bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Black Box Model for Estimating Joint Torque in an Industrial Serial Manipulator
Authors: Schroeder Kyle A. , Pryor Mitch , Harden Troy 
Published: February 2014

Joint torque feedback is useful in serial manipulator control algorithms for contact control, collision detection, performance analysis, etc. For example, the predicted torque can be compared to the measured torque so the system can respond to unexpected or unmodeled physical inputs. The input current to the joint motors can be used to estimate the input torque if the motor parameters are well-understood. However, in a closed commercial system, the motor parameters are often proprietary or unknown. Also, systems that sense or estimate motor torques instead of the joint torques require compensation for gear train losses.
In this work, we propose a method for mapping the measured motor current to the joint torque on a serial manipulator without joint torque sensors, thus advancing the potential to implement torque feedback algorithms such as collision detection on any industrial robot with joint position and motor current feedback. This new torque estimating technique (as opposed to using Newton-Euler dynamics) allows for sensing of external forces in collision detection applications for a position controlled robot.
The method requires knowledge of the robot link centers of mass, masses, and inertias and that the motor currents and joint positions can be measured. The joint torques due to gravity, inertia, and Coriolis are estimated by the Newton-Euler method using the system geometry, link masses, and the measured joint positions. A method for estimating friction losses using only the current and the predicted joint torque is demonstrated. The measured current, less estimated friction, is then mapped to the joint torque.
The validity of the black box joint torque estimating model was demonstrated using two Motoman SIA-5D manipulators with a 3rd party controller provided by Agile Planet. The joints of the robot were moved through a variety of test motions with known joint torque characteristics (as calculated using Newton-Euler dynamics). Estimated joint torques are similar to the calculated torque. Physical significance of the torque is validated by comparing the estimated torque to the calculated torque generated by a known force. The feasibility of the estimated torque error to force detection is discussed in terms of improving the safety and deployment options for industrial robotic systems.
Lightweight Design of a Brake Caliper
Authors: Ballo Federico Maria , Gobbi Massimiliano , Mastinu Giampiero , Pishdad Amir 
Published: February 2014

As lightweight design assumes greater importance in road vehicles development, the present paper is mainly devoted to the structural optimization of a brake caliper.
In the first part of the study a simplified finite element model based on beam elements of a brake caliper has been developed and validated.
By using the developed model, a multi-objective optimization has been completed. The total mass of the caliper and the deformations at some critical locations have been minimised. The considered design variables are related to the shape of the caliper and the cross sections of the beam elements.
The obtained optimal solutions are characterized by an asymmetric shape of the caliper. Optimised symmetric shapes currently used have been compared with the asymmetric ones in terms of performance.
In the second part of the study, a detailed analysis on the optimal caliper shape has been carried out by performing a structural topology optimization.
The minimum compliance problem has been solved using the SIMP (solid isotropic material with penalization) approach and the optimal solution has been compared with the ones obtained by applying the multi-objective optimization on the simplified model (beam elements).
The obtained design solutions represent a good starting point for future developments in actual industrial applications.
Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-Design of a Wireless TV/VCR Remote
Authors: Hu Yang , Ameta Gaurav 
Published: February 2014

The focus of this paper is to present life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a TV/VCR remote, including alkaline batteries, and to compare the environmental impacts with a redesigned remote consisting of a solar cell. LCA is a very helpful tool in identifying the most important factors for improving product sustainability. The remote considered in this study can control both television and video cassette recorder. This remote is manufactured in Malaysia and exported to the United States. Its life-cycle system includes raw material, parts, shipment, use phase and waste treatment; its life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is performed using SimaPro 7.1 and employing the TRACI method. LCA uncertainty analyzing is performed for both remotes utilizing Monte Carlo simulation in SimaPro 7.1.
LCA result shows use of alkaline battery affects most obviously in environmental impacts. In Eco-design remote model, both energy type and raw materials changed. Environmental impacts reduce in five categories in redesigned remote. This paper: 1) presents a prototype design for product using solar cell; 2) presents a novel method for designers to determine raw materials to improve product sustainability in designing stage; 3) provides suggestions for manufacturers to improve product sustainability through reuse of solar cell or a leasing strategy.
How Should an Electric Vehicle Sound? User and Expert Perception
Authors: Petiot Jean-François , Kristensen Bjørn G. , Maier Anja M. 
Published: February 2014

