Int. J. Autom. Technol.最新文献

{"title":"Analysis of Substance Flow and the Transition of Industrial Structure of Indium in Japan","authors":"Akihiro Yoshimura, Yuma Nishioka, Yasunari Matsuno","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0747","url":null,"abstract":"Indium is a rare metal that is an essential raw material for indium tin oxide (ITO) essential for transparent electrodes for displays. However, its supply is unstable as it is a by-product of zinc. In this research, we investigated the domestic substance flow of indium used for liquid crystal applications in Japan. Accordingly, we quantitatively evaluated the amount of indium contained in the process loss and the content of indium in end-of-life products. Through this quantification, we examined the visualization of loss in the entire flow and the usability of end-of-life products as secondary production. Consequently, it was found that the amount of indium used in the production of end-use-products in Japan has increased significantly due to the growth of liquid crystal display TVs, particularly in preparation for the transition to terrestrial digital broadcasting in 2011, and has drastically decreased after 2012. Meanwhile, some manufacturing bases have been relocated from Japan to other countries, and a certain proportion of end-use-products are imported, by which we infer the domestic input amount of end-use-products in recent years is estimated to have remained at approximately 4 t. Based on the result, after having continued to increase to the maximum value of approximately 70 t in 2014, the in-use stock has exhibited a gradually decreasing trend. Moreover, the indium content in end-of-life products has continued to increase, and in 2015, it exceeded the amount of the end-use-products input into society. Furthermore, compared with the process loss at the time of processing from ITO to a display, the gap has been narrowed from 100 times or more, and the indium content in end-of-life products in 2008 to about 15 times in 2017. These results suggest that the recycling potential of end-of-life products has increased with the spread of indium-based products.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"11 1","pages":"747-755"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84268497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of Relative Resource Circulation for Heat Exchangers Using Material Flow Analysis for Air Conditioners","authors":"Shoma Fujii, Yuko Oshita, Yasunori Kikuchi, Satoshi Ohara","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0737","url":null,"abstract":"The demand for resource circulation of heat exchangers in air conditioners is expected to grow rapidly; however, the market stocking time is relatively long. Therefore, this scenario was used as a case study for sustainable products design. A material flow analysis was conducted to estimate the balance between global relative resource consumption for shipment, waste, and installed stock from publicly available information up to 2050. Based on the projected demand through 2050, the shipment volume for each year was calculated on a cooling capacity basis. From this analysis, the waste volume was calculated. Using the shipment volume on the basis of yearly cooling capacity, the shipment volume on a resource basis was calculated considering the heat transfer coefficient. The balance between the waste volume and the installed stock was estimated. The resource circulation was simulated by defining variables such as the ratio of units that can be converted from waste to shipment and the ratio of heat exchangers using circulated resources in the total number of shipments. The results indicate that the shipment, waste, and installed stock of resources projected for 2050 were greater than those at the 2021 levels by factors of 2.2, 2.8, and 2.9, respectively. In addition, they were greater than those of the 2021 levels in the scenarios by factors of 1.8, 2.2, and 2.8 accounting for the increase of heat transfer coefficient into account, indicating the importance of improvement of heat transfer. The simulation of circulation showed that a fully closed loop in 2050 would be difficult to achieve owing to the shortage of heat exchangers for waste-to-shipment. Sensitivity analysis also indicated that even under conditions where there is no predicted shortage of circulated resources for 2050, achieving the target in a short period of time may cause a rapid increase in demand for circulating resources. This would subsequently, lead to a shortage of supply compared to demand. Thus, it is important to account for these dynamics relating resource circulation and strategy planning during analysis.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"32 1","pages":"737-746"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86679731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Powder Mold Release Agent on Aluminum Alloy Melt Under Gravity Casting Conditions","authors":"Kuiyuan Mu, M. Nikawa, K. Hayakawa, H. Shima, M. Yamashita","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0888","url":null,"abstract":"To explore the influence of the release agent on the fluidity of the aluminum alloy melt, continuous experiments were carried out. First, through a flat mold filling experiment, the aluminum alloy melt and temperature change of the flat mold were obtained via measurements under the condition in which the mold was coated with a powder mold release agent. Stable and minimal, the excellent thermal insulation performance of heat transfer coefficient. Then, fluidity measurement experiments and computer simulation were conducted to verify the influence of the density change of the powder mold release agent on the fluidity of the aluminum alloy melt during the casting process. It was found that this relationship was affected by the temperature difference between the mold and aluminum alloy melt. The experimental results showed that changes in the powder mold release agent density changed the distribution density of its components through the thickness of the coating, thereby affecting the fluidity and thermal insulation function.