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NASA NTRS2006

Automated Camera Calibration

Automated Camera Calibration (ACAL) is a computer program that automates the generation of calibration data for camera models used in machine vision systems. Machine vision camera models describe the mapping between points in three-dimensional (3D) space in front of the camera and the corresponding points in two-dimensional (2D) space in the camera s image. Calibrating a camera model requires a set of calibration data containing known 3D-to-2D point correspondences for the given camera system. Generating calibration data typically involves taking images of a calibration target where the 3D locations of the target s fiducial marks are known, and then measuring the 2D locations of the fiducial marks in the images. ACAL automates the analysis of calibration target images and greatly speeds the overall calibration process.

Chen, Siqi↗

NASA NTRS1990

An automated calibration laboratory - Requirements and design approach

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility (Ames-Dryden), operates a diverse fleet of research aircraft which are heavily instrumented to provide both real time data for in-flight monitoring and recorded data for postflight analysis. Ames-Dryden's existing automated calibration (AUTOCAL) laboratory is a computerized facility which tests aircraft sensors to certify accuracy for anticipated harsh flight environments. Recently, a major AUTOCAL lab upgrade was initiated; the goal of this modernization is to enhance productivity and improve configuration management for both software and test data. The new system will have multiple testing stations employing distributed processing linked by a local area network to a centralized database. The baseline requirements for the new AUTOCAL lab and the design approach being taken for its mechanization are described.

O'Neil-Rood, Nora↗

NASA NTRS1990

An automated calibration laboratory for flight research instrumentation: Requirements and a proposed design approach

Oneill-Rood, Nora↗

NASA NTRS2000

Steady State Vacuum Ultraviolet Exposure Facility With Automated Calibration Capability

NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field designed and developed a steady state vacuum ultraviolet automated (SSVUVa) facility with in situ VUV intensity calibration capability. The automated feature enables a constant accelerated VUV radiation exposure over long periods of testing without breaking vacuum. This test facility is designed to simultaneously accommodate four isolated radiation exposure tests within the SSVUVa vacuum chamber. Computer-control of the facility for long, term continuous operation also provides control and recording of thermocouple temperatures, periodic recording of VUV lamp intensity, and monitoring of vacuum facility status. This paper discusses the design and capabilities of the SSVUVa facility.

Stueber, Thomas J.↗

NASA NTRS2009

System for Automated Calibration of Vector Modulators

Vector modulators are used to impose baseband modulation on RF signals, but non-ideal behavior limits the overall performance. The non-ideal behavior of the vector modulator is compensated using data collected with the use of an automated test system driven by a LabVIEW program that systematically applies thousands of control-signal values to the device under test and collects RF measurement data. The technology innovation automates several steps in the process. First, an automated test system, using computer controlled digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and a computer-controlled vector network analyzer (VNA) systematically can apply different I and Q signals (which represent the complex number by which the RF signal is multiplied) to the vector modulator under test (VMUT), while measuring the RF performance specifically, gain and phase. The automated test system uses the LabVIEW software to control the test equipment, collect the data, and write it to a file. The input to the Lab - VIEW program is either user-input for systematic variation, or is provided in a file containing specific test values that should be fed to the VMUT. The output file contains both the control signals and the measured data. The second step is to post-process the file to determine the correction functions as needed. The result of the entire process is a tabular representation, which allows translation of a desired I/Q value to the required analog control signals to produce a particular RF behavior. In some applications, corrected performance is needed only for a limited range. If the vector modulator is being used as a phase shifter, there is only a need to correct I and Q values that represent points on a circle, not the entire plane. This innovation has been used to calibrate 2-GHz MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) vector modulators in the High EIRP Cluster Array project (EIRP is high effective isotropic radiated power). These calibrations were then used to create correction tables to allow the commanding of the phase shift in each of four channels used as a phased array for beam steering of a Ka-band (32-GHz) signal. The system also was the basis of a breadboard electronic beam steering system. In this breadboard, the goal was not to make systematic measurements of the properties of a vector modulator, but to drive the breadboard with a series of test patterns varying in phase and amplitude. This is essentially the same calibration process, but with the difference that the data collection process is oriented toward collecting breadboard performance, rather than the measurement of output from a network analyzer.