As electric vehicles are moving in on the automobile market, safety relating to acoustic perception is an important issue. It is a growing concern, particularly with respect to pedestrians, cyclists or visually impaired people. This can be addressed by adding sounds to the vehicle whilst at low speed. However, adding artificial sounds to an electric vehicle begs the question as to what kind of sound is appropriate. Appropriateness concerns technical specifications and is also linked to affective reactions of recipients of such a sound. Emotional reactions to 17 artificial exterior sounds for electric vehicles were investigated in an experimental setting with a total of 40 participants, 34 novice users and six sound experts.
Word association was used to elicit emotional reactions to the different sounds. Novice users employ more character-related terms to describe the sounds, while experts use more composition-based words. Analysis of variance and conjoint analysis was used to analyze participants’ assessments of sounds according to two semantic scales (pleasantness and appropriateness). Considerable inter-individual differences in the ratings of pleasantness and appropriateness indicate a great diversity of opinion about the sounds. Novice users indicate their preference for the sound of the traditional combustion engine as a possible proposition. Whilst participants saw the necessity, there was generally little enthusiasm for adding sounds to electric vehicles. The contribution of the paper concerns the methodology to analyze the results of the experiment and implications for the design of sounds for electric vehicles.
Versatile and Coordinated Industry Framework: A Homo-Mimetic Model
Authors: Fukuda Shuichi 
Published: February 2014

This paper points out that if we learn from humans how they sense and actuate, we could revolutionize our industry framework, and reduce energy consumption enormously in addition to satisfying our customers more.
Our body movements are very well coordinated and our brain and body work together. What humans teach us is that versatility, connectivity and coordination are very important.
But current industry and engineering are built for-a specific purpose and we forgot how we can develop products that will be connected with each other and operate together. If such industry framework is available, then industries will work together in a more versatile and coordinated manner. Such connected product developments will serve to make our industries more resilient, robust and adaptive to widely and quickly changing situations in addition to reducing energy consumption.
Thus, moving in such a direction is not only good for energy but also for meeting diversifying needs. Thus, it serves not only for each industry but also for society.
Computing the Stresses Induced Within Multi-Layered Elastic Media That Result From Sliding Contact With a Rigid Punch
Authors: Chidlow Stewart , Teodorescu Mircea 
Published: February 2014

This paper is concerned with the solution of the contact problem that results when a rigid punch is pressed into the surface of an inhomogeneously elastic solid comprising three distinct layers. The upper and lower layers of the solid are assumed to be homogeneous and are joined together by a functionally graded interlayer whose material properties progressively change from those of the coating to those of the substrate.
By applying the Fourier transform to the governing boundary value problem (BVP), we may write the stresses and displacements within the solid in terms of indefinite integrals. In particular, the expressions for the horizontal and vertical displacements of the solid surface are used to formulate a coupled pair of integral equations which may be solved numerically to approximate the solution of the stamp problem. A selection of numerical results are then presented which illustrate the effects of friction on the contact problem and it is found that the presence of friction within the contact increases the magnitude of the maximum principal stress and changes its location. These observations indicate that material failure is much more likely to occur when friction is present within the contact as expected.
A Harmonic Balance Approximation of Dynamic Snap-Through Boundaries in a Single-Degree-of-Freedom Structure
Authors: Wiebe Richard , Virgin Lawrence N. 
Published: February 2014

Under dynamic loading, systems with the requisite condition for snap-through buckling, that is co-existing equilibria, typically exhibit either small amplitude response about a single equilibrium configuration, or large amplitude response that transits between the static equilibria. Dynamic snap-through is the name given to the large amplitude response, which, in the context of structural systems, is obviously undesirable.
Structures with underlying snap-through static behavior may exhibit highly nonlinear and unpredictable oscillations. Such systems rarely lend themselves to investigation by analytical means. This is not surprising as nonlinear phenomena such as chaos run counter to the predictability of an analytical closed form solution. However, many unexpected analytical approximations of global stability may be obtained for simple systems using the harmonic balance method.
In this paper a simple single-degree-of-freedom arch is studied using the harmonic balance method. The equations developed with the harmonic balance approach are then solved using an arc-length method and an approximate snap-through boundary in forcing parameter space is obtained. The method is shown to exhibit excellent agreement with numerical results. Arches present an ideal avenue for the investigation of snap-through as they typically have multiple, often tunable, stable and unstable equilibria. They also have many applications in both civil engineering, where arches are a canonical structural element, and mechanical/aerospace engineering, where arches may be used to approximate the behavior of curved plates and panels such as those used on aircraft.
Factors That Effect Motivation and Performance on Innovative Design Projects
Authors: Linnerud Blake , Mocko Gregory 
Published: February 2014

