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Warm hints: The word in this article is about 2500 and  reading time is about 12 minutes. The fiber optic sensor consists of the light source, incident fiber, exit fiber, light modulator, light detector, and demodulator. The basic principle is that the light of the light source is sent to the modulation area through the incident optical fiber, and the light interacts with the measured parameters in the modulation area to change the optical property of the light into the modulated signal light which is then sent through the outgoing fiber optical detector, demodulator and get the measured parameters. In recent years, sensors have evolved in the direction of sensitivity, precision, adaptability, compactness, and intelligence.  Optical fiber has many excellent properties, such as anti-electromagnetic interference and atomic radiation performance, soft and lightweight mechanical properties. Insulation, non-responsive electrical properties. Water, heat, and corrosion resistance of chemical properties, can reach people's eyes and ears in unattainable places (such as high-temperature areas), or in areas harmful to humans (such as nuclear radiation area), but also can transcend human physiological boundaries and receive sensory organs Unexpected outside information.   Catalogs I. Basic Structure and Principle of Fiber Optic SensorII. Application of Light Sensor in Petrochemical Industry2.1 The application of fiber optic sensor in the   petrochemical system2.2 The application of fiber optic sensor in oil   loggingIII. Application of Fiber Optic Sensors in Power Systems3.1 Applications in the high voltage cable temperature   and strain measurement3.2 Application in Electric Power Sensors3.3 Application of optical fiber cable monitoringIV. Fiber Optic Sensors in Medical Applications4.1 Pressure measurement4.2 Blood flow velocity measurement4.3 PH measurementV. Fiber Optic Sensor FeaturesFAQ  I. Basic Structure and Principle of Fiber Optic Sensor The fiber optic sensor consists of the light source, incident fiber, exit fiber, light modulator, light detector, and demodulator. The basic principle is that the light of the light source is sent to the modulation area via the incident fiber, and the light interacts with the measured parameters in the modulation area to make the optical properties (such as intensity, wavelength, frequency, phase, and normality) of the light occur Changes into a modulated signal light, and then sent through the optical fiber into the optical detector, demodulator to obtain the measured parameters. Fiber optic sensors can be divided into two categories by sensing principle: one is the light transmission (non-functional type) sensor, the other is the sensor type (functional) sensor. In the fiber optic sensor, the optical fiber only as a light transmission medium, the measured signal is detected by other sensitive components, this exit fiber, and the incident optical fiber is not continuous. Between the two Modulators are spectrally sensitive or other types of sensitive elements. In the sensing type fiber optic sensor, the optical fiber has both the sensitivity to the signal to be measured and the transmission of the optical signal. And the "sense" and "pass" of the signal are combined so that the optical fiber in such a sensor is continuous. Due to the different roles played by the optical fibers in these two sensors, the requirements for the optical fibers are also different. Optical fiber in the light-transmitting sensor only plays the role of light transmission. The use of communication fiber even ordinary multi-mode fiber can meet the requirements, and sensitive components can be a very flexible selection of high-quality materials. So the sensitivity of these sensors needs more optical coupling devices, the structure is more complex. The structure of sensing type fiber optic sensor is relatively simple with fewer coupling devices, but higher requirements on the optical fiber. It often needs to be sensitive to signal measurement, with good transmission characteristics. So far, most people adopt the former, but with the improvement of optical fiber manufacturing technology, sensor-type fiber optic sensors will also be widely used. According to the principle of light being modulated in optical fiber, fiber optic sensors can be divided into intensity modulation, phase modulation, polarization modulation, frequency modulation, wavelength modulation, and so on. Up to now, optical sensors have been able to measure more than 70 physical quantities. Fiber Optic Sensors have unique advantages over traditional sensors. (1) High sensitivity. Since light is a very short wavelength electromagnetic wave, its optical length is obtained by the phase of light. Taking an optical fiber interferometer as an example, due to the small diameter of the fiber used, its optical length is subject to slight mechanical external force or temperature change, causing a large phase change. Suppose that with a 10-meter optical fiber, a change of 1 ° C causes a phase change of 1000ard. If the minimum phase change that can be detected is 0.01ard, the minimum change in temperature that can be measured is 10 ° C, showing a high sensitivity. (2) Anti-electromagnetic interference, electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, intrinsically safe. Since fiber optic sensors transmit information using light waves, optical fibers are an electrically insulating, corrosion-resistant transmission medium and safe, which makes it easy and effective to use All kinds of large electromechanical, petrochemical, mine and other strong electromagnetic interference and flammable and explosive and other harsh environments. (3) Fast measurement. Light travels fastest and can transmit two-dimensional information, so it can be used for high-speed measurements. The analysis of radar and other signals requires an extremely high detection rate. The application of electronics is difficult to achieve. Using high-speed spectral analysis of light diffraction can be solved. (4) Large information capacity. The signal under test is a light wave carrier, and the light has a very high frequency. The contained frequency band is very wide. The same optical fiber can transmit multiple signals. (5) Suitable for harsh environments. Optical fiber is a dielectric, high voltage, corrosion-resistant, anti-electromagnetic interference that can be used for other sensors that do not adapt to the harsh environment. In addition, fiber-optic sensors are also characterized by their lightweight, small size, flexibility, wide measurement range, good reusability, and low cost. The application of fiber optic sensors is precise because fiber optic sensors have so many advantages, making it a very wide range of applications, involving petrochemicals, power, medicine, civil engineering, and many other fields. Video 1 Introduction of fiber optic sensorsII. Application of Light Sensor in Petrochemical Industry 2.1 The application of fiber optic sensor in the petrochemical systemIn the petrochemical system, due to the underground environment with high temperature, high pressure, chemical corrosion and electromagnetic interference, and other characteristics, the conventional sensor is difficult to play a role in the well. However, the fiber itself is no charge, small and light, easy to bend, anti-electromagnetic interference, and anti-radiation performance. Particularly it is suitable for flammable and explosive, strict restrictions and strong electromagnetic interference, and other harsh environments. Fiber optic sensors in the measurement of the good parameters play an irreplaceable role. It will become the oil and gas exploration and oil logging and other logging A field of broad market prospects of new technologies.  