A Self-calibration Bundle Adjustment Algorithm Based on Block Matrix Cholesky Decomposition Technology

In this study,the problem of bundle adjustment was revisited,and a novel algorithm based on block matrix Cholesky decomposition was proposed to solve the thorny problem of self-calibration bundle adjustment.The innovation points are reflected in the following aspects:①The proposed algorithm is not dependent on the Schur complement,and the calculation process is simple and clear;②The complexities of time and space tend to O(n)in the context of world point number is far greater than that of images and cameras,so the calculation magnitude and memory consumption can be reduced significantly;③The proposed algorithm can carry out self-calibration bundle adjustment in single-camera,multi-camera,and variable-camera modes;④Some measures are employed to improve the optimization effects.Experimental tests showed that the proposed algorithm has the ability to achieve state-of-the-art performance in accuracy and robustness,and it has a strong adaptability as well,because the optimized results are accurate and robust even if the initial values have large deviations from the truth.This study could provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the image-based positioning and 3D reconstruction in the fields of photogrammetry,computer vision and robotics.

Integration of Tracer Test Data to Refine Geostatistical Hydraulic Conductivity Fields Using Sequential Self-Calibration Method

On the basis of local measurements of hydraulic conductivity, geostatistical methods have been found to be useful in heterogeneity characterization of a hydraulic conductivity field on a regional scale. However, the methods are not suited to directly integrate dynamic production data, such as, hydraulic head and solute concentration, into the study of conductivity distribution. These data, which record the flow and transport processes in the medium, are closely related to the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity. In this study, a three-dimensional gradient-based inverse method--the sequential self-calibration （SSC） method--is developed to calibrate a hydraulic conductivity field, initially generated by a geostatistical simulation method, conditioned on tracer test results. The SSC method can honor both local hydraulic conductivity measurements and tracer test data. The mismatch between the simulated hydraulic conductivity field and the reference true one, measured by its mean square error （MSE）, is reduced through the SSC conditional study. In comparison with the unconditional results, the SSC conditional study creates the mean breakthrough curve much closer to the reference true curve, and significantly reduces the prediction uncertainty of the solute transport in the observed locations. Further, the reduction of uncertainty is spatially dependent, which indicates that good locations, geological structure, and boundary conditions will affect the efficiency of the SSC study results.

Self-calibration and Compensation of Setting Errors for Surface Profile Measurement of a Microstructured Roll Workpiece

Microstructured roll workpieces have been widely used as functional components in the precision industries. Current researches on quality control have focused on surface profile measurement of microstructured roll workpieces, and types of measurement systems and measurement methods have been developed. However, low measurement efficiency and low measurement accuracy caused by setting errors are the common disadvantages for surface profile measurement of microstructured roll workpieces. In order to shorten the measurement time and enhance the measurement accuracy, a method for self-calibration and compensation of setting errors is proposed for surface profile measurement of microstructured roll workpieces. A measurement system is constructed for the measurement, in which a precision spindle is employed to rotate the roll workpiece and an air-bearing displacement sensor with a micro-stylus probe is employed to scan the microstructured surface of the roll workpiece. The resolution of the displacement sensor is 0.14 nm and that of the rotary encoder of the spindle was 0.15r~. Geometrical and mathematical models are established for analyzing the influences of the setting errors of the roll workpiece and the displacement sensor with respect to the axis of the spindle, including the eccentric error of the roll workpiece, the offset error of the sensor axis and the zero point error of the sensor output. Measurement experiments are carded out on a roll workpiece on which periodic microstructures are a period of 133 i^m along the circumferential direction. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the self-compensation method. The proposed method can be used to detect and compensate the setting errors without using any additional accurate artifact.

An improved self-calibration approach based on adaptive genetic algorithm for position-based visual servo

An improved self-calibrating algorithm for visual servo based on adaptive genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. Our approach introduces an extension of Mendonca-Cipolla and G. Chesi＇s self-calibration for the positionbased visual servo technique which exploits the singular value property of the essential matrix. Specifically, a suitable dynamic online cost function is generated according to the property of the three singular values. The visual servo process is carried out simultaneous to the dynamic self-calibration, and then the cost function is minimized using the adaptive genetic algorithm instead of the gradient descent method in G. Chesi＇s approach. Moreover, this method overcomes the limitation that the initial parameters must be selected close to the true value, which is not constant in many cases. It is not necessary to know exactly the camera intrinsic parameters when using our approach, instead, coarse coding bounds of the five parameters are enough for the algorithm, which can be done once and for all off-line. Besides, this algorithm does not require knowledge of the 3D model of the object. Simulation experiments are carried out and the results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides a fast convergence speed and robustness against unpredictable perturbations of camera parameters, and it is an effective and efficient visual servo algorithm.

