嵌入式系统专家部落格(ind River Blog) BMW寻求迈向开放之路

Eclipse Foundation行销总监lan Skerrett在MotorAuthority,com表示,BMW正在探寻市场,看看主流制造商是否有兴趣为车用娱乐信息系统开发一个开放来源堆栈.     

A Software Package for Design and Manufacture of Prosthetic Sockets for Transtibial Amputees

A software package, written in Pascal, whkh automates the shape management process associated with fitting prosthetic sockets to transtibial (below-knee) amputees, is described. The system allows an operator to apply global and piecewise transformations, based upon clinkal measurements, to a primitive socket database. These transformations yield a modified socket database which defines the surface shape of a positive socket mold over which an amputee's prosthetic socket is formed. The mold is replicated using a computer numerkally controled milling machine, with the final socket being formed over this mold by a specialized vacuum former. Preliminary clinical trials indkate that this automated approach to shape management yields comfortable prostheses, with savings in time and cost over the traditional methods of prosthesis manufacture.     

Conductive Anodic Filament Formation Part II: Electrochemical Reactions Leading to CAF

Conductive anodic filament (CAF) formation has been studied for a number of years, but the mechanism of its formation has not previously been defined. In 2002, Ready identified CAF as atacamite, Cu₂(OH)₃Cl. Electrochemical studies have shown that both CuCl and CuCl ₂ ^? participate in the formation of Cu₂(OH)₃Cl, with the predominating species being CuCl. This paper proposes a mechanism for CAF formation based on x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The data show that CuCl is the precursor to the formation of Cu₂(OH)₃Cl in the presence of oxygen and water. Earlier, Meeker and Lu Valle had proposed that CAF failure is best represented by two competing reactions: the formation of a copper chloride corrosion compound (now identified as Cu₂(OH)₃Cl) and the formation of innocuous trapped chlorine compounds. Since no evidence of any trapped chloride compounds has been found, we propose that the formation of CAF is best represented by a single nonreversible reaction.     

Evaluating the effects of frame of reference on spatial collaboration using desktop collaborative virtual environments

Spatial collaboration is an everyday activity in which people work together to solve a spatial problem. For example, a group of people will often arrange furniture together or exchange directions with one another. Collaborative virtual environments using desktop PCs are particularly useful for spatial activities when the participants are distributed. This work investigates ways to enhance distributed, collaborative spatial activities. This paper explores how different frames of reference affect spatial collaboration. Specifically, it reports on an experiment that examines different combinations of exocentric and egocentric frames of reference with two users. Tasks involve manipulating an object, where one participant knows the objective (director) and the other performs the interactions (actor). It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different combinations for a spatial collaboration task. Findings from this study demonstrate that frames of reference affect collaboration in a variety of ways and simple exocentric-egocentric combinations do not always provide the most usable solution.     

Thermodynamic behaviour of an air-conditioning system employing combined evaporative-water and air coolers

The performance of an open absorption-system, energized by low-grade heat such as insolation and/or waste heat, has been investigated. This combined evaporative cooler (CEC) [i.e. an indirect evaporative cooler (IEC) together with a direct evaporative-cooler (DEC)] was used to cool the air. A computer simulation of the cooling cycle was devised, so that the performance characteristics of the system could be predicted for a range of operating conditions: the influences of various design-parameters on the coefficient of performance (COP) were also evaluated. The COP of the CEC system was at least 20% greater than those achieved when employing either the IEC or DEC systems alone.     

Target coverage in camera networks for manufacturing workplaces

In this paper, we investigate the camera network placement problem for target coverage in manufacturing workplaces. The problem is formulated to find the minimum number of cameras of different types and their best configurations to maximise the coverage of the monitored workplace such that the given set of target points of interest are each k-covered with a predefined minimum spatial resolution. Since the problem is NP-complete, and even NP-hard to approximate, a novel method based on Simulated Annealing is presented to solve the optimisation problem. A new neighbourhood generation function is proposed to handle the discrete nature of the problem. The visual coverage is modelled using realistic and coherent assumptions of camera intrinsic and extrinsic parameters making it suitable for many real world camera based applications. Task-specific quality of coverage measure is proposed to assist selecting the best among the set of camera network placements with equal coverage. A 3D CAD of the monitored space is used to examine physical occlusions of target points. The results show the accuracy, efficiency and scalability of the presented solution method; which can be applied effectively in the design of practical camera networks.     

The Changing Role Of The City Centre In Adelaide And Melbourne

It is not too often that sufficient similarities and comparable data enable us to make significant comparisons between the central areas of Australian capital cities. This article presents such material about Adelaide and Melbourne. In particular, it takes advantage of floorspace and employment surveys carried out in these central areas in 1987 and 1992 to identify not only trends but important points of similarity and difference. Some of the more important reasons for these changes are canvassed in the context of current literature. The different policy responses of the two state governments and central city authorities are also examined as there has been a change in both cities to a state Liberal government following Labor governments which have incurred heavy financial losses and increased state debt.     

The investigation of basic processes of rapidly hardening wood-cement-water mixture with CO2

The rapid hardening of wood-cement-water mixture in a carbon dioxide enriched environment was investigated, by studying the development of carbonation degree and monitoring the phase changes in the mixture. The carbonation reaction was a diffusion-controlled process. It occurred very quickly in the first two minutes of reaction. After that, its rate decreased drastically, due to the increasing difficulty of transporting reactants to reaction sites. Jander’s model was found ineffective in predicting the carbonation process. However, its modified version, developed by Kroger and Ziegler, could describe this progress accurately. In addition, the rapid hardening appeared to result mainly from the reactions of calcium silicates in cement with carbon dioxide. The reaction between ettringite and carbon dioxide might also contribute to this rapid hardening process. However, the reaction between calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide was not confirmed.