Telerobotics: problems and research needs

With major emphasis on simulation, a university laboratory telerobotics facility permits problems to be approached by groups of graduate students. Helmet-mounded displays provide realism; the slaving of the display to the human operator's viewpoint gives a sense of `telepresence' that may be useful for prolonged tasks. Using top-down 3-D model control of distant images allows distant images to be reduced to a few parameters to update the model used for display to the human operator in a preview model to circumvent, in part, the communication delay. Also, the model can be used as a format for supervisory control and permit short-term local autonomous operations. Image processing algorithms can be made simpler and faster without trying to construct sensible images from the bottom. Control studies of telerobots lead to preferential manual control modes and, in this university environment, to basic paradigms for human motion and thence, perhaps, to redesign of robotic control, trajectory path planning, and rehabilitation prosthetics. Speculation as to future industrial drives for this telerobotic field suggests efficient roles for government agencies such as NASA     

Optical guidance for autonomous landing of spacecraft

An autonomous rendezvous guidance scheme for spacecraft to descend to small celestial bodies by using optical information is presented. First, a new guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) method based on fixation-point (FP) inheritance is proposed. A spacecraft can safely descend toward the target point on the celestial body by tracking and autonomously renewing the FPs on the surface. Next, we deal with the method of extracting the FPs. A spatial band-pass filter (BPF) is applied to pictures taken to enhance features having comparable size with the tracking window. Local variance of the filtered image is used as a criterion of the extraction. Then, the relative information between the spacecraft and the celestial body (position, velocity, attitude, etc.) is calculated from the image coordinates and the range measurements of the FPs from the spacecraft. To suppress observation noise and improve navigation accuracy, an application of the extended Kalman filter is also presented. Finally, simulations are conducted to verify the guidance precision and the fuel consumption of the proposed guidance scheme     

The spaceborne lidar experiment

Lidar is one of the key sensors to understand global atmospheric environment, so lidar is one of the candidates to be flown on future earth observation satellites. But spaceborne lidar is our first trial and we have some technical issues to resolve before establishing operational sensor. So we start development of the Spaceborne Lidar Experimental Model as a first step of lidar program of NASDA. The Spaceborne Lidar Experimental Model will be launched in early 2001.

The purpose of the Spaceborne Lidar Experiment is technological demonstration of system design and critical components to apply to future operational sensor. And we demonstrate availability of lidar observation data and scientific value.

There are some critical points to resolve such as (1) thermal design of laser oscillator which remove locally-generated-heat effectively and (2) mirror design with little distortion.     

Lessons learned from the Space Flyer Unit (SFU) mission

The Space Flyer Unit (SFU) system and mission chronology are briefly introduced. Lessons learned from the SFU mission are categorized as programmatic and engineering lessons. In the programmatic category are dealt with both international and domestic collaborations. As for the engineering lessons safety design, orbital operation, in-flight anomaly, and post flight analyses are the major topics reviewed.     

Optimum Design of RC Snubbers for Switching Regulators

The optimum design of an RC snubber to suppress the surge voltage across the transistor in a switching regulator with a two-winding reactor is presented. Analyzing the surge voltage by means of high-frequency equivalent circuits, we obtain the third-order characteristic equation. This third-order equation is first analyzed by the aid of the root locus method. As a result, the region where the surge voltage can be suppressed is described in the R-C plane. Then considering the snubber loss, the optimum resistance and capacitance can be obtained. Second, the precise design procedure of RC snubbers is discussed by normalization and numerical calculations. This procedure is summarized in easy-to-use nomographs.     

A study of land transformation processes after the atomic bombing damage in Hiroshima

We first analyzed aerial, satellite and surface photographs of Hiroshima taken in 1939, 1945, 1947, 1972, 1980 and 1982, in time sequence. It is rather difficult to recognize traces of damage caused by the atomic bombing from surface level with the few exceptions such as the Atomic Bomb Memorial Dome. However, the ground surface pattern of central Hiroshima analyzed by LANDSAT MSS data shows similarities to damage caused by the atomic bombing and the distribution of residual radioactivities.     

Common-Mode Noise Generation in a DC-to-DC Converter

Analytical and experimental considerations of the common-mode noise in a dc-to-dc connverterare discussed. Analyzing the mechanism of the common-mode noise generation by means of a high-frequency equivalent circuit, we estimate the output noise voltage generated during the transistor's turn-on time. This commonmode noise consists mainly of two frequency components distributed in several megahertz. The effects of parasitic parameters on the noise voltage and frequencies are clarified. In addition, the effect of a common-mode choke on the noise suppression is discussed experimentally.     

Hypergravity suppresses bone resorption in ovariectomized rats

The effects of gravity on bone metabolism are unclear, and little has been reported about the effects of hypergravity on the mature skeleton. Since low gravity has been shown to decrease bone volume, we hypothesized that hypergravity increases bone volume. To clarify this hypothesis, adult female rats were ovariectomized and exposed to hypergravity (2.9G) using a centrifugation system. The rats were killed 28 days after the start of loading, and the distal femoral metaphysis of the rats was studied. Bone architecture was assessed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and bone mineral density was measured using peripheral quantitative CT (pQCT). Hypergravity increased the trabecular bone volume of ovariectomized rats. Histomorphometric analyses revealed that hypergravity suppressed both bone formation and resorption and increased bone volume in ovariectomized rats.     

A new approach to the analysis and design of magnetic stabilization of satellites

The stabilization of a magnetically oriented satellite is treated from a new standpoint. Under the assumption of a uniform magnetic field, the system stability is discussed. By imposing a performance criterion, a damping control law is derived. Stabilization characteristics are analyzed using a more realistic geomagnetic field model. The practical approximate methods of the damping control are sought, and their characteristics are analyzed. Finally the flight results of the recent satellites using an approximate method are presented.