Fiber optic sensor application in oil and gas exploration. Because of its high-temperature capability, multi-communications, distributed sensing capabilities, and the fact that it requires only a small space to meet its use conditions, fiber optic sensors make it particularly unique in exploration drilling. The application of fiber optic sensors can be made into the downhole spectrometer, distributed temperature sensor, and optical fiber pressure sensor, and other products suitable for this special job requirement. (1) The downhole spectrometer fluid analyzer shown in Figure 1 can be used to understand the crude oil composition during the initial development process. It consists of two sensors: one is the absorption spectroscopy fiber and the other is the fluorescence and gas detector. Downhole fluid is introduced into the tubing by formation probes and the optical sensor is used to analyze the fluid within the tubing. Fluid analysis spectrometers provide in-situ downhole fluid analysis and improve formation fluid evaluation. (2) Distributed temperature sensors. Optical fiber distributed temperature sensors are the most popular fiber optic sensors for downhole applications. The application example is to monitor the steam injection heavy oil recovery system. Steam is injected into the heavy oil reservoir to reduce the viscosity of the oil, allowing heavy oil to be mined out. Downhole steam temperature can be as high as 250 ℃. Figure 1 Fluid analyzer structure(3) The fiber-optic pressure sensor is currently under development. Its main focus is on ultra-high temperature and downhole pressure monitoring tasks. Other commercial products based on fiber optic sensors are currently available. For example, fiber optic probes for multiphase flow measurements and distributed dynamic strain measurements. Its high reliability, high efficiency, and low power consumption are key factors in the success of optical fiber products in oil field applications. 2.2 The application of fiber optic sensor in oil loggingOil logging is one of the most basic and key aspects of the petroleum industry. The parameters such as pressure, temperature, and flow rate are important physical quantities in oil and gas wells. These advanced technologies are used for long-term Real-time monitoring, timely access to the information of oil and gas wells, the oil industry has a very important significance. Fiber optic sensors are insensitive to electromagnetic interference and withstand extreme conditions, including high temperatures and pressures, as well as strong shock and vibration, to measure borehole and well site environmental parameters with high accuracy, and have distributed measurement capabilities for fiber optic sensors. The spatial distribution gives the profile information. Moreover, the fiber optic sensor cross-sectional area is small, short in shape, in the wellbore occupies a very small space. Traditional electronic sensors do not have such features in the harsh underground environment. Fiber optic sensors can do downhole flow measurement, temperature measurement, pressure measurement, water (gas) measurement, density measurement, acoustic measurement. (1) Flow measurement. Because the intensity, phase, frequency, wavelength, and other characteristics of light in the optical fiber transmission process will be subject to flow modulation. A certain light detection method can convert the modulation into electrical signals, you can find the fluid flow, which is the fiber flow the working principle of the meter. (2) Temperature and pressure measurement. The distributed optical fiber measurement system (DTS) utilizes the Raman effect of the optical fiber to enable real-time monitoring of the temperature field where the fiber is located. The EFPI type (non-intrinsic FP interference) and FBG fiber optic sensors are wavelength-coded sensors. With high sensitivity, it also can simultaneously measure pressure, temperature, stress, and other parameters of the characteristics. The optical fiber thermal color temperature sensor is a reflective temperature sensor composed of a white light source and a multi-mode optical fiber.  The optical fiber radiation temperature sensor utilizes black body radiation energy. Its non-contact, measurable instantaneous temperature, fast response, and no need for heat balance time are available. In high-temperature measurement, the semiconductor absorption-type optical fiber temperature sensor utilizes the characteristic that the absorption edge wavelength of its semiconductor material shifts to a longer wavelength as the temperature increases, and an appropriate semiconductor light-emitting diode is selected so that its spectral range falls exactly on the absorption edge region. , So the light intensity through the semiconductor decreases with increasing temperature. (3)Water (Gas) Rate and transmission power of U-shaped fiber used for density measurement vary with the refractive index of the external medium. The lightwave serves as an information carrier and has nothing to do with the resistivity, flow pattern, and water quality of the mixed fluid. The fiber holding rate is based on this principle. The density sensor essentially solves the problem of the application of high water content without resolution and radioactive substances in the existing holding ratios. For the multi-phase fluids, the refractive indices of oil, water, and gas are all different, so the refractive index of the mixed fluid will follow. Change the ratio of oil, water, gas changes. Therefore, this refractive index modulation type fiber optic sensor can not only measure the fluid holding rate, fluid density can be measured at the same time, for its accuracy is higher. (4) Sonic measurement. Seismic waves propagate in different media and the waveforms of the received seismic waves will be different. According to different seismic waveforms, the sedimentary sequence and sedimentary structure can be identified to locate the reservoir, determine the gutter, detect the damage and fracture of the casing, and perforation, detect layers and determine the fluid flow, and so on. VSP seismic logging means that the geophone is placed in a well and the seismic signal is received by the geophone in the well by means of a micro-vibration generated by ground-derived seismic waves or fluid flow in the well.  