Researches on air-ground robot cooperating system has been made recently. The cooperation among homogeneous robots focused on the architecture of the system, quality and influence of the communication. In contrast, the cooperation among heterogeneous robots such as aerial vehicle and ground vehicle robots has not been much handled. There are a couple of main points for those air-ground cooperating robots. One is using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) as an extra sensor of UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle). This kind of application is usually used in situations such as guiding UGV to an appropriate path which could be better determined from the eye in the sky as UAV. The other main application of air-ground cooperating robot system is the localization. By combining sensor information from both UAV and UGV, the robot system as a whole can localize a target object or find features in the environment with better performance than UGV or UAV alone. Although these applications are recently studied in many different ways and devices, there are still a lot of possibilities in the field of air-ground cooperating robot systems. We introduce those research fields in this paper.

In this paper, a prototype of cooperative work model for multi-robots system is introduced and the evolutionary approach is applied to generate the motions for the cooperative works of multi-robots system using genetic algorithm. The cooperative tasks can be performed by a humanoid robot and a mobile robot to deliver objects from shelves. Generation of the humanoid motions such as pick up, rotation, and place operation for the cooperative works are evolved. Modeling and computer simulation for the cooperative robots system are executed in Webots environments. Experimental results show the feasible and reasonable solutions for humanoid cooperative tasks are obtained.

Network technology has been developed rapidly for digital service in these days. ZigBee, one of the IEEE 802.15.4 protocols, supporting local communication has become the core technology in the wireless network area. In this paper we designed an integrated fire monitoring system using a mobile robot and the ZigBee sensor nodes which are deployed to monitor fires. When a fire breaks out, the image information of the scene of a fire is transmitted by an autonomous mobile robot and we also monitor the current position of the robot. Furthermore, the data around the place where the fire breaks out and the positions of the sensor nodes can be transmitted to a server via the multi-hop communication in the real time.

This paper proposes an intelligent PID/Fuzzy control system for two humanoid robots to transport objects stably. When a robot transports an object while walking, a whole body system of a robot may not be stable due to vibration or external factors from a different departure speed error and a body movement of walking robots. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the horizontal and vertical locations and speeds of object, then calibrate the difference of departure speed between robots with PID/Fuzzy control. The results of simulation with two robots indicated that a proposed controller makes robots to transport an object stably.

Due to the deployment of various wireless networks originating from CDMA, GSM, and WLAN, it became very convenient to exchange information from one place to another. As compared with the traditional environments for one-way information distribution based on fixed radio frequency bands, the convenient wireless network environments will bring about many changes in positioning technologies based on global navigation satellites. Among the many changes to come, the reconfigurable receiver network is one of the most attractive concepts since it can be tailored to a specific application area among networked robots, formation flying, bridge monitoring, and traffic monitoring. As an initial study to develop a reconfigurable receiver network, this paper deals with the design and implementation of the key elements of the reconfigurable receiver netowork; server, broadcaster, and client. In the designed receiver network, a sever receives and decodes measurements from a reference receiver installed at a known location, a broadcaster processes and transfers the messages from servers to clients and manages connections with servers and clients, a client receives the messages from the broadcaster and performs differential positioning. A real-time experiment result is demonstrated to validate the functionalities of each network element.

In order to overcome some problems of existing anti-windup methods, this paper defines LQ (Linear Quadratic) observer and proposes a new anti-windup method using the LQ observer. LQ observer is derived by linear quadratic optimization in order to calculate controller states, which make the controller outputs equal to the plant inputs. And we propose an algorithm so that it can be implemented by a digital controller easily. The relationship between the design parameters and the anti-windup performance is shown via some numerical examples, which cover the cases with the anti-windup method using LQ observer designed and the case without it. Finally, the anti-windup performance of the proposed method is exemplified via comparison with the existing model-based conditioning scheme method[4].

In the case of a linear time-varying system, it is difficult to apply the conventional stability conditions of RHC (Receding Horizon Control) to real physical systems because of computational complexity comes from time-varying system and backward Riccati equation. Therefore, in this study, a frozen time RHC for a linear discrete time-varying system is proposed. Since the proposed control law is obtained by time-invariant Riccati equation solved by forward iterations at each control time, its stability can be ensured by matrix inequality condition and the stability condition based on horizon for a time-invariant system, and they can be applied to real physical systems effectively in comparison with the conventional RHC.

This paper deals with reduction of torque ripple in a brushless DC motor with input voltage control. The commutation torque ripple can be controlled with varying input voltage, but cogging torque is independent on it. So, in this paper a strategy for minimizing torque ripple is proposed by offsetting the cogging torque with deliberate voltage control. The optimal condition is determined with variable voltage levels and advance angles. As results, it is shown that the method causes 63% decrease of torque ripple.

This paper presents the modelling of an MR damper system through extensive experimental studies. The hysteresis of the MR damper is modelled by using the improved Bouc-wen model. A test bed for experimental studies of measuring parameters of the MR damper is designed and implemented. Based on the experimental data, the Bouc-Wen Model is modified for the MR damper system. To check the modelling property, a vehicle suspension system is controlled using a PID controller for the verification of the MR damper model.

