This meant defining the sep- arate material properties of skin, subcuta- neous tissue, bone, and nail to model hu-Nail Subcutaneous tissue Skin: epidermis and dermis Bone Thumb dome Ke
Trang 1TV\ZLYJVT :LTPJVUK\J[VYZHUK LSLJ[YVUPJJVTWVULU[Z MVYKLZPNULUNPULLYZ
page 50 THE PHYSICS BEHIND
KEYSTROKES, page 54 EMBEDDED ELECTRONICS
GO ON A POWER DIET,
page 58
Trang 2RS# 101
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Trang 4ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY GUIDE
vision systems housed in enclosures that dwarfed a hand Processors able to handle the torrent of data in these
refrig-situations include the Blackfin line from Analog Devices,
Norwood, Mass.
The Blackfin consists of both 16 and 32-bit designs that target the demands and power constraints of embedded audio, video, and communications applications It uses
developed with Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., to better
handle data streams Its instruction set resembles those of reduced instruction set computers (Risc) This, combined cessing registers, lets Blackfin processors perform equally well in both signal-processing and control-processing ap- sors for each task.
The four latest additions to this line add dual-core pabilities at clock speeds up to 1 GHz The ADSP-BF606 and ADSP-BF607 target general-purpose digi- tal signal-processing (DSP) ap
ca-as wireless communications, i cess control, and electric powe video analytics accelerator c Pipelined Vision Processor (PV set of configurable processing that accommodate up to five c with the PVP, are touted for advanced-driver-assistance sy
More and more products depend on electronic smarts has been spurred by computation power that lets engi- memory, CPU power, and I/O Operating systems did little more than boot-load a program that performed one specific, noncomplicated task The basic rule of thumb processor to handle it.”
If size and power were no object, than that was indeed the path to take Today, however, the reality of battery- powered operation and energy efficiency has intervened.
Battery life comes at a premium in embedded-system applications found in consumer electronics, home appli- dustrial automation and controls, to name just a few Many times over it was a case of those who knew the product be- ing charged with adding the embedded control, of which they knew very little.
Designers of these systems need a host of skill-sets lated to computer hardware, embedded software, and elec-
re-To let these individuals focus on the application details and not the electronics, embedded-system makers have power and sophistication found today in the embedded world.
The power of sight
The say a picture is worth a thousand words But it takes millions of bits to make a picture Processing that many bits of data takes time, so practical vision systems need a lot of processing power It was quite common to find early
Powerful embedded processors help make more applications energy efficient.
MAY 24, 2012 A MACHINE DESIGN.com 58
CAD/CAM
A prototype of a mobile personal computer (now discontinued) was used optimization study.
The FEA model defined the separate material properties of skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, and nail to model the overall biodynamic response
of the finger.
The Abaqus FEA model shows the side view
of a human thumb tip (top) and a
of finger contacting device keys (bottom).
Anyone who’s ever typed on a mobile-device keypad has
a nearby key The result? Poor spelling, mangled saging, or an e-mail that never should have been sent
mes-becoming a bigger problem.
Pad computers and smart phones might have flat touchscreens that work off of pressure sensors, but key- pads and keyboards that rely on the touch of a finger on a phones, remote controls, and appliances.
The physics behind keystrokes
The Global Production Technology Center of sung Co Ltd., in Suwon, Korea, decided to tackle the problem of tinier keys and denser key layouts to make
Sam-Realistic simulation helps design better mobile-device keypads.
Authored by:
Soo Hyun Park Application Engineer Manufacturing Core Technology Team
Samsung Co Ltd.
Suwon, Korea
Edited by Leslie Gordon
leslie.gordon@penton.com, Twitter @ LeslieGordon Key points:
• Small keyboards make typing difficult
• FEA helped determine the best keyboard layout
• Better keyboards will make devices easier to use Resources:
3DS Simulia, www.3ds.com/simulia Samsung Co Ltd., www.samsung.com/sec
the overall biodynamic response of the finger Because thumbs, the engineers started from the thumb-bone struc- ture of a 178-cm-tall male combined with exterior skin surface data from a 3D laser scan.
Modeling the fingertip
Basing their finger-parts definitions on previous ies of human tissues, engineers queried the material data- base in Abaqus for the properties and element types they needed to build the FEA model Nail and bone were mod- eled as linearly elastic and the skin (epidermis and dermis)
stud-by a biphasic material composed of a fluid phase and a hyperelastic solid phase (essentially a spongelike po- rous material representing muscle, fully saturated with fluid to represent plasma) Next, the team created a virtual keypad to simulate the interaction of fingertip and key
examining the physics behind keystrokes, finger pressure, widely used for the foreseeable future, so it is important
to study the ergonomics of human-device interaction sis (FEA) for realistic simulations helped engineers cut keypad Systematically modifying the relevant design pa- rameters revealed keypad configurations which led to the least number of typing errors.
Ac-To tackle fat-finger physics, engineers realized they needed two different FE models to realistically simulate
a device key.
Of course, nature has already determined the FEA model of it This meant defining the sep- arate material properties of skin, subcuta- neous tissue, bone, and nail to model
hu-Nail Subcutaneous tissue Skin:
epidermis and dermis Bone
Thumb dome
Keycap Spring dome Substrate
Model of a fingertip
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
Access our Reader Service Web site to quickly find and request information on the products and services found
in the pages of M ACHINE D ESIGN www.machinedesign.com/rsc
Indy gets a classy
new chassis
Drivers will squeeze themselves
into a new chassis for this year’s
“greatest spectacle in racing.”