Lux, James↗

NASA NTRS1986

Automated calibration of a flight particle spectrometer

A system for calibrating both electron and ion imaging particle spectrometers was devised to calibrate flight instruments in a large vacuum facility in the Space Science Laboratory at the Marshall Space Flight Center. An IBM-compatible computer was used to control, via an IEEE 488 buss protocol, a two-axis gimbled table, constructed to fit inside the tank. Test settings of various diagnostic voltages were also acquired via the buss. These spectrometers constructed by the author at UCSD were calibrated in an automatic procedure programmed on the small computer. Data was up-loaded to the SSL VAX where a program was developed to plot the results.

Torbert, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Automated calibration of a flight particle spectrometer

An automatic calibration system was designed for use in the vacuum facility at the Space Science Laboratory of the Marshall Space Flight Center. That system was developed and used in the intervening winter to calibrate the ion spectrometer that eventually flew in May 1986 aboard the NASA project, CRIT 1. During this summer, it is planned to implement the calibration of both an ion and electron spectrometer of a new design whose basic elements were conceived during the winter of 1985 to 1986. This spectrometer was completed in the summer and successfully mounted in the vacuum tank for calibration. However, the source gate valve malfunctioned, and, at the end of the summer, it still needed a replacement. During the inevitable delays in the experimental research, the numerical model of the Critical Velocity effect was completed and these results were presented.

Torbert, Roy B.↗

NASA NTRS1992

An Automated Thermocouple Calibration System

An Automated Thermocouple Calibration System (ATCS) was developed for the unattended calibration of type K thermocouples. This system operates from room temperature to 650 C and has been used for calibration of thermocouples in an eight-zone furnace system which may employ as many as 60 thermocouples simultaneously. It is highly efficient, allowing for the calibration of large numbers of thermocouples in significantly less time than required for manual calibrations. The system consists of a personal computer, a data acquisition/control unit, and a laboratory calibration furnace. The calibration furnace is a microprocessor-controlled multipurpose temperature calibrator with an accuracy of +/- 0.7 C. The accuracy of the calibration furnace is traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The computer software is menu-based to give the user flexibility and ease of use. The user needs no programming experience to operate the systems. This system was specifically developed for use in the Microgravity Materials Science Laboratory (MMSL) at the NASA LeRC.

Bethea, Mark D.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Automated Noise Calibration System (VT-1000)

This paper details an automated Noise Source calibration system in development at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL). The paper begins with a discussion on Noise Figure and Excess Noise Ratio (ENR) theory, fundamentals and governing equations. As part of the fundamentals is a discussion of the system’s use of the Y-factor method to obtain accurate measurements of the Unit Under Test (UUT), and how these measurements are compared against a known ENR standard to obtain the UUT’s ENR values. There is also an in-depth discussion on uncertainty quantification for Noise Source system calibrations. The architecture of the automated calibration system is provided, which includes both the system’s hardware and software configuration. The software is written in Python 3, and provides the user detailed instruction on how to proceed, including step-by-step connection requirements. This system automates much of the measurement process, including real-time uncertainty quantification and report generation, as well as real-time feedback to the user to allow intervention if necessary. The system takes advantage of a database of results from previous measurements to compare calibration history of the ENR measurements. The automated system presented here operates over a frequency range from 10 MHz to 50 GHz, and has shown substantial time savings over traditional manual methods of performing this calibration.

Timpe, Scott↗

NASA NTRS1992

SSME Automated Engine Calibration System (AECS)

An algorithm is derived for the real-time calibration of the engine fuel flowmeter and the engine mixture ratio during Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) ground testing. Because currently used calibration methods are post-test operations, there exists no fail-safe way of predicting at what mixture ratio a planned test will run. It is proposed that the algorithm developed here be used as part of an Automated Engine Calibration System (AECS) which could ensure that nearly all SSME tests are run at the proper mixture ratio. In this way, AECS has the potential of increasing the efficiency of the SSME ground test program. In addition to the derivation of the algorithm, an overview of this calibration system is presented along with the list of test stand facility instrumentation necessary for AECS implementation.

