• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.99-107
• /
• 2024

Along with economic growth and industrial development, there is an increasing demand for various electronic components and device production of semiconductor, SMT component, and electrical battery products. However, these products may contain foreign substances coming from manufacturing process such as iron, aluminum, plastic and so on, which could lead to serious problems or malfunctioning of the product, and fire on the electric vehicle. To solve these problems, it is necessary to determine whether there are foreign materials inside the product, and may tests have been done by means of non-destructive testing methodology such as ultrasound ot X-ray. Nevertheless, there are technical challenges and limitation in acquiring X-ray images and determining the presence of foreign materials. In particular Small-sized or low-density foreign materials may not be visible even when X-ray equipment is used, and noise can also make it difficult to detect foreign objects. Moreover, in order to meet the manufacturing speed requirement, the x-ray acquisition time should be reduced, which can result in the very low signal- to-noise ratio(SNR) lowering the foreign material detection accuracy. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a five-step approach to overcome the limitations of low resolution, which make it challenging to detect foreign substances. Firstly, global contrast of X-ray images are increased through histogram stretching methodology. Second, to strengthen the high frequency signal and local contrast, we applied local contrast enhancement technique. Third, to improve the edge clearness, Unsharp masking is applied to enhance edges, making objects more visible. Forth, the super-resolution method of the Residual Dense Block (RDB) is used for noise reduction and image enhancement. Last, the Yolov5 algorithm is employed to train and detect foreign objects after learning. Using the proposed method in this study, experimental results show an improvement of more than 10% in performance metrics such as precision compared to low-density images.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2012

Electrical impedance tomography(EIT) can produce functional images with conductivity distributions associated with physiological events such as cardiac and respiratory cycles. EIT has been proposed as a clinical imaging tool for the detection of stroke and breast cancer, pulmonary function monitoring, cardiac imaging and other clinical applications. However EIT still suffers from technical challenges such as the electrode interface, hardware limitations, lack of animal or human trials, and interpretation of conductivity variations in reconstructed images. We improved the KHU Mark2 EIT system by introducing an EIT electrode interface consisting of nano-web fabric electrodes and by adding a synchronized biosignal measurement system for gated conductivity imaging. ECG and respiration signals are collected to analyze the relationship between the changes in conductivity images and cardiac activity or respiration. The biosignal measurement system provides a trigger to the EIT system to commence imaging and the EIT system produces an output trigger. This EIT acquisition time trigger signal will also allow us to operate the EIT system synchronously with other clinical devices. This type of biosignal gated conductivity imaging enables capture of fast cardiac events and may also improve images and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by using signal averaging methods at the same point in cardiac or respiration cycles. As an example we monitored the beat by beat cardiac-related change of conductivity in the EIT images obtained at a common state over multiple respiration cycles. We showed that the gated conductivity imaging method reveals cardiac perfusion changes in the heart region of the EIT images on a canine animal model. These changes appear to have the expected timing relationship to the ECG and ventilator settings that were used to control respiration. As EIT is radiation free and displays high timing resolution its ability to reveal perfusion changes may be of use in intensive care units for continuous monitoring of cardiopulmonary function.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.81-87
• /
• 2010

The coverage ability is one of essential techniques for the Robotic Vacuum Cleaner (RVC). Most of the RVCs rely on random or regular pattern movement to cover a target space due to the technical difficulties to implement localization and map and constraints of hardwares such as controller and sensors. In this paper, we consider two main issues which are low computational load and using sensors with very limited sensing capabilities. First, in our approach, computing procedures to build map and detect the RVC's position are minimized by simplifying data obtained from sensors. To reduce computational load, it needs simply presenting an environment with objects of various shapes. Another isuue mentioned above is regarded as one of the most important problems in our approach, because we consider that many RVCs use low-cost sensor systems such as an infrared sensor or ultrasonic sensor with limited capabilities in limited range, detection uncertainty, measurement noise, etc. Methods presented in this paper are able to apply to general RVCs equipped with these sensors. By both simulation and real experiment, we evaluate our method and verify that the proposed method guarantees a complete coverage.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2003