Carbon coating
toughens up parts
Diamondlike carbon can improve
the surface characteristics of
parts and pipes
FEA for “fat-finger
syndrome”
Realistic simulation helps design
better mobile-device keypads
More smarts,
less energy
The combination of
more-powerful embedded processors
and application modules for
specific tasks almost creates a
black-box drop-in approach to
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Trang 51/16 DIN Digital Counter-Timer-Tachometer
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Trang 6SCANNING FOR IDEAS
Actuator provides high precision for small moves
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Editorial content is indexed in the Applied Science Technology Index, the Engineering Index, SciSearch and Research Alert Microfilm copies available from National Archive Publishing Company (NAPC), 300
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4
Trang 7Advanced semiconductor solutions to fuel your creativity.
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Trang 8What’s new online machinedesign.com
Editor’s Web picks
Labeling forum
Most labeling problems crop up
because the liner, adhesive, facestock,
printing method, and topcoat don’t
fit the application Fabrico’s online
forum lets engineers discuss
label-printing problems and challenges,
read comments from other engineers,
and submit questions to technical
experts Other forum topics include
using structural adhesives to replace
mechanical fasteners, and bonding
low-surface-energy plastics Learn more at
www.fabricoforum.com.
Surface-treatment guide
Henkel’s 44-page Surface Treatment
Selector Guide helps engineers
choose products for industrial surface
treatment, corrosion protection, paint
adhesion, and environmental safety
Detailed descriptions and selector
guides cover surface-treatment
products such as alkaline and acid
cleaners, rust preventatives,
iron-phosphate conversion coatings, light
metal posttreatments, and paint
strippers Download a copy or access
an interactive version at www.henkelna.
com/surfacetreatment.
Dynamic catalog
Digi-Key’s new Dynamic Catalog
lets users browse more than 2 million electronic components in categories such as electromechanical, ICs/
semiconductors, interconnects, and optoelectronics Content includes product features, specs, white papers, and pricing information For
information, visit www.digikey.com/
catalog
High-purity piping
The Health-care unit of Saint-Gobain
Performance Plastics has an
interactive online catalog with detailed descriptions of more than 2,000 high- purity piping products and components for the pharmaceutical and related industries Engineers can access detailed specs, material properties, and 2D and 3D CAD drawings View the
catalog at
http://catalog.biopharm.saint-gobain.com.
Touch-technology site
Mouser Electronics has a new
touch-technology application training site at
www.mouser.com/touch_technology
It gives engineers information on products that replace traditional switches, including touchscreens,
buttons, controllers, and development kits The site’s resource guide contains application information, tutorials, technical articles, white papers, and videos.
Motion control and automation
Kollmorgen’s new Web site (www.
kollmorgen.com) provides engineers
with a range of motion-control and machine-automation information Product pages cover machine and vehicle controls, motors, drives, linear positioners, gearheads, and accessories, plus links to product sizing and selection tools It also gives application details for aerospace, packaging, machine tools, food and beverage, medical, and other industries.
3D motor models
Nippon Pulse offers 3D CAD models
in more than 85 formats for over 1,000 products, including linear-shaft motors, tin-can steppers, linear steppers, and linear servo stages Engineers can also modify base products, and the site will generate new part numbers and downloadable models based on user-
supplied specs Learn more at www.
nipponpulse.com.
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Split cylinders increase engine efficiency
Lee Teschler of M ACHINE D ESIGN talks with an expert from the Scuderi Group about their
split-cycle engine It divides the four strokes of the combustion cycle between two cylinders: one intake and compression cylinder and one power and exhaust cylinder, connected by a gas-crossover passage It lets engine designers optimize both strokes for maximum power and efficiency, something that cannot be done in a conventional
internal-combustion engine Learn more at www.engineeringtv.com/video/
Split-Cycle-Four-Stroke-Engine;Only-Engineering-TV-Videos.
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
6
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RS# 105
Trang 10A generation of pessimists
John Horgan has done it innumerable times The noted science journalist teaches college classes at Stevens Institute of Technology ranging from the history of science and technology to science writing and the great works of western civilization At some point during his lectures, he covers John F Kennedy’s inauguration speech, in which Kennedy asked his fellow Americans to join him in a quest to end poverty, disease, tyranny, and war Horgan then polls students about whether these four goals are attainable or are merely utopian fantasies
He says he always gets the same answer: College kids generally think these goals are pipe dreams “All my students are extraordinarily pessi-mistic,” he says
Horgan first tried this exercise in 2005 and has repeated it periodically ever since The responses he receives are the same regardless of whether the kids in the classroom are freshman humanities students or upper-class science writers
It is fair to ask how we have come to the point where kids who are college material seem to be universally downbeat about prospects for improving the human condition Insights into this state of affairs may come from the French philosopher Pascal Bruckner, who blames media coverage of apocalyptic environmentalism and the spread of apocalyptic literature for promoting a fear of the future and a dismal view of hu-mankind’s chances “The fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, with the press reporting, as though it were a surprise, that young people are haunted by the very concerns about global warming that the media con-tinually broadcast As in an echo chamber, opinion polls reflect the views promulgated by the media,” he says
Bruckner doesn’t highlight this phenomenon to denigrate warming science He merely points out that radical environmentalism is just the latest movement to make modern society, and the abundance it provides, a scapegoat for the world’s woes Bruckner says all such move-ments have a single message: Man has committed the sin of pride; he must atone! But the purveyors of this message have an axe to grind and it isn’t one that promotes optimistic thinking “These are not great souls who alert us to troubles but tiny minds who wish us suffering if we refuse to listen to them Catastrophe is not their fear but their joy It is a short dis-tance from lucidity to bitterness, from prediction to anathema,” he says
global-It is not a great leap to think that gloom about global warming has colored the thinking of young people about the general prospects for improving humankind That brings us back to John Horgan and his col-lege classes full of pessimists “I feel it is my responsibility to get them to
be a little more cheerful in a constructive way,” Horgan says “I try to get them to believe that they can make the world a better place Not that they can necessarily get rid of poverty, war, or disease, but that they can make progress toward those goals.”