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"45 1","pages":"888-896"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80733853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Generation of a Robot Program and Determination of an Optimal Workpiece Placement Considering the Manipulability of Industrial Robots","authors":"Kei Moriguchi, Takuya Mizokami, K. Morishige","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0870","url":null,"abstract":"Various operations in the production sites of manufacturing industries are being automated using industrial robots instead of operators. In recent years, an offline teaching method for robot motion has been implemented, where programs are generated in a work environment that is reproduced virtually inside a computer. However, the robot program developed using the offline teaching method can pass through singularities or suddenly change the robot’s posture, making the robot incapable of performing safe operations. To achieve optimal operation, the operator must determine the workpiece placement and create a robot program through trial and error. In this study, we proposed a method that uses manipulability to generate a program that commands the robot to move without passing singularities or changing the robot’s posture. Manipulability is quantitatively evaluated as an indicator of a robot’s ability to move its end effector in arbitrary directions. We proposed another method to determine the optimal workpiece placement for robot operations that can maximize the sum of manipulability during the operation. We implemented the aforementioned methods in an offline teaching system. We applied the developed system to a welding operation and verified its effectiveness by conducting motion simulations. The developed system was able to generate a practical robot program that maintained high manipulability and did not cause sudden changes in the posture or pass singularities. The developed system was able to simultaneously determine the optimal workpiece placement for the task, thereby confirming the usefulness of the proposed method.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"2 1","pages":"870-878"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87832498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Life Cycle Simulation Method to Support Strategic Management that Considers Social Goals","authors":"Taro Kawaguchi, Shuhei Suzuki, Hidenori Murata, Hideki Kobayashi","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0715","url":null,"abstract":"Manufacturing companies are expected to make decisions that achieve not only the goals of the company but also the goals of society. Each company’s decisions affect the material flow and demand of other companies. Therefore, each company can play a role in strategic management by predicting in advance the impact of its own and other companies’ decisions on the achievement of social goals. To support such strategic management, this study proposes a life cycle simulation method that can estimate the impact of strategic decisions by considering social goals. The target is a connected life cycle systems (CoLSys) consisting of multiple product life cycle systems and interactions, in which the interactions are operated according to the life cycle system of each product. A decision-making model is included in the proposed method, and changes in the interaction settings are made in each product life cycle system to achieve predefined social and individual goals. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method, a case study was conducted for a CoLSys consisting of six products: electric vehicles, gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, home batteries, battery charging stands, and photovoltaic power generation systems. In the case study, the social goal was decarbonization by 2050 and the individual goal was increasing profits. The simulation results confirmed that the decision-making model would result in greater reductions in CO2 emissions, including a faster transition from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles. Moreover, we confirmed that the decision-making model contributed to balancing the achievement of social goals with the benefits of individual systems while adjusting the intensity of the interactions. However, it was found that decarbonization cannot be achieved by 2050 if only the assumed products and interactions are applied in the case study.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"1 1","pages":"715-726"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79922976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual Identification-Based Spark Recognition System","authors":"Tianhao Cheng, Hao Hu, Hitoshi Kobayashi, H. Onoda","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0766","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0766","url":null,"abstract":"With the development of artificial intelligence, image recognition has seen wider adoption. Here, a novel paradigm image recognition system is proposed for detection of fires owing to the compression of lithium-ion batteries at recycling facilities. The proposed system uses deep learning method. The SparkEye system is proposed, focusing on the early detection of fires as sparks, and is combined with a sprinkler system, to minimize fire-related losses at affected facilities. Approximately 30,000 images (resolution, 800 × 600 pixels) were used for training the system to >90% detection accuracy. To fulfil the demand for dust control at recycling facilities, air and frame camera protection methods were incorporated into the system. Based on the test data and realistic workplace feedback, the best placements of the SparkEye fire detectors were crushers, conveyors, and garbage pits.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"29 1","pages":"766-772"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89347642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Action Research on a Locally Oriented Sustainable Product","authors":"Shota Tajima","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0845","url":null,"abstract":"This research aims to visualize the social relations of a locally oriented sustainable product based on specialty product development in Nagara, Chiba. Japan’s population has declined since 2008. Sustainable regional revitalization, such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, is an urgent issue. Developing specialty products to foster regional brands is flourishing in various places because regional brands will improve their earning power. Although various specialty products are being developed nationwide, there is no indicator of their social sustainability regarding how locally oriented products directly contribute to regional revitalization. Nagara Town is located in the central part of Chiba Prefecture and is the second-smallest town in the prefecture with a population of 6,520. Nagara Town and Chiba University signed a partnership agreement on regional revitalization in 2015 and are working