Assembly and Disassembly Planning by using Fuzzy Logic & Genetic Algorithms

The authors propose the implementation of hybrid Fuzzy Logic-Genetic Algorithm (FL-GA) methodology to plan the automatic assembly and disassembly sequence of products. The GA-Fuzzy Logic approach is implemented onto two levels. The first level of hybridization consists of the development of a Fuzzy controller for the parameters of an assembly or disassembly planner based on GAs. This controller acts on mutation probability and crossover rate in order to adapt their values dynamically while the algorithm runs. The second level consists of the identification of theoptimal assembly or disassembly sequence by a Fuzzy function, in order to obtain a closer control of the technological knowledge of the assembly/disassembly process. Two case studies were analyzed in order to test the efficiency of the Fuzzy-GA methodologies

Comment on Ricci Collineations of Static Spherically Symmetric Spacetimes

We present a counter example to a theorem given by Amir {\em et al.} J. Math. Phys. {\bf 35}, 3005 (1994). We also comment on a misleading statements of the same reference.Comment: 4 pages,LaTex fil

On the general structure of Ricci collineations for type B warped spacetimes

A complete study of the structure of Ricci collineations for type B warped spacetimes is carried out. This study can be used as a method to obtain these symetries in such spacetimes. Special cases as 2+2 reducible spacetimes, and plane and spherical symmetric spacetimes are considered specifically.Comment: 18 pages. Version accepted for publication in JM

Ricci Collineations for Non-Degenerate, Diagonal and Spherically Symmetric Ricci Tensors

The expression of the vector field generator of a Ricci Collineation for diagonal, spherically symmetric and non-degenerate Ricci tensors is obtained. The resulting expressions show that the time and radial first derivatives of the components of the Ricci tensor can be used to classify the collineation, leading to 64 families. Some examples illustrate how to obtain the collineation vector

One-shot additive manufacturing of robotic finger with embedded sensing and actuation

A main challenge in the additive manufacturing (AM) field is the possibility to create structures with embedded actuators and sensors: addressing this requirement would lead to a reduction of manual assembly tasks and product cost, pushing AM technologies into a new dimension for the fabrication of assembly-free smart objects. The main novelty of the present paper is the one shot fabrication of a 3D printed soft finger with an embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator and two different 3D printed sensors (strain gauge and capacitive force sensor). 3D printed structures, fabricated with the proposed approach, can be immediately activated after their removal from the build plate, providing real-time feedback because of the embedded sensing units. Three different materials from two nozzles were extruded to fabricate the passive elements and sensing units of the proposed bioinspired robotic finger and a custom-made Cartesian pick and place robot (CPPR) was employed to integrate the SMA spring actuator into the 3D printed robotic finger during the fabrication processes. Another novelty of the present paper is the direct integration of SMA actuators during the 3D printing process. The low melting thermoplastic polycaprolactone (PCL) was extruded: its printing temperature of 70 °C is lower than the SMA austenitic start temperature, preventing the SMA activation during the manufacturing process. Two different sensors based on the piezoresistive principle and capacitive principle were studied, 3D printed and characterized, showing respectively a sensitivity ratio of change in resistance to finger bending angle to be 674.8 Ω∘Angle and a capacitance to force ratio of 0.53pFN . The proposed manufacturing approach paves the way for significant advancement of AM technologies in the field of smart structures with embedded actuators to provide real-time feedback, offering several advantages, especially in the soft robotics domain

Computer Numerical Controlled Grinding and Physical Vapor Deposition for Fused Deposition Modelled Workpieces

he use of additive manufacturing (AM) enables companies to directly produce complex end-use parts. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is an AM technology based on an extrusion process of fabricating parts. This layer-by-layer method results in a poor surface finish, and as a result, manual finishing is often required, which consequentially reduces the definition of the geometrical features. This research proposes a novel way of achieving high surface finishing by using additive and finishing processes, followed by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating. Two test pieces were produced, the first one was subjected to computer numerical controlled (CNC) mechanical grinding with appropriate grades of grindstones; the second one was subjected to microsandblasting to remove excess material and the stair-stepping effect. Both test pieces were then subjected to a PVD coating process to provide a metal thin film. To benchmark the test pieces, the authors used a coordinate measure machine for dimensions and a roughness meter to verify the effectiveness of this postprocessing approach

Experimental investigation on camera calibration for 3D photogrammetric scanning of micro-features for micrometric resolution