The permanent downhole optical fiber three-component seismic survey has high sensitivity and directionality can produce high-precision spatial images. It can not only provide near-borehole images but also can provide strata images around the wellbore. And the measurement range can reach thousands of kilometers. It withstands harsh environmental conditions and has no moving parts and downhole electronics that can withstand strong shocks and vibrations and Can be installed in an extremely small space for complex completion string.  III. Application of Fiber Optic Sensors in Power Systems Because of the complicated structure and wide distribution of power system networks, various hidden dangers exist on the high-voltage power line and power communication network. Therefore, it is very important for distributed monitoring of various lines and networks in the system.  3.1 Applications in the high voltage cable temperature and strain measurementAt present, foreign countries (mainly Britain, Japan, etc.) have developed the distributed optical fiber temperature sensor products by utilizing the laser Raman spectroscopy effect. And domestically, we are actively carrying out research work in this area. The domestic begin to introduce the distributed optical fiber temperature sensing technology into the power system cable temperature measurement. In connection with the snow disasters suffered in southern China last year, we can consider that if we can lay sensor fiber optic cables in parallel on high-voltage cables and measure the temperature, pressure, and other parameters of power system cables and towers in real-time, we can make timely measurements, so as to minimize economic losses.  Fiber optic sensors in the power system will have a wide range of applications. Ideally, the fiber should be placed as close as possible to the cable core to more accurately measure the actual cable temperature. For direct-buried power cables, although the surface-mount fiber can not accurately reflect the change of cable load, it is more sensitive to the change of thermal resistivity of soil in the buried cable and can reduce the installation cost of optical fiber. 3.2 Application in electric power sensorsElectric power is the basic power reflecting the energy conversion and transmission in the power system. Electric power measurement is an important part of power metering. With the rapid development of the power industry, traditional electromagnetic measurement methods have increasingly exposed their inherent limitations, such as electrical insulation, electromagnetic interference, and magnetic saturation.  Therefore, people have been working hard to find new methods for measuring electrical power. It can be said that the advent of fiber optic sensors has brought people the gospel to solve this problem. The main characteristics of fiber-optic power sensors are: Since electric power sensing involves both voltage and current at the same time, it is usually necessary to consider both electro-optic and magneto-optic effects. At the same time, two kinds of sensing media or one multifunctional media are used as sensitive elements. The structure of the fiber electric power sensor head is relatively complicated; the optical sensor signal of the fiber electric power sensor sometimes includes voltage and current signals at the same time, so the signal detection and processing methods thereof will also be more complicated. 3.3  Application of optical fiber cable monitoringIn Power Systems The power system has a wide variety of optical cables. In addition, China has a vast area and the environment varies widely. Therefore, the environment of optical cables is also very complex. Temperature and stress are the main environmental factors that affect the performance of optical cables. Therefore, while monitoring the breakpoint of the optical fiber, the temperature and stress conditions of the optical cable are also monitored. It can be seen that the optical fiber cable has far-reaching fault warning and maintenance.  By measuring the frequency shift and intensity of the Brillouin scattered light along the length of the optical fiber, the temperature and strain information of the optical fiber can be obtained, and the sensing distance is relatively long, so it has far-reaching engineering research value. Based on Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectance (BOTDR) distributed optical fiber sensing system, using coherent detection technology, the system principle shown in Figure 2.  Figure 2 based on BOTDR sensing system principleThe BOTDR fiber sensing system measures the self-distribution of scattering signals of an optical fiber and its signal strength is very weak, but the coherent detection technology can be used to improve the signal-noise ratio of the system. This solution can be a single light source, single-ended work, the system is simple and easy to implement, and can simultaneously detect fiber breakpoints, loss, temperature, and strain.  IV. Fiber Optic Sensors in Medical Applications In medical fiber, sensors are mainly light-transmitting. With its small size, insulation, non-radio frequency, and microwave interference, high measurement accuracy and good affinity with living organisms, and other advantages. This article will mainly introduce the application of transmission optical fiber in pressure measurement, blood flow velocity measurement, and pH measurement. In addition, it can also be applied to the measurement of temperature and medical image transmission. 4.1 Pressure measurementCurrent clinically applied pressure sensors are mainly used to measure intravascular blood pressure, intracranial pressure, intracardiac pressure, bladder, and urethral pressure. The pressure sensor used to measure blood pressure is schematically shown in Figure3. The pressure-sensitive part is a water-repellent film on the sidewall of the tip of the probe catheter connected to the membrane by a cantilever micromirror and an optical fiber opposite the reflector for transmitting incident light to the reflector while The reflected light is also transmitted.  