X-ray imaging using a consumer-grade digital camera

The recent advancements in consumer-grade digital camera technology and the introduction of high-resolution, high sensitivity CsBr:Eu²⁺ storage phosphor imaging plates make possible a new cost-effective technique for X-ray imaging. The imaging plate is bathed with red stimulating light by high-intensity light-emitting diodes, and the photostimulated image is captured with a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. A blue band-pass optical filter blocks the stimulating red light but transmits the blue photostimulated luminescence. Using a Canon D5 Mk II camera and an f1.4 wide-angle lens, the optical image of a 240×180 mm² Konica CsBr:Eu²⁺ imaging plate from a position 230 mm in front of the camera lens can be focussed so as to laterally fill the 35×23.3 mm² camera sensor, and recorded in 2808×1872 pixel elements, corresponding to an equivalent pixel size on the plate of 88 μm. The analogue-to-digital conversion from the camera electronics is 13 bits, but the dynamic range of the imaging system as a whole is limited in practice by noise to about 2.5 orders of magnitude. The modulation transfer function falls to 0.2 at a spatial frequency of 2.2 line pairs/mm. The limiting factor of the spatial resolution is light scattering in the plate rather than the camera optics. The limiting factors for signal-to-noise ratio are shot noise in the light, and dark noise in the CMOS sensor. Good quality images of high-contrast objects can be recorded with doses of approximately 1 mGy. The CsBr:Eu²⁺ plate has approximately three times the readout sensitivity of a similar BaFBr:Eu²⁺ plate.     

Two-dimensional thermoluminescence dosimetry using planar detectors and a TL reader with CCD camera readout

A novel method of determining two-dimensional (2-D) dose distributions is presented, using in-house developed, large-area (a few cm(2)) thermoluminescent (TL) detectors based on LiF powder plated on Al foil. An in-house developed planar large-area TL reader equipped with a coupled charge device (CCD) camera is used for readout, providing digital images of 2-D dose distributions on the surface of these large-area TL detectors. The capability of the newly developed system is demonstrated by mapping 2-D dose distributions around a brachytherapy source, at dose ranges and source geometries relevant for clinical radiotherapy. Examples of local and dynamic evaluation of TL output from conventional TL detectors are also shown.     

数码相机的亮度分布测试研究

在数码相机测光原理和数字图像处理的基础上利用均匀亮度源对数码相机进行光学标定,获取数码相机采集到的图像灰度值与曝光量之间的确切关系,并以此来获得亮度回归公式.在均匀亮度源标定下数码相机的亮度回归曲线的相关系数R2达到了0.984 5.利用标定完的数码相机进行亮度测试时取得了很好的实验效果,并且在进行点目标物亮度测试时相对误差可以控制到5%左右,在进行面目标物亮度分布测试时整体误差基本上可以控制到10%左右.     

Multispectral synthesis of daylight using a commercial digital CCD camera

Performance of multispectral devices in recovering spectral data has been intensively investigated in some applications, as in spectral characterization of art paintings, but has received little attention in the context of spectral characterization of natural illumination. This study investigated the quality of the spectral estimation of daylight-type illuminants using a commercial digital CCD camera and a set of broadband colored filters. Several recovery algorithms that did not need information about spectral sensitivities of the camera sensors nor eigenvectors to describe the spectra were tested. Tests were carried out both with virtual data, using simulated camera responses, and real data obtained from real measurements. It was found that it is possible to recover daylight spectra with high spectral and colorimetric accuracy with a reduced number of three to nine spectral bands.     

High-photon-throughput snapshot colour imaging using a monochromatic digital camera and a pupil-domain diffuser

Colour RGB imaging with high throughput was achieved by a monochromatic digital camera with a dispersive diffuser at its pupil. An acquired snapshot monochromatic image was converted to colour coordinates through spectra, by resorting to digital processing with a compressed sensing-based algorithm of spectral imaging. Results of optical evaluation and calibration of an optical system and colour imaging experiments are reported.     