[EN] Recently, it has been demonstrated that photogrammetry can be used for the measurement of small objects with micro-features, with good results and lower cost, compared to other established techniques such as interferometry, conoscopic holography, and 3D microscopy. Calibration is a critical step in photogrammetry and the classical pinhole camera model has been tested for magnifications lower than 2×. At higher magnification levels, because of the reduction of the depth of field (DOF), images can lead to calibration data with low reprojection errors. However, this could lead to bad results in the 3D reconstruction. With the aim of verifying the possibility of applying the camera model to magnifications higher than 2×, experiments have been conducted using reflex cameras with 60 mm macro lens, equipped with the combination of three extension tubes, corresponding to 2.06, 2.23, and 2.4 magnification levels, respectively. Experiments consisted of repeating calibration five times for each configuration and testing each calibration model, measuring two artifacts with different geometrical complexity. The calibration results have shown good repeatability of a subset of the internal calibration parameters. Despite the differences in the calibration reprojection error (RE), the quality of the photogrammetric 3D models retrieved was stable and satisfying. The experiment demonstrated the possibilities of the photogrammetric system presented, equipped to very high magnification levels, to retrieve accurate 3D reconstruction of micro-features with uncertainties of few micrometers, comparable with industry s expensive state-of-the-art technologies.Percoco, G.; Guerra, MG.; Sánchez Salmerón, AJ.; Galantucci, LM. (2017). Experimental investigation on camera calibration for 3D photogrammetric scanning of micro-features for micrometric resolution. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 91(9-12):2935-2947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-016-9949-6S29352947919-12Uhlmann E, Mullany B, Biermann D, Rajurkar KP, Hausotte T, Brinksmeier E (2016) Process chains for high-precision components with micro-scale features. CIRP Ann - Manuf Technol 65:549–572. doi: 10.1016/j.cirp.2016.05.001Savio E, De Chiffre L, Schmitt R (2007) Metrology of freeform shaped parts. CIRP Ann - Manuf Technol 56:810–835. doi: 10.1016/j.cirp.2007.10.008Rodríguez-martín M, Lagüela S, González-aguilera D, Rodríguez-gonzálvez P (2015) Optics & Laser Technology Procedure for quality inspection of welds based on macro-photogrammetric three-dimensional reconstruction;73:54–62Xu Z, Toncich D, Stefani S (1999) Vision-based measurement of three-dimensional geometric workpiece properties. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 15:322–331. doi: 10.1007/s001700050074Galantucci LM, Lavecchia F, Percoco G (2013) Multistack close range photogrammetry for low cost submillimeter metrology. J Comput Inf Sci Eng 13:44501. doi: 10.1115/1.4024973Maté González, M.T., Yravedra, J., González-Aguilera, D., Palomeque-González, J.F., Domínguez-Rodrigo, M. Micro-photogrammetric characterization of cut marks on bones (2015) Journal of Archaeological Science, 62, pp. 128-142. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2015.08.006Brown DC (1971) Close-range camera calibration. Photogramm Eng 37:855–866 doi:10.1.1.14.6358Tang R, Fritsch D (2013) Correlation analysis of camera self-calibration in close range photogrammetry. Photogramm Rec 28:86–95. doi: 10.1111/phor.12009Agisoft LLC (2011) Agisoft PhotoScan User Manual :37.Jcgm JCFGIM (2008) Evaluation of measurement data—guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement- annex B "general metrological terms"- B.2.14. Int Organ Stand Geneva ISBN 50:134. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2003.030528Yanagi, H., Chikatsu, H. Performance evaluation of macro lens in digital close range photogrammetry (2009) Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, 7447, art. no. 74470J, doi: 10.1117/12.825817Galantucci LM, Pesce M, Lavecchia F (2015) A stereo photogrammetry scanning methodology, for precise and accurate 3D digitization of small parts with sub-millimeter sized features. CIRP Ann - Manuf Technol 64:507–510. doi: 10.1016/j.cirp.2015.04.016Galantucci LM, Pesce M, Lavecchia F (2015) A powerful scanning methodology for 3D measurements of small parts with complex surfaces and sub millimeter-sized features, based on close range photogrammetry. Precis Eng. doi: 10.1016/j.precisioneng.2015.07.010Percoco G, Sánchez Salmerón AJ (2015) Photogrammetric measurement of 3D freeform millimetre-sized objects with micro features: an experimental validation of the close-range camera calibration model for narrow angles of view. Meas Sci Technol 26:95203. doi: 10.1088/0957-0233/26/9/095203Gallo A, Muzzupappa M, Bruno F (2014) 3D reconstruction of small sized objects from a sequence of multi-focused images. J Cult Herit 15:173–182. doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2013.04.009Stamatopoulos C, Fraser CS, Cronk S (2010) On the self-calibration of long focal length lenses. Int Arch Photogramm Remote Sens Spat Inf Sci Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 2010 XXXVIII:560–564Atkinson KB (1996) Close range photogrammetry and machine vision. Whittles PublishingLuhmann T, Fraser C, Maas HG (2016) Sensor modelling and camera calibration for close-range photogrammetry. 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Climate Change, Aridity, and Internal Migration: Evidence from Census Microdata for 72 Countries