on industry-government-academia collaborative community development with the theme of a continuous care retirement community (CCRC). In 2019, the university, local companies, and the town hall collaborated to develop a specialty product, “Nagara and Guarana (N&G).” Design thinking was used for the development, and the N&G prototype was completed in 2020. After prototype testing, N&G was commercialized in 2021, and 45,000 bottles were manufactured. It was sold at facilities and station shops inside and outside the town, and sold 36,510 bottles, successfully exceeding the original schedule. Unlike normal specialty product development, Nagara Town has become an N&G seller. Related studies have shown that locally oriented products contribute to social sustainability by localizing them according to the social context of the region on a global scale. However, in regional revitalization, building social connections within regions through locally oriented products contributes to social sustainability. However, there is no indicator of how locally oriented sustainable products contribute to this region. The author proposed a Socio-Relation Map (SRMap) to quantitatively measure the social relations of a product by counting the stakeholders involved. SRMap comprises stakeholders involved in product planning, manufacturing, and dissemination. Then, we applied SRMap to N&G to verify its effectiveness and limitations.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"11 1","pages":"845-852"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90694947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical Joining with Aluminum Part by 3D Printing of Polylactic Acid and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Parts for Fabrication of Multi-Material Parts","authors":"Y. Nakagawa, Ayumu Abe, M. Yoshino","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0615","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0615","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, the manufacturing process of multi-material parts by simultaneous mechanical joining and three-dimensional (3D) printing of plastic parts was developed. In this process, a metal part with a hole sets on a lower 3D printed plastic part having a projection, and an upper plastic part is deposited on the metal part, while caulking is formed by a 3D printer. The effect of 3D printing conditions and a dimension of caulking on the joint strength was evaluated through the tensile shear and three-point bending tests. It was observed that squashing the projection while printing the upper part effectively improved the strength. The strength decreased as the clearance increased, whereas the shape of the projection was changed to a cylinder and a cone to ease positioning while preventing a decrease in the strength.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"120 1","pages":"615-623"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78076189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Process of Straightening by Three-Point and Four-Point Bending for Curved Brass Rack","authors":"Y. Aono, Nobukatsu Sato, S. Inoue, Daichi Koga","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0598","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0598","url":null,"abstract":"Racks are typically curved after cutting their gear teeth, and a straightening process is required to correct the distortion due to machining. In this study, key factors in the straightening of curved racks by three-point and four-point bending are examined with to automate the correction. The relationship between load and deformation is plotted in real time to determine the unloading point to correct the target deflection for straightening. The parameters constituting the above-mentioned relationship are important for achieving precise correction. The load and deflection at the central loading point are known to be suitable parameters for three-point bending. The smaller the deflection required for correction, the higher is the precision of the displacement sensor required for three-point bending. In the case of four-point bending, the bending moment and bending angle should be selected. In addition, a four-point bending jig is required to load the uniform bending moment during the correction. A modified four-point bending jig is made and the effectiveness was examined.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"19 1","pages":"598-608"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77894509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Compound Control Algorithm for Height Following of Laser Cutting Head","authors":"Wu Da, Chunnian Zeng, Luo Jie, Y. Shu, Chen Lei, Jinmin Hu","doi":"10.20965/ijat.2022.p0634","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20965/ijat.2022.p0634","url":null,"abstract":"A composite algorithm combined with fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control and acceleration closed-loop control is proposed to address the defects of slow response speed, strong oscillation, and long adjustment time of the current height following control system for a laser cutting head. The fuzzy PID control can satisfy the different requirements for the control parameters in each stage of the height follow-up adjustment process for the laser cutting head via the adaptive adjustment of the PID parameters. Accordingly, the height following error can be attenuated to the set positioning accuracy range. The acceleration closed-loop control can improve the acceleration and deceleration performance of the system through the positive and negative feedback regulation of the motion acceleration of the laser cutting head to achieve high-speed servo. An experimental bench of height follow-up control system for laser fabrication is developed to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. Through experimental verification, compared with the conventional digital PID incremental algorithm, this composite control algorithm can accelerate the response speed of height follow-up control system for the laser cutting head, improve the dynamic performance of the system, and realize fast and precise servo control of laser cutting head height under the premise of ensuring positioning accuracy. The proposed algorithm is expected to lay a foundation for the development of the new intelligent laser processing system.","PeriodicalId":13583,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Autom. Technol.","volume":"35 1","pages":"634-641"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83055914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}