Vision-based obstacle detection for rotorcraft flight

The ability of rotorcraft to fly at low altitude is hindered by the high pilot workload required to avoid obstacles. The development of automation tools that can detect obstacles in the rotorcraft flight path, warn the crew, and interact with the guidance system to avoid detected obstacles would significantly reduce pilot workload and increase safety. This article describes an obstacle detection approach based on feature tracking and recursive range estimation that takes into account the characteristics of rotorcraft flight. The merits and weaknesses of the approach are discussed using image sequences from the laboratory and from flight. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mass transfer at the gas evolving inner electrode of a concentric cylindrical reactor

Mass transfer coefficients for an oxygen evolving vertical PbO₂ coated cylinder electrode were measured for the anodic oxidation of acidified ferrous sulphate above the limiting current. Variables studied included the ferrous sulphate concentration, the anode height, the oxygen discharge rate and the anode surface roughness. The mass transfer coefficient was found to increase with increasing O₂ discharge rate,V, and electrode height,h, according to the proportionality expressionK V ^0.34 h ^0.2. Surface roughness with a peak to valley height up to 2.6 mm was found to increase the rate of mass transfer by a modest amount which ranged from 33.3 to 50.8% depending on the degree of roughness and oxygen discharge rate. The present data, as well as previous data at vertical oxygen evolving electrodes where bubble coalescence is negligible, were correlated by the equationJ=7.63 (Re. Fr)^–0.12, whereJ is the mass transferJ factor (St. Sc ^0.66).Notation a ₁,a ₂ constants - A electrode area (cm²) - C concentration of Fe²⁺ (M) - d bubble diameter (cm) - D diffusivity (cm² s^–1) - e electrochemical equivalent (g C^–1) - F Faraday's constant - g acceleration due to gravity (cm s^–2) - h electrode height (cm) - I _Fe ²⁺ current consumed in Fe²⁺ oxidation A - I _{o 2} current consumed in O₂ evolution, A - K mass transfer coefficient (cm s^–1) - m amount of Fe²⁺ oxidized (g) - P gas pressure (atm) - p pitch of the threaded surface (cm) - Q volume of oxygen gas passing any point at the electrode surface (cm³ s^–1) - R gas constant (atm cm³ mol^–1 K^–1) - r peak-to-valley height of the threaded surface (cm) - t time of electrolysis (s) - T temperature (K) - solution viscosity (g cm^–1 s^–1) - V oxygen discharge velocity as defined by Equation 3 (cm s^–1) - Z number of electrons involved in the reaction - Sh Sherwood number (Kd/D) - Re Reynolds number (Vd/) - Sc Schmidt number (v/D) - J mass transferJ factor (St. Sc ^0.66) - St Stanton number (K/V) - Fr Froude number (V ²/dg) - Solution density, g cm^–3 - v Kinematic viscosity (cm² s^–1) - bubble geometrical parameter defined in [31] - fractional surface coverage - diffusion layer thickness (cm)     

Flexural and Interfacial Behavior of FRP-Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams

Although there is a large amount of experimental data available on the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening of concrete structures, a full understanding of the various debonding phenomena is somewhat lacking. As a contribution to fill this need, two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear displacement-controlled finite-element (FE) models are developed to investigate the flexural and FRP/concrete interfacial responses of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete beams. Interface elements are used to simulate the FRP/concrete interfacial behavior before and after cracking. The analysis is carried out using two different relations for the interface; namely, nonlinear and bilinear bond–slip laws. The results predicted using these two laws are compared to those based on the full-bond assumption. The FE models are capable of simulating the various failure modes, including debonding of the FRP, either at the plate end or at intermediate cracks. The 3D model is created to accommodate cases of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete beams utilizing FRP anchorage systems. In addition, the models successfully represent the actual interfacial behavior at the vicinities of cracks including the stress/slip concentrations and fluctuations. Results are presented in terms of the ultimate load carrying capacities, failure modes and deformational characteristics. Special emphasis is placed on the FRP/concrete interfacial behavior and cracking of the concrete. The numerical results are compared to available experimental data for 25 specimens categorized in six series, and they show a very good agreement.     

