Mosaic-based navigation for autonomous underwater vehicles

We propose an approach for vision-based navigation of underwater robots that relies on the use of video mosaics of the sea bottom as environmental representations for navigation. We present a methodology for building high-quality video mosaics of the sea bottom in a fully automatic manner, which ensures global spatial coherency. During navigation, a set of efficient visual routines are used for the fast and accurate localization of the underwater vehicle with respect to the mosaic. These visual routines were developed taking into account the operating requirements of real-time position sensing, error bounding, and computational load. A visual servoing controller, based on the vehicle's kinematics, is used to drive the vehicle along a computed trajectory, specified in the mosaic, while maintaining constant altitude. The trajectory toward a goal point is generated online to avoid undefined areas in the mosaic. We have conducted a large set of sea trials, under realistic operating conditions. This paper demonstrates that without resorting to additional sensors, visual information can be used to create environment representations of the sea bottom (mosaics) and support long runs of navigation in a robust manner.     

Merged GLORIA sidescan and Hydrosweep pseudo-sidescan: Processing and creation of digital mosaics

We have replaced the usual band of poor-quality data in the near-nadir region of our GLORIA long-range sidescan-sonar imagery with a shaded-relief image constructed from swath bathymetry data (collected simultaneously with GLORIA) which completely cover the nadir area. We have developed a technique to enhance these pseudo-sidescan images in order to mimic the neighbouring GLORIA backscatter intensities. As a result, the enhanced images greatly facilitate the geologic interpretation of the adjacent GLORIA data, and geologic features evident in the GLORIA data may be correlated with greater confidence across track. Features interpreted from the pseudo-sidescan may be extrapolated from the near-nadir region out into the GLORIA range where they may nt have been recognized otherwise, and therefore the pseudo-sidescan can be used to ground-truth GLORIA interpretations. Creation of digital sidescan mosaics utilized an approach not previously used for GLORIA data. Pixels were correctly placed in cartographic space and the time required to complete a final mosaic was significantly reduced. Computer software for digital mapping and mosaic creation is incorporated into the newly-developed Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS) which can process both low- and high-frequency sidescan, and can interchange data with the Mini Image Processing System (MIPS) most commonly used for GLORIA processing. These techniques are tested by creating digital mosaics of merged GLORIA sidescan and Hydrosweep pseudo-sidescan data from the vicinity of the Juan Fernandez microplate along the East Pacific Rise (EPR).     

Mosaic-based positioning and improved motion-estimation methods forautomatic navigation of submersible vehicles

Knowledge of the camera trajectory, which may be determined from the motions between consecutive frames of a video clip, can be used to register images for constructing image mosaics. We discuss a mosaic-based positioning framework for building photo-mosaics and concurrently utilizing them for improved positioning. In this approach, the mosaic is directly exploited in bounding the accumulation of position errors as we integrate the incremental motions of the camera. It is also shown that two earlier closed-form solutions for the estimation of motion directly from spatio-temporal image gradients, as for most gradient-based techniques based on the application of linear(ized) image motion constraint equations, are corrupted with systematic biases. These can be reduced significantly by incorporating the higher-order terms. We propose recursive methods to solve the new nonlinear constraint equations, and investigate the performance of the new solutions in a number of experiments with synthetic and real data     

野生型与红色型坛紫菜杂交嵌合体及选育的研究

以坛紫菜Porphyra haitanensis的红色型为父本,野生型为母本进行杂交,获得了不同色泽嵌合和不同嵌合方式的突变体;从中挑选出4株典型的嵌合体进行单株培养,并通过体细胞酶解,获得完整的单色突变体,然后对这些藻体进行生长发育和经济性状的比较,其结果如下:(1)杂交嵌合体的类型:红色和绿色嵌合、红色和褐黄色嵌合、翠绿色和野生色嵌合、红色和橘黄色嵌合;(2)嵌合的方式:斑点状嵌合、条状嵌合、线状嵌合、"V"字型嵌合和片状嵌合等;(3)各单色突变体的生长差异显著,红色突变体的藻体长度和鲜重增长较快,3~4 cm的幼苗在实验室培养11~15 d,日增长量为8.5~9.6 cm/d,日增重(鲜重)为0.120~0.128 g/d,明显高于其他突变体,具有较好的杂交优势和生产应用前景;(4)在高温26~31℃培养各单色突变体,耐高温能力较强的是红色突变体和绿色突变体,两者在29℃时培养10 d和30℃时培养6~7 d时,叶片出现点状腐烂,但整株藻体仍完整;褐绿色突变体和传统栽培对照组的藻体对高温的耐受能力较差,在26℃培养6 d以上就完全腐烂.以上研究结果可为坛紫菜杂交嵌合体生物学研究以及杂交优势品系的选育提供科学参考.     

