm orbit estimates from bearing angle batches, via iterative batch least squares and sampling of the weakly observable target range. Sequential Orbit Determination leverages an adaptive, efficient unscented Kalman filter with nonlinear models to refine swarm state estimates over time. Multi-observer measurements shared over an intersatellite link are seamlessly fused to enable robust absolute and relative orbit determination. Initial StarFOX experiments are the first demonstrations of autonomous angles-only navigation for a satellite swarm, including multi-target and multi-observer relative navigation; autonomous initialization of navigation for unknown targets; and simultaneous absolute and relative orbit determination. Relative navigation accuracy of 1% (single observer) and 0.2% (multi-observer) of the inter-satellite range is achieved under challenging measurement conditions. Results demonstrate promising performance with regards to ongoing StarFOX campaigns and the application of angles-only navigation to future distributed missions.

Relative Navigation↗

DOE OSTI2018

Thermo-mechanical processing window for β phase recrystallization inTi-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr alloy

Highlights: • A processing window has been developed to obtain fine uniform recrystallized grains. • High deformation (90%) with annealing at intermediate temperature (950 °C) suggested • Dynamic recrystallization (Drx) should be avoided. • DRx reduces driving force for static rx. It gives bimodal distribution of grains. • Final deformation step should be in the α + β phase field. Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr (Ti-5553) is a high strength β titanium alloy. It is now commonly used in thick section aerospace components. In general, the thermo-mechanical processing (TMP) of β titanium alloys done at high temperature to obtain uniformly recrystallized fine grain structure is one of the major challenges. Through this work, a TMP window for Ti-5553 (through systematic variation in % reduction and post deformation annealing temperature) has been developed to obtain fine uniformly recrystallized β grains. Grain size has been quantified on EBSD generated orientation maps, by applying stereological methods, image processing and automated reconstruction. Effects of % deformation and post deformation annealing temperature, as well as that of initial ingot size prior to deformation and the capacity of the forge on the static and dynamic recrystallization behavior, which eventually determine the final grain size distribution, have been illustrated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of different fractal dimension measuring algorithms for RE-TM M-O films

Noise in magneto-optical recording devices is discussed. In general, it appears that either the divider technique or amplitude spectrum technique may be used interchangeably to measure the fractal dimension (D) in the domain wall structure of ideal images. However, some caveats must be observed for best results. The divider technique is attractive for its simplicity and relatively modest computation requirements. However, it is sensitive to noise, in that noise pixels that touch the domain boundary are interpreted as being part of the boundary, skewing the measurement. Also, it is not useful in measuring nucleation-dominated films or domains that have significant amounts of structure within the interior of the domain wall. The amplitude spectrum method is more complex, and less intuitive than the divider method, and somewhat more expensive to implement computationally. However, since the camera noise tends to be white, the noise can be avoided in the measurement of D by avoiding that portion of the curve that is flat (due to the white noise) when the least squares line is fit to the plot. Also, many image processing software packages include a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) facility, while the user will most likely have to write his own edge extraction routine for the divider method. The amplitude spectrum method is a true two dimensional technique that probes the interior of the domain wall, and in fact, can measure arbitrary clusters of domains. It can also be used to measure grey-level images, further reducing processing steps needed to threshold the image.

Bernacki, Bruce E.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Using cloud radar to investigate the effect of rainfall on migratory insect flight

The fate of migrating insects that encounter rainfall in flight is a critical consideration when modelling insect movement, but few field observations of this common phenomenon have ever been collected due to the logistical challenges of witnessing these encounters. Operational cloud radars have been deployed around the world by meteorological agencies to study precipitation physics, and as a byproduct, provide a rich database of insect observations that is freely available to researchers. Although considered unwanted ‘clutter’ by the meteorologists who collect the data, the analysis method presented here enables ecologists to delineate co-occurring signals from insects and raindrops. We present a method that uses image processing techniques on cloud radar velocity spectra to examine the fate of migrating insects when they encounter precipitation. By analysing velocity spectra, we can distinguish flying insects from falling rain and compare the relative density of insects in flight before, during and after the rainfall. We demonstrate the method on a case of insect migration in Oklahoma, USA. Using this method, we show the first reconstructed images of migrating insect layers in flight during rainfall. Our analysis shows that mild to moderate rainfall diminishes the number of insects aloft but does not cause full termination of migratory flight, as has previously been suggested. We hope this technique will spur further investigations of how changing weather conditions impact insect migration, and enable some of the first of such studies in regions of the world that are underrepresented in the literature.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2018