For himself, Horgan says he is not pessimistic but realistic about tific progress, and optimistic about large social goals, simply because, “we have already come so far.” That is certainly a viewpoint that young people need to hear
scien-— Leland Teschler, Editor
RS# 106
MAY 24, 2012
Trang 1125 813
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EDITORIAL STAFF
1300 E 9th St Cleveland, OH 44114-1503
EDITOR
Leland E Teschler leland.teschler@penton.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Kenneth J Korane ken.korane@penton.com
SENIOR EDITORS
Leslie Gordon leslie.gordon@penton.com Stephen J Mraz stephen.mraz@penton.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Robert J Repas, Jr.
robert.repas@penton.com
INDUSTRY COVERAGE: AUTOMOTIVE, PACKAGING,
RS# 109 RS# 108
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
10
Trang 13greater speed and simplicity.
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Trang 14GFCI would open every time they tried to turn on equipment used during eye surgery made by my employer After a lot of skull-scratching, we concluded the power-factor correction circuit
on the equipment’s power ply was causing a burst of 30-kHz switching when the device was first turned on This, in turn, was
sup-at a frequency so high thsup-at the EMI control circuitry shunted a few milliamps of current into the ground lead for the first hundred milliseconds or so
One particular brand of GFCI used in that hospital apparently lacked the HF filtering on its trip circuit (which would ignore 30-kHz “noise” as it is not a fibrillation risk) and activated the start-up current
The short-term fix was to add NTC inrush limiters to the power supply The long-term fix was
to find a vendor selling power supplies with better main input stages, which wouldn’t need to switch the inrush surge at 30 kHz
Interestingly, we tested GFCIs similar to the one in the Hong Kong hospital, even from the same manufacturer We could never get one to trip in our lab,
n o r w o u l d a n y c o m m e r c i a l /residential-grade GFCIs that we bought locally ever trip We never could get the GFCI manufacturer
to admit that its circuit was overly sensitive to HF currents or that there was a difference between
GFCI chatter
L a n n y B e r k e’s c o l u m n o n
ground-fault circuit
inter-r u p t e inter-r s ( “ G F C I s — W h a t
They Are and Are Not,” March 8)
brought up a question I’ve had
that no one has been able to
answer
GFCIs work by measuring the
amount of current going out one
wire and checking that it all comes
back through the other wire So,
if a person were to become part
of that circuit and some of the
current goes to ground, the GFCI
would trip because all of the
cur-rent did not return to the GFCI
That being said, GFCIs only work if
there is a path to ground
GFCIs are required in
bath-rooms and kitchens but there is
no ground path in a bathtub or
sink The drain pipes today are
PVC and with the increasing use
of CPVC and pex tubing for
wa-ter lines, there is no longer a path
to ground This being the case,
would a GFCI trip?
People are under a false
as-sumption that if they were to drop
a radio or hair dryer in the tub or
sink, they would be safe and in my
opinion they are not
Any thoughts?
Don Heim
This topic seems to arise repeatedly
in online forums Though a lot of
resi-dential plumbing is PVC, I believe
GF-CIs are there on the chance Murphy’s
Law happens to provide a ground
path When there is a ground path
through the human, the GFCI trips
If there’s no ground path, there’s no
electrocution, and no GFCI tripping
— Leland Teschler
GFCIs and policies concerning
them can have some interesting
idiosyncrasies For example,
GF-CIs are not required in operating
rooms in the U. S but are in some
other countries This led to an
in-teresting situation
For example, a few years ago,
we got a complaint from a
hos-pital in Hong Kong It seems the
the ones sold in Hong Kong and those sold in Britain
Alan Ritter
Manufacturing workers
I’ve read several articles, blogs and letters from readers regard-ing manufacturers that say they can’t find qualified help Perhaps rather than wringing their hands looking forward, they should look backwards at the guilds of the 15th to 18th centuries
When I couldn’t find the “ideal” candidate while I was manufac-turing manager at several compa-nies, I hired the best I could find, often out of school, and trained them This had several advan-tages: I didn’t have to break bad habits they had learned at pre-vious employers, and new hires came with an enthusiasm often lacking in those hired from other employers
Their “apprenticeship” would last from three to six months, dur-ing which time they worked at
a reduced salary The salary was then gladly increased when they successfully completed the ap-prenticeship Various states also have programs where they pay part or all of the trainee’s salary while they are learning
Vernon Lowery
The kids are all right
You make some great points in
Readers debate GFCIs and call out manufacturers
One reader has a question about GFCIs and the creasingly common practice of using nonconduc-tive pipes in bathrooms A couple of other readers blame manufacturers for not taking the time to train employees And another reader says the imminent death of the lead-acid battery is greatly exaggerated
in-MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
12
Trang 15Make Last-Chance Protection Your First Priority.
