Laboratory experiments utilizing different near-infrared (NIR) sensitive imaging techniques for LADAR range gated imaging at eye-safe wavelengths are presented. An OPO/OPA configuration incorporating a nonlinear crystal for wavelength conversion of 1.56 micron probe or broadcast laser light to 807 nm light by utilizing a second pump laser at 532 nm for gating and gain, was evaluated for sensitivity, resolution, and general image quality. These data are presented with similar test results obtained from an image intensifier based upon a transferred electron (TE) photocathode with high quantum efficiency (QE) in the 1-2 micron range, with a P-20 phosphor output screen. Data presented include range-gated imaging performance in a cloud chamber with varying optical attentuation of laser reflectance images.

Research is presented on infrared (IR) and near infrared (NIR) sensitive sensor technologies for use in a high speed shuttered/intensified digital video camera for range-gated imaging at eye-safe wavelengths in the region of 1.5 microns. The study is based upon nonlinear crystals used for second harmonic generation (SHG) in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for conversion of NIR and IR laser light to visible range light for detection with generic S-20 photocathodes. The intensifiers are stripline geometry 18-mm diameter microchannel plate intensifiers (MCPIIs), designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and manufactured by Philips Photonics. The MCPIIs are designed for fast optical shuttering with exposures and resolution for the wavelength conversion process are reported. Experimental set-ups for the wavelength shifting and the optical configurations for producing and transporting laser reflectance images are discussed.

The MegaSun illumination system, designed to replace argon candles for ultra high speed photography, has be used routinely to support live tests at Eglin AFB for the past two years. It has exposed detailed color images of fragmenting plates at framing rates of 1 million frames per second (1 Mfs) with a Cordin 330A. A longer 200 mus pulse version illuminated explosively formed penetrators in flight both for framing images taken by an Imacon 468, and for color synchro-ballistic images captured with a Cordin 132A streak camera. In addition, a demonstration version of the MegaSun was used for exposure tests performed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Site 300 with Cordin 121 and 140 cameras. It provided enough illumination for proper exposure of 400 ASA film processed on time at 1 Mfs. These results confirm that the MegaSun can replace argon candles for most ultra high speed photography applications.

In military research and development or testing there are various fast and dangerous events that need to be recorded and analysed. High-speed cameras allow the capture of movement too fast to be recognised by the human eye, and provide data that is essential for the analysis and evaluation of such events. High-speed photography is often the only type of instrumentation that can be used to record the parameters demanded by our customers. I will show examples where this applied cinematography is used not only to provide a visual record of events, but also as an essential measurement tool.

We propose a moving edge extraction using the concept of entropy and cross-entropy, in which the cross-entropy concept is applied to dynamic scene analysis. The cross- entropy concept provides enhancement of detection for the dynamically changed area. We combine the results of cross- entropy in the difference picture (DP) with those of entropy in the current frame so that we can effectively extract moving edges. We also propose the moving edge extraction method by combining the results of cross-entropy and those of Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG).

The role in which old movies play to the society is a priceless part of culture and history. These movies, due mainly to the storage conditions, may present a type of local defect with two characteristics: it does not affect the whole frame; and it is thin along the time axis. In this work, we attack the local defect detection problem and defects in consecutive images with any intersection using an opening by temporal surface, followed by a spatial geodesic reconstruction by dilation using structuring element B_s. The opening by surface, for binary images, extracts the connect components which area is greater than a specific threshold, and for gray level images, it evaluates each connected component produced by successive thresholds of the images, through binary operations. The restoration process using opening by surface can be subdivided in two steps: 1) opening by temporal surface applied to the image sequences that extracts connected components or domes with area greater than or equal to a specific threshold S; 2) spatial reconstruction by geodesic dilation using structuring element applied to a single image. This technique is being applied to a move collection (1920 decade) of the Brazilian ex-president Arthur Bernardes provided by the Arquivo Publico Mineiro in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.

X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanners, due to its inherent scanning geometry, provide images with non-isotropic voxels. The typical CT scanner generates axial slices with the thickness on the order of a few millimeters with sub- millimeter pixels. The multi-slice images obtained with such protocol must be then interpolated across the slices for an effective and realistic 3-D visualization of the patient anatomy. In this paper we focus on the effects of slice interpolation for maximum intensity projection (MIP) images with the projection direction orthogonal to the z-axis, for instance, for the generation of coronal or sagittal views. Linear interpolations, although simple, due to the inherent noise in the data, generate MIP images with noise whose variance vary quadratically along the z-axis. As such, the MIP images will often suffer from horizontal streaking artifacts, exactly at the position of the original slices. To combat this situation we have developed a different interpolation technique based on a digital finite impulse response (FIR) filter. It is shown that this band-limited interpolation based on the FIR filter will flatten the change in the noise variance along the z-axis, the net effect being either the elimination or a reduction of the horizontal streaking artifact.