Improving Imaging Instrument Spatial Resolution Using Software

In order to overcome spatial resolution limitations associated with physical sensor limitations when using smallsats and cubesats, we utilize an image processing technology referred to as Super-Resolution (SR). In general, software approaches are increasingly considered in connection with smaller satellites for which size, mass and power constraints limit the sensor capabilities. Being able to perform hardware vs. software trades might enable more capabilities for a lower cost. This paper describes recent experiments conducted to optimize the spatial enhancement of acquired observations using multiple sub-pixel shifted low resolution image.

Image Processing↗

NASA NTRS2018

Improving the Spatial Resolution of Imaging Instruments Using Software

Image Processing↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Benthic Habitat Monitoring Approach for Marine and Hydrokinetic Sites (Final Technical Report)

This final technical report summarizes the work completed as part of the Standardized and Cost-Effective Benthic Habitat Mapping and Monitoring Tools for MHK Environmental Assessments project funded by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under contract DE-EE007826 to Integral Consulting Inc. The overall goal of this project was to demonstrate a consistent, repeatable, and semi-automated seafloor and sediment mapping approach for rapidly characterizing benthic physical and biological/habitat conditions to support marine environmental assessments for marine and hydrokinetic energy sites. The approach evaluated combines sediment profile imaging and plan view (SPI/PV) technology with multibeam echosounder surveys as an effective and low-cost benthic habitat mapping protocol. A key innovation was the development of a semi-automated computer vision system that standardizes the extraction of data from the SPI/PV images. Other elements of the project were SPI camera hardware modifications, including the design and fabrication of a prototype “power” SPI camera to improve camera prism penetration in firm substrates, and outreach to agency regulators and other stakeholders on this habitat mapping approach. This technical report consists of five main subsections that summarize: 1) the benthic mapping approach; 2) benthic mapping results from the three areas’ surveys; 3) the development and performance of the image processing algorithms; 4) SPI camera hardware improvements and prototype testing; and 5) the regulatory outreach efforts.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2021

Imaging pyrometry for most color cameras using a triple pass filter

A simple combination of the Planck blackbody emission law, optical filters, and digital image processing is demonstrated to enable most commercial color cameras (still and video) to be used as an imaging pyrometer for flames and explosions. The hardware and data processing described take advantage of the color filter array (CFA) that is deposited on the surface of the light sensor array present in most digital color cameras. In this work, a triple-pass optical filter incorporated into the camera lens allows light in three 10-nm wide bandpass regions to reach the CFA/light sensor array. These bandpass regions are centered over the maxima in the blue, green, and red transmission regions of the CFA, minimizing the spectral overlap of these regions normally present. A computer algorithm is used to retrieve the blue, green, and red image matrices from camera memory and correct for remaining spectral overlap. A second algorithm calibrates the corrected intensities to a gray body emitter of known temperature, producing a color intensity correction factor for the camera/filter system. The Wien approximation to the Planck blackbody emission law is used to construct temperature images from the three color (blue, green, red) matrices. A short pass filter set eliminates light of wavelengths longer than 750 nm, providing reasonable accuracy (±10%) for temperatures between 1200 and 6000 K. The effectiveness of this system is demonstrated by measuring the temperature of several systems for which the temperature is known.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS1977

Processing the Viking lander camera data

Over 1000 camera events were returned from the two Viking landers during the Primary Mission. A system was devised for processing camera data as they were received, in real time, from the Deep Space Network. This system provided a flexible choice of parameters for three computer-enhanced versions of the data for display or hard-copy generation. Software systems allowed all but 0.3% of the imagery scan lines received on earth to be placed correctly in the camera data record. A second-order processing system was developed which allowed extensive interactive image processing including computer-assisted photogrammetry, a variety of geometric and photometric transformations, mosaicking, and color balancing using six different filtered images of a common scene. These results have been completely cataloged and documented to produce an Experiment Data Record.