Camera Self-Calibration in Computer Vision with Precise Estimation of Initial Parameters

A key problem that plagues camera self-calibration, namely that the classical self-calibration algorithms are very sensitive to the initial values of the camera intrinsic parameters, is analyzed and a practical solution is provided. The effect of the camera intrinsic parameters, mainly the principal point and the skew factor is first discussed. Then a practical method via a controlled motion of the camera is introduced so as to obtain an accurate estimation of these parameters. Feasibility of this approach is illustrated by carrying out comprehensive experiments using synthetic data as well as real image sequences. Unreasonable initial values can often make self-calibration impossible, yet a precise initialization guarantees a better and successful reconstruction. Trying to obtain a more reasonable initialization is worthwhile the effort in camera self-calibration.

NOVEL METHOD FOR ERROR ANALYSIS AND SELF-CALIBRATION OF LASER TRACKING MIRROR MECHANISM

Laser tracking system （LTS） is an advanced device for large size 3D coordinates measuring with the advantages of broad range, high speed and high accuracy. However, its measuring accuracy is highly dominated by the geometric errors of the tracking mirror mechanism. Proper calibration of LTS is essential prior to the use of it for metrology. A kinematics model that describes not only the motion but also the geometric variations of LTS is developed. Through error analysis of the proposed model, it is claimed that gimbals axis misalignments and tracking mirror center off-set are the key contributors to measuring errors of LTS. A self-calibration method is presented of calibrating LTS with planar constraints. Various calibration strategies utilizing single-plane and multiple-plane constraints are proposed for different situations. For each calibration strategy, issues about the error parameter estimation of LTS are exploded to find out in which conditions these parameters can be uniquely estimated. Moreover, these conditions reveal the applicability of the planar constraints to LTS self-calibration. Intensive studies have been made to check validity of the theoretical results. The results show that the measuring accuracy of LTS has increased by 5 times since this technique for calibration is used.

Self-calibration and algorithm of sample set of piezoresistive pressure sensors

Aiming at piezoresistive pressure sensors, this paper studies simulation of standard pressure by using benchmark current source and self-calibration of the sampling data characteristics. A data fusion algorithm for sample set is presented which transforms a surface problem into a curve fitting and interpolation problem. The simulation result shows that benchmark current source simulating pressure is successful and data fusion algorithm is effective. The maximum measurement error is only 0.098 kPa and maximum relative error is 0.92% at 0-45 kPa and -10-45~C.

A current-steering self-calibration 14-bit 100-MSPs DAC

This paper presents the design and implementation of a 14-bit, 100 MS/s CMOS digital-to-analog converter （DAC）. Analog background self-calibration based on the concept of analog current trimming is introduced. A constant clock load switch driver, a calibration period randomization circuit and a return-to-zero output stage have been adopted to improve the dynamic performance. The chip has been manufactured in a SMIC 0.13-μm process and occupies 1.33 × 0.97 mm2 of the core area. The current consumption is 50 mA under 1.2/3.3 V dual power supplies for digital and analog, respectively. The measured differential and integral nonlinearity is 3.1 LSB and 4.3 LSB, respectively. The SFDR is 72.8 dB at a 1 MHz signal and a 100 MHz sampling frequency.

A 102-dB-SNR mixed CT/DT Σ△ ADC with capacitor digital self-calibration for RC spread compensation

This paper provides a mixed continuous-time/discrete-time,single-loop,4th-order,4-bit audio-band sigma delta ADC with capacitor digital self-calibration for RC spread compensation.This ADC combines the benefits of CT and DT circuits,and the self-calibration control circuits compensate for the variation of the RC product in the continuous-time integrator and for variation in the sampling frequency.Measurement results show that the peak SNR of this ADC reaches 102 dB and the total power consumption is less than 30 mW.

