University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, North America

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation

Trinity Industrial Corporation

Toyota Motor Manufacturing

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kozo Saito

Richard P Alloo

Masahito Sakakibara

Abraham J Salazar

Toshikazu Suzuki

Yasuo Tanigawa

Mohammed A Omar

Akira Numasato

Mohammed I Hassan Ali

Naoji Tanaka

Ahmad Salaimeh

Keng Hoo Chuah

Belal Gharaibeh

Junichi Nakagawa

Tadayuki Ito

Masahiro Yamamoto

Tetsuo Nishiyama

Masahiro Doki

Huaxiong Huang

Liming Yuan

Alvin S Gordon

Nelson Akafuah

Forman A Williams

Vedanth Srinivasan

Sean C Bohun

Kazufumi Ito

Tomoya Takeuchi

A defect on the surface or in the surface layer of a moving material can be detected by using a method comprising steps of: heating the surface of the material, obtaining thermal image data of the surface of the material using an infrared thermography camera while the surface of the material is being heated up at the heating step or being cooled down after heating, and detecting the defect by calculating Laplacian with respect to temperature of the surface represented by the thermal image data. When the thermal image data is obtained while the material is being heated up, a heating device and the camera is arranged so that thermal energy emitted from the heating device is reflected by the material to come into the camera.

Method for detecting defect in material and system for the method

A method of analyzing a thermal image of a coated substrate to determine the presence of defects includes determining a defect temperature range based on a color of the coated substrate and the maximum temperature of the coated substrate in the thermal image. Thereafter, the thermal image is processed by determining a signal value of a pixel of interest based on a temperature of the pixel of interest, temperatures of pixels in a kernel of pixels surrounding the pixel of interest, and the color of the coated substrate. The signal value of the pixel of interest is then compared to the lower temperature threshold of the defect temperature range, wherein the pixel of interest is a defect location when the signal value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the lower temperature threshold.

Systems and methods for detecting defects in coatings utilizing color-based thermal mismatch

One embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus for atomizing a fluid. This apparatus includes an atomizing nozzle assembly. The atomizing nozzle assembly includes: a spray applicator enclosure having a fluid entry zone, a flow shape profiler region, a transducer, and a cavitation enhancer module, wherein the cavitation enhancer module includes a residence modulation zone and the residence modulation zone includes a backward facing step region. The apparatus is configured such that fluid can enter the fluid entry zone to the nozzle profiler, the transducer and the cavitation enhancer module. Other embodiments relate to methods for atomizing fluids.

Devices and methods for atomizing fluids

A system for detecting defects in paint coatings includes a temperature manipulation apparatus configured to change the temperature of a surface and a coating applied to the surface. The system may further include an infrared sensor for measuring the change in temperature (over time) of the surface and coating and a processor to compare the measured change in temperature of the surface and coating to an expected change of temperature (over time) in order to determine anomalies in the coatings. A self-referencing method of determining defects is also disclosed, wherein surrounding pixels are utilized as a reference in the detection process for calculating the change in temperature of each pixel. In addition, application of the inventive aspects to inspection of adhesion interfaces is also disclosed.

Systems and methods for inspecting coatings, surfaces and interfaces

A system for detecting defects in paint coatings includes a temperature manipulation apparatus configured to change the temperature of a surface and a coating applied to the surface. The system may further include an infrared sensor for measuring the change in temperature of the surface and coating and a processor to compare the measured change in temperature of the surface and coating to an expected change of temperature in order to determine anomalies in the coatings.

Systems and methods for inspecting coatings

A method is provided for synthesizing carbon nanotubes from unseeded methane-air diffusion flames. A novel stainless steel and Ni&#x2014;Cr wire probe is also provided for collecting carbon nanotubes from those diffusion flames.

Synthesis of multi-wall carbon nanotubes using unseeded hydrocarbon diffusion flames

A wet scrubber including an acceleration cone for accelerating an airflow containing paint particles and having a curved inner wall on which water used for capturing paint particles flows downwardly, a mixing chamber for mixing the airflow and water and provided with an impingement pool on which the airflow impacts, a vortex chamber for creating a swirling flow of air and water that further aids the capture of paint particles, and a discharge volute communicating with the vortex chamber and provided with an enlarged discharge port for discharging the air and water. The wet scrubber is used in a paint spray booth, and provides the advantages of reduction in both energy consumption and noise and improvement in the efficiency of the capturing of paint particles.

Wet scrubber and paint spray booth including the wet scrubber

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Kozo Saito