Levinthal, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Vision Based Autonomous Robotic Control for Advanced Inspection and Repair

The advanced inspection system is an autonomous control and analysis system that improves the inspection and remediation operations for ground and surface systems. It uses optical imaging technology with intelligent computer vision algorithms to analyze physical features of the real-world environment to make decisions and learn from experience. The advanced inspection system plans to control a robotic manipulator arm, an unmanned ground vehicle and cameras remotely, automatically and autonomously. There are many computer vision, image processing and machine learning techniques available as open source for using vision as a sensory feedback in decision-making and autonomous robotic movement. My responsibilities for the advanced inspection system are to create a software architecture that integrates and provides a framework for all the different subsystem components; identify open-source algorithms and techniques; and integrate robot hardware.

sensory feedback↗

DOE OSTI2024

Simulating image coaddition with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – I. Simulation methodology and general results

The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will carry out a wide-area survey in the near-infrared. A key science objective is the measurement of cosmic structure via weak gravitational lensing. Roman data will be undersampled, which introduces new challenges in the measurement of source galaxy shapes; a potential solution is to use linear algebra-based coaddition techniques such as imcom that combine multiple undersampled images to produce a single oversampled output mosaic with a desired ‘target’ point spread function (PSF). We present here an initial application of imcom to 0.64 square degrees of simulated Roman data, based on the Roman branch of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC) Data Challenge 2 (DC2) simulation. We show that imcom runs successfully on simulated data that includes features such as plate scale distortions, chip gaps, detector defects, and cosmic ray masks. We simultaneously propagate grids of injected sources and simulated noise fields as well as the full simulation. We quantify the residual deviations of the PSF from the target (the ‘leakage’), as well as noise properties of the output images; we discuss how the overall tiling pattern as well as Moiré patterns appear in the final leakage and noise maps. We include appendices on interpolation algorithms and the interaction of undersampling with image processing operations that may be of broader applicability. The companion paper (‘Paper II’) explores the implications for weak lensing analyses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2002

Better Pictures in a Snap

Retinex Imaging Processing, winner of NASA's 1999 Space Act Award, is commercially available through TruView Imaging Company. With this technology, amateur photographers use their personal computers to improve the brightness, scene contrast, detail, and overall sharpness of images with increased ease. The process was originally developed for remote sensing of the Earth by researchers at Langley Research Center and Science and Technology Corporation (STC). It automatically enhances a digital image in terms of dynamic range compression, color independence from the spectral distribution of the scene illuminant, and color/lightness rendition. As a result, the enhanced digital image is much closer to the scene perceived by the human visual system, under all kinds and levels of lighting variations. TruView believes there are other applications for the software in medical imaging, forensics, security, recognizance, mining, assembly, and other industrial areas.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2013

Vectorized Rebinning Algorithm for Fast Data Down-Sampling

A vectorized rebinning (down-sampling) algorithm, applicable to N-dimensional data sets, has been developed that offers a significant reduction in computer run time when compared to conventional rebinning algorithms. For clarity, a two-dimensional version of the algorithm is discussed to illustrate some specific details of the algorithm content, and using the language of image processing, 2D data will be referred to as "images," and each value in an image as a "pixel." The new approach is fully vectorized, i.e., the down-sampling procedure is done as a single step over all image rows, and then as a single step over all image columns. Data rebinning (or down-sampling) is a procedure that uses a discretely sampled N-dimensional data set to create a representation of the same data, but with fewer discrete samples. Such data down-sampling is fundamental to digital signal processing, e.g., for data compression applications.

Dean, Bruce↗