• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.409-412
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• 1996

Ultrasonic sensors are widely used in various applications due to advantages of low cost, simplicity in construction, mechanical robustness, and little environmental restriction in usage. But the main purposes of the noncontact sensing are rather narrowly confined within object detection and distance measurement. For the application of object recognition, ultrasonic sensors exhibit several shortcomings of poor directionality which results in low spatial resolution of objects, and specularity which gives frequent erroneous range readings. To resolve these problems in object recognition, an array of the sensor has been used. To improve the spatial resolution, more number of sensors are used in essence throughout the various devices of the sensor arrays. Under the disguise of a fixed number of the sensors, the array can be shifted mechanically in several steps. In this paper we propose a practical sensor resolution enhancement method using an electronic circuit accompanying the sensor array. The circuit changes the transmitter output voltage in several steps. Using the known sensor characteristics, a set of different return echo signals provide enhanced spatial resolution. The improvement is obtained with neither the cost of the increased number of the sensors nor extra mechanical devices.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-25
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• 2014

In the current study, a drug-eluting stent coated with biodegradable polymers and sirolimus was developed by using an ultrasonic nanocoater and characterized in aspects of surface smoothness and coating thickness. In addition, in vitro release profiles of sirolimus by changing top coating layer with different biodegradable polymers were investigated. Smooth surfaces with variable thickness could be fabricated by optimizing polymer concentration, flow rate, nozzle-tip distance, gas pressure, various solvents and ultrasonic power. Smooth surface could be generated by using volatile solvents (acetone, chloroform, and methylene chloride) or post-treating with solvent vapor. Coating thickness could be controlled by varying injection volume or polymer concentration, and higher concentration could reduce the coating time while obtaining the same thickness. The thickness measurement was the most effectively performed by a conventional cutting method among three different methods that were investigated in this study. Release profiles of sirolimus were effectively controlled by changing polymers for top layer. PLGA made the release rate 3 times faster than PDLLA and PLLA and all top layers prevented burst release at the initial phase of profiles. Our results will provide useful and informative knowledge for developing drug-eluting stents, especially coated with biodegradable polymers.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Navigation
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.137-146
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• 1994

In this paper, a new algorithm to measure the ultrasonic travel time is proposed, which is fundamental to estimate distance depth and volume in several media. Pulse wave has been used to measure travel time of transmitted signal. However, due to the characteristic of transducer and propagation, the received signal is so distorted that it is difficult to measure travel time, which is propagation, the received signal is so distorted that it is difficult to measure travel time, which is to be time difference between transmitted and received signals. In this proposed method, transmitted and received signal are transformed respectively into norm phase newly designed by this paper and displayed on phase-time curve. And travel time is simply determined by the arithmetic numerical mean of time difference at the identical norm phase on the phase-time curves of transmitted and received signals. This method has several features; firstly, travel time is calculated analytically with high accuracy by least square error method, secondly, it is useful to compare the difference of signal magnitude for time information, thirdly, noise and discrete errors are relatively small, finally, the measurement accuracy is not influenced by D.C. bias. In particular, this method is useful and applicable to measuring very short distance and sound speed with high accuracy.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.582-587
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• 2004

Ultrasonic sensors are widely used in mobile robot applications to recognize external environments, because they are cheap, easy to use, and robust under varying lighting conditions. However, the recognition of objects using a ultrasonic sensor is not so easy due to its characteristics such as narrow beam width and no reflected signal from a inclined object. As one of the alternatives to resolve these problems, use of multiple sensors has been studied. A sequential driving system needs a long measurement time and does not take advantage of multiple sensors. Simultaneous and pulse coding driving system of ultrasonic sensor array cannot measure short distance as the length of the code becomes long. This problem can be resolved by multi-frequency driving of ultrasonic sensors, which allows multi-sensors to be fired simultaneously and adjacent objects to be distinguished. Accordingly, this paper presents a simultaneous and multi-frequency driving system for an ultrasonic sensor array for object recognition. The proposed system is designed and implemented using a DSP and FPGA. A micro-controller board is made using a DSP, Polaroid 6500 ranging modules are modified for firing the multi-frequency signals, and a 5-channel frequency modulated signal generating board is made using a FPGA. To verify the proposed method, experiments were conducted in an environment with overlapping signals, and the flight distances for each sensor were obtained from filtering of the received overlapping signals and calculation of the time-of-flights.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.156-163
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• 2015