For engineering companies striving to be competitive in today’s economy, it is essential that innovation is the crux of their strategy and decision making process. Engineering designers are constantly pushed to develop new and innovative solutions to design problems yet there has been little research on what actually motivates these designers, both intrinsically and extrinsically, to be innovative. Similarly, engineering students working on their capstone design project are pushed to develop solutions to innovative design problems. The purpose of this paper is to present the initial findings of an innovation survey of Mechanical Engineering students at Clemson University.
This paper will discuss the importance of innovation, the current state of innovation, the surveys that were created, the results of said survey, and how this information will be used going forward to improve performance and motivation in capstone design classes. The purpose of this survey is to determine which motivational factors engineering students perceive to be the most effective when working on innovative design projects. The initial results showed that (1) making an “A” grade in the class, (2) developing an “elegant” solution, and (3) making professional contacts with the industry sponsors were the three factors that most effectively promoted innovative design. Conversely, (1) impressing peers, (2) making professional contacts with the fellow students, and (3) winning cash prizes were the three factors that least effectively promoted innovative design.
Vibration of Bending-Torsion Coupled Resonance in a Rotor
Authors: Fujiwara Hiroyuki , Tsuji Tadashi , Matsushita Osami 
Published: February 2014

In certain rotor systems, bending-torsion coupled resonance occurs when the rotational speed Ω (= 2π Ωrps) is equal to the sum/difference of the bending natural frequency ωb (= 2π fb) and torsional natural frequency ωθ(= 2πfθ). This coupling effect is due to an unbalance in the rotor. In order to clarify this phenomenon, an equation was derived for the motion of the bending-torsion coupled 2 DOF system, and this coupled resonance was verified by numerical simulations.
In stability analyses of an undamped model, unstable rotational speed ranges were found to exist at about Ωrps = fb + fθ. The conditions for stability were also derived from an analysis of a damped model. In rotational simulations, bending-torsion coupled resonance vibration was found to occur at Ωrps = fb − fθ and fb + fθ.
In addition, confirmation of this resonance phenomenon was shown by an experiment. When the rotor was excited in the horizontal direction at bending natural frequency, large torsional vibration appeared. On the other hand, when the rotor was excited by torsion at torsional natural frequency, large bending vibration appeared. Therefore, bending-torsion coupled resonance was confirmed.
Design of the Second Spine: A Secondary Pathway to Transfer Loads From the Shoulders to the Pelvis
Authors: Park Joon-Hyuk , Stegall Paul , Zanotto Damiano , Vashista Vineet , Jin Xin , Agrawal Sunil K. 
Published: February 2014

The Second Spine is a vest intended to prevent musculoskeletal injuries caused by heavy backpack loads, while also maintaining the range of motion of the wearer. The vest is formed by multiple segments between the shoulder and a pelvic belt. In normal “off” configuration, the segments are disconnected from each other and the vest is flexible providing full range of motion to the upper body. With the pull of a string in the “on” configuration, the vest becomes semi-rigid creating a secondary pathway to transfer loads between the shoulder and a pelvic belt.
The device was evaluated by a subject who walked on a treadmill while carrying a backpack load of 25% of his body weight (BW). Experiment results showed that the semi-rigid vest reduces the force exerted on the shoulders and induces a more erect posture. Muscle activations in the lower limbs indicate that loads were successfully transferred from the shoulders to the waist while bypassing the vertebral column. These results show that the device can be used to mitigate potential risks of musculoskeletal injuries caused from backpack loads.
Implicit Emotional Message Representation With 1/F-Fluctuation for Ambient Interface Application
Authors: Ito Teruaki 
Published: February 2014

For remote communication, it is very hard to convey emotional message, or atmosphere of conversation to the opponent people who are located in a geographically difference place. For Email messages, emoticon, or face mark symbols are often used to express emotion, which works well to show emotion in an explicit way. Even though, the opponent face is show on the screen in remote video communication, emotional expression over the network is not similar to face-to-face meeting. In a face-to-face meeting, atmosphere of the conversation is shared in an implicit manner as opposed to the explicit explanation using words, sign, or pictures.
This research proposes an idea of implicit representation of emotional messages using light illumination [Lin, T.I. 2004; Vandewalle, G. 2010] with 1/f-fluctuation. It is reported that the 1/f-fluctuation makes a relaxed mental state. Therefore, ambient lighting with 1/f-fluctuation could provide a comfortable (and/or uncomfortable) atmosphere. In addition to this, this study aims to present emotional message in the illumination. In order to do so, four different types of 1/f-fluctuation pattern were created to represent four different types of typical human emotion, including joy, anger, pathos, and humor. The paper explains how the idea was implemented, using light illumination of four types of emotion based on the user experiments. According to some feasibility experiments, these four types of illumination were recognized to express each type of emotion. Applying emotional message representation with 1/f-fluctuation in the illumination of video conference speaker, implicit emotional message was presented during the conversation. Then the paper discusses the feasibility of the idea for ambient human interface.
High Aspect Ratio Au/Ni Coaxial Nanorod Arrays for Biosensing Applications
Authors: Hsu Che-Wei , Wang Gou-Jen 
Published: February 2014