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Trang 16Productive in all weather
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LETTERS
clability, ease of manufacturing, availability of materials, and to-tal energy budget
Lead-acid batteries are miles ahead of the pack in many of those issues, and they ’re also quite difficult to beat in effi-ciency (in terms of energy in ver-sus energy out), a basic param-eter with renewable energy
Geoff Harris
Correction
I saw the ar ticle we wrote for
MACHINE DESIGN, “How Servos and Steppers Stack Up” in the Feb 9 issue The text was fine However, the stepper versus servo profiles graph, which was kind of the ba-sis of the article, has the stepper and servo profiles swapped
Tom Kutcher
Lead-acid batteries aren’t dead yet
Detractors of lead-acid batteries rarely know enough about them
to be taken seriously (“Death
k nell for lead-acid batter ies,”
Feb. 9) Modern lead-acid ies are designed with 20-year op-erational life, are 95% efficient, can be inexpensive, and the main component, lead, is completely recyclable
batter-Speculation about replacing lead-acid batteries most often
co m e s f ro m p ro p o n e n t s o f a technology that might replace them for some applications They are hardly objective
Sure, lead is heavy, and tric cars, currently a small sec-tion of the battery market, un-doubtedly need more energy-
elec-d e n s e b a t te r i e s B u t elec-d e b a te s
a b o u t w h i c h b a t t e r y i s b e s t should deal with all the issues:
efficiency, longevity, cost,
recy-your editorial (‘Old codgers always
gripe about “the kids,”’ March 8)
Contrary to popular belief,
uni-versities have never produced
large numbers of graduates who
could be immediately
produc-tive in the workplace The
differ-ence between then and now is
that companies once hired recent
grads, then made sure they were
gradually exposed to increasing
responsibilities based on a
demon-strated ability to handle ever-more
complex problems
Companies don’t want to do
that any more, and they shift the
blame to the education system
What’s worse, in their efforts to
ap-pease industry, universities waste
valuable time teaching students
to use CAD tools at the expense of
teaching them the basics, such as
free-body diagraming real-world
systems or applying
thermody-namics to engineering problems
Rajan Ramaswamy
RS# 112
Trang 17These new generation CD Couplings feature zerobacklash precision and high torsional stiffness.They answer today’s demanding servo motorapplications with high reverse loads and
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RS# 113
Trang 18SCANNING FOR IDEAS
Edited by Stephen J Mraz
Actuator provides
HIGH PRECISION
for
small moves
For info on an interesting application using
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rsc
Engineers at Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, Waterbury, Conn (www.
haydonkerk.com), have designed a linear actuator they call a microslide
that is based on the company’s 1500 Series 15-mm can-stack motor The
motor can be controlled using a relatively simple pulse-and-direction
signal The actuator’s resolution is 0.0006 in./step (15 micron/step) and it
handles loads up to 13 N (3 lb) The entire actuator measures just 0.87-in
wide × 1-in high, and has a maximum stroke of 2.5 in The small size and
high accuracy make it well suited for microfluidics and positioning optics,
according to the company
An anodized-aluminum base plate houses the leadscrew bushing and
is rigidly attached to an aluminum mounting plate for the motor The load
carriage is made from self-lubricating polyacetal and has a clearance
take-up mechanism that makes the load more rigid during moves
Stainless-steel guide rods coated with TFE support the carriage Five different leads
are available: 0.012, 0.016, 0.020, 0.039, and 0.079 in
For specific applications, the microslide can be customized with
vari-ous mounting options, stroke lengths, magnetic and optical sensors, and
custom wire harnesses
RS# 401
diameter motor
Diameter cut to locate guide rods
Area between guide rods slotted to provide flexure clamp
Slotted bushing
mounting plate counterbored
Motor-to locate guide rods
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
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RS# 114
Trang 20SCANNING FOR IDEAS
The BL Ident system from Turck,
Min-neapolis (www.turck.us), for reading
RFID tags or discs, is flexible in that it
lets users add I/O modules and up to
eight channels of RFID It conforms to
ISO 5693 13.56-MHz HF standard The
system can be added to existing
plat-forms and supports several different
configurations, including Profibus-DP,
DeviceNet, Modbus-TCP, Profinet, and
EtherNet/IP Standard
nonprogram-mable and CoDeSys programnonprogram-mable
gateways can have either IP20 or IP67
ratings
BL Ident works with a variety of
dif-ferently shaped FRAM-based RFID tags
and read/write intervals can be from 5
to 500 mm And tags can be rewritten and reused an unlimited number of times, theoretically Tags can survive temperatures up to 210°C and need
no cool-down period for read or write operations, which reduces downtime
The system can read and write neously at 0.5 msec/byte, with produc-tion speeds of up to 10 msec/byte at distances up to 500 mm
simulta-Configuration software can help users choose RFID equipment by simu-lating an application’s parameters and values, so that users need not make complicated calculations or evaluate hardware compatibility issues
Read/write head Cordsets
M12 plug connector
LEDs show status
Two, four, six, or eight-channels
in IP67-rated BL67 platform
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
18
Trang 21Smooth rolling motion
for high accuracy motion
Rugged and reliable:
rated for millions of
flexing cycles
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RS# 115
Trang 22REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
its current position, move around
autonomously, and avoid sudden
obstacles or people walking across
its path A touchscreen in its chest
lets the public connect with the
robot In a recent demonstration,
REEM wandered around a trade
show and provided directions to
visitors
REEM comes from a robotics
R&D firm called PAL Robotics
based in Barcelona, linked to the
PAL Group of the United Arab
Emirates It is the culmination of
work that started with a prototype
called REEM-A, which was able to
walk and play chess, and REEM-B, a
more-advanced version
Developers at PAL Robotics say
they wanted to keep the robot
relatively light, but with a low ter of gravity and space to house the batteries REEM weighs around
cen-200 lb and can also carry up to
66 lb on its lower loading platform
Each arm can move up to 6.5 lb independently Two electronically commutated dc-motor micro-
drives from Dr Fritz Faulhaber
GmbH & Co KG are in the robot’s
neck and waist and let the bot exhibit some humanlike expres-siveness Thanks to their compact dimensions, the drives readily fit in these two “constricted” areas
The small actuators move the head and torso independently
of one another, letting the robot assume different postures and
imitate human traits using body language that fits the occasion.Fortunately for robotic enthusi-asts, PAL Robotics makes a virtual model of the REEM robot publicly available that is compatible with the Robot Operating System (ROS) ROS is a software framework for developing robot software and
it functions a bit like an operating system Originally developed for
an artificial intelligence project
at Stanford University, ROS
de-velopment continues primarily at
Willow Garage, a personal
robot-ics research institute in Menlo Park, Calif ROS is open-source software and is free for commer-cial and research use
Service robots
make
software open source
Attendees at a recent trade show could connect with REEM using a touchscreen.
