Color CCD Camera Research Articles

Development of multi-color scintillator based X-ray image intensifier

A multi-color scintillator based high-sensitive, wide dynamic range and long-life X-ray image intensifier has been developed. An europium activated Y 2 O 2 S scintillator, emitting red, green and blue photons of different intensities, is utilized as the output fluorescent screen of the intensifier. By combining this image intensifier with a suitably tuned high sensitive color CCD camera, it is possible for a sensitivity of the red color component to become six times higher than that of the conventional image intensifier. Simultaneous emission of a moderate green color and a weak blue color covers different sensitivity regions. This widens the dynamic range, by nearly two orders of ten. With this image intensifier, it is possible to image simultaneously complex objects containing various different X-ray transmission from paper, water or plastic to heavy metals. This high sensitivity intensifier, operated at lower X-ray exposure, causes less degradation of scintillator materials and less colorization of output screen glass, and thus helps achieve a longer lifetime. This color scintillator based image intensifier is being introduced for X-ray inspection in various fields.

A new artificial life body: biologically inspired dynamic bipedal humanoid robots

Recently, a biologically inspired, bipedal, dynamic, humanoid robot was developed at the Artificial Life and Robotics Laboratory of Oita University. This bipedal humanoid robot is able to walk dynamically and to go up and down stairs. The central pattern generator developed produces various types of walking pattern. This robot has a pair of small CMOS color CCD cameras, a speaker, and a microphone in the head part, and will have a GPS, a portable telephone, and other sensors in the body part, so that the integration of locomotion and behavior to achieve specific demonstrations will be realized. This project develops dynamic mobility and the ability for autonomous recognition and navigation using the biological central nervous system, the brain system, and the real-time control system. Also, the design principles that demonstrate the dynamic interaction between neural and mechanical controls will be clarified. In Phase I, the platform of a small, bipedal, humanoid robot is used to develop autonomous locomotion and autonomous sensing and navigation. In Phase II of the project, an iteration on the platform design for human-size, bipedal, humanoid robots will be performed for operational testing. The development of bipedal humanoid robots that capture biological systems with unique principles and practices could dramatically increase their performance in tasks for national security needs.

Robotics and Intelligent Space

This paper introduces the recent research achievement in Intelligent Space Project (ISP). The ISP have been active since 1996. Robots will be able to coexist with humans and support humans effectively in near future. We proposed the intelligent space in order to achieve such human-centered system. The intelligent space is the space where many intelligent devices, such as computers and sensors, are distributed. The Intelligent Space achieves the human centered services by accelerating the physical and psychological interaction between humans and intelligent devices. As an intelligent device of the Intelligent Space, a color CCD camera module, which includes processing and networking part, has been chosen. The Intelligent Space requires functions of identifying and tracking the multiple objects to realize appropriate services to users under the multi-camera environments.

Appearance Based Object Identification for Mobile Robot Localization in Intelligent Space with Distributed Vision Sensors

Robots will be able to coexist with humans and support humans effectively in near future. One of the most important aspects in the development of human-friendly robots is to cooperation between humans and robots. In this paper, we proposed a method for multi-object identification in order to achieve such human-centered system and robot localization in intelligent space. The intelligent space is the space where many intelligent devices, such as computers and sensors, are distributed. The Intelligent Space achieves the human centered services by accelerating the physical and psychological interaction between humans and intelligent devices. As an intelligent device of the Intelligent Space, a color CCD camera module, which includes processing and networking part, has been chosen. The Intelligent Space requires functions of identifying and tracking the multiple objects to realize appropriate services to users under the multi-camera environments. In order to achieve seamless tracking and location estimation many camera modules are distributed. They causes some errors about object identification among different camera modules. This paper describes appearance based object representation for the distributed vision system in Intelligent Space to achieve consistent labeling of all objects. Then, we discuss how to learn the object color appearance model and how to achieve the multi-object tracking under occlusions.

소형 2족 보행 로봇의 지능형 동작의 구현

A small biped robot system is designed and implemented. The robot system consists of a mechanical robot body, a control system, a sensor system, and a user interface system. The robot has 12 dofs for two legs, 6 dofs for two arms, 2 dofs for a neck, so it has total 20 dofs to have dexterous motion capability. The implemented robot has the capability of performing intelligent actions such as playing soccer, resisting external forces, and walking on a slope terrain. In this paper, we focus on the robot`s capability of playing soccer. The robot uses a color CCD camera attached on its head as a sensor for playing soccer. To make the robot play soccer with only one camera, an algorithm, which consists of searching, localization, and motion planning, is proposed and experimented. The results show that the robot can play soccer successfully in the given environments.

