An automatic radon probe for earth science studies

A field instrument designed for continuous radon measurement is described. It is based on a solid state electronic sensor that is housed in a rugged casing that also contains its associated electronics. This lightweight device is designed for selective counting of α-decays with recorded count values over specified intervals being stored within the device. Real time data processing to reject spurious values is automatically performed by the instrument. Data are downloaded by means of a handheld or a laptop computer. The energy provided by alkaline batteries ensures 2 months of continuous recording in the field. Example of radon anomalies are exhibited.     

机房环境监控报警器的设计与实现

为保障各种设备的正常运行,及时发现和处理影响设备正常运行的故障和问题,应用单片机技术研制开发了机房环境监控报警器。实现了对设备机房中的电源、温度、烟雾和门窗等环境参量进行实时监控,当出现问题时可通过手机短信和声光等方式及时报警,从而有效地提高工作效率和机房的安全性。     

新型测温系统的设想

本文分析由单片机组成的新型温度测量系统的优越性和可实现性、并对单片机和两种新型温度传感器作了详尽的介绍、给出了技术数据和实验曲线、对测温和控温有实用意义。系统的主要部份已应用于实际科研课题。     

The future of chemical in situ sensors

Many of the sampling methods used in oceanographic sciences today date back decades, if not centuries. Although there has been a marked change in how sampling for chemical oceanography is carried out it still relies on taking samples of seawater from a research vessel in most cases. Assessing processes on small timescales as well as transient events requires higher temporal and spatial resolution of measurements; long time series stations require high duration deployments of instruments. Both requirements can only be adequately satisfied by in situ sensors; for the physical parameters off the shelf instruments are available, in the field of chemical oceanography only a few parameters, such as oxygen, are covered by off the shelf instruments, for most parameters adequate instrumentation only exists in the form of prototypes, if at all. Chemical in situ sensors are needed to gain new insights in how the oceans and the life in it works.     

基于智能手机的粒子滤波室内融合定位方法

室内定位需求急剧增加,普及的智能手机带来了解决问题的一种方法。本文提出了一种基于智能手机的粒子滤波室内融合定位方法。利用三轴加速计和三轴罗盘等微机电系统(micro-electromechinical system, MEMS)传感器数据估计目标的运动状态信息,利用WiFi数据更新运动状态,实现融合定位。室内动态环境下实验结果表明,融合定位方法平均定位误差小于2 m,其有效利用智能手机平台获取多种传感器数据,很好地结合了行人航迹推算方法和K加权最近邻方法的优势,在定位精度和稳健性方面均有良好表现。     

Reliability assessment and integrity management of data buoy instruments used for monitoring the Indian Seas

Reliable performance is the key requirement for instruments used in offshore moored buoys for cyclone monitoring, as under performance of the sensors can have a serious impact on the societal protection, and in addition, lead to costly repair and reinstallations. The instrument selection and application practices are based on the experiences of the global scientific community, and their performances are monitored based on IEC61508 standards. Reliability modeling based on experiences in the operation and maintenance of moored surface buoys for approximately two decades has identified that the sensor suite used for cyclone monitoring has a Mean Time Between Failure of 0.6 years, which is the basis of the implemented reliability centered maintenance strategies. As this is the first attempt to study the performance of such moored buoy instruments which have cumulatively clocked more than 7.3 million demanding offshore instrument-hours, the data presented shall serve as input for the offshore environmental instrument system design.     

Marine,seabed, and land seismic equipment for broadband acquisition: a review

The broadband capabilities of marine, seabed, and land seismic equipment are reviewed with respect to both the source and the receiver sides. In marine acquisition, the main issue at both ends of the spectrum relates to ghosts occurring at the sea surface. Broadband deghosting requires towing at variable depth to introduce notch diversity or using new equipment like multi‐component and/or low‐noise streamers. As a result, a doubling of the bandwidth from about three to six octaves (2.5–200 Hz) has been achieved. Such improvement is not yet observed for seabed surveys in spite of deghosting being a standard process on the receiver side. One issue may be related to the coupling of the particle motion sensor, particularly at high frequencies. For land acquisition, progress came from the vibrators. New shakers and control electronics using broadband sweeps made it possible to add two more octaves to the low‐frequency signal (from 8 to 2 Hz). Whereas conventional 10 Hz geophones are still able to record such low frequencies, 5 Hz high gain geophones or digital accelerometers enhance them to keep the signal above the noise floor. On the high end of the bandwidth, progress is not limited by equipment specifications. Here, the issue is related to a low signal‐to‐noise ratio due to the strong absorption that occurs during signal propagation. To succeed in enlarging the bandwidth, these improved equipment and sweeps must be complemented by a denser spatial sampling of the wavefield by point–source and point–receiver acquisition.     

Close range photogrammetry for industrial applications

This article summarizes recent developments and applications of digital photogrammetry in industrial measurement. Industrial photogrammetry covers a wide field of different practical challenges in terms of specified accuracy, measurement speed, automation, process integration, cost-performance ratio, sensor integration and analysis. On-line and off-line systems are available, offering general purpose systems on the one hand and specific turnkey systems for individual measurement tasks on the other. Verification of accuracy and traceability to standard units with respect to national and international standards is inevitable in industrial practice. System solutions can be divided into the measurement of discrete points, deformations and motions, 6DOF parameters, 3D contours and 3D surfaces. Recent and future developments concentrate on higher dynamic applications, integration of systems into production chains, multi-sensor solutions and still higher accuracy and lower costs.     

Improvements in the detection efficiency model for the Brazilian lightning detection network (BrasilDAT)

The detection efficiency (DE) is the most important performance gauge of a lightning detection network (LDN). Moreover, the main motivation for evaluating the DE of a LDN is to separate the geographical variations of the CG lightning parameters from the variations regarding the network performance. A review of previous relative DE techniques and simple methods to correct the cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash density maps is presented. In addition, recent improvements in the flash DE model for the Brazilian lightning detection network (BrasilDAT) are discussed. The DE estimated values are based on the sensor individual DE probability functions, which are derived from a large amount of CG stroke data provided by the network considering different distances from the sensor and specific peak current ranges. The new approach provides better results when compared with the previous developments, since the calculation of the sensor DE probability functions neglects the lightning data provided by the minimum number of reporting sensors. Hence it is possible to minimize the unrealistic enhancement of the DE closer to the network boundaries (“border effect”) without affecting significantly the performance inside the network. The main result is a more realistic correction of the CG flash density maps, particularly at the outermost network areas, leading to an improvement in the model sensitivity.     

Laser pointing angle and time of measurement verification of the ICESat laser altimeter using a ground-based electro-optical detection system

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) will begin science operations in 2003 with an emphasis on determination of the ice sheet temporal variations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The ICESat bus will serve as the transport for an instrument called the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS). GLAS will provide altimetry and lidar measurements with a high level of accuracy. For altimetry, the GLAS data will enable determination of the laser pointing angle to within 1.5 arcsec and the laser pulse time of arrival on the ground to within 100 sec. Both of these data products contribute to the determination of the measured altitude vector from the spacecraft to the ice surface. Verification of both the laser pointing angle and the timing can be achieved by using a unique experimental technique designed to capture an altimeter pulse on the surface of the Earth. The capture of the laser pulse is accomplished by covering the illuminated area with devices designed to detect the arrival of energy within the altimeter footprint. This ground-based technique will supply an independent, unambiguous determination of the laser footprint geolocation and the epoch time associated with the arrival of the pulse on the surface. Knowledge of the laser footprint centroid on the ground will infer the laser pointing direction in the geocentric reference frame. This in situ measurement of the footprint geolocation and time of arrival will be compared to the corresponding data products provided by GLAS. The comparison of the GLAS laser pointing and the timing data with an independent measurement will verify the accuracy and/or will indicate the existence of any biases or errors in the generation of the GLAS altimetry data products. The detectors have been designed and tested in the laboratory and analyzed for energy level thresholds, system stability, temperature response and overall performance. Timing hardware has been tested and software has been written to achieve event detection within the desired accuracy.