Filtering and processing of panoramic images obtained using a camera and a wide-angle-imaging reflective surface

There is an increasing interest in wide-angle imaging of the environment using curved reflective surfaces. With this comes the need for appropriate filtering and processing of the acquired images. Here we present a technique for homogeneous, fast filtering of panoramic images captured using a camera and a wide-angle-imaging reflective surface. Imaging of the panoramic environment onto a two-dimensional (2-D) plane necessarily introduces spatial distortions such as stretching and bending that vary with the viewing direction. Therefore, if the panoramic image is to be filtered homogeneously in all viewing directions, it is necessary to match the filtering to the distortions. We show how this can be accomplished. The image acquired by the camera is first digitally unwarped and represented in Cartesian coordinates representing azimuth and elevation. The mappings of patches of uniform size and shape on the viewsphere are then established. Next, for each filter patch the local mappings of great circles along two principal axes (along the local longitudinal and elevational directions) on the image plane are determined. The mappings of these great circles are used to perform the 2-D convolution required by the filtering operation. Convolution along the directions of local, mutually orthogonal great circles permits the filtering to be carried out in a quasi-separable fashion, resulting in increased computational speed and efficiency. Examples of homogeneous filtering using this procedure are presented.     

Optical sensing scheme for carbon dioxide using a solvatochromic probe

The novel sensing scheme, unlike previous ones that are based on the use of pH indicator probes, is making use of solvatochromic probe Nile Red (NR). Dissolved in a matrix of ethyl cellulose, it can report the polarity of its microenvironment that is modulated by an additive (a hydrophobic amidine) that is capable of reversibly binding carbon dioxide. The spectra of NR undergo a strong solvatochromic shift both in color (from brick-red to magenta) and in fluorescence (from orange to red) if the respective sensor layer is exposed to gaseous CO(2) (gCO(2)) or dissolved CO(2) (dCO(2)). Both visual and instrumental readouts are possible. The sensor layer responds to gCO(2) in the range from 0 to 100% and to dCO(2) in the range from 0 to 1 M solutions of bicarbonate (equivalent to a CO(2) partial pressure of up to 255 hPa). The detection limits are around 0.23% for gCO(2) and 1.53 hPa for dCO(2). The response time is in the order of 10 min in the forward direction and 3 min in the reverse direction for gCO(2) but up to 25 min in the case of dCO(2). The optical response also was quantified using a digital camera by extracting the spectral information using the blue and green color channels (in reflectometry) and the green and red channels (in fluorescence), respectively, and by generating pseudocolor pictures.     

Coated wire potentiometric detection for capillary electrophoresis studied using organic amines, drugs, and biogenic amines

Capillary electrophoresis was coupled successfully and reliably to potentiometric sensors, which are based on an ionically conductive rubber phase coating, applied on a 250 microm diameter metal substrate. The membrane components included potassium tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)borate (TCPB), bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), and high molecular mass poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Potentiometry reveals a very sensitive CE detection mode, with sub-micromolar detection limits for amines and the randomly chosen drugs quinine, clozapine, cocaine, heroine, noscapine, papaverine, and ritodrine. The lowest detection limit, 1 x 10(-8) M injected concentration, was obtained for the quaternary ammonium compound tetrahexylammonium chloride. The more polar lower aliphatic amines and the biogenic amines dopamine, adrenaline, and cadaverine have much higher detection limits. The detection limits are log P dependent. Addition of a commercially available calixarene molecule or a synthetic macrocyclic amphiphilic receptor molecule to the electrode coatings enhanced the sensitivity respectively for the lower aliphatic amines and for the biogenic amines. A transpose of the Nikolskii-Eisenman-type function was suggested and used to convert the signal of the detector to a concentration-dependent signal.     