Development of multi-color scintillator based X-ray image intensifier

A multi-color scintillator based high-sensitive, wide dynamic range and long-life X-ray image intensifier has been developed. An europium activated Y 2O 2S scintillator, emitting red, green and blue photons of different intensities, is utilized as the output fluorescent screen of the intensifier. By combining this image intensifier with a suitably tuned high sensitive color CCD camera, it is possible for a sensitivity of the red color component to become six times higher than that of the conventional image intensifier. Simultaneous emission of a moderate green color and a weak blue color covers different sensitivity regions. This widens the dynamic range, by nearly two orders of ten. With this image intensifier, it is possible to image simultaneously complex objects containing various different X-ray transmission from paper, water or plastic to heavy metals. This high sensitivity intensifier, operated at lower X-ray exposure, causes less degradation of scintillator materials and less colorization of output screen glass, and thus helps achieve a longer lifetime. This color scintillator based image intensifier is being introduced for X-ray inspection in various fields.

Neutron gamma ray radiography using a two-color luminescent scintillator

Neutron and gamma ray radiographs has been obtained using red and green images on a two-color luminescent scintillator using a cooled color CCD camera at the thermal neutron radiography field of JRR-3m.

Artificial color vision: a preliminary study

Animals accomplish color vision by characterizing the scene in two or more spectrally overlapping bands, normalizing to minimize brightness effects, computing spectral discriminants (called hues) from the normalized readings, and attributing those hues to the scene with the brightness variations restored in the colored image. We explore doing the same process in forming images for camera systems. To make experimental testing simpler, we use available spectrally overlapping band cameras—color CCD cameras—whose bands show considerable overlap but were not chosen for the task to which we employ them. We use these bands and a very small number of samples from each class of object to form a single artificial color—green pepper but not snow peas and not An image of a plate of such vegetables in that artificial color shows the green pepper but not the snow peas and not the carrots.

Simultaneous measurement of temperature and velocity using two-colour LIF combined with PIV with a colour CCD camera and its application to the turbulent buoyant plume

In this present paper, a method for simultaneously measuring the temperature and the velocity in a planar cross-section of fluid flow with a colour CCD camera is described. This technique combines the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and particle image velocimetry (PIV). The temperature is evaluated by the two-colour LIF technique using red and green images of the colour CCD camera, while the velocity is obtained from two sequential blue images by PIV. It is found that the temperature sensitivity of the present technique is almost the same as that of the standard two-colour LIF technique by two monochrome CCD cameras with optimum filter setting, but it provides a simple and convenient system for simultaneous measurement of temperature and velocity in thermal flows. The uncertainty in the temperature measurement is found to be a function of concentration ratios of the fluorescent dyes in the two-colour LIF technique and it increases with an increase in the number of tracer particles for velocity measurement. This technique is successfully applied to the simultaneous measurement of temperature and velocity in the turbulent buoyant plume. The statistical properties of the plume, such as mean and turbulence characteristics of the plume as well as turbulent heat fluxes are evaluated in the initial region of the buoyant plume.

Color computer-generated holograms from projection images

A novel method for the procurement of full-color three-dimensional (3-D) images of real objects has been developed. This method is based on extracting information from 3-D Fourier spectra, which are calculated from several projection images recorded using a white light source. 3-D Fourier spectra for three colors were obtained separately for projection images recorded with a color-CCD camera. Three computer-generated holograms (CGHs) were then synthesized from those Fourier spectra. The resulting numerically and optically reconstructed full-color images are presented.

Talbot experiment re-examined: study of the chromatic regime and application to spectrometry

The original Talbot experiment in white light has been reconstituted, using an amplitude grating made of thin slits and a colour CCD camera and a model has been developed to describe the field diffracted by the grating illuminated in polychromatic light with a known spectral density. Above the historical interest of this study, the possibility of applying this effect to make spectral measurements is explored and a new concept of Talbot spectrometer is proposed.

