• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.177-180
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• 2002

Generally, it is very difficult to inspect geometric shape of large 2D objects after machining. To maintain the accuracy for inspection, a robot vision is used to divide overall shape into several enlarged images, and image processing technique is applied to acquire one minute geometric contour. The inspection is to compare the NC data with the measured contour data by the vision system, and the algorithm is to rotate to minimize the maximum deviation coinciding two geometric centers. This paper experimentally shows that the proposed inspection algorithm is very useful fur a large machined object.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.133.6-133
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• 2001

Reactor vessel is one of the most important equipment of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with regard to the nuclear safety. Thus reactor vessel must be examined periodically by certified experts. Currently, ultra-sonic(UT) non-destructive inspection is executed on reactor vessel. Two different techniques are used in this inspection. One is using the movable manipulator fixed with the support-guide placed on the vessel, and the other is using mobile robot moving in the vessel. Movable manipulator machine is very heavy, hard to handle, and very expensive. Mobile robot equipment is small and convenient but has a weak point on positional precision. To solve these problems we developed a reactor inspection system based on laser-driven mobile robot. This paper describes the main concept and structure of integrated inspection units and the feature of implemented units.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.430-432
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• 2004

Tele-operation and remote monitoring techniques are essential and important technologies for the inspection and maintenance of the radioactive waste. A mobile robot has been developed for the application of remote monitoring and inspection of nuclear facilities, where human access is limited because of the high-level radioactive environments, The mobile robot was designed with reconfigurable crawler type of wheels attached on the front and rear side in order to pass through the ditch, The extendable mast, mounted on the mobile robot, car be extended up to 8 m vertically. The robust controller for radiation is designed in focus on electric components to prevent abnormal operation in a highly radioactivated area during reactor operation, This robot system will enhance the reliability of nuclear power facilities, and cope with the unexpected radiation accident.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.346-351
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• 2005

The outlet feeder pipe thinning in a PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) is caused by high pressure steam flow inside the pipe, which is a well known degradation mechanism called FAC (Flow Assisted Corrosion). In order to monitor the degradation, the thickness of the outlet bends closed to the exit of the pressure tube should be measured and analyzed at every official overhaul. This paper develops a mobile feeder pipe inspection robot that can minimize the irradiation dose of human workers by automating the measurement process. The robot can move by itself on the feeder pipe by using an inch worm mechanism, which is constructed by two gripper bodies that can fix the robot body on the pipe, one extendable and contractable actuator, and a rotation actuator connected the two gripper bodies to move forward and backward, and to rotate in the circumferential direction

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.125-134
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• 2009

This paper presents details on a tube inspection robotic system and a positioning method of the robot for a steam generator (SG) in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The robotic system is separated into three parts for easy handling, which reduces the radiation exposure during installation. The system has a supporting leg to increase the rigidity of the robot base. Since there are several thousands of tubes to be inspected inside a SG, it is very important to position the tool of the robot at the right tubes even if the robot base is positioned inaccurately during the installation. In order to obtain absolute accuracy of a position, the robot kinematics was mathematically modeled with the modified DH(Denavit-Hartenberg) model and calibrated on site using tube holes as calibration points. To tune the PID gains of a commercial motor driver systematically, the time delay control (TDC) based gain tuning method was adopted. To verify the performance of the robotic system, experiments on a Framatomes 51B Model type SG mockup were undertaken.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.1696-1699
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• 1997

The robot mainpulator for inspection of pressurizer in the nuclear power plant has been developed, which consists of four parts : 2 arms, movable gripper, base frame, contorl console. To extract the damaged electric heating rod inside pressurizer, the gripper has been developed using wire lope and self-locking mechanism. for the examination of the structural stability of the robot manipulator, stress analysis is performed by using the ANSYS code.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2015

Ultrasonic inspection robot systems have been widely researched and developed for the real-time monitoring of structures such as power plants. However, an inspection robot that is operated in a simple pattern has limitations in its application to various structures in a plant facility because of the diverse and complicated shapes of the inspection objects. Therefore, accurate control of the robot is required to inspect complicated objects with high-precision results. This paper presents the idea that the shape and movement information of an ultrasonic inspector's hand could be profitably utilized for the accurate control of robot. In this study, a polymer flex sensor was applied to monitor the shape of a human hand. This application was designed to intuitively control an ultrasonic inspection robot. The movement and shape of the hand were estimated by applying multiple sensors. Moreover, it was successfully shown that a test robot could be intuitively controlled based on the shape of a human hand estimated using polymer flex sensors.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.1116-1120
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• 2004

In the nuclear power plant, there are several cylindrical vessels such as reactor vessel, pressuriser and so on. The vessels are usually constructed by welding large rolled plates, forged sections or nozzle pipes together. In order to assure the integrity of the vessel, these welds should be periodically inspected using sensors such as ultrasonic transducer or visual cameras. This inspection is usually conducted under water to minimize exposure to the radioactively contaminated vessel walls. The inspections have been performed by using a conventional inspection machine with a big structural sturdy column, however, it is so huge and heavy that maintenance and handling of the machine are extremely difficult. It requires much effort to transport the system to the site and also requires continuous use of the utility's polar crane to move the manipulator into the building and then onto the vessel. Setup beside the vessel requires a large volume of work preparation area and several shifts to complete. In order to resolve these problems, we have developed an underwater mobile robot guided by the laser pointer, and performed a series of experiments both in the mockup and in the real reactor vessel. This paper introduces our robotic inspection system and the laser guidance of the mobile robot as well as the results of the functional test.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4695-4702
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants play a pivotal role in the global energy infrastructure, fulfilling a substantial share of the world's energy requirements in a sustainable way. The management of these facilities, especially the handling of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), necessitates meticulous inspections to guarantee operational safety and efficiency. However, the prevailing inspection methodologies lean heavily on human operators, which presents challenges due to the potential hazards of the SNF environment. This study introduces the design of a novel Pre-Batched Inspection Strategy (PBIS) that integrates robotic automation and image processing techniques to bolster the inspection process. This methodology deploys robotics to undertake tasks that could be perilous or time-intensive for humans, while image processing techniques are used for precise identification of SNF targets and regulating the robotic system. The implementation of PBIS holds considerable promise in minimizing inspection time and enhancing worker safety. This paper elaborates on the structure, capabilities, and application of PBIS, underlining its potential implications for the future of nuclear energy inspections.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.827-829
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• 2014

This paper presents a design methodology for improving dynamic stiffness of an inspection robot frame to prevent resonance. Finite element models of robot frame are developed for natural frequency analysis. Natural frequency analysis of robot frame is conducted to compare with sub-span oscillation which is excitation frequency. Reinforcement beams are applied to the sensitive parts of the robot frame to improve dynamic stiffness using case study. To reduce mass of the robot frame, thickness optimization of the robot frame is carried out by utilizing response surface method. The result of optimization show that dynamic stiffness of robot frame is increased. As a result, natural frequency of an optimal model is not included in range of frequencies of the sub-span oscillation.