Euro Banknote Recognition System for Blind People

[EN] This paper presents the development of a portable system with the aim of allowing blind people to detect and recognize Euro banknotes. The developed device is based on a Raspberry Pi electronic instrument and a Raspberry Pi camera, Pi NoIR (No Infrared filter) dotted with additional infrared light, which is embedded into a pair of sunglasses that permit blind and visually impaired people to independently handle Euro banknotes, especially when receiving their cash back when shopping. The banknote detection is based on the modified Viola and Jones algorithms, while the banknote value recognition relies on the Speed Up Robust Features (SURF) technique. The accuracies of banknote detection and banknote value recognition are 84% and 97.5%, respectively.The work was supported by the project from the Generalitat Valenciana under the number GV/2014/015-Emergency projects.Dunai, L.; Chillarón-Pérez, M.; Peris Fajarnes, G.; Lengua, I. (2017). Euro Banknote Recognition System for Blind People. Sensors. 17(1)(184):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17010184S11417(1)18

Fuzzy Free Path Detection based on Dense Disparity Maps obtained from Stereo Cameras

In this paper we propose a fuzzy method to detect free paths in real-time using digital stereo images. It is based on looking for linear variations of depth in disparity maps, which are obtained by processing a pair of rectified images from two stereo cameras. By applying least-squares fitting over groups of disparity maps columns to a linear model, free paths are detected by giving a certainty using a fuzzy rule. Experimental results on real outdoor images are also presented.Nuria Ortigosa acknowledges the support of Universidad Polit'ecnica de Valencia under grant FPI-UPV 2008. Samuel Morillas acknowledges the support of Spanish Ministry of Education and Science under grant MTM 2009-12872-C02-01.Ortigosa Araque, N.; Morillas Gómez, S.; Peris Fajarnes, G.; Dunai Dunai, L. (2012). Fuzzy Free Path Detection based on Dense Disparity Maps obtained from Stereo Cameras. 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Simulation of the evolution of floor covering ceramic tiles during the firing

In the context of the firing of ceramic tiles the problem of simulating the final shape of the body is relevant because several defects can occur and the tile can be rejected if the conditions of the firing are inadequate for the geometry and materials of the tile -- The existing literature on this problem indicates that previous works present limitations in aspects such as not using a model characteristic of ceramics at high temperatures and oversimplifying the problem -- As a response to such shortcomings, this article presents a simulation with a 3-dimensional Norton’s model, which overcomes the difficulties because it is characteristic of ceramics at high temperatures -- The results of our simulated experiments show advantages with respect to the identification of the mechanisms that contribute to the final shape of the body -- Our work is able to divide the history of temperatures in stages where the evolution of the thermal, elastic and creep deformations is simplified and meaningful -- That is achieved because our work found that curvature is the most descriptive parameter of the simulation, the most important contribution of this article -- Future work is to be realized in the creation of a model that takes into account that the shrinkage is dependent on the history of temperatures -- The main shortcoming of the paper is the lack of physical experiments to corroborate the simulation

Dispositivo de navegación para personas invidentes basado en la tecnología time of flight

The paper presents a new navigation and object detector device for blind people based on Time-of-Flight technology and acoustic sounds. The device has been developed as a complementary device for blind people. Its main objective is to detect and localize the obstacles from the environment and inform to the user about their presence through acoustic sounds, both in distance and in azimuth. The device working area is from 0,5m up to 5m in distance and between 30º left and 30º right of the human head, with a precision of 0,9º. The device architecture is based on glasses which contain a 3D-CMOS sensor, an FPGA with the whole electronics and software. After a short experimental period it was possible to demonstrate the importance of the development of such device for the blind community. Due to the acoustic device, blind users were able to detect obstacles from the environment, localize and avoid themEl artículo presenta un nuevo dispositivo de navegación y detección de obstáculos para las personas ciegas, basado en la tecnología Time-of-Flight y en sonidos acústicos. El dispositivo se ha desarrollado como un dispositivo de ayuda, complementario al bastón, para las personas invidentes. Su objetivo primordial es detectar los obstáculos e informar al usuario mediante sonidos acústicos de la locación de los mismos, tanto en distancia como en dirección. El dispositivo tiene un rango de trabajo entre los 0.5 m y 5 m en distancia y entre 30º izquierda y 30º derecha en azimut, con una precisión de 0,9º. El dispositivo informa a los usuarios mediante auriculares estéreo, de la presencia de los obstáculos situados en su camino. Está compuesto por un sistema de sensores 3D-CMOS montado en un par de gafas de sol, un FPGA que se encarga de procesar la información recibida por los sensores y transformarla en sonidos acústicos, y un par de auriculares estéreo. Las pruebas experimentales llevadas a cabo demuestran el potencial que puede tener para las personas invidentes. Se prueba que con la ayuda del dispositivo acústico los usuarios se sienten más seguros a la hora de transitar por las calles, debido a que tienen una amplia información sobre el entorno que los rodea, más allá de la obtenida con el bastó

Dispositivo de navegación para personas invidentes basado en la tecnología time of flight