Edge enhancement of color images using a digital micromirror device

A method for orientation-selective enhancement of edges in color images is proposed. The method utilizes the capacity of digital micromirror devices to generate a positive and a negative color replica of the image used as input. When both images are slightly displaced and imagined together, one obtains an image with enhanced edges. The proposed technique does not require a coherent light source or precise alignment. The proposed method could be potentially useful for processing large image sequences in real time. Validation experiments are presented.     

High-speed phase-stepped digital speckle pattern interferometry using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera

A digital speckle pattern interferometer based on a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera is described. The temporal evolution of dynamic deformation is measured using interframe phase stepping. The flexibility of the CMOS detector is used to identify regions of interest with full-field time-averaged measurements and then to interrogate those regions with time-resolved measurements sampled at up to 70 kHz. A numerical and analytical investigation shows that the maximum surface velocity that can be reliably measured with interframe phase stepping corresponds to +/-0.3 times the surface velocity at which the interferogram is sampled at the Nyquist limit.     

Fabrication of a simultaneous red-green-blue reflector using single-pitched cholesteric liquid crystals

A cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) is a self-assembled photonic crystal formed by rodlike molecules, including chiral molecules, that arrange themselves in a helical fashion. The CLC has a single photonic bandgap and an associated one-colour reflection band for circularly polarized light with the same handedness as the CLC helix (selective reflection). These optical characteristics, particularly the circular polarization of the reflected light, are attractive for applications in reflective colour displays without using a backlight, for use as polarizers or colour filters and for mirrorless lasing. Recently, we showed by numerical simulation that simultaneous multicolour reflection is possible by introducing fibonaccian phase defects. Here, we design and fabricate a CLC system consisting of thin isotropic films and of polymeric CLC films, and demonstrate experimentally simultaneous red, green and blue reflections (multiple photonic bandgaps) using the single-pitched polymeric CLC films. The experimental reflection spectra are well simulated by calculations. The presented system can extend applications of CLCs to a wide-band region and could give rise to new photonic devices, in which white or multicolour light is manipulated.     

Selective detection of biogenic amines using capillary electrochromatography with an on-column derivatization technique

A selective detection method for biogenic amines present in highly complex matrixes was devised by employing both electrokinetic injection and on-column-derivatization capillary electrochromatographic methods. The on-column derivatization capillary electrochromatography system was evaluated by use of a capillary column (total length of 45 cm, effective length of 25 cm) fabricated using a 100-mcirom (i.d.) fused-silica capillary tube packed with 5-microm (i.d.) ODS particles that were tolerant of an alkaline environment. The column was filled with a run buffer consisting of a derivatization reagent, o-phthalaldehyde/2-mercaptoethanol, in a mixture of borate buffer (pH 10). After electrokinetic injection of a mixture of five biogenic amines (histamine, serotonin, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine) as a test sample, the free amines entered into the anodic site of the capillary column and started to travel along the column, during which time the analytes reacted with the derivatization reagent, separated out, and were detected with an absorbance at 340 nm when high voltage was applied to the column. When this system was applied to a mixture containing 5 biogenic amines and 17 amino acids, the 5 biogenic amines plus arginine selectively entered into the capillary with the electrokinetic injection and were observed on the electrochromatogram, but none of the amino acids lacking arginine were detected. The designated method was also tested for its ability to determine the presence of biogenic amines in the crude extracts obtained from two types of aged fish.     

利用数码相机和CorelDRAW软件测量任意曲线长度和物体柱面的表面积

仿真饰品及小部件的表面通常为不规则的异形曲面,手工测量困难,估算结果误差较大。样品表面积的准确计算是困扰检验人员的重要问题之一,该文利用数码相机、CorelDRAW软件等常见辅助工具,根据所建立的数码相机成像中目标图像、参考图像的尺寸放大倍率与两者物距的关系公式,结合CorelDRAW软件的描线及交互式调和工具,建立利用数码相机和CorelDRAW软件测量任意曲线长度及物体柱面表面积的方法;提出成像物距与长度测量结果的关系,解决常见利用数码相机和计算机软件测量物体面积方法中不规则曲线长度及柱面面积测量问题,进一步扩展了该测量法的适用范围。同时提出通过理论计算和数学拟合两种方式测量的方法,以满足不同的测量需求。     