We studied the method of capturing the image of the object that passes through certain area. The focus area of CCD image capturing system is adjusted to the certain area. DCT (Discrete Cosine Transformation) is performed on the captured images and the best-focused image is selected by monitoring the high frequency ration of DCT. In general, when the image becomes sharp, the high frequency component of DCT increases. When the object such as a man or goods moves through a focus area, the image on CCD sensor will turn into a sharp image from a blur image, and then will turn to a blur image. Therefore, we judged the object is in a focus area by monitoring a serial change of the high frequency DCT ratio of an image, because the ration shows the maximum at the sharpest image. It is confirmed that detection of object in a focus area is possible. This results means that the image capturing system can be realized only with a camera and a processor without other sensor such as a position sensor. The method will be applied to the field of security, manufacturing line and so on.

In the simplest terms possible, thermal spraying coating involves heating a material, in powder or wire form, to a molten or semi-molten state. The material is propelled using a heat source, e.g. a very high temperature plasma flame to deposit it, creating a surface structure on a given substrate. The process is very complex because it depends on numerous parameters influencing each other. A necessary condition to improve process efficiency and quality of produced coatings is the determination of in-flight particle properties. The innovative Particle-Shape-Imaging (PSI) technique offers a new potential in particle diagnostics. It is intended for the analysis of size and shape of single particles within the plasma jet. The method is based on telemicroscopic imaging of the particle shades. A cw-laser beam is split into two beams of equal intensities, which are superimposed in the focal plane of a long-distance-microscope. The detection system consists of a CCD camera with a Micro- Channel-Plate intensifier allowing exposure times of a few nanoseconds. When a particle passes the measuring volume, the laser beams generate two individual shades. The position of the particle relatively to the focal plane is determined from the separation of the two shades in the image plane. From the evaluation of area and contour of the shades, particles can be classified in regard to size and form. Corresponding distributions of the particles within the plasma jet as well as changes of the particle form in the melting process can be determined.

ImageTool is a software package developed at Bechtel Nevada, Los Alamos Operations. This team has developed a set of analysis tools, in the form of image processing software used to evaluate camera calibration data. Performance measures are used to identify capabilities and limitations of a camera system, while establishing a means for comparing systems. The camera evaluations are designed to provide system performance, camera comparison and system modeling information. This program is used to evaluate digital camera images. ImageTool proves basic image restoration and analysis features along with a special set of camera evaluation tools which are used to standardize camera system characterizations. This process is started with the acquisition of a well-defined set of calibration images. Image processing algorithms provide a consistent means of evaluating the camera calibration data. Performance measures in the areas of sensitivity, noise, and resolution are used as a basis for comparing camera systems and evaluating experimental system performance. Camera systems being with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and optical relay system and may incorporate image intensifiers, electro-static image tubes, or electron bombarded charge-coupled devices (EBCCDs). Electro-optical components provide fast shuttering and/or optical gain to camera systems. Camera types evaluated include grated intensified cameras and multi-frame cameras used in applications ranging from X-ray radiography to visible and infrared imaging. It is valuable to evaluate the performance of a camera system in order to determine if a particular system meets experimental requirements. In this paper we highlight the processing features of ImageTool.

IBM Research has developed a time resolved imaging technique, Picosecond Imaging Circuit Analysis (PICA), which uses single photon events to analyze signals in modern microprocessors on a picosecond time scale. This paper will describe the experimental setup as well as the data management software. A case study of a particularly hard debug problem on a state of the art microprocessor will demonstrate the application of the PICA method.

A 600 Frame/s camera based on 1.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor (PBMV13) with wide digital data output bus (10 parallel outputs of 10 bit worlds) was developed using high capacity SCRAM memory. This architecture allows to achieve 10 seconds of continuous recording of digital data from the sensor at 600 frames per second to the memory box with up to 12 1Gbytes SDRAM modules. Acquired data is transmitted through the fibre optic channel connected to the camera via FPDP interface to a PC type computer at the speed of 100 Mbyte per second and fibre cable length up to 10 km. All camera settings such as shutter time, frame rate, image size, present for changing integration time and frame rate, can be controlled by software. Camera specifications: shutter time - from 3.3 us to full frame at 1.6 us steps at 600 fps and then 1 frame steps down to 16 ms, frame rate - from 60 fps to 600 fps, image size 1280x1024, 1280x512, 1290x256, or 1280x128, changing on a fly - presetting two step table, memory capacity - depends on frame size (6000 frames with 1280x1024 or 48000 frames with 1280x128 resolution). Program can work with monochrome or color versions of the MV13 sensor.