How to compare the environmental damage caused by vehicles with different foe]s and drive trains\ulcorner This paper describes a methodology to assess the environmental impact of vehicles, using different approaches, and evaluating their benefits and limitations. Rating systems are analysed as tools to compare the environmental impact of vehicles, allowing decision makers to dedicate their financial and non-financial policies and support measures in function of the ecological damage. The paper is based on the "Clean Vehicles" research project, commissioned by the Brussels Capital Region via the BIM-IBGE (Brussels Institute for the Conservation of the Environment) (Van Mierlo et at., 2001). The VriJe Universiteit Brussel (ETEC) and the universite Libre do Bruxelles (CEESE) have jointly carried out the workprogramme. The most important results of this project are illustrated in this paper. First an overview of environmental, economical and technical characteristics of the different alternative fuels and drive trains is given. Afterward the basic principles to identify the environmental impact of cars are described. An outline of the considered emissions and their environmental impact leads to the definition of the calculation method, named Ecoscore. A rather simple and pragmatic approach would be stating that all alternative fuelled vehicles (LPG, CNG, EV, HEV, etc.) can be considered as ′clean′. Another basic approach is considering as ′clean′ all vehicles satisfying a stringent omission regulation like EURO IV or EEV. Such approaches however don′t tell anything about the real environmental damage of the vehicles. In the paper we describe "how should the environmental impact of vehicles be defined\ulcorner", including parameters affecting the emissions of vehicles and their influence on human beings and on the environment and "how could it be defined \ulcorner", taking into account the availability of accurate and reliable data. We take into account different damages (acid rain, photochemical air pollution, global warming. noise, etc.) and their impacts on several receptors like human beings (e.g., cancer, respiratory diseases, etc), ecosystems, or buildings. The presented methodology is based on a kind of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in which the contribution of all emissions to a certain damage are considered (e.g. using Exposure-Response damage function). The emissions will include oil extraction, transportation refinery, electricity production, distribution, (Well-to-Wheel approach), as well as the emission due to the production, use and dismantling of the vehicle (Cradle-to-Grave approach). The different damages will be normalized to be able to make a comparison. Hence a reference value (determined by the reference vehicle chosen) will be defined as a target value (the normalized value will thus measure a kind of Distance to Target). The contribution of the different normalized damages to a single value "Ecoscore" will be based on a panel weighting method. Some examples of the calculation of the Ecoscore for different alternative fuels and drive trains will be calculated as an illustration of the methodology.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.5
• /
• pp.189-194
• /
• 2018

Unmanned technology is a representative technology that integrates various technologies like electric, electronic, mechanical, artificial intelligence, ICT technology, ect. In special emphasize, ground technology has been developing exponentially in the military field and expanding its utilization area. The patent information analysis method presented in this study, proposes a new patent analysis methodology for patent information analysis and patent information on unmanned ground technology. The patent information analysis processor has 6 levels to extract core patents and technologies. The process consists of: selection of technology to be analyzed, classification of detailed technology / key keyword selection, patent information collection / noise reduction, selection of patent information analysis method, patent information analysis, finally, core patents and key technologies that are extracted. Patent information on unmanned ground technology is also analyzed in this study. First, the technical classification of ground unmanned technology is carried out in detail. The core technology and core patents of ground unmanned technology were extracted through CPP and IPC code connectivity analysis. The results of patent information analysis using proposed patent information analysis method that can be applied to various fields of technology and analysis. These can be used as a material to forecast the direction of future research and development on the technology to be analyzed.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.359-365
• /
• 2021

GEO-KOMPSAT-2A (GK2A) AMI (Advanced Meteorological Imager) Best Detector Select (BDS) map is pre-determined and uploaded before the satellite launch. After the launch, there is some possibility of a detector performance change driven by an abrupt temperature variation and thus the status of BDS map needs to be evaluated and updated if necessary. To investigate performance of entire elements of the detectors, AMI BDS analyses were conducted based on a technical note provided from the AMI vendor (L3HARRIS). The concept of the BDS analysis is to investigate the stability of signals from detectors while they are staring at targets (deep space and internal calibration target). For this purpose, Long Time Series (LTS) and Output Voltage vs. Bias Voltage (V-V) methods are used. The LTS for 30 secs and the V-V for two secs are spanned respectively for looking at the targets to compute noise components of detectors. To get the necessary data sets, these activities were conducted during the In-Orbit Test (IOT) period since a normal operation of AMI is stopped and special mission plans are commanded. With collected data sets during the GK2A IOT, AMI BDS map was intensively examined. It was found that about 1% of entire detector elements, which were evaluated at the ground test, showed characteristic changes and those degraded elements are replaced by alternative best ones. The stripping effects on AMI raw images due to the BDS problem were clearly removed when the new BDS map was applied.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.30-42
• /
• 2022

OSC is a type of supply chain and value chain that spans the entire process of construction production (planning, design, construction, maintenance, etc.). It is a method of producing the final object by manufacturing it in a factory, transporting it to the site, installing and construction. This research as is the construction cost was compared for each case A, which applied the PC method, and case B, which applied the RC method. In the case of applying the PC method (excluding the PC design cost), compared to the case where only the RC method was applied, the frame construction cost per unit quantity (m³) increased by about 70% (50% based on the total RC construction type). Of the total frame construction cost of PC method application, PC accounted for 90.2%, 'PC manufacturing cost' 54.8%, 'PC assembly cost' 28.5%, and 'transportation cost' accounted for 6.89%. Also a decision-making framework that can consider both costs and benefits was established. In the case of benefits, the construction period, defect repair, disaster occurrence, energy efficiency, noise/dust/waste, and greenhouse gas emission indicators reflecting OSC technical advantages were presented. It can contribute to providing a basis for helping decision-making on the introduction of PC apartment houses using OSC.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 2023

