• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1153-1164
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• 2024

In recent years, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have been used to search for lost or stolen radioactive sources to avoid radiation exposure for operators. To achieve autonomous localization of radioactive sources, the UGVs must have the ability to automatically determine the next radiation measurement location instead of following a predefined path. Also, the radiation field of radioactive sources has to be reconstructed or inverted utilizing discrete measurements to obtain the radiation intensity distribution in the area of interest. In this study, we propose an effective source localization framework and method, in which UGVs are able to autonomously explore in the radiation area to determine the location of radioactive sources through an iterative process: path planning, radiation field reconstruction and estimation of source location. In the search process, the next radiation measurement point of the UGVs is fully predicted by the design path planning algorithm. After obtaining the measurement points and their radiation measurements, the radiation field of radioactive sources is reconstructed by the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model based on machine learning method. Based on the reconstructed radiation field, the locations of radioactive sources can be determined by the peak analysis method. The proposed method is verified through extensive simulation experiments, and the real source localization experiment on a Cs-137 point source shows that the proposed method can accurately locate the radioactive source with an error of approximately 0.30 m. The experimental results reveal the important practicality of our proposed method for source autonomous localization tasks.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 2011

The localization of vehicle is an important part of an unmanned vehicle control problem. Pseudolite ultrasonic system(PUS) is the method to find an absolute position with a high accuracy by using ultrasonic sensor. And Gyro is the inertial sensor to measure yaw angle of vehicle. PUS can be able to estimate the position of mobile robot precisely, in which errors are not accumulated. And Gyro is a more faster measure method than PUS. In this paper, we suggest a more accuracy method of calculating PUS which is numerical analysis approach named Newtonian method. And also propose the fusion method to increase the accuracy of estimated angle on moving vehicle by using PUS and Gyro integrated system by Kalman filtering. To control the 4WS unmanned vehicle, the trajectory following algorithm is suggested. And the new concept arbitration of goal controller is suggested. This method considers the desirability function of vehicle state. Finally, the performances of Newtonian method and designed controller were verified from the experimental results with the 4WS vehicle scaled 1/10.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.1557-1558
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• 2013

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2016

In this technical note, the issues and challenges for the launch and recovery systems (LARS) and related techniques for the operation of an underwater robot from a manned platform are considered. Various types of LARS fitted to specific manned platforms, surface or sub-surface, are surveyed and categorized. The current UUV launch and recovery systems from surface ships and submarines utilize time consuming processes. As underwater robot technologies evolve and their roles are defined, safe and effective launch and recovery methods should be developed capable of reliable and efficient operations, particularly at a high sea state. To improve the existing underwater robot capabilities, LARS technology maturation is required in the near term, leading to the ability to incorporate autonomous LARS for an underwater robot on a manned platform. In the near term, particular emphasis should be placed on UUV LARS, which are surface ship based, with submarine based systems in the long term. Furthermore, for a dedicated LARS ship, independent of the existing host ship type, particular emphasis should be given to fully utilizing the capabilities of underwater robots.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.312-318
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• 2022

Robot-based layout automation has been recently promoted for the purpose of improving productivity and quality. Marking robots have various functional demands to secure marking precision and environmental adaptability. In particular, in order to automate marking work of building structure, correction of the marking line through position recognition of rebars placed is required. Because the rebars must maintain a constant cover thickness from the formwork surface, if the rebars are out of planned position, the rebar or marking line need to be corrected to secure the cover thickness. Thus, the marking robot for structural work needs to have the function for determining the position correction of the rebar or the marking line. In order to judge the correction of marking line, it is required to measure the distance between the planned marking line and the rebar placed. Therefore, this study proposes an algorithm that can measure the distance between the planned line and the rebar, and correct marking line for the automatic operation of the marking robot. The results of this study will be utilized as a core function for unmanned operation of the marking robot and contribute to securing precise marking by reflecting construction errors.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.97-107
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• 2011

This paper describes efficient flight control algorithms for building a reconfigurable ad-hoc wireless sensor networks between nodes on the ground and airborne nodes mounted on autonomous vehicles to increase the operational range of an aerial robot or the communication connectivity. Two autonomous flight control algorithms based on adaptive gradient climbing approach are developed to steer the aerial vehicles to reach optimal locations for the maximum communication throughputs in the airborne sensor networks. The first autonomous vehicle control algorithm is presented for seeking the source of a scalar signal by directly using the extremum-seeking based forward surge control approach with no position information of the aerial vehicle. The second flight control algorithm is developed with the angular rate command by integrating an adaptive gradient climbing technique which uses an on-line gradient estimator to identify the derivative of a performance cost function. They incorporate the network performance into the feedback path to mitigate interference and noise. A communication propagation model is used to predict the link quality of the communication connectivity between distributed nodes. Simulation study is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed reconfigurable airborne wireless networking control algorithms.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2015

Since the technology of current image sensors is limited to the megapixel class, it is necessary to use an image-stitching technique to create a gigapixel image from hundreds or thousands of photos taken by a megapixel image sensor. In this paper, we investigate the entire process of gigapixel camera technology employing a robotic panoramic head plus a stitching technique, and analyze the gigapixel camera technologies of Duke University and BAE Systems from the viewpoint of optical design structure. Hopefully this knowledge will lead to a new optical structure for a gigapixel camera. Meanwhile, we also perceive the need for additional image processing to reduce the noise of photos with a background of fog and mist, taken far from the camera lens.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.981-988
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• 2023

As the usage of unmanned aerial vehicles expands, the development and the demand of related technologies are increasing. As the frequency of operation increases and the convenience of operation is emphasized, the importance of related autonomous flight technology is also highlighted. Establishing a path plan to reach the destination in autonomous flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle is important in guidance and control, and a technology for automatically generating path plan is required in order to maximize the effect of unmanned aerial vehicle. In this study, the optimization research of path planning using rapid-exploring random tree method was performed for increasing the effectiveness of autonomous operation. The path planning optimization method considering the characteristics of the unmanned aerial vehicle is proposed. In order to achieve indexes such as optimal distance, shortest time, and passage of mission points, the path planning was optimized in consideration of the mission goals and dynamic characteristics of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The proposed methods confirmed their applicability to the generation of path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles through performance verification for obstacle situations.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2014

Power system of the tilt-duct VTOL aerial robot has been developed. This paper focuses on the power train with small liquid-type engine for the R/C boat and presents the test results with design procedures. The hardware aspects of the power system include details about the hardware configurations for the interfaces with the vehicle. The ground test and tether test for measuring the thrust performance of vehicle and evaluating the endurance of power train carried out.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.9 s.174
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• pp.155-161
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• 2005

Up to now, a lot of unmanned demining systems have been developed. However, some inferiority surely exist by reason of their large platform and explosive mechanism. To settle this inferiority, non-explosive demining system adaptable to a mobile robot already has been developed. Brief experiment indoors showed that developed demining system can remove landmines well. But, out of doors, several problems are detected. In this research, a study on the performance improvement of developed non-explosive demining system is mainly discussed. To overcome downhill effect, mechanical sensor composed of shaft and spring is used. It is confirmed that clearance depth control using the mechanical sensor is a good solution for the inclination of the system.