Studies of electrical and mechanical properties of semiconductive poly(vinyl chloride) compositions

A sample of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and a polar plasticizer consisting of dioctylphthalate (DOP) and triisopropylphenylphosphate (TIPPP) was prepared and found to possess some electrical conductivity. Different samples of PVC compositions were formulated from the PVC-DOP-TIPPP system and also variable proportions of the conductive materials polyaniline or the Ni salt of ethylene glycol bisadipate ester. Dibutyltindilaurate as a heat stabilizer, titanium oxide as a filler, and sandorin red 20 pigment were added. The effect of the structure of polyaniline and Ni adipate ester on the electrical and mechanical properties of the PVC–DOP–TIPPP system was studied to obtain a semiconductive plasticized PVC with good mechanical properties. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 685–693, 1998     

Computer-access security systems using keystroke dynamics

An approach to securing access to computer systems is described. By performing real-time measurements of the time durations between the keystrokes when a password is entered and using pattern-recognition algorithms, three online recognition systems were devised and tested. Two types of passwords were considered: phrases and individual names. A fixed phrase was used in the identification system. Individual names were used as a password in the verification system and in the overall recognition system. All three systems were tested and evaluated. The identification system used 10 volunteers and gave an indecision error of 1.2%. The verification system used 26 volunteers and gave an error of 8.1% in rejecting valid users and an error of 2.8% in accepting invalid users. The overall recognition system used 32 volunteers and gave an error of 3.1% in rejecting valid users and an error of 0.5% in accepting invalid users     

Passive range estimation for rotorcraft low-altitude flight

The automation of rotorcraft low-altitude flight presents challenging problems in control, computer vision, and image understanding. A critical element in this problem is the ability to detect and locate obstacles, using on-board sensors, and to modify the nominal trajectory. This requirement is also necessary for the safe landing of an autonomous lander on Mars. This paper examines some of the issues in the location of objects, using a sequence of images from a passive sensor, and describes a Kalman filter approach to estimate range to obstacles. The Kalman filter is also used to track features in the images leading to a significant reduction of search effort in the feature-extraction step of the algorithm. The method can compute range for both straightline and curvilinear motion of the sensor. An experiment is designed in the laboratory to acquire a sequence of images along with the sensor motion parameters under conditions similar to helicopter flight. The paper presents range estimation results using this imagery.     

Factors that determine residents’ acceptance of smart city technologies

ABSTRACT

While some cities attempt to determine their residents’ demand for smart-city technologies, others simply move forward with smart-related strategies and projects. This study is among the first to empirically determine which factors most affect residents’ and public servants’ intention to use smart-city services. A Smart Cities Stakeholders Adoption Model (SSA), based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), is developed and tested on a mid-size U.S. city as a case study. A questionnaire was administered in order to determine the influence of seven factors – effort expectancy, self-efficacy, perceived privacy, perceived security, trust in technology, price value and trust in government – on behaviour intention, specifically the decision to adopt smart-city technologies. Results show that each of these factors significantly influenced citizen intention to use smart-city services. They also reveal perceived security and perceived privacy to be strong determinants of trust in technology, and price value a determinant of trust in government. In turn, both types of trust are shown to increase user intention to both adopt and use smart-city services. These findings offer city officials an approach to gauging residential intention to use smart-city services, as well as identify those factors critical to developing a successful smart-city strategy.     

Uptake of Nickel(II) Ion by Silica-o-Phenylenediamine Derived from Rice Husk Ash

Silicon - The silica-ortho-phenylenediamine(RHAOPDA) derived from Rice Husk Ash and o- phenylenediamine (OPDA) were synthesized. The prepared material was characterized by different techniques; N2-...