A low jitter supply regulated charge pump PLL with self-calibration

This paper describes a ring oscillator based low jitter charge pump PLL with supply regulation and digital calibration. In order to combat power supply noise, a low drop output voltage regulator is implemented. The VCO gain is tunable by using the 4 bit control self-calibration technique. So that the optimal VCO gain is automatically selected and the process/temperature variation is compensated. Fabricated in the 0.13 μm CMOS process, the PLL achieves a frequency range of 100--400 MHz and occupies a 190 × 200 μm2 area. The measured RMS jitter is 5.36 ps at a 400 MHz operating frequency.

Three-step self-calibrating generalized phase-shifting interferometry

An accurate and fast three-step self-calibrating generalized phase-shifting interferomertry(SGPSI) is proposed. In this approach, two new phase-shifting signals are constructed by the difference interferograms normalization and noise suppressing, then the unknown phase shift between the two difference phase-shifting signals is estimated quickly through searching the minimum coefficient of variation of the modulation amplitude, a limited number of pixels are selected to participate in the search process to further save time, and finally the phase is reconstructed through the searched phase shift. Through the reconstruction of phase map by the simulation and experiment, and the comparison with several mature algorithms, the good performance of the proposed algorithm is proved, and it eliminates the limitation of requiring more than three phase-shifting interferograms for high-precision SGPSI. We expect this method to be widely used in the future.

Tb(Ⅲ)functionalized MOF based self-calibrating sensor integrated with logic gate operation for efficient epinephrine detection in serum

By anchoring Tb^(3+)ions on its free carboxyl groups of the nanocaged NiMOF,a dual-emission self-calibrating sensor of Tb^(3+)@NiMOF was fabricated through coordination post-synthetic modification(PSM)strategy.With Tb^(3+)ions as the secondary fluorescent signal and sensing active sites,Tb^(3+)@NiMOF presents great potentials in visually and efficiently monitoring EPI in serum,with high sensitivity and selectivity,fast response,excellent recyclable,and the low detection limit(LOD,3.06 ng/mL).Furthermore,a tandem combinational logic gate based intelligent detection system was constructed to improve the practicability and convenience of epinephrine(EPI)detection in serum by comparing the light emitted colour with the series standard colour cards preset in the smartphone.This work provides a promising approach of developing metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)based self-calibrating sensors for intelligent detection of bioactive molecules.

Accuracy Analysis of Low Altitude Photogrammetry with Wide-angle Camera

Firstly,the relationship between the accuracy of low altitude aerial photogrammetry and the field angle of camera is made by a quantitative analysis from the theory.The conclusion that the low altitude photogrammetry should use wide-angle camera as much as possible is done.Then,the limitation of the single lens camera to expand field angle and the combined wide-angle camera existing on the market not suitable for light load of low altitude UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)due to excessive weight are pointed out.The characteristics of combined wide-angle low altitude light camera with self-calibration and self-stabilization developed by the author are described,especially the principle of self-calibration for the combination of static error and dynamic error.Based on the practice of large scale mapping,a technical procedure in aerial photography by taking with wide-angle camera and large overlap simultaneously for improving the accuracy of low altitude photogrammetry is proposed.The typical engineering produced data is used to verity the above theoretical analysis.A technical route for increasing accuracy of low altitude photogrammetry with combined wide-angle camera is expounded.

New design of high-precision oven controlled crystal oscillator

Combining oven controlled technique,digital compensation,high-resolution frequency difference measurement and self-calibration technique,a new design method of precise oven controlled crystal oscillator（OCXO） is proposed.Fine compensation is made in the vicinity of the crystal temperature inflection point by using the non-real-time temperature compensation strategy,and self-calibration system is integrated in the crystal.The method improves the digital compensated phase noise,simplifies the traditional OCXO development system,reduces the cost and shortens the developing cycle.Experiment results show that with a standard reference signal and self-calibration updated data,the oscillator can work stable and achieve its best performence.The performance index of crystal oscillator had an improvement with one to two orders of magnitude on the basis of original technical index.The method is widely used in the improvement of high-end crystal oscillator and atomic clock.

Quality analysis of crustal tilt and strain observations in China's earthquakes in 2014

This work analyzes the quality of crustal tilt and strain observations during 2014, which were acquired from 269 sets of ground tiltmeters and 212 sets of strainmeters. In terms of data quality, the water tube tiltmeters presented the highest rate of excellent quality,approximately 91%, and the pendulum tiltmeters and ground strainmeters yielded rates of81% and 78%, respectively. This means that a total of 380 sets of instruments produced high-quality observational data suitable for scientific investigations and analyses.

