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May 1983

Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S1-S106

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back to top Session BB. Engineering Acoustics IV and Physical Acoustics V: Acoustical Sensing for Robots I
Invited Papers
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Tasks for a sensor‐controlled robot (A)

Alfred W. Scheide

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S57-S57 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Several advanced applications of industrial robots in the areas of material handling, welding, and assembly were described. Emphasis was placed on potential improvements that could be made in these application areas through the use of acoustic sensors to gain additional information about the processes and working environment of the industrial robot. The objective of this paper was to stimulate future innovative work in the application of acoustic sensors and sensing systems to industrial robots.
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An acoustic seam tracking system for welding and sealing operations (A)

F. B. Prinz

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S57-S57 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Automatic seam tracking and seam characterization is vital for a successful implementation of arc welding robots in industry. Thus far several contacting and noncontacting seam tracking sensors have been developed. None of the presently available seam tracking systems, however, can be shown to meet all requirements of the arc welding users. The present work discusses the merits and potential of a sonar system for seam characterization in robotic arc welding. A piezoelectric transducer emitting a focused sound beam (frequency, 1 MHz) is mounted on a two‐degree of freedom manipulator ahead of the welding torch. The manipulator scans the surface by moving the transducer in a periodic fashion. By measuring the distance to the surface with the pulse method, the surface geometry and the width of the welding gap can be determined.
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Acoustic transmission through atmospheres in industrial plants (A)

Henry E. Bass and L. N. Bolen

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S57-S58 (1983); (2 pages)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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The theory of sound propagation in gases in the frequency range 50 kHz to 50 MHz will be reviewed briefly with emphasis given to the range of attenuation and wavelengths one might expect. A typical industrial environment would be mostly air, but we will also consider an inert gas atmosphere near room temperature and a UF6 atmosphere at high temperature as extremes which might be encountered. Some recent results on background noise at frequencies between 100 kHz and 1 MHz will be presented, and implications of these results to signal‐to‐noise ratios in the ultrasonic region will be discussed.
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Ultrasonic transducers for robotic applications (A)

Donald P. Massa

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S58-S58 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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A new family of ultrasonic transducers will be described that are especially useful as position sensing probes in many robotic applications. Low‐frequency (20–40 kHz) transducers using small exponential horns achieve efficiencies in the order of 50%, and are used for long‐range (50‐ft) distance measuring. High‐frequency (200‐ to 500‐kHz) transducers utilizing planar mode vibrating ceramic discs in combination with quarter‐wavelength acoustic waveguides eliminate secondary lobes and are particularly useful for making shorter range measurements and for achieving very high resolution (± 0.001 in.) at close ranges. The new transducers provide a wide variety of beam angles from virtually omnidirectional to 5° conical. The transducer designs to be described operate on either the fundamental or on a controlled overtone mode of the vibratile element, depending on the frequency region of operation required. Special sensing modules will be shown which include the interface circuitry permitting simple control of the ultrasonic sensing probe by logic signal commands produced by the robot's computer.
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A simple ultrasonic ranging system (A)

Gerald D. Maslin

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S58-S58 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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There are many instances in robot design where an inexpensive compact ranging system can be of great benefit. The system developed by a well‐known camera company to automatically focus cameras is ideally suited to such applications. This system is composed of an electrostatic transducer and a single electronic module containing the drive, receiving, and processing circuitry. It can be used effectively to measure distance or detect the presence of objects within a range of 0.9–35 ft, operating at four discrete frequencies between 50 and 60 kHz. The system exhibits an acceptance angle of approximately 20°. To determine the distance to an object, the time interval between the transmit signal and the received echo must be externally determined. With an appropriate clock, a resolution of 0.25 in. can be obtained. Correction for changes in air temperature must be made to attain good resolution and accuracy throughout a wide temperature range. The system can therefore be used to map a robot's environment, or simply provide an effective means of collision avoidance.
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Active damping of resonant ultrasonic transducers for robotic sensor applications (A)

G. L. Miller and R. A. Boie

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S58-S58 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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Ultrasonic ranging in air over short distances offers advantages for robotic applications. Such sensing methods can employ transducers small enough to fit into a robot gripper, thereby providing terminal homing capability. Any such short range time‐of‐flight systems, however, have to solve the problem of receiver recovery after the transmit pulse. In the present case the problem has been solved by a controlled damping arrangement. Following each transmit pulse essentially all of both the electrical and mechanical energy is rapidly extracted from the transducer, leaving it ready to receive the echo. In this way ranging is readily achievable down to about 1 in. which is adequate for robot gripper applications.
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A narrow‐beam probe using shock waves (A)

Elmer L. Griebeler

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 73, Issue S1, pp. S58-S58 (1983); (1 page)

Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2005

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A narrow‐beam, noncontacting probe has been developed with about an 8‐in. depth of field and a beam diameter of about 1/2 in. using a single shape‐encoded pulse. After observing the performance and fate of a variety of walking cane and plunger type probes in industrial applications, the need and potential benefits of an acoustic noncontacting probe has become obvious. The results of about five years of off‐and‐on attempts at solving the inter‐related acoustic, mechanical, and electronic problems have resulted in a computer optimized system. The goal was to form a well defined, easily recognized acoustic pulse focused into a long but narrow region of space with an overlapping sensing region for detecting echos from objects that come within this region. Subsequent research revealed that, to make a useful probe, the pulse needed to be confined with scatter kept below 20 dB and restricted in range by using a minimum transient frequency component well over 100 kHz. High‐efficiency, mid‐air acoustic processing was developed, including a lens design that greatly reduces the inverse square loss along the length of the beam shaped region, but which allows the pulse to be attenuated relatively quickly beyond the intended operating distance.
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