基于同时发射声纳环移动机器人导航系统

开发了一种能在未知环境下实现快速障碍检测与障碍回避的基于同时发射声纳环移动机器人导航系统。为了消除由于同时发射造成的串话干扰,提出了一种基于神经网络模式识别的过滤方法;并制作了由24个声纳传感器组成的声纳环安装到实际的移动机器人上,实现了扫描频率最大可达到66 Hz的全景检测。系统中应用了动态窗口法来完成快速障碍回避的运动规划。实际的导航实验表明,系统可用于室内未知环境中的移动机器人快速导航。     

Manufacturing and Control of a Variable Magnetic Flux Motor Prototype with a Mechanical Adjustment Method

A new structure and control method for a variable magnetic flux motor (VMFM) is proposed to achieve a high‐efficiency electric vehicle (EV) motor drive under a wide range of conditions. A VFMF prototype that was designed by considering the loss was manufactured and evaluated in an experiment. The prototype demonstrated low iron loss and sufficient max torque. Thus, the prototype can provide a high‐efficiency drive with low output, which is frequently the case for EVs. Map control enables a wide phase angle for the vector‐control drive of the VMFM under a changing magnetic flux. Thus, the VMFM provides a high‐efficiency drive under a wide range of conditions.     

Fast method of interpolation for frequency estimation of sinusoidal and spindle data

Estimating the frequency of one or more sinusoidal waves is a problem belonging to the field of signal analysis. The frequency characteristics of sinusoidal waves can be measured by peaks or troughs of the waves. Because of (he limit of the sampling frequency, the peaks or troughs of sinusoidal and EEG waves in the sampling usually deviate from their original ones in the time domain. Starting from a sinusoidal wave analysis, we present a correction formula with which the deviation time t_d can be calculated so as to detect the position of the real peak or trough of the data as fast and as accurately as possible on the time axis. The wave of the sleep spindle in the EEG can be considered as an asymmetrical sinusoid. Then after the waves have been filtered, the formula can also be applied to analyse the spindle of EEG waves and it is shown to be useful in the measurement of the frequency of the spindle wave. Error analysis and practical examples are presented.     

ICRF Experiments and GAMMA 10 Potential Formation on the Tandem Mirror

Target plasmas, on which the formation of the electrostatic potentials and the improvement of the confinement are studied, are produced with ICRF in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror. The ion temperature of more than 10 keV has been achieved in relatively low density plasmas. When the strong ICRF heating is applied, it is observed that the high frequency and the low frequency fluctuations are excited and suppress the increase of the plasma parameters. Recently, a new high power gyrotron system has been constructed and the ECRH power in plug extends up to 370 kW. The improvement of the confinement due to the formation of the potential in the axial direction and the strong radial electric field shear has been observed.     

A HIGHER ORDER EXPANSION METHOD FOR OPTIMUM DESIGN OF STRUCTURES FOR SPECIFIED FUNDAMENTAL EIGENVALUE

A higher order expansion method is presented for optimum design of structures for specified fundamental eigenvalue. The design function, fundamental eigenmode and total volume are expressed in terms of the Taylor series expansion with respect to the specified fundamental eigenvalue. A solution with null design function, where all the eigenvalues degenerate to null, is chosen as a trivial initial solution, and higher order terms are incorporated. By using the proposed method, a set of optimum designs for a wide range of fundamental eigenvalues is easily found. The proposed method is applied to an Euler-Bernoulli beam and expanded forms are presented analytically for a simply supported beam. The method is then extended to a plane truss, and the results are compared with those by an optimality criteria method.     

Development of Reference Shunt for Short‐Time Alternating High Current Tests and Study of Measuring System

Short‐circuit tests for power circuit breakers and others require alternative short‐time current measurement, from a few kA to over several tens kA. However, the reference measurement system as a national standard or a specified secondary standard instrument to directly perform comparative test as a complete calibration test in high current class has not yet been established globally. The Japan Short‐Circuit Testing Committee (hereinafter referred to as “JSTC”) has therefore developed a shunt resistor that can be used as a standard instrument for high current measurement. Reference system using this shunt resistor is also considered by JSTC. The performance of the newly developed shunt resistor has been checked through several methods, such as resistance measurement, high power current test, high frequency current test, temperature rise test, and interference test. The results of the tests proved satisfactory performance. Resistance of the shunt resistor before and after the tests was invariant and stable. This makes the shunt resistor adequate for a reference in practical use. In addition, evaluation of uncertainty of the whole reference system including this shunt resistor satisfactorily fulfills the requirements of IEC 62475 edition 1.0, 2010.     

Reversible Molecular Rearrangement of Slightly Acid-treated Starches

The reersible association and dissociation of starch chain populations obtained from acid-treated starches (ATSs) was investigated. Potato starch, both nonglutinous and glutinous rice starches and sago starch were suspended in 15% sulfuric acid until 1% hydroysis occured. These ATSs had relative molecular weight ranges of 25,00–29,000 daltons. In water, about half the molecules were reconstituted into large aggregates of a few million daltons. This change in molecular size depended on presence of potassium chloride. It was not observed in debranched samples. The aggregates showed a clear endothermic peak on a DSC curve. Thus, the reversibly rearranging starch chain populations were not linear, but were branched and had some type of ordered structure.     

Further Studies on the Roles of the Head and Tall Regions of the Myosin Molecule in Heat-induced Gelation

Heat induced gelation properties of the two proteolytic fragments of myosin, heavy (HMM) and light meromyosin (LMM), were studied by rigidity measurement in a band type viscometer and by a direct examination using a scanning electron microscope. A heat induced network forming ability for both LMM and HMM was found in 0.6M KCl at a pH 6.0. LMM produced gels corresponding to a reversible helix-coil transition at temperatures ranging from 40–70°C, with little evidence of aggregation as assessed from a turbidity change of the system. Contrary, HMM associated irreversibly producing a gel with increased rigidity at pH 5.0 and a salt concentration of 0.1 M. Oxidation of SH-groups appeared to be involved only in HMM and not in LMM gelation process.     

Relative Roles of the Head and Tail Portions of the Molecule in Heat-Induced Gelation of Myosin

Myosin molecules are cleaved by chymotrypsin digestion into two fragments: subfragment 1, which originates from the globular heads of myosin, and the myosin rod, which originates from the helical tail of the myosin molecule. The heat-induced gelation of these subfragments was compared to that of intact myosin by measuring rigidity, turbidity, and other physico-chemical characteristics of each system. Two features of the heat-induced gelation of myosin, aggregation and three-dimensional network formation were found to be imparted by the subfragment 1 and the rod, respectively. The former involves disulfide exchange and the latter relates to conformational changes arising from a partially irreversible helix-coil transition during heating. Possible relationships are suggested between these physicochemical changes of the myosin head and tail regions upon heating and the heat-induced gelation of myosin.