Want to get a humanoid robot up
and running quickly? Here’s how:
Download open-source software
to handle the major robotic tasks
The open-source robot
move-ment has gathered steam in recent
years with whole robot designs,
software, and part lists now
avail-able on Web sites such as orocos.
org and ros.org Among the latest
robot designs to use software
available via open-source is one
called REEM Designed as a service
robot, it stands 5.5-ft high so it can
interact with humans at eye level
It has a mobile base that lets it
move at 2 mph and a lithium
bat-tery that lasts up to 8 hr
REEM has a motorized head and
computer vision able to recognize
and track faces The commercially
available robot also contains
a microphone, stereo camera,
laser and ultrasound sensors,
ac-celerometers, and gyroscopes It
uses the equipment to identify
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
20
Trang 23Faulhaber GmbH, rep in U.S.,
MicroMo Electronics Inc.,
Clearwater, Fla., www.micromo.com
trol, message-passing between processes, and similar functions Packages contributed by users (organized into sets called stacks)
ROS provides standard
operating-system services
such as hardware
abstrac-tion, low-level device
con-implement other functions, such as simultaneous map-ping, planning, perception, and so on
The model of REEM that PAL Robotics makes avail-able includes kinematic, visualization, collision and (rough) dynamic descrip-tions It also provides con-figuration files for loading the model into an open-source 3D robotic simulator called Gazebo, which Wil-low Garage supports. MD
Visible on this REEM robot wandering around a shopping mall is its built-in platform for hauling packages.
Trang 24Tradition + Innovation = Success
No Rotation During Compression N
Solution #1:
Compression, Extension, Torsion, and Lateral Bending
are some of the spring load cases that can be provided with Helicalís machined spring Integrating attachment features into a single-piece machined spring allow for endless innovative design solutions
Helical Products Company, Inc and its engineering team have over 50 years of experience designing and manufacturing innovative products for controlling PHFKDQLFDO PRYHPHQW VSHFLDOL]LQJ LQ ÀH[LEOH FRXSOLQJVand machined springs
Trang 25REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Smart camera
emulates human vision
The BIPcam smart camera from Brain Vision Systems (BVS), Paris, France,
emulates how people see things It models the capabilities of human
brains for perception, understanding, and action It does this through nine
real-time data flows that analyze the color, motion, and structure of
sev-eral objects
For colors, the camera evaluates luminance, color saturation, and hue,
even in low-light settings The motion-tracking feature reacts instantly to
the velocity and direction of moving objects, anticipating their
trajecto-ries Structure recognition includes curves, edges, edge orientation,
and magnitudes or size of an edge
A task manager controls data-flow measurements and statistics
and allocates one or more computational tasks to each flow while
synchronizing the flows’ operations in the hardware A multitasking
environment lets it track several objects simultaneously
A CMOS VGA video sensor with a 720 × 480 resolution captures
video at 60 frames/sec, streaming it to a PC via a USB 2.0 interface An optional UDP/
Ethernet protocol can also be used With energy needs of only 2.5 W and weight of 2.5 oz (72 gm), the camera can be incorpo-rated into almost any vision application
One use of the BIPcam is to analyze traffic conditions for traffic
management and control The camera records the number of vehicles
on the road, along with each vehicle’s speed and trajectory, and can
adjust traffic signals to create an optimized flow of traffic
Another automotive use is as a driving assistant, where it tracks
colors (such as a dark road versus white lines for line tracking), bends,
and inclines in the road
An open-source software development kit comes with the product
for writing source code The kit also contains several demos, including
a minimal video security application. MD
The BIPcam (inset) by BVS mimics human sight to track and control traffic at
an intersection
It gets its name
by being a biological- inspired product (BIP).
Resources:
Brain Vision Systems ,
www.bvs-tech.com
RS# 117 MAY 24, 2012
Trang 26REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Moving large and heavy loads
using overhead cranes is time
consuming and risky Cranes need
experienced operators trained to
safely handle heavy loads Loads
that swing out of control
col-lide with buildings, equipment,
and other moving loads, causing
major damage and endangering
workers A new approach to crane
control recently tested at the
Technical University in Prague
(CVUT) reduces the danger of
swinging loads and significantly
enhances safety
Swinging is a major challenge
when maneuvering loads by
crane Most of the swinging takes
place during and after the move,
though other variables such as
wind may start loads swinging as
cranes sit idle Even hall cranes
protected from the environment
may swing their loads while at
rest
Proper control of the crane,
coupled with the removal of
disturbance variables, minimizes
this motion Swinging generated
by the load’s motion as it is
be-ing moved needs other remedies
beyond control and minimizing
disturbances
There are two basic methods
for dealing with the problem of
swinging loads: using closed-loop
control with feedback, or moving
loads in trajectories that minimize
swinging Feedback control takes
care of disturbance variables, but
it also adds costs for monitoring
load position Moving in
trajec-tories that prevent loads from
swinging of the load, however,
does not require monitoring the
load position
CVUT recently tested this
sec-ond method An antiswing crane
using “input shaping” was tested
on a lab model of a crane using
a B&R controller from B&R
Auto-mation, Rosell, Ga Before
build-ing the model, researchers had
to first develop a mathematical model of the crane and a control algorithm for that model
One advantage of the portal crane is that the two directions of movement — sideways and for-ward/backward — are indepen-dent of each other To define the movement of a crane on one axis, researchers need to know the po-sition of the load and crane trol-ley, plus the length of the cable suspending the load
The trolley’s path and speed determines its position, and cable length can be calculated
by measuring the rotation of the reeling drum Load position is not measured directly when using input shaping But load position does play an important role in the model where load position
is replaced by a relative nate representing the difference between the load position and trolley
coordi-Input shaping manipulates the input signal during transport
to generate an antiswing crane movement Once the trolley reaches its travel speed, both the trolley and load move at the same
Sling it, don’t swing it
The chart shows the XY
track of load position as it moves with and without swing control Note that the antiswing algorithm leads to almost straight-line motion with only minor excursions
at the start and finish to compensate for accelerations and decelerations.