Analysis of spatio-temporal evolution of droughts in Luanhe River Basin using different drought indices

Based on the monthly precipitation and air temperature from 1960 to 1989 in the Luanhe River Basin, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index （SPEI） and standardized precipitation index （SPI） at three- and six-month time scales and the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index （sc-PDSI） were calculated to evaluate droughts in the study area. Temporal variations of the drought severity from 1960 to 1989 were analyzed and compared based on the results of different drought indices, and some typical drought events were identified. Spatial distributions of the drought severity according to the indices were also plotted and investigated. The results reveal the following： the performances of different drought indices are closely associated with the drought duration and the dominant factors of droughts; the SPEI is more accurate than the SPI when both evaporation and precipitation play important roles in drought events; the drought severity shown by the sc-PDSI is generally milder than the actual drought severity from 1960 to 1989; and the evolution of the droughts is usually delayed according to the scPDSI. This study provides valuable references for building drought early warning and mitigation systems in the Luanhe River Basin.

Drought fluctuations based on dendrochronology since 1786 for the Lenglongling Mountains at the northwestern fringe of the East Asian summer monsoon region

The Lenglongling Mountains （LLM） located in northeastern part of the Tibet Plateau, belong to a marginal area of the East Asian summer monsoon （EASM） and are sensitive to monsoon dynamics. Two tree-ring width chronologies developed from six sites of Picea crassifolia in the LLM were employed to study the regional drought variability. Correlation and temporal correlation analyses showed that relationships between the two chronologies and self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index （sc_PDSI） were significant and stable across time, demonstrating the strength of sc_PDSI in modeling drought conditions in this region. Based on the relationships, the mean sc_PDSI was reconstructed for the period from 1786 to 2013. Dry conditions prevailed during 1817-1819, 1829-1831, 1928-1931 and 1999-2001. Relatively wet periods were identified for 1792-1795 and 1954-1956. Spatial correlations with other fourteen precipitation/drought reconstructed series in previous studies revealed that in arid regions of Northwest China, long-term variability of moisture conditions was synchronous before the 1950s at a decadal scale （1791-1954）. In northwestern margin of the EASM, most of all selected reconstructions had better consistency in low-frequency variation, especially during dry periods, indicating similar regional moisture variations and analogous modes of climate forcing on tree growth in the region.

Low noise frequency synthesizer with self-calibrated voltage controlled oscillator and accurate AFC algorithm

A low noise phase locked loop （PLL） frequency synthesizer implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology is introduced. A VCO noise reduction method suited for short channel design is proposed to minimize PLL output phase noise. A self-calibrated voltage controlled oscillator is proposed in cooperation with the automatic frequency calibration circuit, whose accurate binary search algorithm helps reduce the VCO tuning curve coverage, which reduces the VCO noise contribution at PLL output phase noise. A low noise, charge pump is also introduced to extend the tuning voltage range of the proposed VCO, which further reduces its phase noise contribution. The frequency synthesizer generates 9.75-11.5 GHz high frequency wide band local oscillator （LO） carriers. Tested 11.5 GHz LO bears a phase noise of-104 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The total power dissipation of the proposed frequency synthesizer is 48 mW. The area of the proposed frequency synthesizer is 0.3 mm^2, including bias circuits and buffers.

Reduced parameter model on trajectory tracking data with applications

The data fusion in tracking the same trajectory by multi-measurernent unit (MMU) is considered. Firstly, the reduced parameter model (RPM) of trajectory parameter (TP), system error and random error are presented,and then the RPM on trajectory tracking data (TTD) is obtained, a weighted method on measuring elements (ME) is studied and criteria on selection of ME based on residual and accuracy estimation are put forward. According to RPM,the problem about selection of ME and self-calibration of TTD is thoroughly investigated. The method improves data accuracy in trajectory tracking obviously and gives accuracy evaluation of trajectory tracking system simultaneously.

A low-power high-swing voltage-mode transmitter

A low-power voltage-mode-logic （VML） transmitter fabricated in TSMC 28 nm CMOS technology is presented. The VML driver outputs a high-swing signal and consumes less power than a current-mode-logic （CML） driver. To further reduce power, the driver is divided into two voltage domains by level shifters. Moreover, the proposed driver topology can achieve mutually decoupled impedance self-calibration and equalization control. The measurement result shows that the transmitter merely dissipates 23 roW/channel while exhibiting an 880 mV differential eye height at 4.488 Gb/s.