When there is pressure on the film, the film is deformed and can drive the cantilever to change the angle of the mirror. The light beam coming from the fiber is shone on the mirror and then reflected at the end of the fiber. Since the direction of the reflected light changes with the angle of the mirror, the intensity of the reflected light received by the optical fiber also varies. This change passes through the optical fiber to the other end of the photodetector into an electrical signal, so that by changing the voltage to know the size of the probe at the pressure.Figure 3 Optical fiber pressure gauge probe 4.2 Blood flow velocity measurement Doppler-type optical fiber speed sensor measurement of subcutaneous tissue flow velocity shown in Figure 4, this device uses the optical fiber end reflection phenomenon, the measurement system is simple in structure.Figure 4 optical fiber pressure gauge probeLaser light with a frequency of f passes through the lens and the fiber is sent to the epidermal tissue. For immobile tissue, such as the vessel wall, the reflected light does not produce a frequency shift; and for the red blood cells in the cortex capillary flow rate, the reflected light to produce a frequency shift, the frequency change △ f. The frequency shift of the reflected light The intensity is proportional to the concentration of erythrocytes and the change in frequency can be proportional to the velocity of erythrocytes. Emitted light collected by the optical fiber, the first on the light detector for mixing, and then into the signal processing instrument, which get the red blood cell velocity and concentration. 4.3 PH measurementA schematic diagram of the pH fiber optic sensor used to determine tissue and blood values is shown in Figure 4. Its working principle is the use of emission light, the intensity of transmitted light with the wavelength distribution of the spectrum to be measured. The sensor inserts two optical fibers into an ion-permeable cellulose capsule containing reagent, which penetrates the reagent when the needle is inserted into the tissue or blood vessel, causing the reagent to absorb light of a certain wavelength. Measured such changes, you can get the blood or tissue pH.Figure 5 Determination of pH fiber spectrometerV. Fiber Optic Sensor Features 1.High sensitivity. 2.The geometry has a wide range of adaptability, can be made into any shape of the fiber optic sensor. 3.You can create sensors sensing a variety of different physical information (sound, magnetic, temperature, rotation, etc.) of the device. 4.Can be used for high voltage, electrical noise, high temperature, corrosion, or other harsh environments. 5.But also with the inherent compatibility of optical telemetry technology. The advantages of fiber-optic sensors are that optical fiber sensors use light as a carrier for sensitive information, and use optical fibers as a medium for transmitting sensitive information. Compared with conventional sensors. They have the characteristics of optical fiber and optical measurement and have a series of unique advantages. Good electrical insulation, anti-electromagnetic interference, non-invasive, high sensitivity, easy to achieve long-distance monitoring of the signal under test, corrosion resistance, explosion-proof, flexible optical path, easy to connect with the computer. Sensors are developed in the direction of sensitivity, precision, adaptability, compactness, and intelligence. They can serve as human eyes and ears where people cannot reach(such as high-temperature areas, are as harmful to humans, or nuclear radiation areas). But it is also beyond the physical boundaries of human beings, outsiders can not feel the sensory information. FAQ 1. How does a fiber optic sensor work?Fiber optic sensors work based on the principle that light from a laser or any superluminescent source is transmitted via an optical fiber, experiences changes in its parameters either in the optical fiber or fiber Bragg gratings and reaches a detector which measures these changes. 2. What are fiber optic sensors used for?Optical fibers can be used as sensors to measure strain, temperature, pressure and other quantities by modifying a fiber so that the quantity to be measured modulates the intensity, phase, polarization, wavelength or transit time of light in the fiber. 3.How are fiber optic sensors classified?Based on the operating principle or modulation and demodulation process, a optical fiber sensor can be classified as intensity, a phase, a frequency, or a polarization sensor. All these parameters may be subject to change due to external perturbations. ... These sensors are widely used as chemical sensors. 4. What is active and passive optical fiber sensor?Active fibre optic. -In optical fiber communication, because the signal usually decades during long distance transformation, you need to add an amplifier to boost the signal. Passive fibre optic. - Simply receive light data from the environment, it is commonly used for illumination (Fiber optical lighting. 5. What are the characteristics of optical fiber sensors?Optical fiber sensors have unique advantages, such as high sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, small size, light weight, robustness, flexibility, and the ability to provide multiplexed or distributed sensing. 6. Which is a use of fiber optics?They are widely used in lighting, both in the interior and exterior of vehicles. Because of its ability to conserve space and provide superior lighting, fiber optics is used in more vehicles every day. Also, fiber optic cables can transmit signals between different parts of the vehicle at very fast speed. 7. Why optical fiber is used for communication?Optical fiber is used by telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, Internet communication and cable television signals. ... Due to lower attenuation and interference, optical fiber has advantages over copper wire in long-distance, high-bandwidth applications. 8. Is fiber optic WIFI?Like any Internet service, fiber optic Internet download speeds depend on your connection. Not all fiber services are created equal, much like broadband. ... You can download more, faster, with fiber. Fiber Internet is more reliable than copper and less 'patchy' than Wifi. 9. Is fiber optic analog or digital?Digital signals can be transmitted long distances without degradation as the signal is less sensitive to noise. Fiber optic datalinks can be either analog or digital in nature, although most are digital. Both have some common critical parameters and some major differences. 10. How much data can a fiber optic cable transmit?A new fiber-optic system can carry 800 gigabits of data per second, a big step up from top speeds of 100 or 200 gigabits in today's data centers. You May Also Like:GPS and inertial sensors for driverless applicationsA New Technology for Advancing Opticals,Sensors Even Resistant SupercapacitorsSensors are Always In a State of Rapid Progress