Whether and to what extent climatic factors influence migration has received widespread public and scientific attention. In this paper, we focus on the impacts of increased aridity and drought on internal migration using novel census-based data for 72 countries covering the period 1960-2016. Analyzing information on 107,916 interregional migration flows, we find that drought and aridity have a significant impact on human mobility, particularly in the hyper-arid and arid areas of Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and Southern Asia. Migration is shaped by the level of wealth, agricultural dependency, and urbanization in the area of origin. Different age and education groups respond differently to droughts and aridity highlighting the importance of differential mobility patterns across population groups in different geographic contexts

Photogrammetric measurement of 3D freeform millimetre-sized objects with micro features: an experimental validation of the close-range camera calibration model for narrow angles of view

The measurement of millimetre and micro-scale features is performed by high-cost systems based on technologies with narrow working ranges to accurately control the position of the sensors. Photogrammetry would lower the costs of 3D inspection of micro-features and would be applicable to the inspection of non-removable micro parts of large objects too. Unfortunately, the behaviour of photogrammetry is not known when photogrammetry is applied to micro-features. In this paper, the authors address these issues towards the application of digital closerange photogrammetry (DCRP) to the micro-scale, taking into account that in literature there are research papers stating that an angle of view (AOV) around 10° is the lower limit to the application of the traditional pinhole close-range calibration model (CRCM), which is the basis of DCRP. At first a general calibration procedure is introduced, with the aid of an open-source software library, to calibrate narrow AOV cameras with the CRCM. Subsequently the procedure is validated using a reflex camera with a 60mm macro lens, equipped with extension tubes (20 and 32mm) achieving magnification of up to 2 times approximately, to verify literature findings with experimental photogrammetric 3D measurements of millimetresized objects with micro-features. The limitation experienced by the laser printing technology, used to produce the bi-dimensional pattern on common paper, has been overcome using an accurate pattern manufactured with a photolithographic process. The results of the experimental activity prove that the CRCM is valid for AOVs down to 3.4° and that DCRP results are comparable with the results of existing and more expensive commercial techniques.Percoco, G.; Sánchez Salmerón, AJ. (2015). Photogrammetric measurement of 3D freeform millimetre-sized objects with micro features: an experimental validation of the close-range camera calibration model for narrow angles of view. Measurement Science and Technology. 26(9):1-9. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/26/9/095203S19269Mitchell, H. L., Kniest, H. T., & Won‐Jin, O. (1999). Digital Photogrammetry and Microscope Photographs. The Photogrammetric Record, 16(94), 695-704. doi:10.1111/0031-868x.00148Chen, Z., Liao, H., & Zhang, X. (2014). Telecentric stereo micro-vision system: Calibration method and experiments. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 57, 82-92. doi:10.1016/j.optlaseng.2014.01.021Stamatopoulos, C., & Fraser, C. S. (2011). Calibration of long focal length cameras in close range photogrammetry. The Photogrammetric Record, 26(135), 339-360. doi:10.1111/j.1477-9730.2011.00648.xYang, X., & Fang, S. (2014). Effect of field of view on the accuracy of camera calibration. Optik, 125(2), 844-849. doi:10.1016/j.ijleo.2013.07.089Strobl, K. H., Sepp, W., & Hirzinger, G. (2009). On the issue of camera calibration with narrow angular field of view. 2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. doi:10.1109/iros.2009.5354776Ricolfe-Viala, C., & Sanchez-Salmeron, A.-J. (2010). Lens distortion models evaluation. Applied Optics, 49(30), 5914. doi:10.1364/ao.49.005914Ricolfe-Viala, C., Sanchez-Salmeron, A.-J., & Valera, A. (2013). Efficient Lens Distortion Correction for Decoupling in Calibration of Wide Angle Lens Cameras. IEEE Sensors Journal, 13(2), 854-863. doi:10.1109/jsen.2012.2229704Zhang, Z. (2000). A flexible new technique for camera calibration. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 22(11), 1330-1334. doi:10.1109/34.888718Percoco, G., Lavecchia, F., & Salmerón, A. J. S. (2015). Preliminary Study on the 3D Digitization of Millimeter Scale Products by Means of Photogrammetry. Procedia CIRP, 33, 257-262. doi:10.1016/j.procir.2015.06.046Ricolfe-Viala, C., & Sanchez-Salmeron, A.-J. (2011). Camera calibration under optimal conditions. Optics Express, 19(11), 10769. doi:10.1364/oe.19.010769Guidi, G. (2013). Metrological characterization of 3D imaging devices. Videometrics, Range Imaging, and Applications XII; and Automated Visual Inspection. doi:10.1117/12.2021037Herráez, J., Martínez-Llario, J., Coll, E., Rodríguez, J., & Martin, M. T. (2013). Design and calibration of a 3D modeling system by videogrammetry. Measurement Science and Technology, 24(3), 035001. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/24/3/03500

Ricci Collineations for type B warped space-times

We present the general structure of proper Ricci Collineations (RC) for type B warped space-times. Within this framework, we give a detailed description of the most general proper RC for spherically symmetric metrics. As examples, static spherically symmetric and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-times are considered.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, To appear in GR