Greene, William D.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Development of a Complete Landsat Evapotranspiration and Energy Balance Archive to Support Agricultural Consumptive Water Use Reporting and Prediction in the Central Valley, CA

Mapping evapotranspiration (ET) from agricultural areas in Californias Central Valley is critical for understanding historical consumptive use of surface and groundwater. In addition, long histories of ET maps provide valuable training information for predictive studies of surface and groundwater demands. During times of drought, groundwater is commonly pumped to supplement reduced surface water supplies in the Central Valley. Due to the lack of extensive groundwater pumping records, mapping consumptive use using satellite imagery is an efficient and robust way for estimating agricultural consumptive use and assessing drought impacts. To this end, we have developed and implemented an algorithm for automated calibration of the METRIC remotely sensed surface energy balance model on NASAs Earth Exchange (NEX) to estimate ET at the field scale. Using automated calibration techniques on the NEX has allowed for the creation of spatially explicit historical ET estimates for the Landsat archive dating from 1984 to the near present. Further, our use of spatial NLDAS and CIMIS weather data, and spatial soil water balance simulations within the NEX METRIC workflow, has helped overcome challenges of time integration between satellite image dates. This historical and near present time archive of agricultural water consumption for the Central Valley will be an extremely useful dataset for water use and drought impact reporting, and predictive analyses of groundwater demands.

valleys↗

NASA NTRS2008

Orbital Express AVGS Validation and Calibration for Automated Rendezvous

From March to July of 2007, the DARPA Orbital Express mission achieved a number of firsts in autonomous spacecraft operations. The NASA Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) was the primary docking sensor during the first two dockings and was used in a blended mode three other automated captures. The AVGS performance exceeded its specification by approximately an order of magnitude. One reason that the AVGS functioned so well during the mission was that the validation and calibration of the sensor prior to the mission advanced the state-of-the-art for proximity sensors. Some factors in this success were improvements in ground test equipment and truth data, the capability for ILOAD corrections for optical and other effects, and the development of a bias correction procedure. Several valuable lessons learned have applications to future proximity sensors.

Heaton, Andrew F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

SSME Automated Engine Calibrating System (AECS) alternative algorithm

An algorithm is derived for the real-time calibration of the engine mixture ratio during SSME ground testing. Because currently used calibration methods are post-test operations, there exists no fail-safe way of predicting at what mixture ratio a planned test will run. It is proposed that the algorithm developed here be used as part of an AECS which could ensure that nearly all SSME tests are run at the proper mixture ratio. In this way, AECS has the potential of increasing the efficiency of the SSME ground test program. This algorithm is an alternative to that presented in a previous paper. In addition to the derivation of the algorithm, an overview of this calibration system is presented along with a discussion of a possible single coefficient calibration system and the list of test stand facility instrumentation necessary for AECS implementation.

Greene, William D.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Steady-State Vacuum Ultraviolet Exposure Facility With Automated Lamp Calibration and Sample Positioning Fabricated

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) will be placed in an orbit that will subject it to constant solar radiation during its planned 10-year mission. A sunshield will be necessary to passively cool the telescope, protecting it from the Sun s energy and assuring proper operating temperatures for the telescope s instruments. This sunshield will be composed of metalized polymer multilayer insulation with an outer polymer membrane (12 to 25 mm in thickness) that will be metalized on the back to assure maximum reflectance of sunlight. The sunshield must maintain mechanical integrity and optical properties for the full 10 years. This durability requirement is most challenging for the outermost, constantly solar-facing polymer membrane of the sunshield. One of the potential threats to the membrane material s durability is from vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation in wavelengths below 200 nm. Such radiation can be absorbed in the bulk of these thin polymer membrane materials and degrade the polymer s optical and mechanical properties. So that a suitable membrane material can be selected that demonstrates durability to solar VUV radiation, ground-based testing of candidate materials must be conducted to simulate the total 10- year VUV exposure expected during the Next Generation Space Telescope mission. The Steady State Vacuum Ultraviolet exposure facility was designed and fabricated at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to provide unattended 24-hr exposure of candidate materials to VUV radiation of 3 to 5 times the Sun s intensity in the wavelength range of 115 to 200 nm. The facility s chamber, which maintains a pressure of approximately 5 10(exp -6) torr, is divided into three individual exposure cells, each with a separate VUV source and sample-positioning mechanism. The three test cells are separated by a water-cooled copper shield plate assembly to minimize thermal effects from adjacent test cells. Part of the interior sample positioning mechanism of one test cell is shown in the illustration. Of primary concern in VUV exposure is the maintenance of constant measured radiation intensity so that the sample s total exposure can be determined in equivalent Sun hours. This is complicated by the fact that a VUV lamp s intensity degrades over time, necessitating a decrease in the distance between the test samples and the lamp. The facility overcomes this challenge by periodically measuring the lamp s intensity with a cesium-iodide phototube and adjusting the sample distance as required to maintain constant exposure intensity. Sample positioning and periodic phototube location under the lamp are both achieved by a single lead-screw assembly. The lamps can be isolated from the main vacuum chamber for cleaning or replacement so that samples are not exposed to the atmosphere during a test.