Warm hints: The word in this article is about 2000 and  reading time is about 10 minutes.SummaryIn ten years ago,the average selling price of industrial robots is about 500 thousand;however, the price is now four large family robot 15-20 million,Eft, and other domestic price slightly lower than the eston robot four family, economic type of pure domestic robot (terminal sales price of about 80 thousand. It is estimated that in the future, the average price of industrial robots will be reduced to less than 50 thousand with the localization of the spare parts and other parts.  CoreIndustrial RobotsCategoryRobotKeywordsindustrial robots;cloud service robotContentFuture market prediction about industrial robots in China Catalogs CatalogsI. The Statistics of Industrial robots Sales in recent yearsII.One of the development trends of industrial robots: more flexibleIII.The two development trend of industrial robots: low cost economy OntologyIV.Prediction about Industrial Robot IntroductionBefore we read the artcle,let's see a video about "MIT cheetah robot lands the running jump".In a leap for robotic development, the MIT researchers who built a robotic cheetah have now trained it to see and jump over hurdles as it runs — making this the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.  I. The Statistics of Industrial robots Sales in recent yearsWe know that science and technology are constantly growing after see the above video. According to IFE statistics,the global industrial robot sales exceeded $13 billion 200 million (plus integration part, system on the industrial robot market is about $50 billion) in 2016,with the major economies of the global industrial automation,robot using density increase. What’s more, IFR predicted that the world robot sales were 34.7, 37.8, 43.5 and 522 thousand respectively when in 2017-2020 years,and CAGR reached 15.4% in the next 4 years.Prediction of the sales of industrial robots in the global marketAccording to statistics, in 2016, domestic industrial robot sales hit a new high, reaching 87 thousand units, and by December 2017, China's industrial robot output reached 131 thousand units (set), an increase of 51% over the same period, and sales volume is expected to continue to grow this year. According to the prediction of IFR, 2018-2020 years of domestic robot sales were 16, 19.5, 238 thousand, 22% to 3 years in the future CAGR.Prediction of the sales of industrial robots in the global market In 2017, the domestic industrial robot market rapid growth for two reasons, one is the demand of the robot driven by 3C's apple, the other is the general manufacturing robots used in large-scale attempt, many general manufacturing enterprises, such as the winery, an order in more than 100. The difficulty of recruiting workers and the high cost of recruiting workers are becoming more and more common, which makes the demand for robots increase.At present, the domestic robots are mainly used in the general manufacturing industry other than cars and 3C. This year, not only foreign brands, but also domestic industrial robots.Domestic industrial robot sales structure in 2016 and over the yearsAccording to the National Bureau of statistics, China has 50 million manufacturing workers in each industrial robot instead of 2-3 workers, the potential stock market will reach 1800-2500 million units, taking into account a lot of jobs cannot substitute robots, may the actual market is not so big. We discussed with industry experts, five years can be seen in the domestic market sales reached 50-60 million units.Prediction of the sales of industrial robots in the global market AnalysisII.One of the development trends of industrial robots: more flexibleIn order to increase the use of industrial robots, the robot is more flexible. DFKI (German Research Center for artificial intelligence, is Germany's top intelligence research institutions, is currently the world's largest non-profit artificial intelligence research institutions, its shareholders include Google, Intel, Microsoft, BMW, SAP, Airbus, the global top ten enterprises of science and Technology) developed intelligent assembly robot, can through the abstract memory system for assembly, adaptive grasping and intelligent products specifically, is in the head mounted stereoscopic camera, camera mounted near the object in the arm; at the same time, using the left internal antenna reads from the inside of the product size, weight and hot.DFKI Grasping and assembling robotInter-generational evolution of industrial robots: robots are undergoing a shift from "machine" to human. We can divide the robot into three generations, the first generation of traditional industrial robots, which have not changed significantly for nearly 50 years. The second generation is a "feeling" robot. They have a certain sense of perception in the outside world, with visual, tactile and auditory functions. Such as a cooperative robot, a arc welding robot that automatically tracks the weld according to the laser feedback. The third generation planning based on artificial intelligence technology, robot control, according to their perception of information, independent thinking, recognition and reasoning, and make judgments and decisions, without human intervention automatically, become the main production system, can even replace machine and other machine tools, such as cloud service robot.The robot is undergoing a change from "machine" to "man"The second generation of robot representatives: UR cooperative robot. At present, cooperative robots occupy a part of the market with their safety, low cost, easy to use and low cost of transformation, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises which are mainly small batch and customized. However, in the long run, human-computer cooperation is the direction, and the potential of the cooperative robot market is great.UR5 apply in Volkswagen automobile production lineBecause of the great prospect of the cooperative robot, the robot enterprises both at home and abroad have the product development and sale, and have obtained the better market response. Although the domestic collaboration robot started late, but in the past two years, many products appeared in the development. In China, especially for the electronics industry, the domestic cooperative robot has a promising commercial prospect.Typical enterprise and product of cooperative robotThe third generation of robot - cloud service robot. Cloud service robots, integrating the latest information technology, will produce more dramatic changes in the impact of artificial intelligence and industrial robots.In 2015, the domestic industrial robot AIFUTE leading enterprises began the layout of the next generation of robot technology, and the Silicon Valley in the United States set up R & D center. A preliminary cloud robot platform product will be formed in 2018.The concept of cloud evert robotIII.The two development trend of industrial robots: low cost economy OntologyThe medium and small businesses can receive the longest payback period of two years, preferably one year, so the industrial robots should be popularized in China. In the long run, the price should be controlled at least 100 thousand. ConclusionIV.Prediction about Industrial RobotIndustrial robot in 10 years ago, the average selling price of about 500 thousand, the price is now four large family robot 15-20 million, Eft, and other domestic price slightly lower than the eston robot four family, economic type of pure domestic robot (terminal sales price of about 80 thousand. It is estimated that in the future, the average price of industrial robots will be reduced to less than 50 thousand with the localization of the spare parts and other parts.  