First experimental results of very high accuracy centroiding measurements for the neat astrometric mission

NEAT is an astrometric mission proposed to ESA with the objectives of detecting Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone of nearby solar-type stars. NEAT requires the capability to measure stellar centroids at the precision of 5e-6 pixel. Current state-of-the-art methods for centroid estimation have reached a precision of about 2e-5 pixel at two times Nyquist sampling, this was shown at the JPL by the VESTA experiment. A metrology system was used to calibrate intra and inter pixel quantum efficiency variations in order to correct pixelation errors. The European part of the NEAT consortium is building a testbed in vacuum in order to achieve 5e-6 pixel precision for the centroid estimation. The goal is to provide a proof of concept for the precision requirement of the NEAT spacecraft. In this paper we present the metrology and the pseudo stellar sources sub-systems, we present a performance model and an error budget of the experiment and we report the present status of the demonstration. Finally we also present our first results: the experiment had its first light in July 2013 and a first set of data was taken in air. The analysis of this first set of data showed that we can already measure the pixel positions with an accuracy of about 1e-4 pixel.Comment: SPIE conference proceeding

Radiometric responsivity determination for Feature Identification and Location Experiment (FILE) flown on space shuttle mission

A procedure was developed to obtain the radiometric (radiance) responsivity of the Feature Identification and Local Experiment (FILE) instrument in preparation for its flight on Space Shuttle Mission 41-G (November 1984). This instrument was designed to obtain Earth feature radiance data in spectral bands centered at 0.65 and 0.85 microns, along with corroborative color and color-infrared photographs, and to collect data to evaluate a technique for in-orbit autonomous classification of the Earth's primary features. The calibration process incorporated both solar radiance measurements and radiative transfer model predictions in estimating expected radiance inputs to the FILE on the Shuttle. The measured data are compared with the model predictions, and the differences observed are discussed. Application of the calibration procedure to the FILE over an 18-month period indicated a constant responsivity characteristic. This report documents the calibration procedure and the associated radiometric measurements and predictions that were part of the instrument preparation for flight

New instruments and technologies for Cultural Heritage survey: full integration between point clouds and digital photogrammetry

In the last years the Geomatic Research Group of the Politecnico di Torino faced some new research topics about new instruments for point cloud generation (e.g. Time of Flight cameras) and strong integration between multi-image matching techniques and 3D Point Cloud information in order to solve the ambiguities of the already known matching algorithms. ToF cameras can be a good low cost alternative to LiDAR instruments for the generation of precise and accurate point clouds: up to now the application range is still limited but in a near future they will be able to satisfy the most part of the Cultural Heritage metric survey requirements. On the other hand multi-image matching techniques with a correct and deep integration of the point cloud information can give the correct solution for an "intelligent" survey of the geometric object break-lines, which are the correct starting point for a complete survey. These two research topics are strictly connected to a modern Cultural Heritage 3D survey approach. In this paper after a short analysis of the achieved results, an alternative possible scenario for the development of the metric survey approach inside the wider topic of Cultural Heritage Documentation is reporte

Calibrating the elements of a multispectral imaging system

We describe a method to calibrate the elements of a multispectral system aimed at skylight imaging, which consists of a monochrome charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a liquid-crystal tunable filter (LCTF). We demonstrate how to calibrate these two devices in order to build a multispectral camera that can obtain spectroradiometric measurements of skylight. Spectral characterizations of the tunable filter and the camera are presented together with a complete study into correcting temporal and spatial noise, which is of key importance in CCDs. We describe all the necessary steps to undertake this work and all the additional instrumentation that must be used to calibrate the radiometric devices correctly. We show how this complete study of our multispectral system allows us to use it as an accurate, high resolution spectroradiometer.This work was financed by the Spanish Red Temática “CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA DEL COLOR” (FIS2005-25312-E), the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, and the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) through grant FIS2007-60736. We thank our English colleague A. L. Tate for revising our English text.Peer reviewe

Temperature correction of radiometric and geometric models for an uncooled CCD camera in the near infrared

International audienceThis paper presents radiometric and geometric models for both temperature and displacement noncontact measurements using an uncooled charge-coupled device (CCD) video camera. Such techniques (''one sensor-two measures'') represent an interest in many industrial low cost applications and scientific domains. To benefit from both measurements, we have to use the camera's spectral response in the near infrared spectral band from 0.75 to 1.1 mum. In this spectral band, the temperature variations of an uncooled CCD camera are taken into account in the radiometric and geometric models. By using physical models for CCD camera, we quantify detector's quantum efficiency, sensor noise and spatial resolution as a function of the wavelength and of the detector temperature. These models are confirmed by experimental results of calibration with a low cost uncooled camera based on a Sony detector and operating over the detector temperature range of -30 to -50degrees

The Effect of Radiometric Correction on Multicamera Algorithms

We present results confirming the importance of radiometric correction in multicamera applications. Although, we compensate for systematic noise only, we review all noise sources in the video sensor (systematic and random). We use a simple model for radiometric correction of digital images. The correction procedure is tested on the disparity map computation in stereo matching, particularly in a case where stereo usually fails -- almost textureless white surface. Without correcting radiometricly, the matching algorithm matches systematic noise components in the two images. With the correction, after removing the systematic noise, an improvement of 26% to 59% in relative rms of the disparity map is demonstrated (the higher the intensity of the flat field, the better the improvement)