• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.277-285
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• 2010

This paper describes an approach to analyze geometrical information of building images for understanding outdoor environment of autonomous navigation robot. Line segments and color information are used to classily a building with the other objects such as sky, trees, and roads. The line segments and their two neighboring regions are extracted from detected edges in image. The model of line segment (MLS) consists of color information of neighbor regions. This model rules out the line segments of non-building face. A building face converges into dominant vanishing points (DVPs) which include one vertical point and one of five horizontal points in maximum. The intersection of vertical and horizontal lines creates a facet of building. The geometrical characteristics such as the center coordinates, area, aspect ratio and aligned coexistence are used for extracting the windows in the building facet. In experiments, 150 building faces and 1607 windows were detected from the database of outdoor environment. We found that this result shows 94.46% detection rate. These experimental images were all taken in Ulsan metropolitan city in Korea under difference of viewpoints, daytime, camera system and weather condition.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2010

The paper proposes a hierarchical fault detection method for the high voltage equipment using a microphone array which detects the location of fault and the thermal imaging and CCD cameras which verifies the fault and stores the image, respectively. There are partial arc discharges on the faulty insulators, which generates a specific pattern of sound. Detecting the signal using the microphone array, the location of the faulty insulator can be estimated. The 6th band-pass filter was applied to remove noise signal from wind or external influence. When the mobile robot carries the thermal and CCD cameras to the possible place of the fault insulator, the fault insulators or power transmission wires can be detected by the thermal images, which are caused by the aging or natural erosion. Finally, the CCD camera captures the image of the fault insulator for the record. The detection scheme of fault location using the microphone array and the thermal images have been proved to be effective through the real experiments. As a result of this research, it becomes possible to use a mobile robot with the integrated sensors to detect the fault insulators instead of a human being.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1036-1043
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• 2014

In this paper, a new haptic device is proposed for the teleoperation, which can recognize the invisible environment of a mobile robot. With this new device, it is possible for the user to identify the location of an obstacle and to avoid it. The haptic device has been attached on the top of a joystick so that the user can remotely control the mobile robot to avoid the obstacles which are recognized by the ultrasonic sensors. Also, the invisible environment is recognized more accurately overlapping the data from the ultrasonic sensors. There are five vibration motors in the haptic device to indicate the direction of the obstacle. So the direction of the obstacle can be recognized by the vibration at the finger on each vibration motor. For various situations and surrounding environments, experiments are performed using fuzzy controller and overlapping ultrasonic sensors. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed haptic joystick.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.907-914
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• 2013

A FastSLAM is an algorithm for SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) using a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter and its performance is known to degenerate over time due to the loss of particle diversity, mainly caused by the particle depletion problem in the resampling phase. In this paper, the GeSPIR (Geographically Stratified Particle Information-based Resampling) technique is proposed to solve the particle depletion problem. The proposed algorithm consists of the following four steps : the first step involves the grouping of particles divided into K regions, the second obtaining the normal weight of each region, the third specifying the protected areas, and the fourth resampling using regional equalization weight. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm obtains lower RMS errors in both robot and feature positions than the conventional FastSLAM algorithm.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.288-298
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• 2008

We introduce new type of networked robot, Ubiquitous Robotic Companion (URC), embedded with ATLAS Service-oriented architecture for enhancing the space sensing capability. URC is a network-based robotic system developed by ETRI. For years of experience in deploying service with ATLAS sensor platform for elder and people with special needs in smart houses, we need networked robots to assist elder people in their successful daily living. Recently, pervasive computing technologies reveals possibilities of networked robots in smart spaces, consist of sensors, actuators and smart devices can collaborate with the other networked robot as a mobile sensing platform, a complex and sophisticated actuator and a human interface. This paper provides our experience in designing and implementing system architecture to integrate URC robots in pervasive computing environments using the University of Florida's ATLAS service-oriented architecture. In this paper, we focus on the integrated framework architecture of URC embedded with ATLAS platform. We show how the integrated URC system is enabled to provide better services which enhance the space sensing of URC in the smart space by applying service-oriented architecture characterized as flexibility in adding or deleting service components of Ubiquitous Robotic Companion.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2016

