This is a master thesis of the Master of Science degree program in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Linköping University. The goal of this thesis is to find out how the Microsoft Kinect can be used as a part of a camera rig to create accurate 3D-models of an indoor environment. The Microsoft Kinect is marketed as a touch free game controller for the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console. The Kinect contains a color and a depth camera. The depth camera works by constantly projecting a near infrared dot pattern that is observed with a near infrared camera. In this thesis it is described how to model the near infrared projector pattern to enable external near infrared cameras to be used to improve the measurement precision. The depth data that the Kinect output have been studied to determine what types of errors it contains. The finding was that the Kinect uses an online calibration algorithm that changes the depth data.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is the emergency response function that deals with the collapse of man-made structures. USAR environments contain concrete rubble, dust and debris, and provide poor lighting conditions. Due to the dangers that USAR rescue workers and their canines face, robots have become of interest in aiding rescue workers in searching. Experiences with robots in USAR missions have shown that a compact 3D sensor for 3D mapping of the environment is beneficial in providing the robot and identified victims’ locations within the structurally unstable environment. This thesis presents the developments of a novel 3D sensory system that provides both 3D and 2D texture information for mapping of cluttered unknown USAR environments. The sensor has been integrated into a robot platform, and experiments conducted to validate its usability in such applications. The experimental results show the potential for using this sensor in USAR robot mission.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is the emergency response function that deals with the collapse of man-made structures. USAR environments contain concrete rubble, dust and debris, and provide poor lighting conditions. Due to the dangers that USAR rescue workers and their canines face, robots have become of interest in aiding rescue workers in searching. Experiences with robots in USAR missions have shown that a compact 3D sensor for 3D mapping of the environment is beneficial in providing the robot and identified victims’ locations within the structurally unstable environment. This thesis presents the developments of a novel 3D sensory system that provides both 3D and 2D texture information for mapping of cluttered unknown USAR environments. The sensor has been integrated into a robot platform, and experiments conducted to validate its usability in such applications. The experimental results show the potential for using this sensor in USAR robot mission.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第21595号 / 理博第4502号 / 新制||理||1646(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 寺嶋 正秀, 教授 林 重彦, 教授 竹腰 清乃理 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23033号 / 理博第4710号 / 新制||理||1675(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 寺嶋 正秀, 教授 林 重彦, 教授 渡邊 一也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The reduction of energy demand and increased energy efficiency is believed to play a major role in tackling the global climate change. Artificial lighting systems in commercial buildings accounts for a substantial proportion of the total energy consumption. Studies shows that significant energy savings can be achieved by improving the energy efficiency with the application of control systems and daylight sensors. However, this may not come to the expense of impaired visual comfort. This study contains a comparative analysis of methods to improve the visual comfort, optimise light sensor placement for proper performance and estimate the potential energy savings for a classroom located in Umeå, Sweden. The term visual comfort and corresponding photometric properties has been evaluated in regards to international standards and recommendations. The lumen method, a lighting design technique, showed promising accuracy in determining a more optimal lighting design, this was confirmed by using the lighting simulation software Dialux evo. The results obtained by the simulation software showed improved visual comfort in terms of illuminance-based metrics that fulfilled the international requirements EN12464-1.  A sensor positioning method denoted as "Point-by-point" has been evaluated for two different lighting designs. The current lighting design is based on the existing lighting arrangement in the classroom, denoted as "current design". The other lighting design is based on improved positioning attained by the lumen method, denoted "Test design 2". The point-by-point method showed considerate accuracy in comparison to reference values obtained by simulations, however the credibility of the method is dependent on the lighting design. The average deviation for the current design were determined to be 23.7 lx (15.16 \%), whilst the improved Test design 2 attained an lower average deviation of 8.3 lx (9.20 \%). Lighting characteristics of the luminaries also has an impact on the credibility of this method, as uniform lighting proves to be more suitable than non-uniform lighting.  The integration of daylight data in the simulations showed different optimal position for light sensors due to the natural changes in illuminance. Thus, the positions with the most established linear relationships between the light levels on the workplane and ceiling throughout the year were consider to be the most suitable. The point-by-point method for Test design 2 acquired an average deviation of 13.1 lx (16.40 \%) in comparison to the daylight simulations. The results showcased that this method may be applied in similar studies in the future. The daylight simulations indicated significant energy savings throughout the lifetime of the lamp. The most substantial savings were obtained in the month of May during the first year (63.4 \%). This study demonstrates that daylight harvesting is beneficial despite the latitude of the location with proper dimensioning of the fluorescent lighting system.

No description available.

Graphene is a novel two dimensional material that is revolutionizing many areas of science and it is no surprise that a significant amount of effort is dedicated to its investigation. One of the major areas of graphene research is the development of procedures for large scale production. Among many recently developed methodologies, graphene oxide reduction stands out as a straightforward and scalable procedure for producing final material with properties similar to those of graphene. Laser reduction of graphite oxide is one of the novel approaches for producing multilayer graphene, and this work describes a viable approach in detail. It is determined that a material which is comprised of a combination of laser reduced graphite oxide-coupled to an unreduced graphite oxide layers beneath it, produces a broadband photosensitive material. The efficiency of light conversion into electrical current is greatly dependent upon the oxygen content of the underlying graphite oxide. Developing novel ways for reducing graphite oxide is an ongoing effort. This work also presents a new method for achieving complete reduction of graphite oxide for producing predominantly sp2 hybridized material. This approach is based on the irradiation of graphite oxide with a high flux 3 keV Ar ion beam in vacuum. It is determined that the angle of irradiation greatly influences the final surface morphology of reduced graphite oxide. Also, multilayer epitaxial graphene growth on silicon carbide in ultra-high vacuum was investigated with quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Subliming molecular and atomic species were monitored as a function of temperature and heating time. The grown films were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy coupled with Ar ion depth profiling.

Starting from small scale laboratories to the highly sophisticated industrial facilities, monitoring and control forms the most integral part. In order to perform this continuous monitoring we require an interface, that would operate between the system and its processing conditions and in turn which facilitates us to act accordingly. This interface is called as a sensor. There are various types of sensors available which have wide range of functionality in various different fields. The use of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) in the field of sensor applications has increased and has been the subject of extensive research. Good electrical properties, good optical properties, wide band gap, portability, easy processing, and low cost has led to the extensive research on TCO for sensor applications. For this research purpose two specific types of sensor applications namely, light sensing and humidity sensing were considered. For this purpose, two sets of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET) with one set having transparent aluminum doped zinc oxide and the other having indium tin oxide respectively as their gate metal was fabricated. The MOSFETs were fabricated using a four level mask and tested.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23720号 / 理博第4810号 / 新制||理||1688(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 寺嶋 正秀, 教授 林 重彦, 教授 渡邊 一也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM