A Study on Error Recovery Search Strategies of Electronic Connector Mating for Robotic Fault-Tolerant Assembly

In this paper, a CAD-based trajectory planning scheme for parallel machining robots is introduced using the parametric Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) curves. First, a trajectory is designed via a NURBS curve then, a motion scheduling architecture consisting of time-dependent and constant feedrate profiles is advised to generate the position commands on the represented NURBS curve as the tool path. Using the generated commands, the inverse kinematics is elaborated to obtain the joints motions of the parallel machining robot. This paper investigates the NURBS trajectory generation for a parallel robot with 4(UPS)-PU mechanism as the case study. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the inverse kinematic results for the parallel machining robot of 4(UPS)-PU is compared with the simulation results obtained from the CATIA software. The results confirmed that the proposed trajectory planning scheme along with the advised motion planning architecture is not only feasible for the parallel machining robots but also yields a smooth trajectory with a satisfactory performance for all the joints.     

Low dose exposure diagnosis with a transXend detector aiming for iodine-marked cancer detection

The energy resolved computed tomography (CT), which had advantage over conventional CT (twofold higher CT value for iodine contrast agent and being free from beam hardening effect), was shown practical by employing the transXend detector: it measured X-rays as electric current and gave energy distribution of incident X-rays after analysis. This article shows a new application of the transXend detector for estimating the thicknesses of acrylic, iodine, and aluminum in a phantom. For this purpose, the responses of the segment detectors in the transXend detector are changed intentionally with inserting filters. With previously obtained two-dimensional maps for acrylic–iodine and acrylic–aluminum thicknesses, which are shown by the ratios of electric currents measured by the segment detectors, the thickness of materials on the path of the X-rays are obtained by a transmission measurement.     

Forced convective boiling of subcooled water at high velocity

This paper deals with heat transfer and critical heat flux (CHF) in subcooled flow boiling offering a fundamental study aimed at high heat flux cooling. Experiments with water at 0.12 MPa were conducted in a mass velocity range from 500 kg/m²s to 15,000 kg/m²s (velocity from 0.5 m/s to 15 m/s) and subcooling from 20 K to 60 K. A sheet of stainless steel (80 mm in heated length, 10 mm wide, and 0.2 mm thick) was mounted flush with a sidewall of a vertical rectangular channel (cross-section 20 mm by 30 mm) and heated directly using direct current. It was found that mass velocity and subcooling strongly affect CHF and heat transfer in non-boiling convection and partial nucleate boiling regimes. These two parameters have no appreciable influence in the fully developed nucleate boiling regime. In the parameter range used, CHF reached 15 MW/m². Boiling bubble behavior just prior to reaching CHF was found to vary depending on mass velocity and subcooling. 1998 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Jpn Res, 27(5): 376–389, 1998     

Solidification by Convective Drying of Particle Layer Wetted with Dilute Agar Gel

Solidified porous slab is formed through convective drying of glass particle layer wetted with aqueous dilute agar gel. Measured critical mean moisture content increases with increasing initial moisture or agar content. The agar gel moves in viscous flow caused by capillary pressure during drying. A new drying model based on the receding evaporation plane model is proposed. Drying period is divided into surface and internal evaporation periods. Wet slab consists of dried and wet zones during the internal evaporation period, while the wet slab consists of wet zone only during the surface evaporation period. In the new model, the evaporation rate from the wet zone in the internal drying period is estimated with the linear driving force (LDF) approximation in the field of adsorption engineering. Critical moisture content, that is, mean moisture content between the surface and internal periods, is estimated with a mass balance on the surface. Simulated results by the new drying model with reasonable fitting parameters agree very well with measured drying data.     

Dynamic changes of native Rhododendron colonies in the urban fringe of Kyoto city in Japan: detecting the long-term dynamism for conservation of secondary nature

Secondary nature, which is maintained by human interference, in a sense is more difficult to preserve than virgin nature because it deeply relates to lifestyles of human beings. Secondary forests of satoyama, including pine-dominated forests and coppice forests, are facing increased crises since oil for fuel took the place of firewood and charcoal in 1950s. We tried to detect the long-term dynamism of satoyama in a fringe area of Kyoto city quantitatively and spatially by the survival of native Rhododendrons, ecological indicators of ancient satoyama. In the landscape of the eastern fringe of Kyoto city, native Rhododendrons have decreased, while the total basal area has increased in the 21 years since 1974. The survival and reproductive situations of native Rhododendrons were different in each type of ecotope, which were extracted from features of geology, topology and forest physiognomy. A relatively high number of native Rhododendrons survived in the ecotope types of deciduous forests on granite compared to that in the ecotope types of evergreen forests. Seedlings of native Rhododendrons were observed only on mosses in the natural forest of Japanese cypress on consolidated sediment of the Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras. Without resuming coppicing for regeneration of native Rhododendrons, or litter clearing for establishment of seedlings, colonies of native Rhododendrons are expected to go on decreasing. We need to take different measures to meet each situation of ecotope type. In order to work out a strategy for conservation of secondary nature, it is necessary to make the target clear in quantity and in space. Detecting the long-term dynamism of representative species of secondary nature should provide practical information for strategic planning of conserving secondary nature.     

Measurement of Absorbed Power of Glass Particle Layer on Moisture Content and Drying Rate by Combined Convective and Microwave Drying

Dependency of absorbed power by microwave on the local moisture content in a glass particle layer was measured with a new method; that is, heating the wet layer. The heating experiment was performed using a laboratory-scale combined convective and microwave heater/dryer that was manufactured by modifying a domestic microwave oven at 2.45 GHz. The measured result was strongly dependent on the local moisture content and showed a maximum and a minimum within the measured range of the moisture content. This dependency can be explained by the assumption that moisture in the wet layer behaves as a mass of the free water. The combined drying rate of the wet layer measured with the heater/dryer was simulated with both the power dependency and the experimental convective-only drying rate. Power dependency on temperature is as important as the moisture content in the simulation. Simulated results agree very well with experimental ones.