Efficient texture analysis for industrial inspection

This paper describes a convolution-based approach to the analysis of images containing few texture classes. Segmentation of foreground and background textures, or detection of boundaries between similarly textured objects, is demonstrated. The application to industrial inspection applications is demonstrated. Near frame-rate performance on low-cost hardware is possible, since only convolution with small kernels is used. A new algorithm to optimize convolution kernels for the required texture analysis task is presented. A key feature of the paper is the industrial readiness of the techniques described.     

Thermal modelling of the multi-stage heating system with variable boundary conditions in the wafer based precision glass moulding process

In the precision glass moulding process, the heat transfer and the resulting transient temperature distributions of the molten glass are of great importance because they significantly affect the productivity as well as the thermally induced residual stresses in the final product. Thermal modelling of the heating system in the glass moulding process considering detailed heating mechanisms therefore plays an important part in optimizing the heating system and the subsequent pressing stage in the lens manufacturing process.The current paper deals with three-dimensional transient thermal modelling of the multi-stage heating system in a wafer based glass moulding process. In order to investigate the importance of the radiation from the interior and surface of the glass, a simple finite volume code is developed to model one dimensional radiation–conduction heat transfer in the glass wafer for an extreme case with very high temperature difference considering temperature dependant thermal conductivity and heat capacity. Afterwards, by using three-dimensional FEM modelling along with a predefined experimental test, the equivalent glass–mould interface contact resistance is determined for two different pressures. Finally, the three-dimensional modelling of the multi-stage heating system in the wafer based glass moulding process is simulated with the FEM software ABAQUS for a particular industrial application for mobile phone camera lenses to obtain the temperature distribution in the glass wafer. In the numerical modelling, the interface boundary conditions for each heating stage are changed according to the determining heat transfer mechanism(s). Numerical results are compared with experimental data to show the validity of the numerical modelling. The obtained results show that the right thermal modelling is highly dependent on the proper choice of thermal boundary conditions in different stages according to the real physical phenomena behind the process.     

Adaptive two-pass rank order filter to remove impulse noise in highly corrupted images

In this paper, we present an adaptive two-pass rank order filter to remove impulse noise in highly corrupted images. When the noise ratio is high, rank order filters, such as the median filter for example, can produce unsatisfactory results. Better results can be obtained by applying the filter twice, which we call two-pass filtering. To further improve the performance, we develop an adaptive two-pass rank order filter. Between the passes of filtering, an adaptive process is used to detect irregularities in the spatial distribution of the estimated impulse noise. The adaptive process then selectively replaces some pixels changed by the first pass of filtering with their original observed pixel values. These pixels are then kept unchanged during the second filtering. In combination, the adaptive process and the second filter eliminate more impulse noise and restore some pixels that are mistakenly altered by the first filtering. As a final result, the reconstructed image maintains a higher degree of fidelity and has a smaller amount of noise. The idea of adaptive two-pass processing can be applied to many rank order filters, such as a center-weighted median filter (CWMF), adaptive CWMF, lower-upper-middle filter, and soft-decision rank-order-mean filter. Results from computer simulations are used to demonstrate the performance of this type of adaptation using a number of basic rank order filters.     

Radial tunnel syndrome: diagnosis and management

PURPOSE: To present the first documentation of iris retraction syndrome in eyes with nonrhegmatogenous retinal detachment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One patient with age-related macular degeneration and another with panuveitis developed exudative retinal detachment with iris retraction configuration. Ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed to investigate the anatomic relationship of structures in the anterior segment of the eye. RESULTS: Ultrasound biomicroscopy demonstrated a severe backward bowing of the peripheral iris with irido-ciliary body and irido-zonular contact as well as broad iris lens touch. The iris retraction syndrome resolved after pupil dilation and disruption of the pupillary adhesions in both cases. The retinal detachment resolved several months later, without surgery. CONCLUSION: Iris retraction syndrome appears not to be exclusive to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment but can present in eyes with exudative - nonrhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Thus, when the configuration of the iris shows bowing in patients with retinal detachment, iris retraction syndrome should be considered and prompt pupil dilation should be carried out.     

Fe2MoO4 magnetic nanocomposite modified screen printed graphite electrode as a voltammetric sensor for simultaneous determination of nalbuphine and diclofenac

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - This study applied screen printed graphite electrode (SPGE) modified with the Fe2MoO4 magnetic nanocomposite for simultaneously determining...     

A technique for advanced manufacturing systems capability evaluation and comparison (ACEC)

This paper proposes a generic technique for the evaluation and comparison of the capability of manufacturing systems as a decision-making aid. It provides a methodical approach for extracting key capability factors (CF) and their degree of fulfilment by the institutes. The capability factors and their priorities are determined by experts in the related industry. By adopting this approach, a “capability index” for each institute will be derived. This will be the basis for capability comparison. The proposed method applies fuzzy relations and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques to calculate capability indices. The case study discussed in this paper is the result of a project commissioned by a prominent UK based company (UBC) to consolidate its EU operations. The results illustrate the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed methodology for a wide range of applications.     

A branch-and-bound algorithm for single-machine scheduling with batch delivery and job release times

This paper addresses scheduling a set of jobs with specified release times on a single machine for delivery in batches to customers or to other machines for further processing. This problem is a natural extension of minimizing the sum of flow times in the presence of release time by considering the possibility of delivering jobs in batches and introducing batch delivery costs. The scheduling objective adopted is that of minimizing the sum of flow times and delivery costs. The extended problem arises in the context of coordination between machine scheduling and a distribution system in a supply chain network. Structural properties of the problem are investigated and used to devise a branch-and-bound solution scheme. Computational experiments show significant improvement over an existing dynamic programming algorithm.     

A prototype assembly cell for lay-up of carbon composite preforms

A prototype robotic assembly cell for automated lay-up of dry fibre composite aerospace components is presented. The existing manual lay-up process is described, and the automated lay-up cycle introduced. The main features of interest in the cell are detailed, with particular emphasis on cell integration aspects, especially the mapping and calibration required to operate from CAD data.     

Sub-Nyquist sampling process in presence of noisy sampling signal

A theoretical analysis of the frequency errors in the down-converted output frequencies of the sub-Nyquist sampling process due to a noisy sampling signal is presented.     

Fast-sampling frequency meter

A multi-sampling system having sampling frequencies much below the Nyquist rate is proposed for use in frequency counters. Its measurement range extends into the microwave frequency region without the long acquisition times associated with the conventional microwave frequency translation techniques. Because the system handles mainly low frequencies it can be made cheaply