Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a sensing element of a vehicular camera includes a cleaning element movable between a first position and a second position to contact a surface of the sensing element. The cleaning device also includes a mechanism coupled to the cleaning element to move the cleaning element between the first position and the second position.

Abstract: A speech guidance device includes; a guidance object determining unit for outputting a guidance object to which a visual line of a user is guided; a visual recognition object detecting unit for detecting a visual recognition object which the user is viewing from information indicating a direction of the visual line of the user; a difference detecting unit for detecting a difference between an attribute of the visual recognition object and an attribute of the guidance object; a generating unit for generating a guidance sentence including the attribute of the guidance object; and a synthesizing unit for, when there is a difference between the attribute of the guidance object included in the guidance sentence and the attribute of the visual recognition object, synthesizing and outputting speech of the guidance sentence emphasizing a word of the attribute having the difference.

Abstract: An observation supporting apparatus includes a position specifying section which specifies a coordinate point of a moving object detected in a viewing field through once observation. An orbit estimating section calculates an estimate orbit of the moving object in the viewing field based on the specified coordinate points. Data necessary to estimate the position of the moving object out of the viewing field is acquired using the estimate orbit by the orbit estimating section.

Abstract: A risk measurement system according to an embodiment includes a measurement unit that obtains a distance between a mechanical device and an operator; a control device that controls the mechanical device, a display device; a risk table database that has a risk table indicating a risk value that depends on a size of damage due to a risk, a frequency of access to the mechanical device according to an operation mode, and a risk avoiding possibility; and a risk measurement device that obtains the risk value based on the avoiding possibility obtained based on the distance, the frequency of access obtained based on the operation mode of the mechanical device acquired from the control device, and the risk table, records temporal changes of the risk value, and displays the temporal changes of the risk value on the display device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronous communication in a control system is disclosed. Within a first time interval, a first source task is executed to broadcast a first destination task, within a second sequential time interval, the first destination task is communicated over a channel to a first destination, and within a third sequential time interval, the first destination task is consumed. Within the first time interval, a second source task may be executed to broadcast a second destination task, within the second sequential time interval, the second destination task may be communicated over the channel to a second destination, and within the third sequential time interval, the second destination task may be consumed. The first source task is allowed to be scheduled ahead of the second source task, and the second source task is allowed to be scheduled ahead of the first source task.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a floating mobile object control system capable of causing a floating mobile object to stand still in a predetermined position with high precision or track a target trajectory with high precision, even under disturbances caused by waves, tidal current, etc.

Abstract: A method for producing inertial measurement data is provided. The method comprises receiving raw inertial measurement data from one or more inertial sensors; receiving raw position data based on signals from a global navigation satellite system; processing the raw inertial measurement data and the raw position data with a filter to generate state variable estimates; and calculating enhanced inertial measurement data based on the raw inertial measurement data and the state variable estimates from the filter.

Abstract: An actuator driving device includes: an actuator made of a shape metal alloy having a property that a predetermined shape is memorized in advance, and that the predetermined memorized shape is recovered when the actuator is heated to a predetermined temperature; an applier for applying, to the actuator, a pulse current or a pulse voltage at least having a predetermined current value or a predetermined voltage, and a predetermined duty ratio to heat the actuator; and a determiner for determining the current value or the voltage value, and the duty ratio of the pulse current or the pulse voltage to be applied to the actuator by the applier, wherein the determiner is operative to determine the pulse current or the pulse voltage having: the current value larger than a current value of a constant current required for displacing the actuator by a predetermined targeted displacement amount, or the voltage value corresponding thereto; and the duty ratio of making an applied current amount smaller than an applied curr

Abstract: The present invention provides a diagnostics methodology and embedded electronic system that allows optimized low-frequency data sampling for EMA motoring subsystems in an operating vehicle. Each of the EMA motoring subsystems includes: an EMA; at least one motor for driving the EMA; and power controls for operating the motor, wherein the power controls includes a DSP controller for sampling and processing data at low-frequency sampling rates. The diagnostic methodology includes a method that has the steps of: determining an operational mode of the EMA motoring subsystem; selecting a sampling rate optimized for the determined operational mode; acquiring and processing data at the selected sampling rate; and analyzing the processed data to identify and classify a fault of the EMA motoring subsystem.

