Video image position determination

Patent Application · Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:10104674

Christensen, W; Anderson, F L; Kortegaard, B L

The present invention generally relates to the control of video and optical information and, more specifically, to control systems utilizing video images to provide control. Accurate control of video images and laser beams is becoming increasingly important as the use of lasers for machine, medical and experimental processes escalates. In, AURORA, an installation at Los Alamos National Laboratory dedicated to laser fusion research, it is necessary to precisely control the path and angle of up to 96 lasers beams. This invention is comprised of an optical beam position controller in which a video camera captures an image of the beam in its video frames, and conveys those images to a processing board which calculates the centroid coordinates for the image. The image coordinates are used by motor controllers and stepper motors to position the beam in a predetermined alignment. In one embodiment, system noise, used in conjunction with Bernoulli trials, yields higher resolution centroid coordinates.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): PATENTS-US-A7502959
• Application Number: ON: DE92003834; PAN: 7-502,959
• OSTI ID: 10104674
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
DESIGN
LASERS
POSITIONING
INVENTIONS
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
IMAGES
FOCUSING
AURORA FACILITY
REAL TIME SYSTEMS
CAMERAS
990200
440600
700411
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS
OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT DEVICES