In this study, a novel fabrication method for high aspect ratio magnetic Au/Ni coaxial nanorod arrays is proposed. It is expected that the stiffness of the gold shell could be supported by the core nickel rod. Furthermore, a magnetic force can be employed to manipulate the motion of the coaxial nanorod arrays. The fabrication procedures include: AAO template preparation, working electrode coating, nickel electrodeposition, alumina etching, and gold-plating by an electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) process.
Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method in this study could synthesize high aspect ratio magnetic Au/Ni coaxial nanorod arrays. The height of the synthesized coaxial nanorods is about 65.3 μm and the diameter of each nanorod is around 0.225 μm. Hence the aspect ratio is 290. The Au/Ni coaxial nanorod array was further used as a biosensor for the detection of glucose. The sensitivity of the proposed glucose biosensor was 225 μA/(mM·cm2) with a linear detection range of 27.5 μM to 1.38 mM. The sensitivity of the proposed Au/Ni coaxial nanorod array for glucose detection is the best among the reported works.
A Method for the Assessment of the Dynamic Performance of Neck Protection Devices
Authors: Galmarini Gianmarco , Gobbi Massimiliano , Mastinu Gianpiero , Previati Giorgio 
Published: February 2014

In this paper a method for the evaluation of the dynamic performance of neck protection devices for motorcyclists is presented.
The research project involves both experimental and numerical activities.
An impulsive load is applied to the head of a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy while wearing a helmet by means of a pendulum of calibrated mass starting from a well-defined initial condition. The impact load and the load at the neck of the dummy are measured by means of two six axes load cells. Additionally, head linear and rotational accelerations are measured. The test procedure shows a very good repeatability and allows for the comparison of the force passing through the neck with and without neck protection devices.
Since neck protection devices should work in situations in which no relevant head injuries are present, the experimental parameters (pendulum mass and speed) are chosen to cause a high probability of injuries to the neck together with a low probability of damages to the head while wearing a standard helmet. Injury indices, found in the literature, have been used to determine the neck injury level.
A multibody model of the human neck, developed in Matlab™ SimMechanics™, is validated by using the data acquired during the tests.
A study of real-world crashes has allowed the identification of reference impact scenarios which have been simulated by using the multibody model.
The validated model is suitable to determine the chance that a motorcyclist would have significant neck injury with or without a neck protecting device.
Development of a Diagnosis Method of a Gear Tooth Surface by Predicting Laser Beam Reflection
Authors: Tanaka Eiichirou , Kojima Yuta , Yoshimi Hiroki , Okabe Kazunari , Takebe Hitoshi , Wada Satoshi , Nagamura Kazuteru , Ikejo Kiyotaka , Nemoto Ryozo 
Published: February 2014

We developed a new diagnostic method by using a laser beam. This method is as follows: A tooth surface is irradiated by the zonal laser beam from an oblique direction, and then the irradiated laser beam line is shifted along the surface of the tooth according to gear rotation. If the damage on the irradiated tooth surface exists, the voltage proportional to laser reflection increases. We developed the method to predict and make the reflection benchmark on the normal condition according to the gear surface. To make the benchmark of the diagnosis, the three dimensional basic-data map (x: irradiated angle, y: irradiated distance, z: reflection intensity) was created by measuring the gear only whose material, heat treatment, and roughness were same as the targeted gear. By using the equations of tooth profile and fillet curves calculated from the specifications of the targeted gear, the distance and angle relations between the laser sensor and the tooth surface can be derived. By using the three dimensional basic-data map, the benchmark can be created. The measured reflection data of the non-damage gear agreed well with the benchmark, therefore we can diagnose the various specification gears, if the targeted gear’s material, heat treatment, and roughness are same. Finally, by using the benchmark which was made by our developed method, we proposed a novel diagnosis method. The procedure of the method is as follows:
1) The benchmark is made from the targeted gear’s specifications.
2) To take into account the fluctuation of the benchmark line influenced by the roughness on the gear surface, normal condition area of the reflected data is defined in the range between −0.05 V and +0.05 V of the benchmark line.
3) The normal condition area and measured data is compared, if the measured data is deviated from the normal condition area, there is defined as the abnormal area possible to be damaged.
To confirm the validity of this diagnosis method, the measured value of the damage area with caliper directly and calculated value from the method as mentioned above. The errors of the area and the location were within 20 %. Therefore, the effectiveness of the method using the benchmark data can be confirmed.