Abstract: An autonomous machine comprises driving means for moving the machine along a surface of an area, and a navigation system. The navigation system causes the machine to follow a boundary of the area, storing path information on the path travelled by the machine as the machine follows the boundary and compares when the machine has returned to a previously visited position in the area. The navigation system compares the latest section of the path travelled by the machine with information representing a section of the path previously stored in the memory and decides when the new path information and previously stored path information are substantially the same.

Abstract: In a method for current regulation of permanently excited synchronous motors for guided missiles with an electromechanical actuating drive for the rudder, the commanded current is always guided orthogonally to the magnet-wheel flow. Further: a) from measured current of two voltage phases, a measured magnitude of a current-space pointer is determined and an error value for the current is added to a desired value of the amount via a correction regulator; and b) from measured current of two voltage phases as well as from the angle command of the current-space pointer, a measurement for the angle error is determined and added to the desired angle value via a correction regulator. The method according to the invention can be implemented with little hardware expenditure and in a compact design size, even for high rotational speeds of >10,000 min−1. Current-regulating methods used heretofore, which involve frequency response compensation in polar coordinates, cannot be used with synchronous motors, i.e.

Abstract: A robotic inspection system for gas turbine combustion components includes an exterior manipulator for visual inspection of the exterior surface of the impingement sleeve, an interior manipulator for visual inspection of the interior of the transition piece body and an annulus manipulator for inspecting the side weld seams of the transition piece body. The exterior manipulator includes an arcuate segment extending about the annular spaced impingement sleeves and a robotic subassembly including a linear rail and an upper arm and forearm mounting an inspection head pivotally coupled to one another for visual inspection of the top, bottom and side external surfaces of the impingement sleeve. The interior manipulator mounts to the open end of the combustion casing and includes an arm mounted for universal pivotal movement to the mount, actuators for pivoting the arm and motors for extending and rotating an inspection head about pan and tilt axes within the interior of the transition piece body.

Abstract: A navigation system and a voice guidance method for carrying out a voice guidance of an intersection on a drive route when the user demands the voice guidance while a motor vehicle is running according to a preset drive route. In response to the output demand of the guidance information through an inputting unit, a control unit obtains a distance to the intersection and an advancing direction in the intersection and further reads out the corresponding sound data from a sound storing unit. This sound data is outputted through a speech synthesizing unit and a voice outputting unit.

Abstract: Interactive graphical attitude maneuver planning computer system for planning satellite attitude maneuvers allows a user to immediately see where star trackers are pointing when the attitude and orbital position of a satellite are varied on the computer system. The computer system includes a graphics display on which the celestial sphere, centered at the satellite rather than the Earth, is projected. The horizontal axis of the display measures the Right Ascension angle, while the vertical axis measures the Declination angle. The display shows, in addition to stars, the region of the sky occluded by the Earth and interference regions around the moon, sun and planets, in which the star trackers should not point, and the fields of view of the star trackers. The attitude of the satellite is adjusted by means of graphical slider bars which vary the roll, pitch and yaw angle rotations.

Abstract: A controller for a tracking system which tracks the sun. The controller has a rotatable disc with a light transmitting portion and an opaque portion. The solar radiation, transmitted through the disc when rotating, falls on optically sensitive sensor detecting the light intensity. Two optical emitter/receiver pairs which are oriented with respect to two coordinate axes at the periphery of the disc detect the position of the light spot on it. The solar radiation is directed by the rotating disc to generate two signals which are related to the two coordinate axes and the tracking error of the tracking system. The signals energize motors in the tracking system whereby the sun is tracked.