Book Recommendation House of Robots: Robot Revolution Hardcover – January 16, 2017After a few early glitches in their relationship, Sammy and his "bro-bot" E are now fast friends. In fact, E is such a valued member of the family that the other electronic occupants of the House of Robots are feeling sorely unappreciated. And when Sammy's inventor mom becomes distracted by a top-secret project, the robots soon begin to fall into disrepair.Cue a robot revolt, with the droids wreaking harmless havoc in the house! Armed with pranks like glue in the shampoo bottles and flying toast missiles, the robots demand to be cared for. It's up to Sammy and his disabled sister Maddie to keep the peace until his mom reveals her secret project...and why it was worth the wait.--James Patterson  (Author),‎ Juliana Neufeld (Illustrator),‎ Chris Grabenstein (Contributor) Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future Paperback – July 12, 2016What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin taking care of themselves, fewer people will be necessary. Artificial intelligence is already well on its way to making "good jobs" obsolete: many paralegals, journalists, office workers, and even computer programmers are poised to be replaced by robots and smart software. As progress continues, blue and white collar jobs alike will evaporate, squeezing working- and middle-class families ever further. At the same time, households are under assault from exploding costs, especially from the two major industries-education and health care-that, so far, have not been transformed by information technology. The result could well be massive unemployment and inequality as well as the implosion of the consumer economy itself.The past solutions to technological disruption, especially more training and education, aren't going to work. We must decide, now, whether the future will see boad-based prosperity or catastrophic levels of inequality and economic insecurity. Rise of the Robots is essential reading to understand what accelerating technology means for our economic prospects-not to mention those of our children-as well as for society as a whole.--Martin Ford  (Author)Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (MIT Press) Hardcover – August 25, 2017How to educate the next generation of college students to invent, to create, and to discover -- filling needs that even the most sophisticated robot cannot.Driverless cars are hitting the road, powered by artificial intelligence. Robots can climb stairs, open doors, win Jeopardy, analyze stocks, work in factories, find parking spaces, advise oncologists. In the past, automation was considered a threat to low-skilled labor. Now, many high-skilled functions, including interpreting medical images, doing legal research, and analyzing data, are within the skill sets of machines. How can higher education prepare students for their professional lives when professions themselves are disappearing? In Robot-Proof, Northeastern University president Joseph Aoun proposes a way to educate the next generation of college students to invent, to create, and to discover -- to fill needs in society that even the most sophisticated artificial intelligence agent cannot.A "robot-proof" education, Aoun argues, is not concerned solely with topping up students' minds with high-octane facts. Rather, it calibrates them with a creative mindset and the mental elasticity to invent, discover, or create something valuable to society -- a scientific proof, a hip-hop recording, a web comic, a cure for cancer. Aoun lays out the framework for a new discipline, humanics, which builds on our innate strengths and prepares students to compete in a labor market in which smart machines work alongside human professionals. The new literacies of Aoun's humanics are data literacy, technological literacy, and human literacy. Students will need data literacy to manage the flow of big data, and technological literacy to know how their machines work, but human literacy -- the humanities, communication, and design -- to function as a human being. Life-long learning opportunities will support their ability to adapt to change.The only certainty about the future is change. Higher education based on the new literacies of humanics can equip students for living and working through change.--Joseph E. Aoun (Author)  Relevant information about "The Future Market of Industrial Robots in China will Be Far Beyond Imagination"About the article "The Future Market of Industrial Robots in China will Be Far Beyond Imagination", If you have better ideas, don't hesitate to  write your thoughts in the following comment area. You also can find more articles about electronic semiconductor through Google search engine, or refer to the following related articles. Living Insect-Machine Hybrid Robot--Swarming Search and RescueMake Robots Walk NaturallyEngineers from MIT Developed A Tiny, Affordable Robotic Device That Can Detect Water LeakThree Fingers Robotic Hand with Specialized Sensors can Estimate Size and Shape of ObjectsA New, Electronic Skin Microsystem Enables People Tracks Their Heart Rate And Other Health Index

SummaryResearchers at TU Wien have succeeded in developing a method for the controlled manufacture of porous silicon carbide. Silicon carbide has significant advantages over silicon; it has greater chemical resistance and can therefore be used for biological applications, for example, without any additional coating required.Extremely fine porous structures with tiny holes – resembling a kind of sponge at nano level – can be generated in semiconductors. This opens up new possibilities for the realization of tiny sensors or unusual optical and electronic components. There have already been experiments in this area with porous structures made from silicon.To demonstrate the potential of this new technology, a special mirror that selectively reflects different colors of light has been integrated into a SiC wafer by creating thin layers with a thickness of approximately 70nm each and with different degrees of porosity. “There is a whole range of exciting technical possibilities available to us when making a porous structure with countless nano holes from a solid piece of a semiconductor material,” says Markus Leitgeb from the Institute of Sensor and Actuator Systems at TU Wien. Leitgeb developed the new material processing technology as part of his dissertation with Professor Ulrich Schmid in cooperation with CTR Carinthian Tech Research AG and sponsored by the Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies (COMET) program.