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DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL-MEASUREMENT SYSTEM — As shown, Figure 10 illustrates the
interfaced video camera-sampling processor-computer-TV monitor-meters-tape recorder-keyboard com-
ponents of the real-time video photogrammetry system. The camera is mounted on a four degree of
freedom mount [three translational, one rotational (yaw)|, at one end of a 4.2 meter precision track.
To provide high stiffness to the support of a target carriage mounted on the track (and its motor
mounted targets), the track itself is two one inch (25 mm) diameter machined rods, with a lateral
spacing of approximately three feet (1 m) which were precisely aligned to be level and parallel to each
other. A target carriage mounted on these rails, by means of four ball bearing guides at the corners of
the carriage platform, can be moved along the track by means of an electric motor-pulley-cable drive.
On the horizontal platform of this target carriage, different targetted object systems can be
mounted; for example, as shown in Figure 11, a calibration target board having a 5 x 5 array of white
targets with black background and manually adjustable yaw and pitch angles within its supporting
frame or, as shown in Figure 12, a motor powered target system (black targets on white) providing
roll and lateral coupled motion.
As now developed, a two directional joy-stick proportional control (shown in Figure 12
below the TV monitor) permits an operator to control simultaneously the motion along the track
and the roll motion of the motor powered target. It might be noted at this point that to the left of
the TV monitor in Figure 12 is the laboratory prototype of the video sampling processor.
The position of the carriage along the track is measured by means of a pointer on the target
carriage and a steel measuring tape fixed to the track (mm divisions). For convenience of the operator,
the position of the carriage along the track is also measured by means of a precision ten-turn potentio-
meter attached to the pulley drive system (not shown in Figure 10) whose output voltage, as displayed
on a digital voltmeter, is adjusted by means of suitable circuit components to correspond to the tape
reading (viz. 2.000 volts = 2.000 m).
When the photogrammetrically derived values for position and orientation (and velocities)
are brought out of the computer by means of digital to analogue converters (DAC's) and the voltage
displayed on similar voltmeters, the photogrammetrically derived distance can be directly compared
with the track potentiometer derived value, as the target carriage is moved along the track by means
of joy stick control. By this means operator control of the position and speed of the targetted object
by the on-line 30 Hz real-time single video camera photogrammetry system can be demonstrated.
To carry out experiments and demonstrations with the special illumination-target system,
the small LpNa source and beam splitter is attached to the same base plate as the camera and the
filter may be put in or taken out of a fixture immediately in front of the lens, as shown in Figure 13.
A target board with a white background and four sheet multi-cube corner targets, which was used
during development testing, is shown in Figure 14 (as clipped onto the front of the calibration target
board). The removable pegs are used to cast shadows with oblique lighting to show, and evaluate
their elimination by the filter.
These targets, one inch (25 mm) diameter, are located at the corners of an eight inch
(0.203 m) square. For more precise measurements, the white painted discs, inserted into recesses
behind the precision machined holes of the calibrated board target (Figure 11) would be replaced
with discs faced with the sheet cube-corner material.
In considering the illumination engineering aspects for target-background contrast, it should
be noted that the paints used for the target systems are neutral density with a constant luminance factor
over a large range of illumination-view geometries as determined for their use in the night visibility
studies). O),
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