In this paper, we propose the location measurement algorithm of unknown tag based on RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) by using RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) and TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) and extended Kalman filter in smart space. To do this, first, we recognize the location of unknown tag by using the RSSI and TDOA recognition methods. Second, we set the coordinate of the tag location measured by using trilateration and SX algorithm. But the tag location data measured by this method are included complex environmental error. So, we use the extended Kalman filter in order to revise error data of the tag location. Finally, we validate the applicability of the proposed method though the simulation in a complex environment.

We have studied the port-automation system which is requested by the steep increment of cost and complexity for processing the freight. This paper will introduce a new algorithm for navigating and controlling the autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV). The camera has the optical distortion in nature and is sensitive to the external ray, the weather, and the shadow, but it is very cheap and flexible to make and construct the automation system for the port. So we tried to apply to the AGV for detecting and tracking the lane using the CCD camera. In order to make the error stable and exact, this paper proposes new concept and algorithm for obtaining the error is generated by the Virtual Photo-Sensor Array (VPSA). VPSAs are implemented by programming and very easy to use for the various autonomous systems. Because the load of the computation is light, the AGV utilizes the maximal performance of the CCD camera and enables the CPU to take multi-tasks. We experimented on the proposed algorithm using the mobile robot and confirmed the stable and exact performance for tracking the lane.

Recently, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) requires various technical challenges; high definition, high quality, big size, and low price. These demands more pixels in the fixed area of the LCD and very fine lead pitch of the driving IC which controls the pixels. Therefore, a new packaging technology is needed to meet such technical requirement. NCP (Non Conductive Paste) is one of the new packaging methods and has excellent characteristics to overcome the problems of the ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film). In this paper, we analyzed the process of the NCP for COF (Chip on FPCB) and proposed the key design parameters of the NCP process. Through a series of experiments, we obtained the stable values of the design parameters for successful NCP process.

A MTG (Multimode Tracking and Guidance) system is employed to compensate for the limitations of individual seekers such as RF (Radio frequency) or IIR (Imaging Infra-red) and to improve the overall tracking and guidance performance in jamming, clutter, and adverse weather environments. In the MTG system, tracking filter, data association, and data fusion methods are important elements to maximize the effectiveness of precision homing missile guidance. This paper proposes the formulation of a Kalman filter for the estimation of line-of-sight rate from seeker measurements in missiles guided by proportional navigation. Also, we suggest the HPDA (Highest Probability Data Association) and data fusion methods of the MTG system for target tracking in the adverse environments. Mont-Carlo simulation is employed to evaluate the overall tracking performance and guidance accuracy.

With GPS being the primary navigation system, Loran use is in steep decline. However, according to the final report of vulnerability assessment of the transportation infrastructure relying on the global positioning system prepared by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, there are current attempts to enhance and re-popularize Loran as a GPS backup system through the characteristic of the ground based low frequency navigation system. To advance the Loran system such as Loran-C modernization and eLoran development, research is definitely needed in the field of Loran-C receiver signal processing as well as Loran-C signal design and the technology of a receiver. We have developed a set of Matlab tools, which implement a software Loran-C receiver that performs the receiver's position determination through the following procedure. The procedure consists of receiving the Loran-C signal, cycle selection, calculation of the TDOA and range, and receiver's position determination through the Least Square Method. We experiences the effect of an incorrect cycle selection and various error factors (ECD, ASF, sky wave, CRI, etc.) from the result of the Loran-C signal processing. It is apparent that researches which focus on the elimination and mitigation of various error factors need to be investigated on a software Loran-C receiver. These aspects will be explored in further work through the method such as PLL and Kalman filtering.

This paper discuss a performance evaluation of the synchronization algorithm for hybrid networks in industrial environments. The proposed algorithms minimizes synchronization errors which were caused from channel, Propagation, and frequency delays. The modified RBS and offset synchronization methods can be operated by adjustment parameters. The differential BP (Back-off Period) adjustment can synchronize the local time of each node with master node's time in hybrid networks. For the performance analysis, the data transmission time between the wired and wireless devices are investigated. The experimental results show the performance evaluations in terms of the polling service time and an average end-to-end delay.

When we render 3D sound images using headphones or speakers, the main key of this technology is the Head-related transfer function (HRTF) database. Even though there are various HRTF databases, they have some drawbacks such as detrimental effects caused by imperfect measuring environment and insufficient measurement points. Moreover there is no database with Korean subjects. We are planning to develop the HRTF database for Korean. As a first step to establish the HRTF database aimed at Korean, the new HRTF measurement system with minimized aforementioned drawbacks is designed. In this paper, the newly designed HRTF measurement system is introduced and the overall effects caused by the diffraction of the apparatus, especially the headrest and backrest of the chair, are analyzed. The backrest of the chair does not distort the HRTFs significantly while the headrest makes significant distortion on the HRTFs and it could have significant effects on directional perception. We determined acceptable head rotation angle and head position of the subject for accurate HRTF measurement based on the experiments with B&K HATS. We conclude that the 3 degrees of the head rotation and the 1.5cm front/back/left/right shift of the head do not distort the HRTFs significantly.