一种基于SIFT特征匹配的自动图像拼接方法

提出了一种利用尺度不变特征变换匹配技术应用于图像自动拼接的方法,SIFT特征是图像的局部特征,其对旋转、尺度缩放、亮度变化均保持不变,对视角变换、仿射变换、噪声均有一定程度的稳定性。在分析了SIFT特征匹配理论的基础上,利用SIFT获取匹配点对,结合最小二乘匹配方法提高了匹配的精度,通过计算图像之间的变换参数,实现图像的自动拼接。实验取得了较好的结果,验证了方法的可行性。     

A new global alignment approach for underwater optical mapping

Lately, underwater vehicles have become important tools for exploration, monitoring and creation of maps of the seabed. Within mapping applications, the maps obtained from optical data are becoming essential in different study areas such as biological, geological and archaeological surveys, or in detection of benthic temporal changes. However, the underwater medium is very challenging for optical sensors and does not allow the area of interest to be imaged in a single image. Therefore, image mosaicing methods are necessary. Although recent advances in detection of correspondences between images have resulted in highly effective image registration methods, global alignment methods are still needed to obtain a globally coherent mosaic. In this paper, we propose a new global alignment method which works on the mosaic frame and does not require non-linear optimisation. Additionally, a simple image rectifying method is presented to reduce the down-scaling effect which might occur when minimising errors defined in the mosaic frame. Moreover, this rectifying method can also be seen as an alternative and straightforward way of incorporating different sensor information if available. The proposed framework has been tested with underwater image sequences. The resulting method is faster than its counterparts while providing the same level of registration quality.     

Side-scan sonar mapping and computer-aided interpretation in the Santa Barbara Channel,California

We have experimented with digital processing of side scan sonar data taken in a 14 sq-km area of continental shelf offshore Southern California. The data were FM tape recorded during the survey and digitized and processed later in the laboratory. The digital image processing included both image correction and image enhancement. Geometric corrections were applied to correct for image distortions due to variable ship position and speed and sonar slant range. Enhancements that were tried included contrast stretching, band-pass filtering, image restoration (inverse filtering), and various edge enhancements such as density slicing and standard deviation filters. Interpretive procedures were also attempted and included digital mosaicking, stereoscopic viewing, and falsecolor display. The most effective processing was geometric correction combined with contrast stretching. Mosaicking proved difficult due to imprecise navigation (±50 m), but was very effective in increasing the understanding of the geologic structure in the survey area.     

基于多源数据的海岸带DEM数据融合

结合海岸带地形数据修测,对海图、陆图等多种源数据进行融合。经过坐标转换、加密抽稀、数据融合、拼接载切等技术过程,形成了海岸带DEM数据。重点研究了海岸带DEM融合的流程、步骤和算法,为海岸带地形数据的获取与处理提供了思路和经验。     

Remote estimation of surficial seafloor properties through the application Angular Range Analysis to multibeam sonar data

The variation of the backscatter strength with the angle of incidence is an intrinsic property of the seafloor, which can be used in methods for acoustic seafloor characterization. Although multibeam sonars acquire backscatter over a wide range of incidence angles, the angular information is normally neglected during standard backscatter processing and mosaicking. An approach called Angular Range Analysis has been developed to preserve the backscatter angular information, and use it for remote estimation of seafloor properties. Angular Range Analysis starts with the beam-by-beam time-series of acoustic backscatter provided by the multibeam sonar and then corrects the backscatter for seafloor slope, beam pattern, time varying and angle varying gains, and area of insonification. Subsequently a series of parameters are calculated from the stacking of consecutive time series over a spatial scale that approximates half of the swath width. Based on these calculated parameters and the inversion of an acoustic backscatter model, we estimate the acoustic impedance and the roughness of the insonified area on the seafloor. In the process of this inversion, the behavior of the model parameters is constrained by established inter-property relationships. The approach has been tested using a 300 kHz Simrad EM3000 multibeam sonar in Little Bay, NH. Impedance estimates are compared to in situ measurements of sound speed. The comparison shows a very good correlation, indicating the potential of this approach for robust seafloor characterization.     