Sechkar, Edward A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Fast calibration of gas flowmeters

Digital unit automates calibration sequence using calculator IC and programmable read-only memory to solve calibration equations. Infrared sensors start and stop calibration sequence. Instrument calibrates mass flowmeters or rotameters where flow measurement is based on mass or volume. This automatic control reduces operator time by 80 percent. Solid-state components are very reliable, and digital character allows system accuracy to be determined primarily by accuracy of transducers.

Lisle, R. V.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Stepwise Regression Analysis of MDOE Balance Calibration Data Acquired at DNW

This paper reports a comparison of two experiment design methods applied in the calibration of a strain-gage balance. One features a 734-point test matrix in which loads are varied systematically according to a method commonly applied in aerospace research and known in the literature of experiment design as One Factor At a Time (OFAT) testing. Two variations of an alternative experiment design were also executed on the same balance, each with different features of an MDOE experiment design. The Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE) is an integrated process of experiment design, execution, and analysis applied at NASA's Langley Research Center to achieve significant reductions in cycle time, direct operating cost, and experimental uncertainty in aerospace research generally and in balance calibration experiments specifically. Personnel in the Instrumentation and Controls Department of the German Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) have applied MDOE methods to evaluate them in the calibration of a balance using an automated calibration machine. The data have been sent to Langley Research Center for analysis and comparison. This paper reports key findings from this analysis. The chief result is that a 100-point calibration exploiting MDOE principles delivered quality comparable to a 700+ point OFAT calibration with significantly reduced cycle time and attendant savings in direct and indirect costs. While the DNW test matrices implemented key MDOE principles and produced excellent results, additional MDOE concepts implemented in balance calibrations at Langley Research Center are also identified and described.

DeLoach, RIchard↗

NASA NTRS2004

Automated Attitude Sensor Calibration: Progress and Plans

This paper describes ongoing work a NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center to improve the quality of spacecraft attitude sensor calibration and reduce costs by automating parts of the calibration process. The new calibration software can autonomously preview data quality over a given time span, select a subset of the data for processing, perform the requested calibration, and output a report. This level of automation is currently being implemented for two specific applications: inertial reference unit (IRU) calibration and sensor alignment calibration. The IRU calibration utility makes use of a sequential version of the Davenport algorithm. This utility has been successfully tested with simulated and actual flight data. The alignment calibration is still in the early testing stage. Both utilities will be incorporated into the institutional attitude ground support system.

Sedlak, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS2008

An Automated Method for Ozonesonde Calibration: New Insights

An automated method for preparation of the electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde is presented. Development of a computer-controlled system for preparation and calibration of the ECC is an improvement over the manual preparation method, and reduces subjectivity considerably. Preparation measurements in digital form aids analysis of the ECC before release and enhances post-flight data certification. Calibration of ozonesondes over a range of ozone concentrations between 0 mPA and 30 mPA is discussed. This presentation describes the automatic system, gives examples of calibrations. The automated system enables comparison of varying potassium iodide (KI) concentrations that should allow adjustment of earlier ozonesonde data obtained with different KT concentrations used since 1970, i.e., 2, 1.5, 1, and 0.5 percent. Preliminary results indicate ECC accuracy has a strong dependence on the electrolyte concentration and should not be considered linear with altitude.

Schmidlin, F. J.↗