Resources:
B&R Automation,
www.br-automation.com
School of Mechanics, Biomechanics,
and Mechatronics at ČVUT, www.
24
Trang 279,:,;76:0;065 +,;,*;065
9,=63<;065
*6<5;05.
speed When the movement is
complete, the load should be
sta-tionary A corresponding
math-ematical model determines the
required trajectory and speed of
the trolley to produce the needed
antiswing crane motion
Antiswing control was
pro-grammed into the model using
several programming languages
such as Structured Text (ST) and
ANSI C Data exchanges take
place using global process
vari-ables on the controller The ST
program monitors the state of
the crane as it switches between
initialization, antiswing control,
and error states It also processes
I/O signals, controls the crane via
the control panel, and evaluates
disturbance signals
The algorithm for swing
sup-pression was modeled in Matlab
and Simulink and put into an
Automation Studio project using
B&R Tools’ Automation Studio
Target for Simulink The Simulink
and B&R software let many
ex-isting Simulink function blocks,
such as transfer functions, signal
filters, control blocks, and
look-up tables, be dropped into the
simulation
The control system met all of
the requirements for antiswing
control of crane movements The
tested algorithm for antiswing
control using a B&R X20 control
system has proven to be
well-suited for industrial use. MD
Trang 28Our New Standard in Geared AC Motors
• 2 Times More Torque
• High Strength, Long Life
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Stepping Motors • Servo Motors • AC Motors • Brushless Motors •
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Record-setting laser:
Another step toward fusion
Self-adaptive water jets cut almost anything
Researchers at the University of Nottingham are
devel-oping “self-learning” controlled-depth, water-jet-milling that works on multigradient surfaces with high levels of accuracy and without human intervention Project leader and professor of manufacturing engineering Dragos Ax-inte says, “The accuracy of the ConforM2-Jet self-learning control is due to mathematical models we use for material-removal and process-monitoring techniques that make corrections as milling happens The machine can also mill complex shapes out of difficult-to-cut materials.”
RS# 119
MAY 24, 2012
Trang 29Brushless Motor Advantages
• Compact, High Torque
• Wide Speed Range
• Continuous Duty
• No Maintenance
Brushless Motors offer all the design flexibility needed for many different types
of applications
Learn more about the Brushless Motor Advantages from Oriental Motor.
Quick & Stable Lead Time.
Visit www.orientalmotor.com
Technical Support Tel: 800-468-3982 7:30am- 7:00pm, CST (M-F)
Stepping Motors • Servo Motors • AC Motors • Brushless Motors • Linear & Rotary Actuators • Cooling Fans
Water-jet machining is a promising method for
shap-ing difficult-to-cut materials such as advanced
aero-space components, orthopedic implants, ultraprecise
lenses, composites, and superabrasives
includ-ing diamonds It uses a jet of water as small as
1 mm or less in diameter that is released under
pressure at speeds as much as three times the
speed of sound With the addition of abrasive
particles, the high-velocity jet cuts even the
hardest material into the most-complex shapes Or it can
use low-pressure jets to polish optical molds and lenses
Based on the key elements of milling, the technology
uses specially developed CAM algorithms to generate
the jet plume’s theoretical path The self-adaptive
mod-ule also receives real-time sensor information indicating
the status of the jet footprint that creates the free-form
surface Based on this information, the module adjusts
the water jet The machine uses information generated
while milling to refine and update the process for future
tasks. MD
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility, part of the Lawrence
Liver-more National Laboratory, recently set a record by combining 192
synchronized lasers into a single UV laser beam with 1.875 million joules
of energy The laser burst lasted 21 billionths of a second and generated
411 trillion W of peak power, 1,000 times the amount being used in the entire U. S at a given instant
This means the NIF laser contains
100 times more energy than any other laser Researchers hope the laser will eventually be able to start
a fusion reaction, which could lead
to an entirely new type of power generation. MD
The record-setting laser hit a target held by the positioner at right, inside the NIF target chamber.
Trang 30“Innovation distinguishes between
a leader and a follower.”
- Steve Jobs
As the leading manufacturer of OEM pumps and compressors, our innovation in design and technology has helped our customers create new innovative products and become leaders
in their marketplace
For more information on how Thomas innovation can help you lead your industry, go to gd-thomas.com/md5
Improving Lives through Innovation TM
RS# 121
Trang 31Improving Lives through Innovation TM
• Compact – 3.6” x 1.66” x 4.34”
• Intermittent-duty
performance and long life
Researchers at the University of Texas
at Dallas (UT Dallas) have designed an
imager chip that could let cameras and
mobile phones see through walls, wood,
plastics, paper, and other objects What
makes this possible is the imager’s sensitivity to specific
fre-quencies of electromagnetic waves
Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering at UT
Dal-las, and his team created a complimentary metallic-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) sensor similar to the type used in
cameras and cell phones, except it works in the terahertz
(THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum The terahertz
frequencies, or T-waves as they’re called, have frequencies
higher than microwaves but lower than infrared light They
have characteristics similar to both radio and light waves,
which makes developing an imaging sensor for these
fre-quencies difficult Like radio waves, T-waves can penetrate
certain materials The degree of penetration depends on
the material and the frequency of the terahertz light source
This lets researchers use the safe, nonionizing radiation of
the terahertz wavelengths as a form of X-ray to see into and
through objects
Dr O states, “We’ve created approaches that open a
previ-ously untapped portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for
consumer use and life-saving medical applications The
tera-hertz range is full of unlimited potential that could benefit us
all.”