“The porous structure influences the manner in which light waves are affected by the material. If we can control the porosity, this means we also have control over the optical refractive index of the material.” This can be very useful in sensor technology – for example, the refractive index of tiny quantities of liquid can be measured using a porous semiconductor sensor, thus allowing a reliable distinction between different liquids. Another attractive option from a technical and application-oriented perspective is to first make certain areas of the SiC wafer porous in a highly localized manner, before depositing a new SiC layer over these porous areas, and then causing the latter to collapse in a controlled manner – this technique produces microstructures and nanostructures which can also play a key role in sensor technology.  However, in all these techniques it is crucial that the appropriate starting material is selected. “Until now, silicon has been used for this purpose, a material with which we already have a lot of experience”, says Professor Schmid. Silicon also has significant drawbacks, however; under harsh environmental conditions, for example in extreme heat or in alkaline solutions, structures made of silicon are attacked and rapidly destroyed. Therefore, sensors made of silicon are often not suitable for biological or electrochemical applications. For this reason, at TU Wien, attempts have been made to achieve something similar with the semiconductor silicon carbide, which is biocompatible and considerably more robust from a chemical perspective. Some special tricks were required, however, in order to produce porous structures from silicon carbide. THE COLOR-SELECTIVE MIRRORFirst, the surface is cleaned, and then partially covered with a thin layer of platinum. The silicon carbide is then immersed in an etching solution and exposed to UV light, in order to initiate the oxidation processes. This causes a thin porous layer – initially 1μm thick – to form in these areas that are not coated with platinum. An electrical charge is then also applied in order to be able to precisely set the porosity and the thickness of the subsequent layers. Here, the first porous layer promotes the formation of the first pores when the electrical charge is applied.“The porous structure spreads from the surface further and further into the interior of the material”, explains Markus Leitgeb. “By adjusting the electrical charge during this process, we can control what porosity we want to have at a given depth.” In this way, it was possible to produce a complex layered structure of silicon carbide layers with higher and lower levels of porosity, which is finally separated from the bulk material by applying a high voltage pulse. The thickness of the individual layers can be selected such that the layered structure reflects certain light wavelengths particularly well or allows certain light wavelengths to pass through, resulting in an integrated, color-selective mirror. “We have thus demonstrated that our new method can be used to reliably control the porosity of silicon carbide on a microscopic scale”, says Ulrich Schmid. “This technology promises many potential applications, from anti-reflective coatings, optical or electronic components and special biosensors, through to resistant supercapacitors.” 

Summary Last days,I bought a new house and I am considering how to decorate it. when thinking about wall-lighting sconces.My project is to place an array of LED strips on the walls,covered with translucent(or in some cases,opaque!) Yeah,Plexiglas plates mounted a few centimetres away. That's the plan anyway...   Preparation At first, I need a 18W power supplies small enough to fit into an electrical box.Finally,I chose a power supply.This product could provide a full 1.5A without collapsing.However,upon opening the cases,the component temperatures after rumming at full-throttle for a new minutes suggested otherwise.The switching transistor,output rectifier,and output capacitor were all far too hot for comfort.I imagine the 18W spec is only valid for one day of use. Figure 1  The 12V 18W PSU. Notice the 100% efficiency (IN & OUT are both 18W), and  the dire warning not to touch the surface of the plastic case because of high temperature   I also bought one PSU from Aliexpress.They behave differently than the first batch. From an external vantage point, they’ll only supply 1.3A as opposed to the former 1.5A. The output voltage collapses to 8V at 1.5A.Take it apart, and further differences appear. Most noticeably, the 12V output capacitor does not egregiously overheat at, say, 1.3A. Sure enough, the part has “Low ESR” printed on the case. The previous caps don’t. Figure 2  PSUs from AliExpress (top) and another, forgotten source (bottom). Note the  convenient dates at the bottom of the boards. Manufacture has transitioned from phenolic to fiberglass   The design appears to be a simple self-oscillating circuit. I measured the switching frequency to be about 100 kHz. The 12V output caps are at the upper-right of each board. Though the legend says “1000µF 25V”, the installed caps are 470µF.   After discovering the output cap heat problem (but before getting the second PSU batch), I sourced a bagful of quality capacitors – 270µF @ 35V, still more than enough capacitance for this circuit, but with a high ripple-current rating and low ESR. Both of the boards above have these new parts installed. They run cool as a cucumber, versus the slight temperature rise of the second PSU caps, and of course, the extreme rise of the first ones. Figure 3  The PCB bottoms reveal other minor design changes in the newer boards – mainly exposed copper to pick up current-fortifying solder   I’m constantly struck by the strange state of affairs at this level of Chinese manufacture. Clearly, there is some thought and skill put into design and production, yet we still end up with stupidities, like unsuitable parts, or wishful-thinking specs. As I mentioned, other parts get hot too. The switching transistor can get toasty at higher loads, but it was the output rectifier I focused my measurements on. At 1.33A, free-air TC registered 90°C. At 1.2A, 86°C. Figure 4  My test setup here at EDN Labs. Note the many safety protocols employed on the bench   Enclosed in its case, in an electrical box, I don’t think I’ll want to pull more than 1.1A from these PSUs. Hopefully, that will be enough for my LED lighting. Other options: Squeeze two PSUs into a box (possibly swapping the case for some shrink wrap or electrical tape), or, cut a hole in the case so I can bend the rectifier out and heat-sink it to the electrical box! Hmm. We’ll see.   Result I didn't realize my plan until now.I am so tangle should choose which one? The last one,there is an absence of an AC line filter on the board.The former, at least, has a line filter, and even if they also don’t meet their output-current spec, they will certainly be better than the PSUs I’m using. But…they don’t fit into an electrical box.How do you think about my plan? Anyaway,I will attempt it again when I am free.  