In this paper, we propose an active water level and distance measurement algorithm using a light beam pattern. On behalf of conventional water level gauge types of pressure, float-well, ultrasonic, radar, and others, recently, extensive research for video analysis based water level measurement methods is gradually increasing as an importance of accurate measurement, monitoring convenience, and much more has been emphasized. By turning a reference light beam pattern on bridge or embankment actively, we suggest a new approach that analyzes and processes the projected light beam pattern image obtained from camera device, measures automatically water level and distance between a camera and a bridge or a levee. As contrasted with conventional methods that passively have to analyze captured video information for recognition of a watermark attached on a bridge or specific marker, we actively use the reference light beam pattern suited to the installed bridge environment. So, our method offers a robust water level measurement. The reasons are as follows. At first, our algorithm is effective against unfavorable visual field, pollution or damage of watermark, and so on, and in the next, this is possible to monitor in real-time the portable-based local situation by day and night. Furthermore, our method is not need additional floodlight. Tests are simulated under indoor environment conditions from distance measurement over 0.4-1.4m and height measurement over 13.5-32.5cm.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.05
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• pp.131-135
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• 1997

We implementated an ultrasonic wave cane for the blind. The cane detect walking obstacle and provide a walking direction. The cane used time of flight method of ultrasonic-wave for a measurement of obstacle distance and fluxgate geomagnetic sensor for guidance of walking direction. This system can detect an obstacle of upward, forward, downward and that warn to the blind with vibration, pitch sound. And the blind can know walking direction to voice output. As a result, the blind could efficiently avoid a exposed obstacle, obstacles beyond knee, an exposed street obstacle, a branch of tree person's height and it is usable search for surrounding land mark.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.418-424
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• 2009

This work is the attempt to give qualitative explanations to complex magnetic phenomena which are observed in the previously proposed magnetostrictive sensor capable of ultrasonic waves and rotational speed measurement. The law of approach is adopted as analysis tool in order to account for some extraordinary output patterns and proved to be effective. The distance between the anhysteretic curve current magnetic state and the variation of anhysteretic curve by stress mainly determine the sensor output shapes and their uniqueness. It is also experimentally verified that the precisely determined bias magnetic field strength can not only remove the unusual output parts but also maximize its sensitivity.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.256-267
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• 2000

In this paper, we studied the ultrasonic urine volume sensor of urinary alarm system for home use to detect the time of urination as a assistive methodology for the incontinence patients and the correlation between urine volume and bladder interwall distance by using developed sensor. The developed sensor was designed to minimize the measurement error by using ultrasound with 2.25 MHz center frequency which provides higher resolution as well as longer penetration depth. To verify usefulness of the developed sensor, we performed a preliminary experiment of estimating bladder volume from the measured distance between interior and posterior wall of bladder. In the preliminary experiment, bladder volume estimated from the result using a commercial ultrasonography system. The experimental results show there exists god correlation between the actual urine volume and the measured interwall distance of the bladder. In conclusion, the developed ultrasound bladder volume sensor can be applied to an urine alarm system which provides patient the exact time of urination, it will be contribute in health care and welfare society.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.584-590
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• 2021

This paper proposes a removal method of signal interference between ultrasound sensors where ghost signals due to interference are excluded and correct signal is recognized in distance mensurement using ultrasound sensors. The proposed method detects and excludes ghost signals when previous measured distance is compared to current measured distance and the distance difference exceeds a threshold. The threshold is fixed in conventional methods, so ghost signals cannot be correctly excluded when ultrasound sensor or target object move rapidly. On the contrary, to improve accuracy, the threshold is not fixed in the proposed method, and the threshold is adpatively determined based on the relative velocity when ultrasound sensor or target object move. Experiments of distance measurement with ultrasound signal interference are carried out where multiple ultrasound sensors of same type are exploited with maximum interference, and the results show that the proposed method efficiently exclude ghost signals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1995.11a
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• pp.205-208
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• 1995

PZT powders were prepared by the molten salt synthesis method. The porous PZT specimens were prepared from a mixture of PZT and Polyvinylalcohol(PVA) powders by BURPS(Burnout Plastic Sphere) technique. The pulse-echo response of PZT-polymer 3-3 type composite transducer with various PVA wt.% were studied, The fall time of pulse-echo response of PZT-polymer 3-3 type composite transducer was shorten to that of solid PZT-maded transducer. Therefore, a good transmitting and receiving properties could be obtained. The distance between transducer and reflector was in good agreement both solid PZT and PZT-polymer 3-3 type composite fabricated transducer.