Measurement of shear-stress distribution over a surface by liquid-crystalcoating

In this paper, a method for measuring the instantaneous shear-stress distributionover a solid surface in a fluid flow is studied by using a surface-flow visualizationtechnique with a shear-sensitive liquid-crystal coating. The colour response of theliquid-crystal coating is calibrated against the various shear-stress magnitudes anddirections with an experimental test section of laminar channel flow. Themeasurement of instantaneous shear-stress distribution is carried out usingtwo colour CCD cameras, which are situated side by side in stereoscopicarrangement. The colour-to-shear-stress transformation is conducted by analysingthe hue distribution of the visualized colour image with the calibratedrelationships between the hues from the two colour CCD cameras and theshear-stress magnitude and direction. The usefulness of this technique wasdemonstrated by the measurement of shear-stress distribution arounda circular cylinder on a surface under decelerating flow conditions.

Multispectral digital colposcopy for in vivo detection of cervical cancer

We present a multispectral digital colposcope (MDC) to measure multispectral autofluorescence and reflectance images of the cervix by using an inexpensive color CCD camera. The diagnostic ability of the MDC was evaluated by application of MDC spectral response to fluorescence and reflectance spectra measured from a large clinical trial. High diagnostic performance was achieved by use of only two excitation wavelengths: 330 and 440 nm. Good quality autofluorescence images of the human cervix were acquired in vivo with the MDC. Automated diagnostic algorithms correctly identified CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) lesions from MDC fluorescence images. The MDC has the potential to provide a costeffective alternative to standard colposcopy and better direction of biopsies.

Eigenface를 이용한 인간의 감정인식 시스템

본 논문에서는 다양한 환경하에서 인간의 식별과 감정을 인식할 수 있는 감정 인식 알고리즘을 제안한다. 제안된 알고리즘을 구현하기 위해, 먼저, CCD 칼라 카메라에 의해 획득한 원 영상으로부터 피부색을 이용해 얼굴영상을 얻는 과정을 거친다. 그 다음, 주요 요소분석을 기본으로 하는 얼굴인식기술인 Eigenface를 사용하여 이미지들을 고차원의 픽셀공간으로부터 저차원공간으로의 변환하는 과정을 거친다. 제안된 개인에 대한 식별과 감성인식은 사용한 특징벡터들의 추출로 인한 Eigenface의 가중치와 상관관계를 통해 이루어진다. 즉, 영상의 가중치로부터 개인에 대한 식별과 감성정보를 찾는 방법을 제안한다. 마지막으로, 실험을 통해 제안된 방법의 응용가능성을 보인다. Emotions recognition is a topic on which little research has been done to date. This paper proposes a new method that can recognize the human s emotion from facial image by using eigenspace. To do so, first, we get the face image by using the skin color from the original color image acquired by CCD color camera. Second, we get the vector image which is projected the obtained face image into eigenspace. And then, we propose the method for finding out each person s identification and emotion from the weight of vector image. Finally, we show the practical application possibility of the proposed method through the experiment.

Red-green-blue interferometer for the metrology of discontinuous structures.

Discontinuous surface profiles, e.g., diffractive optical elements (DOEs), are commonly measured by white-light interferometry. White-light interferometry needs significantly more memory capacity and computer time than does phase-shifting interferometry; there are approximately ten times more frames to be taken to gather the required information about the object under test. But usually the grooves of the DOEs are too deep for single-wavelength phase-shifting interferometry. Here we show how phase-shifting techniques can be applied to DOEs. For this purpose three interference patterns are recorded simultaneously by a three-chip color CCD camera at three wavelengths (Red-green-blue). It is possible to calculate separately the optical path difference at each pixel from the three phase patterns modulo 2pi. The algorithms used and experimental results are presented.

B310 液晶を用いたせん断応力分布の瞬時計測法と非定常流への応用

A method for measuring the instantaneous shearstress distribution over a solid surface in a fluid flow is studied by using a surface-flow visualization technique with a shear-sensitive liquid-crystal coating. The color response of the liquid-crystal coating is calibrated against the various shearstress magnitudes and directions with an experimental test section of laminar channel flow. The measurement of instantaneous shear-stress distribution is carried out by using two color CCD cameras, which are situated side by side in stereoscopic arrangement. The color to shear stress transformation is conducted by analyzing the hue distribution of the visualized color image with the calibrated relationships between the hues from the two colour CCD cameras and the shearstress magnitude and direction. The usefulness of this technique was demonstrated by the measurement of shear-stress distribution around a circular cylinder over a surface under the decelerating flow condition.