Analysis of seafloor backscatter strength dependence on the survey azimuth using multibeam echosounder data

The sediment backscatter strength measured by multibeam echosounders is a key feature for seafloor mapping either qualitative (image mosaics) or quantitative (extraction of classifying features). An important phenomenon, often underestimated, is the dependence of the backscatter level on the azimuth angle imposed by the survey line directions: strong level differences at varying azimuth can be observed in case of organized roughness of the seabed, usually caused by tide currents over sandy sediments. This paper presents a number of experimental results obtained from shallow-water cruises using a 300-kHz multibeam echosounder and specially dedicated to the study of this azimuthal effect, with a specific configuration of the survey strategy involving a systematic coverage of reference areas following “compass rose” patterns. The results show for some areas a very strong dependence of the backscatter level, up to about 10-dB differences at intermediate oblique angles, although the presence of these ripples cannot be observed directly—neither from the bathymetry data nor from the sonar image, due to the insufficient resolution capability of the sonar. An elementary modeling of backscattering from rippled interfaces explains and comforts these observations. The consequences of this backscatter dependence upon survey azimuth on the current strategies of backscatter data acquisition and exploitation are discussed.     

Sediment mobility in the Pomeranian Bight (Baltic Sea): a case study based on sidescan-sonar images and hydrodynamic modelling

Sidescan-sonar surveys were performed on a 2×4 km area of seafloor in the southern Baltic Sea (Pomeranian Bight) in 1996 and 1998. Overlapping sub-areas of the individual surveys showing characteristic details were processed into geographically referenced mosaics. Sediment types were identified from echo characteristics and by comparison with granulometric data. The sea bottom covered by the mosaics consists predominantly of sand, with subordinate lag sediments with stones and small ripple fields consisting of coarse sand to fine gravel. A comparison of the two mosaics did not reveal any significant changes of the sea bottom over the 2-year period. Characteristic sedimentary features remained almost unchanged over this period on detailed sonar images of smaller sub-areas. Substantial transport of sandy sediments can thus be excluded in the course of the observation period. Grid files of advective velocity components and orbital velocity of wave motion of a three-dimensional hydrodynamical model for the period from September 1996 to October 1997 were used to estimate the current regime in the study area for the interval between the two sidescan surveys. Comparing critical velocities for the dominant sediment types with the results of the numerical bottom current simulations and the observations from sidescan images, it is apparent that strong current events during the modelled time interval were still too weak to resuspend and transport sand of any grain size, even though maximum current velocities of 30 cm/s at the seafloor were modelled. Only a few patches of newly accumulated (acoustically soft) material (mud, fluff and/or soft plant remnants), with a horizontal extension of about 10 m at a terrain step feature, were recognised in the 1998 mosaic. Our results imply that sand deposits in the southern Baltic Sea can remain stationary over time periods of several years, and that the transport of organic material, nutrients and associated pollutants to depositional areas in deeper water is predominantly accomplished by the movement of material finer than sand. A significant portion of this fine material is evidently transported in the bottom boundary layer under conditions of moderate hydrodynamical forcing.     

Processing and analysis of Simrad multibeam sonar data

The common approach to analysing data collected with multibeam and sidescan sonars is to visually interpret charts of contoured bathymetry and mosaics of seabed images. However, some of the information content is lost by processing the data into charts because this involves some averaging; the analysis might uncover more information if done on the data at an earlier stage in the processing. Motivated by this potential, I have created a software system which can be used to analyse data collected with Simrad EM1000 (shallow water) and EM12 (deep water) multibeam sonars, as well as to generate bathymetry contour charts and backscatter mosaics. The system includes data preprocessing, such as navigation filtering, depth filtering (removal of outlying values), and amplitude mapping using the multibeam bathymetry to correctly position image pixels across the swath. The data attributes that can be analysed include the orientation and slope of the seafloor, and the mean signal strength for each sounding. To determine bathymetry attributes such as slope, the soundings across a number of beams and across a series of pings are grouped and a least-squares plane fitted to them. Bathymetric curvature is obtained by detrending the grouped data using the least-squares plane and fitting a paraboloid to the residuals. The magnitudes and signs of the paraboloid's coefficients reveal depressions and hills and their orientations. Furthermore, the seafloor geology can be classified using a simple combination of these attributes. For example, flat-lying sediments can be classified where the backscatter, slope and curvature fall below specified values.     