Aberration compensation of holographic particle images using digital holographic microscopy

Characterisation of small and large-scale vortices in turbulent flows demands a system with high spatial resolution. The measurement of high spatial resolution, three-dimensional vector displacements in fluid mechanics using holography, is usually hampered by aberration. Aberration poses some problems in particle image identification due to low fidelity of real image reconstruction. Phase mismatch between the recording and the reconstruction waves was identified as the main source of aberration in this study. This paper demonstrates how aberration compensation can be achieved by cross-correlating the complex amplitude of an aberrated reconstructed object with the phase conjugate of a known reference object in the plane of the hologram (frequency space). Results favourably show significant increase in Strehl ratio and suppression of background noise that are more pronounced for particle images of 10 and 5 microns. It is clear from the work conducted that wavefront aberration measurement and compensation of holographic microscopic objects are now possible with the use of a variant digital holographic microscope.     

Directional reflectance of vegetation measured by a calibrated digital camera

Obtaining directional reflectance information for vegetation canopies is often an expensive and time-consuming process. We present here a simple approach based on the use of an inexpensive digital camera equipped with a wide-angle lens. By the imaging of a large homogeneous area, a single image captures multiple views of a vegetation canopy. This gives a directional reflectance distribution fully sampled for view direction and free of variations in Sun elevation and azimuth. We determined the radiometric response of the camera sensor CCD's at the focal point and then extended this calibration to the full CCD array by using averaged images of clear blue sky. We evaluated the utility of the system by obtaining directional reflectance distributions of two vegetation targets, grass (Lolium spp) and pine forest (Pinus radiata), for red visible light. The precision of the derived biangular pattern of reflectance was +/-7%.     

是擦肩而过,还是迎头赶上?——略论数码相机和投影电视的进展

介绍和讨论数码相机和投影电视国内外的进展状况     

Range sensing with a Scheimpflug camera and a CMOS sensor/processor chip

An image-based range-sensing technique is presented. The technique is originally considered for highway collision avoidance applications, but its generality makes it suitable for application in robotics, manufacturing, and metrology, as well. It relies on depth from focus but, unlike conventional techniques, it extracts range with a single unmodulated Scheimpflug camera in continuous time. The range extraction algorithm is memoryless and simple enough to be implemented on the same chip with photosensors. The technique deploys a sensor plane that is tilted at a nonorthogonal angle with respect to the optical axis of the lens and the optical axis intersects the sensor plane at the focal point. This optical arrangement creates a focusable object plane in an orientation parallel to the optical axis and, thus, enables range sensing along the same axis. This paper elaborates on the details of focus sensing on the tilted sensor plane, describes the CMOS sensor/processor chip designed and prototyped for this application, and presents experimental results.     

利用数码相机和Photoshop软件测量物体任意边界平面的面积

通过对照相机成像的几何光学理论分析,结合数字图像的显像原理,建立利用数码相机和Photoshop软件测量物体任意边界平面面积的方法;提出成像物距与面积测量结果的关系,解决常见利用数码相机和Photoshop软件测量面积方法中目标与背景不在同一平面时面积测量不准的问题,扩大该法的应用范围。同时提出通过理论计算和数学拟合两种方式测量面积的方法,以满足不同的测量需求。     

Readout characteristics of a near-field optical probe as a data-storage readout device: submicrometer scan height and resolution

A photodiode-embedded near-field scanning microscope cantilever (photocantilever) was used to scan in a noncontact, constant-height mode at a range common in hard disk drives to examine its readout capabilities when mounted on a flying-slider head. The intensity ratios of spatial frequencies that compose the obtained near-field image were analyzed by use of the fast Fourier transform. A simplified model was developed as a guiding principle for estimating the readout characteristics of the near-field optical probe in the above-proximity scan-height range.