Using Machine Vision Based System for Benchmarking Various Printing Plate Surfaces

Traditionally a dot meter or an optical microscope fitted with a camera is used to analyze the dot position and dot area fraction of offset plates. Dot meters do not provide valuable information such as dot raggedness and dot positioning. These features are important when the plates are exposed digitally using laser diodes. The alignment of individual laser diodes is very important for controlling the position of the dots and in turn controlling the moire patterns appearing the final full color prints. Dot position verifies diode quality, alignment, and ensures output quality.The optical microscope system that was used by Presstek in the past could capture optimal contrast images only of metallic plates. Also, the software that had been used for analysis was only capable of measuring dot percentage and a few dot quality parameters, and could not provide enough useful information about other plate and print quality features. To achieve accurate dot percentage results, the threshold values had to be changed manually for each nominal dot area fraction value. After each analysis, the measurement result of the actual dot area percentage had to be saved manually to a file from the software.Presstek (a manufacturer of wide range of specialty offset printing plates) deals with plates of different materials, many of which are unique, so a new image inspection system was required to provide the quality assurance necessary across the various product lines. It was recognized that this system needed to be able to successfully measure on various plate media, and be able to adjust threshold values, store images, and save results to a file automatically. It was also necessary for the system to be able to perform various plate and print quality analyses including dot area fraction, dot position, feature location, etc.An ImageXpert system with a 3-CCD color camera and high magnification optics is now in use. The combination of camera and ring light illumination source is capable of capturing images from various plate materials with excellent contrast. In addition, when co-axial illumination is necessary, images can be captured using our existing microscope and can be imported into ImageXpert for analysis. The software provided with the system is capable of measuring dot area percentage (even in the difficult 50% dot area range) with automatic thresholding, and it can measure dot positions, various dot quality attributes, and perform printability analysis on printed sheet as well as imaged plates.

Fabrication of photochromic phosphomolybdic acid monolayer film

A photochromic monolayer film of phosphomolybdic acid (denoted as PMo12) was fabricated by self-assembly approach. UV-visible spectrum and AFM observation show that the monolayer film is composed of aggregated PMo12 molecules. The monolayer film shows good photochromic properties, with enough stability and reversibility. The color change of the monolayer after UV-irradiation can be captured by a microscope equipped with a color CCD camera. Photochromic response of the monolayer film can be doubled after being modified by an amine monolayer.

Chromosomal localization of sixty autosomal loci in sheep (Ovis aries, 2n = 54) by fluorescence in situ hybridization and R-banding

Sixty autosomal loci (5 type I and 55 type II) from 24 bovine syntenic groups, and previously FISH-mapped to goat and river buffalo chromosomes, were localized by fluorescence in situ on sheep (Ovis aries, 2n = 54) chromosomes, thereby notably extending the cytogenetic map of this economically important species. Caprine BAC clones were hybridized to R-banded chromosome preparations. FITC-signals and RBPI- banding (R-banding by late BrdU-incorporation and propidium iodide staining) were simultaneously visualized and captured by a colour CCD-camera. All mapped loci were localized on homoeologous chromosomes and chromosome regions (bands) of sheep, goat and river buffalo, further supporting chromosome and genetic (loci) homoeologies among bovids.

Fluorescence staining of oral and laryngeal cancer after application of 5-aminolevulinic acid

Cancer of the oral cavity, oropharynx and larynx are the most common malignancies in the head and neck region. The prognosis for the patients concerned is highly dependent on an early detection and fast surgical treatment. Fluorescence guided examinations may serve as a possible diagnostic tool for better demarcation and delimitation of head and neck cancer. Therefore, the presented study was aimed at the detection of a selective Protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) accumulation in malignant oral, oropharyngeal and laryngeal lesions following topical and systemic application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). We investigated 193 patients with suspected lesions in the oral cavity and oropharynx (n = 126) as well as in the larynx (n = 67). The patients received a varying dose (rinsing 200 mg, inhalation 30 mg, 2,5 - 25 mg/kg BW by mouth) of 5-ALA in aqueous solution. Both fluorescence pictures and macroscopic findings under white light were recorded using a target integrating, color CCD camera. Fluorescence contrasts between tumor and normal tissue were registered by an optical multichannel analyser. Our results have shown that after topical and systemic application of 5-ALA, PPIX fluorescence could be identified within the mucosa of the oral cavity, oropharynx and the larynx of all patients with a duration of up to 48 hours after systemic application. Malignant lesions usually showed higher intensities of PPIX-fluorescence than surrounding innocuous mucosa. A maximum fluorescence contrast between normal tissue and neoplastic lesions was observed at 1.5 hours after topical application and 3 hours after systemic application. It will be the aim of further investigations to verify the optimal time of incubation and dosing of systemical 5-ALA application to enhance fluorescence contrasts and set the basis for fluorescence guided resections.