Concurrent mapping and localization using sidescan sonar

This paper describes and evaluates a concurrent mapping and localization (CML) algorithm suitable for localizing an autonomous underwater vehicle. The proposed CML algorithm uses a sidescan sonar to sense the environment. The returns from the sonar are used to detect landmarks in the vehicle's vicinity. These landmarks are used, in conjunction with a vehicle model, by the CML algorithm to concurrently build an absolute map of the environment and to localize the vehicle in absolute coordinates. As the vehicle moves forward, the areas covered by a forward-look sonar overlap, whereas little or no overlap occurs when using sidescan sonar. It has been demonstrated that numerous reobservations by a forward-look sonar of the landmarks can be used to perform CML. Multipass missions, such as sets of parallel and regularly spaced linear tracks, allow a few reobservations of each landmark with sidescan sonar. An evaluation of the CML algorithm using sidescan sonar is made on this type of trajectory. The estimated trajectory provided by the CML algorithm shows significant jerks in the positions and heading brought about by the corrections that occur when a landmark is reobserved. Thus, this trajectory is not useful to mosaic the sea bed. This paper proposes the implementation of an optimal smoother on the CML solution. A forward stochastic map is used in conjunction with a backward Rauch-Tung-Striebel filter to provide the smoothed trajectory. This paper presents simulation and real results and shows that the smoothed CML solution helps to produce a more accurate navigation solution and a smooth navigation trajectory. This paper also shows that the qualitative value of the mosaics produced using CML is far superior to those that do not use it.     

Cold-seep assemblages on a giant pockmark off West Africa: spatial patterns and environmental control

A giant pockmark colonised by dense cold‐seep assemblages near 3160 m depth along the Congo‐Angola margin has been surveyed by the ROV Victor 6000. The quantitative distribution of chemosynthetic communities was mapped along the dive tracks from a video study using GIS and image mosaicking. Several types of faunal assemblages, either dominated by bivalves of the families Mytilidae (Bathymodiolus sp.) or Vesicomyidae (Calyptogena sp., ‘Vesicomya’ aff. chuni), or by Siboglinidae polychaetes (Escarpia southwardae) were mapped over the 800‐m diameter pockmark area and sampled for fauna, water and sediment. The isotopic analyses (δ¹³C) of tissues from symbiont‐bearing species were within the range typical of nutrition via symbiosis using methane for mussels and sulphide for vesicomyids and siboglinids. The living chemosynthetic communities were distributed on a SW‐NE axis, corresponding to the expression at the sediment surface of a main buried channel providing fluids to the pockmark. The site was characterised by a more active central part in a depression with abundant carbonate concretions where high‐density clusters of siboglinids and mytilids dominate. Large fields of dead and live vesicomyids with a lower mean density were observed in the external areas. The mean coverage of each of the three symbiotic taxa in these two contrasted areas was estimated from mosaic analysis and was up to 30% in the central area dominated by E. southwardae bushes (23%). Symbiont‐bearing species distribution was consistent with methane concentrations in seawater that were generally higher in mytilid beds than in the vicinity of siboglinids and vesicomyids. A Principal Component Analysis performed on environmental factors at the ten sampling sites revealed that 37% of the observed variance in the distribution of symbiont‐bearing species may be explained by variation in both methane and oxygen concentrations, while a Canonical Redundancy Analysis selected methane concentration as the only variable which explains symbiont‐bearing species densities. This spatial distribution of chemosynthetic species at the pockmark scale may reflect temporal patterns of succession of both substrate and fauna, and may be related to different individual pockmarks visible on the microbathymetry mapped using ROV data.     