In this paper, a platform design of caterpillar typed electrical vehicle is proposed. Nowadays, there have been many researches on mobile robots in the various ways. Many different fields such as military, exploration, agricultural assistance and disaster relief have applied the mobile robot. Design condition of stable angle, upset angle is reflect to caterpillar typed electrical vehicle. To experiment, developed a caterpillar typed electrical vehicle and design a driving controller. Developed caterpillar typed electrical vehicle is tested about operating and driving. Test environment is consisted of driving on flatland and climbing 15 degree and outdoor 40 degree slope. It is confirmed that developed tracked electric vehicular robot can driving and climbing.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.342-348
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• 1998

A majority of industrial robots are controlled by a simple joint servo control of joint actuators. In this type of control, the performance of control is greatly influenced by the joint interaction torques including Coriolis and centrifugal forces, which act as disturbance torques to the control system. As the speed of the robot increases, the effect of this disturbance torque increases, and hence makes the high speed - high precision control more difficult to achieve. In this paper, the joint disturbance torque of robots is analyzed. The joint disturbance torque is defined using the coefficients of dynamic equation of motion, and for the case of a 2 DOF planar robot, the conditions for the minimum and maximum joint disturbance torques are identified, and the effect of link parameters and joint variables on the joint disturbance torque are examined. Then, a solution to the optimal path placement problem is propose that minimizes the joint disturbance torque during a straight line motion. The proposed method is illustrated using computer simulation. The proposed solution method can be applied to a class of robots that are controlled by independent joint servo control, which includes the vast majority of industrial robots.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 1997

In stereo vision, camera modeling is very important because the accuracy of the three dimensional locations depends considerably on it. In the existing stereo camera models, two camera planes are located in the same plane or on the optical axis. These camera models cannot be used in the active vision system where it is necessary to obtain two stereo images simultaneously. In this paper, we propose four kinds of stereo camera models for active stereo vision system where focal lengths of the two cameras are different and each camera is able to rotate independently. A single closed form solution is obtained for all models. The influence of the stereo camera model to the field of view, occlusion, and search area used for matching is shown in this paper. And errors due to inaccurate focal length are analyzed and simulation results are shown. It is expected that the three dimensional locations of objects are determined in real time by applying proposed stereo camera models to the active stereo vision system, such as a mobile robot.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.654-661
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• 2015

Stairs are the most popular obstacles in buildings and factories. To enlarge the application areas of a field robotic platform, stair-climbing is very important mission. One important reason why a stair-climbing is difficult is that stairs are various in sizes. To achieve autonomous climbing of various-sized stairs, dynamic modeling is essential. In this research, an inverse dynamic modeling is performed to enable an autonomous stair climbing. Stair-climbing robotic platform with flip locomotion, named FilpBot, is analyzed. The FlipBot platform has advantages of robust stair-climbing of various sizes with constant speed, but the autonomous operation is not yet capable. Based on external constraints and the postures of the robot, inverse dynamic models are derived. The models are switched by the constraints and postures to analyze the continuous motion during stair-climbing. The constraints are changed according to the stair size, therefore the analysis results are different each other. The results of the inverse dynamic modeling are going to be used in motor design and autonomous control of the robotic platform.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2016

Recently, demands on the tapping machine are increased due to the case of a cell phone is changed to metal such as aluminum. The automatic tool changer (ATC) is one of the most important devices for the tapping machine related to the speed and energy consumption of the machine. To reduce the consumed energy and vibration, the dynamic modeling is essential for the ATC. In this paper, inverse dynamic modeling of a novel ATC mechanism is introduced. The proposed ATC mechanism is composed of a double four-bar mechanism with a circular tablet to generate continuous rotation of the tablet. The dynamic modeling is performed based on the Lagrange equation with a modeling for the contact between the four-bar and the tablet. Simulation results for various working conditions are proposed and analyzed for the prototype design. The dynamic modeling can be applied to determine the proper actuator and to reduce the vibration and consumed energy for the ATC machine.