Objectives: With the evolution of direct reading sensors, it is possible to monitor several substances through telecommunication. However, there are some limitations on the use of direct reading technologies in the Occupational Safety and Health Act in South Korea, which only applies to detector tubes, noise, heat, and carbon monoxides. The number of chemicals and their amount of use have been continuously increasing in South Korea. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) has concerns about worker's health because exposure is only covered for about 1.2% of all distributed chemicals. Using a direct reading monitor with photoionization detectors (PID-DRMs), gases and vapors chemicals can be measured. Based on the data, business owners are able to create corrective strategies, provide better working routines, and select correct respiratory equipment. PID-DRMs are less expensive and easier to handle for an owner voluntarily controlling chemicals emitted in the workplace. However, there are several limitations on using these PID-DRMs to the degree that the MoEL has not been able to select a legal monitor. The aim of this study was to review previous studies related to PID-DRMs and identify the characterization and limitation on PID-DRMs. Methods: To search for related studies on PID-DRMs, key words were used including direct reading monitors/instruments and/or photoionization detectors. Through that, four domestic and 15 international studies were reviewed. Results: Studies on PID-DRMs were conducted by chamber (enclosed, dynamic, walk-in) and in the field (experimental environment, actual environment). The concentration of PID-DRMs and charcoal tubes were compared for a single substance or mixture, or within the PID-DRMs. There was a high correlation between the two concentrations, but it did not meet the accuracy criteria (95% confidence interval, within 25%) of the NIOSH technical report (2012). In addition, differences in measured values occurred according to environmental factors (temperature, humidity) and high concentration, and concentration values tended to be underestimated due to contamination of the sensor. As a way to improve the accuracy of PID concentration, it was proposed to use correction factors, charcoal tube-based correction factors, or to calibrate the PID-DRMs in the same environment as the workplace. Conclusions: PID-DRMs can likely be used by business owners for the purpose of voluntarily managing the workplace environment, and it is expected that it will be possible to use them as legal equipment if a PID sensor can be upgraded and the limitations of the sensor (temperature, humidity, high concentration evaluation, sensor pollution) can be overcome in the near future.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.172-180
• /
• 2007

Among the nuclear medicine imaging methods available today, $H_2^{15}O-PET$ is most widely used by cognitive neuroscientists to examine regional brain function via the measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The short half-life of the radioactively labeled probe, $^{15}O$, often allows repeated measures from the same subjects in many different task conditions. $H_2^{15}O-$ PET, however, has technical limitations relative to other methods of functional neuroimaging, e.g., fMRI, including relatively poor time and spatial resolutions, and, frequently, insufficient statistical power for analysis of individual subjects. However, recent technical developments, such as the 3-D acquisition method provide relatively good image quality with a smaller radioactive dosage, which in turn results in more PET scans from each individual, thus providing sufficient statistical power for the analysis of individual subject's data. Furthermore, the noise free scanner environment $H_2^{15}O$ PET, along with discrete acquisition of data for each task condition, are important advantages of PET over other functional imaging methods regarding studying state-dependent changes in brain activity. This review presents both the limitations and advantages of $^{15}O-PET$, and outlines the design of efficient PET protocols, using examples of recent PET studies both in the normal healthy population, and in the clinical population.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.63-72
• /
• 2008

With recent advancement of the medical imaging systems and picture archiving and communication system (PACS), installation of digital radiography has been accelerated over past few years. Moreover, Computed Radiography (CR) which was well established for the foundation of digital x-ray imaging systems at low cost was widely used for clinical applications. This study analyzes imaging characteristics for two systems with different pixel sizes through the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE). In addition, influence of radiation dose to the imaging characteristics was also measured by quantitative assessment. A standard beam quality RQA5 based on an international electro-technical commission (IEC) standard was used to perform the x-ray imaging studies. For the results, the spatial resolution based on MTF at 10% for Agfa CR system with I.P size of $8{\times}10$ inches and $14{\times}17$ inches was measured as 3.9 cycles/mm and 2.8 cycles/mm, respectively. The spatial resolution based on MTF at 10% for Fuji CR system with I.P size of $8{\times}10$ inches and $14{\times}17$ inches was measured as 3.4 cycles/mm and 3.2 cycles/mm, respectively. There was difference in the spatial resolution for $14{\times}17$ inches, although radiation dose does not effect to the MTF. The NPS of the Agfa CR system shows similar results for different pixel size between $100{\mu}m$ for $8{\times}10$ inch I.P and $150{\mu}m$ for $14{\times}17$ inch I.P. For both systems, the results show better NPS for increased radiation dose due to increasing number of photons. DQE of the Agfa CR system for $8{\times}10$ inch I.P and $14{\times}17$ inch I.P resulted in 11% and 8.8% at 1.5 cycles/mm, respectively. Both systems show that the higher level of radiation dose would lead to the worse DQE efficiency. Measuring DQE for multiple factors of imaging characteristics plays very important role in determining efficiency of equipment and reducing radiation dose for the patients. In conclusion, the results of this study could be used as a baseline to optimize imaging systems and their imaging characteristics by measuring MTF, NPS, and DQE for different level of radiation dose.