Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Portable and Large-Area Blackbody System

In this study, a portable and large-area blackbody system was developed following a series of processes including design, computational analysis, fabrication, and experimental analysis and evaluation. The blackbody system was designed to be lightweight (5 kg), and its temperature could exceed the ambient temperature by up to 15 °C under operation. A carbon-fiber-based heat source was used to achieve a uniform temperature distribution. A heat shield fabricated from an insulation material was embedded at the opposite side of the heating element to minimize heat loss. A prototype of the blackbody system was fabricated based on the design and transient coupled electro-thermal simulation results. The operation performance of this system, such as the thermal response, signal transfer function, and noise equivalent temperature difference, was evaluated by employing an infrared imaging system. In addition, emissivity was measured during operation. The results of this study show that the developed portable and large-area blackbody system can be expected to serve as a reliable reference source for the calibration of aerial infrared images for the application of aerial infrared techniques to remote sensing.

Non-uniformity correction in a Long Wave Infrared Focal Plane Array as a calibration temperature function

Despite of the manufactory process, all detector or pixel in a Focal Plane Array (FPA) has a different responsivity and offset when evaluated. These variations result in a specific kind of noise, called Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN) or spatial noise. During the image processing, those pixels who has a large deviation in responsivity or in their noise are considered bad pixels, and have their influence removed during the exhibition of a scene. Knowing the answer of all those pixels are the first test procedure in an FPA characterization. However, during the Non-uniformity correction and bad pixel replacement it is necessary to choose two reference temperatures, calibration points, and those temperature affects important parameters such as Uniformity, Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) and Signal Transfer Function (SiTF). This work will study the calibration temperature influence on the Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) quality by comparing uniformity, bad pixel number, NETD and SiTF values during characterizations.

Single Robot Localisation Approach for Indoor Robotic Systems through Integration of Odometry and Artificial Landmarks

we present an integrated approach for robot localization that allows to integrate for the artificial landmark localization data with odometric sensors and signal transfer function data to provide means for different practical application scenarios. The sensor data fusion deals with asynchronous sensor data using inverse Laplace transform. We demonstrate a simulation software system that ensures smooth integration of the odometry-based and signal transfer - based localization into one approach.

Short-term plasticity shapes activity pattern-dependent striato-pallidal synaptic transmission

The cortico-striato (Str)-globus pallidus external segment (GPe) projection plays major roles in the control of neuronal activity in the basal ganglia under both normal and pathological conditions. The present study used rat brain-slice preparations to address our hypothesis that the gain of this disynaptic projection is dynamically controlled by activations of short-term plasticity mechanisms of Str-GPe synapses. The Str-GPe projection neurons fire with very different frequency and firing patterns in vivo depending on the condition of the animal. The results show that the Str-GPe synapses have very strong short-term enhancement mechanisms and that repetitive burst activation of the Str-GPe synapses, which mimic oscillatory burst firing of Str neurons, can sustain enhanced states of synaptic transmission for tens of seconds. The results reveal that the short-term enhancement of Str-GPe synapses contributes to the generation of pauses in the firing of GPe neurons and that signal transfer function in the Str-GPe projection is highly dependent on the firing pattern of Str neurons.