Abstract: A method for monitoring the wear of a refractory lining of a blast furnace using modelling of a part of the blast furnace and thermal field calculation. Computer program allowing to perform such a method.

Abstract: A technique for calibrating a 3D imaging system (3D-IS) that has a large field of view (FoV?1 m3) involves: a metrological target mounted for fixed positioning with respect to an origin of the 3D-IS; a movable target plate (MTP) with at least one fiducial mark provided on a marked surface thereof; and a range and orientation measurement system (ROMS) on the MTP for measuring a distance and orientation of the MTP relative to the metrological target. The MTP is designed so that when the MTP is manipulated within the 3D-IS's FoV at an angle at which the ROMS can determine its position and orientation relative to the metrological target, at least a majority of the at least one fiducial marks is presented for coordinatization by the 3D-IS. Using such equipment, calibration involves using the measured data and the simultaneous coordinatization to calibrate.

Abstract: A technique for acquiring target's coordinates for industrial dimensional metrology involves a target that serves both as a 2D contrast target and a 3D contact target, and a metrology tool. The target has proximal and distal surfaces, at least some of which being primarily flat and facing a common normal direction. At least 3 mm separate the proximal and distal surfaces in the normal direction. Reflectivity factors of the distal and proximal surfaces differ by at least 20%. Risers connecting pairs of the proximal and distal surfaces are sufficiently undercut so that none of the risers are in view at nominal viewing angles. At least two reference edges are defined where risers meet proximal surfaces. The tool has meeting features for registration with the edges and primarily flat surfaces, in at least two registered positions, to permit a retroreflector of the tool to acquire coordinates the target centre.

Abstract: A technique for acquiring target's coordinates for industrial dimensional metrology involves a target that serves both as a 2D contrast target and a 3D contact target, and a metrology tool. The target has proximal and distal surfaces, at least some of which being primarily flat and facing a common normal direction. At least 3 mm separate the proximal and distal surfaces in the normal direction. Reflectivity factors of the distal and proximal surfaces differ by at least 20%. Risers connecting pairs of the proximal and distal surfaces are sufficiently undercut so that none of the risers are in view at nominal viewing angles. At least two reference edges are defined where risers meet proximal surfaces. The tool has meeting features for registration with the edges and primarily flat surfaces, in at least two registered positions, to permit a retroreflector of the tool to acquire coordinates the target centre.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and optimizing 3D models of objects. A laser scanner is controlled by a data processing subsystem that controls the scanning and processes the data generated. From an initial model, either a raster scan of the object or an initial scan, the system scans the object multiple times, each time adjusting the laser scanner to maximize a correlation between the data generated and the model. The model is also updated using the scan data and taking into account the adjustments which were applied to the laser scanner. Other adjustments, such as those which would remove the effect of relative motion on the scan data, are also accounted for when incorporating scan data into the model. The model is recursively adjusted and optimized using previous scan data (both pre-recorded and fresh scan data) and previous adjustments. The model may be modified and adjusted using previous scan data and an Iterative Closest Point method.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and optimizing 3D models of objects. A laser scanner is controlled by a data processing subsystem that controls the scanning and processes the data generated. From an initial model, either a raster scan of the object or an initial scan, the system scans the object multiple times, each time adjusting the laser scanner to maximize a correlation between the data generated and the model. The model is also updated using the scan data and taking into account the adjustments which were applied to the laser scanner. Other adjustments, such as those which would remove the effect of relative motion on the scan data, are also accounted for when incorporating scan data into the model. The model is recursively adjusted and optimized using previous scan data (both pre-recorded and fresh scan data) and previous adjustments. The model may be modified and adjusted using previous scan data and an Iterative Closest Point method.

Abstract: The device of the invention uses at least one measurement chain comprising a sensor sensitive to the magnitude that one wishes to monitor, an analog-to-digital converter capable of supplying a digital signal representative of said magnitude, a microcontroller adapted for taking samples of said digital signal, of associating them with information enabling them to be time-stamped and of memorizing them in a memory that can be accessed by a read module, a logic reactivation circuit making it possible to command an operating period of the microcomputer when the sensor emits a signal announcing the occurrence of a monitored phenomenon. The invention applies particularly to the detection and recording of shocks which may affect goods during transportation thereof.

Abstract: A process for writing with updating and reading informations on a non-erasable support organized in sector form. Each sector comprises a synchronization field, a data field, a length field, a type field, an address field and a redundancy field. The data information to be stored and its length are respectively written into the data and length fields. The value written into the type field indicates whether the data information can be updated or not. If updating is possible, the address field receives a pointer designating the free sector of the support, so that said sector is reserved for a possible updating. If updating is not possible, a predetermined value is written in the address field. The error correcting code written in the redundancy field takes account of the contents of the data, length, type and address fields. Writing in all the fields of a sector takes place in a single writing operation.

Abstract: A process for the management of files and digitized documents on a non-erasable information carrier consisting of storing objects on the header, file and directory types and a table for converting a logic address into a physical address. A partition into several segments is defines on the storage space, each segment serving to store a single type of objects. The structure chosen for the objects makes it possible to store the information in accordance with a tree-like architecture, wherein the directories form the nodes or knots. The partition is modifiable and is stored in the header. Each type of object comprises means of the chaining field type permitting an updating of its content.

Abstract: A process for recording on a non-erasable information carrier such as a digital optical disk permitting an updating of the segmentation of the storage space of said carrier, in which a segmentation is defined by a header containing at least one header identifier and a list of segments, said segments forming a partition of said storage space, wherein for defining a new segmentation, a new header is written at the end of the most recent header, the successive headers being sequentially written into the same segment and wherein, for determining the current partition, there is a passage through the successive headers of the segment from the initial header to the most recent header.