实时处理三维视觉信息的DSP实现方案

在三维视觉系统中 ,采用数字信号处理器 ( DSP)对三维视觉信息进行实时处理 ,可以提高处理三维视觉信息的运算速度。在实时采集处理系统的实现方案中 ,信号采集子系统与 DSP之间的数据通信方式 ,实时采集处理系统与 PC机之间的数据传输方式 ,也是影响三维视觉系统信息处理速度的两个重要因素。该系统采用双端口 RAM和中断方式进行数据传输 ,实现了信号采集子系统与 DSP、实时采集处理系统与 PC机的并行处理 ,以提高整个三维视觉系统信息的处理速度     

Spatial filtering for speckle reduction, contrast enhancement, andtexture analysis of GLORIA images

This paper reports a comparative study of digital enhancement techniques using spatial filtering to improve the geologic interpretation of side-scan sonar GLORIA images. Seven algorithms for speckle reduction with window sizes of 3×3-7×7 pixel and various numbers of iterations were tested for cosmetic purposes, and also to improve subsequent image processing. The filtered images were evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. It was determined that a normalized inverse gradient weighted smoothing scheme, with a 3×3 pixel filter and five iterations, allows a significant speckle reduction without blurring the edges in the GLORIA image which correspond to geological structures. Three local contrast enhancement techniques were also tested and evaluated to increase the perception of these geologic structures. Subtracting the gradient magnitude twice, calculated with spatial filters of a 5×5 pixel on smoothed images, was found to enhance most GLORIA images. Texture analysis methods developed for GLORIA images of mid-oceanic ridges and based on edge detection and orientation determination by spatial filtering are also presented. It enables the GLORIA mosaic of the Rodriguez triple junction (Indian Ocean) to be partitioned into regions of preferred orientation corresponding to the different seafloor fabrics generated at each arm of the triple junction     

双通道实时数据采集处理系统的设计与实现

本文提出了一种基于 TMS32 0 C31串行接口的双通道实时数据采集处理系统的设计与实现方案 ,该设计以 TMS32 0 C31和 TL C32 0 AD5 0 C为核心器件 ,具有两个独立的 A/D,D/A通道 ,能够实现 32位浮点计算和 16位数据采集与回放。应用该系统进行归一化最小均方误差 (Normal-ized L east Mean Square,NLMS)算法实时自适应噪声抵消实验 ,实验结果表明 ,该系统能够实现实时的自适应噪声抵消 ,可广泛应用于实时语音信号处理等领域。     

探地雷达在确定全新世海侵线方面的应用

针对全新世大暖期古海岸线位置的不确定性问题,提出了一种利用探地雷达进行最大海侵位置追踪的方法,在探地雷达可获得连续沉积地层图像的理论基础上,在具有丰富研究资料的莱州湾东岸开展了实验研究。结果表明,利用Mala RAMAC100MHz天线结合相应的图像处理手段,能够识别区域10 m以内浅地层中海陆相沉积物分界面,与已有钻孔和现场探挖浅孔剖面对比,具有较好的一致性。证实了利用探地雷达追踪全新世海侵时期古地层、将海相层尖灭点处确定为最大海侵线位置,进一步恢复古环境是可行的。本文为研究古海岸线位置提供的方法,即通过探地雷达探测地层,得到高清的可视化图像,这使得古海岸线位置确定更精确、更直观。     

Study on visual control system of acoustic in situ measurement technology for survey of seafloor sediment

Abstract

A new kind of visual acoustic measurement system was developed to obtain the acoustic characteristics of seabed sediment and the working state of in situ measuring equipment in real time. The control unit of the system structure is mainly made up of the underwater control unit and the deck control unit. In comparison with similar traditional systems, the system can transmit the working video image, the measured acoustic data and the waveform synchronous from the underwater control equipment to the deck control unit through the connecting cable. Apart from self-contained in situ measurement, the working modes of it include visual online real-time control. In order to guarantee the stability and measurement precision of the video control system, the process control of in situ measurement was strictly tested in the experimental tank. In 2017, sea trials of the in situ measurement system was carried out in the South China Sea. In the process, data related to measurement, including the acoustic velocity and attenuation coefficient of the seabed sediment, were obtained as well. The results from sea trials show that the control process of the visual system is intuitive, reliable and accurate, and therefore it can be popularized and applied.