The biggest challenge holding back terahertz use has
been to develop an imaging sensor that doesn’t need a
labo-ratory full of equipment to work Current CMOS imagers are
sensitive to visible light and form the “camera” element of
many consumer devices including computers, smartphones,
and game consoles By using a new CMOS manufacturing
technique, the UT group was able to create a CMOS imager
sensitive to terahertz frequencies
“CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips,”
Dr O said “The combination of CMOS and terahertz means
you could put this chip and receiver on the back of a cell
phone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can
see through objects.” Right now the focus is on limiting the
range of the device to 4 in or less to meet privacy concerns
But even that limited distance opens doors for new medical
and health applications, industrial quality control,
environ-mental monitoring, and high-speed communications
“There are all kinds of things you could be able to do that
we just haven’t yet thought about,” said Dr O MD
Trang 32Quieter fighter jets: A new method of quieting U. S
Navy F-18 fighter-jet engines has been developed by a professor
at Florida State University, Tallahassee Noise is reduced by siphoning
off some of the air traveling through the engine and forcing it, at high pressure,
through multiple microjets that fan around the exhaust The small jets of
high-pressure air hitting the large stream of relatively low-high-pressure jet exhaust cuts
noise Even more noise is suppressed by forcing liquid, such as water or an
aque-ous polymer, through the microjets.Tests so far show a 5-dB reduction, with 6 dB representing a 50% reduc-tion Researchers hope to achieve a 10-dB noise reduction by year’s end
30 YEARS AGO — 1982
Turbofan looks good in test cell: A
turbofan engine being developed for use in British transport aircraft and potential use in U. S aircraft, passed
ground tests at the Air Force’s
Ar-nold Engineering Development Center Four different configurations
of a 6,700-lb thrust Avco Lycoming
ALF502R-3 turbofan were tested for
84 hr at conditions simulating flight
at speeds from zero to
620 mph and
at altitudes from sea level
to 40,000 ft
Performance improvements due to modifications were validated, and the engine’s compressor stall margin was determined at 23 dif-ferent flight conditions and power settings
mag-Allegheny Ludlum’s highly
perme-able Mumetal, the device should be
a big help
to scientists developing instruments to measure the faint magnetic fields encountered in space First use for the new sphere was in calibrating and testing a magnetometer that will measure a field 100 million times weaker than that generated by a child’s play magnet, according to the
designers Marshall Laboratories,
Torrance, Calif Top of the sphere (not shown, but constructed like the bot-tom) is lowered over the enclosure when the tank is in use MD
MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
30
Trang 33IT’S MOTION
CONTROL VERSUS
MOTHER NATURE
ON CENTRE COURT.
WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTION CONTROL, MOOG EXPERTS ARE THERE
When design engineers sought the best way to control the new retractable roof at Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court, they turned
to Moog The result was an innovative all-electric installation that provides 148 axes of control via high performance electric actuators, servo motors, servo drives, closed-loop controls and software Now, more than 1,100 metric tons (1,212 tons) of steel and 5,200 square meters (17,060 square feet) of fabric move swiftly and safely to prevent rain delays
Moog’s combination of motion control expertise and world-class solutions
can make the difference for you too—no matter what industry you’re in
For more information call 866-580-7610.
©2010 Moog All rights reserved.
How can we improve your machine design?
View our Wimbledon video at http://info.moog.com/wimbledon/1
RS# 123
Trang 34REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
NEW VISUAL IDENTITY
Precision Engineered Products
LLC (PEP), Attleboro Mass., has
a new visual identity across all
seven of the its brands: BE-ST,
Brainin, General Metal Finishing,
Lacey, microPEP, Polymet, and
Wauconda
The company launched a new
Web site, www.pep-corp.com,
to reflect its new look PEP is a manufacturer of medical devices and electrical components, which serve the medical, energy
management, and tion industries
transporta-CABLES RECEIVE REGULATORY APPROVAL
Oil-resistant and flame-retardant
JZ 603 and JZ 603-CY Control
Cables from Helukabel USA,
Elgin, Ill., have received tory approval for use in equip-ment manufactured for export
regula-to China and Russia The proval will allow equipment manufacturers to keep only one cable in stock to produce equip-ment for use in the U. S., Europe, Canada, China, and Russia
ap-APPOINTMENT
Rogers Corp., Chandler, Ariz.,
has named Jeffrey Grudzien as vice president of its Advanced Circuit Materials Div., to replace Michael Bessette, who is retiring after 37 years Rogers is a pro-ducer of specialty materials and components
EXPANSION
TÜV SÜD America Inc.,
Plym-outh, Mich., has expanded its automotive EMC laboratory with
an additional 3-m chamber for immunity and emission testing along with expanded conducted immunity capacity and capabili-ties TÜV SÜD America Inc is a
subsidiary of TÜV SÜD AG, a
global testing and certification organization
EQUIPMENT DONATION
Agilent Technologies, Santa
Clara, Calif., donated more than
$200,000 in electronic test and measurement equipment to the
University of Colorado rado Springs College of Engi- neering and Applied Science
Colo-The award of InfiniiVision 3000 X-Series oscilloscopes was made through Agilent’s University Re-lations program Agilent offers
RS# 124 MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
32
Trang 35WE PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
SO YOU CAN TOO
As the industry’s most trusted brand for innovation
and quality, Brad automation products have
every-thing you need for your automation solutions We
offer one of the most extensive selections of
prod-ucts for connectivity, communications, control and
power—all bundled together to meet your exact requirements With our global reputation for leader- ship, innovation and reliability —especially in harsh environments—we put it all together for you.