El artículo presenta un nuevo dispositivo de navegación y detección de obstáculos para las personas ciegas, basado en la tecnología Time-of-Flight y en sonidos acústicos. El dispositivo se ha desarrollado como un dispositivo de ayuda, complementario al bastón, para las personas invidentes. Su objetivo primordial es detectar los obstáculos e informar al usuario mediante sonidos acústicos de la locación de los mismos, tanto en distancia como en dirección. El dispositivo tiene un rango de trabajo entre los 0.5 m y 5 m en distancia y entre 30º izquierda y 30º derecha en azimut, con una precisión de 0,9º. El dispositivo informa a los usuarios mediante auriculares estéreo, de la presencia de los obstáculos situados en su camino. Está compuesto por un sistema de sensores 3D-CMOS montado en un par de gafas de sol, un FPGA que se encarga de procesar la información recibida por los sensores y transformarla en sonidos acústicos, y un par de auriculares estéreo.Las pruebas experimentales llevadas a cabo demuestran el potencial que puede tener para las personas invidentes. Se prueba que con la ayuda del dispositivo acústico los usuarios se sienten más seguros a la hora de transitar por las calles, debido a que tienen una amplia información sobre el entorno que los rodea, más allá de la obtenida con el bastón

Parametric study of the correlation between location and size of superficial cracks in the deflection of traditional tiles based on finite element analysis

Superficial cracks are one of the common defects in the manufacturing of traditional ceramic tiles. Such defects do not only damage the appearance of the product, but also affect their mechanical behavior. Understanding the correlation between superficial cracks and deflection is key for the traditional ceramic tile industry. However, the related bibliography is very rare, and its importance is systematically ignored during design and manufacturing. In this work, we investigate the impact of the location and size of superficial cracks over the deflection of traditional ceramic tiles. A technique based on FEA (finite element analysis) is validated through experimental data and used to undertake a statistical, parametric research. The study shows that location and depth of the defect have an exponential cross-correlation over deflection and could be characterized together through a single surface. On the contrary, the width and sharpening of the defect barely interfere. Resumen: Las grietas superficiales son uno de los defectos más comunes en la fabricación de baldosas cerámicas tradicionales. Estos defectos no solo perjudican la apariencia del producto, sino que también afectan a su comportamiento mecánico. Entender la correlación entre las grietas superficiales y la deflexión es clave para la industria de las baldosas cerámicas tradicionales. Sin embargo, la bibliografía relacionada es muy escasa, y su importancia se ignora sistemáticamente durante el diseño y la fabricación. En este trabajo, investigamos el impacto de la localización y el tamaño de las grietas superficiales sobre la deflexión de las baldosas cerámicas tradicionales. Se valida una técnica basada en el análisis de elementos finitos (AEF) mediante datos experimentales y se utiliza para realizar una investigación estadística y paramétrica. El estudio muestra que la localización y la profundidad del defecto tienen una correlación cruzada exponencial sobre la deflexión y podrían caracterizarse conjuntamente a través de una única superficie. Por el contrario, la anchura y la agudeza del defecto apenas interfieren

Minimizing Shadow Area in Mountain Roads for Improving the Sustainability of Infrastructures

The lack of sunlight on mountain roads in the wintertime leads to an increase in accidents. In this paper, a methodology is presented for the use of sunny and shady areas to be included as a parameter in road design. The inclusion of this parameter allows for the design of an iterative method for the projected infrastructures. The parameterization of the road layout facilitates the possibility of applying an iterative process of modifying the geometric elements that constitute it, examining different layout alternatives until a layout is achieved in which the surface area in the shady area is minimized, increasing the road safety and minimizing environmental impact. The methodology has been defined, generating and analyzing the results of the solar lighting study using a file in IFC format capable of integrating with the rest of the design elements (platform, signaling, structures, etc.) and thus obtaining a BIM format which allows the model to be viewed in three dimensions and moves towards 4D and 5D. The model used for the study was a high mountain road located in the province of Teruel (Spain). It is a road section characterized by successive curves in which several traffic accidents have occurred due to running off the road, partly because of the presence of ice on the platform

Gabriel-constrained Parametric Surface Triangulation

The Boundary Representation of a 3D manifold contains FACES (connected subsets of a parametric surface S : R2−R3) -- In many science and engineering applications it is cumbersome and algebraically difficult to deal with the polynomial set and constraints (LOOPs) representing the FACE -- Because of this reason, a Piecewise Linear (PL) approximation of the FACE is needed, which is usually represented in terms of triangles (i.e. 2-simplices) -- Solving the problem of FACE triangulation requires producing quality triangles which are: (i) independent of the arguments of S, (ii) sensitive to the local curvatures, and (iii) compliant with the boundaries of the FACE and (iv) topologically compatible with the triangles of the neighboring FACEs -- In the existing literature there are no guarantees for the point (iii) -- This article contributes to the topic of triangulations conforming to the boundaries of the FACE by applying the concept of parameter independent Gabriel complex, which improves the correctness of the triangulation regarding aspects (iii) and (iv) -- In addition, the article applies the geometric concept of tangent ball to a surface at a point to address points (i) and (ii) -- Additional research is needed in algorithms that (i) take advantage of the concepts presented in the heuristic algorithm proposed and (ii) can be proved correc