Trang 36aging Technology Div.
Pelican Products, Torrance,
Calif., was honored by the
Na-tional Institute of Packaging, Handling, & Logistics Engi- neers (NIPHLE) with the 2011
Corporation of the Year Award The award honors Pelican as an industry leader with exemplary performance in packaging, han-dling, and logistics through in-novative and creative solutions
ETHERCAT APPROVAL Gold Servo Drives from Elmo
Motion Controls, Tel Aviv, Israel,
have passed the EtherCAT
plier Recognition – Member of Top Ten 2010/2011” award from
Robert Bosch GmbH,
Neuhau-sen, Germany Bosch presents the award to outstanding suppliers that make a decisive contribution
to the success of the Bosch
Pack-measurement solutions in
chemi-cal analysis, life sciences,
elec-tronics, and communications
AWARDS
Balluff GmbH received the
“Sup-Conformance Tests Elmo, a vider of comprehensive motion-control products, is one of only six companies to achieve this status
pro-STANDARDS DEVELOPER
TÜV Rheinland PTL, Tempe,
Ariz., has been named a dards-developing organization
stan-(SDO) by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) ecutive Standards Council TÜV
Ex-Rheinland is North America’s largest solar and photovoltaic (PV) testing company
ANNIVERSARY
Boston Gear, Charlotte, N. C is
celebrating 135 years in
busi-ness Boston Gear, part of Altra
Industrial Motion, is a supplier
of power-transmission products
to most major industrial markets, including food processing, pack-aging machinery, and material handling MD
RS# 126 MAY 24, 2012 MACHINE DESIGN.com
34
Trang 37RS# 127
Trang 38unmis-corn starch, and polyamides from castor oil.
While they’re still a small segment — maybe 1% of the global plastics market — bioplastics are growing by leaps and bounds Why? Exhibitors cited a number of reasons:
• Going green has proven marketing and appeal benefits, especially in the consumer market
product-• Bioplastics reduce dependency on petroleum
• Biopolymer production uses less energy and erates significantly lower CO2 emissions, com-pared with oil-based polymers While often pooh-poohed in the U. S., it’s a big deal elsewhere
gen-• Bioplastics also provide relative price stability
for manufacturers, according to Steve Davies of NatureWorks, Minnetonka,
Minn., compared to wide fluctuations in the price of plastics made from petroleum And it can mean lower costs His company’s Ingeo biopolymers, for example, are said to be price competitive when oil hits $80/barrel
In fact, no producer is expecting a price premium, he says Bioplastics are being sold on performance and comparable cost And from an engineering standpoint, in many cases they are simply a better choice in terms of material properties, price, or recyclability
“We’re getting away from a bioplastics-versus-plastics discussion,” says Davies “Bioplastics are plastics They’re just being made from renewable feedstocks Fifteen years ago, bio based was the exception Today bio based is the expectation.”
Demand is growing at double-digit annual rates, and that impacts the supply chain Countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia have ample natural resources and are interested in selling their agricultural prod-ucts into high-value markets They’re making strategic investments to attract business and taking the necessary steps to be global leaders in this space Several exhibitors griped the U. S government doesn’t seem to be taking a similar interest in supporting this market, and might be letting a potentially huge opportunity slip away
Another concern is how bioplastics will affect food costs Davies says don’t worry He notes, for instance, that the total polystyrene demand in the U. S., almost 5 billion pounds annually, could theoretically be replaced by bioplastics made from about 1.5% of the global sugar supply It would have little, if any, af-fect on supply and price The situation is markedly different with biofuels, he says, which consume a considerably larger percentage of agricultural products.The real long-term solution for expanding the bioplastics supply, he says, will
be in switching to low-cost, plant-waste feedstocks like corn stover, switchgrass, and rice straw Davies expects if his company builds a new plant five years from now, it will likely run on cellulosic raw materials Let’s hope he’s right For years, the biofuels producers have said cellulosic ethanol on a commercial scale is right around the corner We’re still waiting on that one
— Kenneth J Korane, Managing Editor
“From an engineering standpoint, bioplastics may be a better choice.”
RS# 128
MAY 24, 2012
Trang 39Ever wonder how producers of extremely advanced consumer electronics, like smart phones, manage to keep launching new generations of these products at such a ferocious tempo with consistently high quality? SKF product manager Satyen Bohidar and SKF’s sales team have part of the answer – SKF-SNFA high- speed super precision bearings They allow the machine tools used for manufacturing key components of these products to run flawlessly and precisely at up to 60.000 rpm 365 days a year
The result? Smart products are brought to the market even faster It’s another great example of knowledge engineering at work Find out more at www.skf.com/poke
The Power of Knowledge Engineering
Milling spindle running
at 40.000 rpm
Satyen Bohidar, SKF Product Manager SKF-SNFA high-speed
bearings
Produce smart phones faster with high speed bearings
RS# 129
Trang 40Get the Original from Avago Technologies!
Technology You Can Trust
Avago has been making encoder modules previously used in US Digital kit encoders for over 25 years Get your US Digital replacement kit encoder from the original source Avago Technologies.
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RS# 130