Warm hints: The word in this article is about 1000 and the  reading time is about 6 minutes. MIT researchers found a way to triple the efficiency by using "topological" materials with special electronic properties. Although previous research has indicated that topological materials could be used to create efficient thermoelectric systems, little is known about how electrons in such topological materials can move in response to temperature differences to produce a thermoelectric effect. Researchers not only found that they can push the boundaries of this nanostructured material in a way that makes topological materials a good thermoelectric material,more so than conventional semiconductors like silicon,but also this could be a clean-energy way to help us use a heat source to generate electricity, which will lessen our release of carbon dioxide. NewsToday, thermoelectric devices are used for relatively low-power applications, such as powering small sensors along oil pipelines, backing up batteries on space probes, and cooling minifridges. Scientists hope to develop more efficient thermoelectric devices that will harvest heat produced as a byproduct of industrial processes and combustion engines and convert it into electricity. However, thermoelectric devices' power, or the amount of energy they can generate, is currently limited. "We discovered that we can push the limits of this nanostructured material in a way that makes topological materials a better thermoelectric material than traditional semiconductors like silicon," says Te-Huan Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering. "In the end, this could be a clean-energy way to help us use a heat source to generate electricity, which will lessen our release of carbon dioxide," Liu added. Liu is first author of the PNAS paper, which includes graduate students Jiawei Zhou, Zhiwei Ding, and Qichen Song; Mingda Li, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering; former graduate student Bolin Liao, now an assistant professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara; Liang Fu, the Biedenharn Associate Professor of Physics; and Gang Chen, the Soderberg Professor and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.A Path Travel Freely When a thermoelectric material is exposed to a temperature gradient — for example, one end is heated while the other is cooled — electrons begin to flow from the hot end to the cold end, resulting in an electric current. The greater the temperature difference, the more electric current and power are made. The amount of energy that can be produced is determined by the electron transport properties of a given material. Scientists have discovered that certain topological materials can be converted into efficient thermoelectric devices using nanostructuring, a technique used by scientists to create a material by patterning its features at the nanometer scale. Scientists believe that the thermoelectric benefit of topological materials stems from decreased thermal conductivity in their nanostructures. However, it is uncertain how this increase in efficiency relates to the material's inherent, topological properties.     Liu and his colleagues investigated the thermoelectric efficiency of tin telluride, a topological material considered to be a strong thermoelectric material, to try to address this issue. Tin telluride electrons also have unusual properties that resemble a class of topological materials known as Dirac materials. The researchers wanted to understand the effect of nanostructuring on the thermoelectric efficiency of tin telluride by simulating electron movement through the material. Scientists often use a calculation known as the "mean free path" to characterize electron transport. This is the average distance an electron with a given energy can freely travel within a material before being dispersed by different objects or defects in that material. Nanostructured materials resemble a patchwork of tiny crystals, each with its own boundary, known as grain boundaries, that separates one crystal from the next. As electrons come into contact with these limits, they scatter in a variety of ways. Electrons with long mean free paths scatter violently, similar to bullets ricocheting off a wall, whereas electrons with shorter mean free paths are much less affected. The researchers discovered that the electron properties of tin telluride have an important effect on their mean free paths in their simulations. They plotted the spectrum of electron energies in tin telluride against the related mean free paths and discovered that the resulting graph looked very different from that of most traditional semiconductors. In particular, for tin telluride and probably other topological materials, the findings indicate that higher-energy electrons have a shorter mean free path, while lower-energy electrons have a longer mean free path. The researchers then investigated how these electron properties influence the thermoelectric efficiency of tin telluride by essentially summing up the thermoelectric contributions from electrons with different energies and mean free paths. It turns out that the ability of a substance to conduct electricity, or produce a flow of electrons, under a temperature gradient is largely determined by the electron energy. They discovered that lower-energy electrons have a negative effect on the production of a voltage difference, and hence electric current. Since low-energy electrons have longer mean free paths, they can be dispersed more intensely by grain boundaries than high-energy electrons.Size DownGoing a step further in their simulations, the team experimented with the size of individual grains of tin telluride to see whether this had some impact on the movement of electrons under a temperature gradient. They discovered that raising the diameter of an average grain to around 10 nanometers, putting its boundaries closer together, increased the contribution of higher-energy electrons. Higher-energy electrons contribute much more to the material's electrical conduction with smaller grain sizes than lower-energy electrons because they have shorter mean free paths and are less likely to scatter against grain boundaries. As a result, a greater voltage difference can be produced. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that shrinking the average grain size of tin telluride to around 10 nanometers yielded three times the amount of electricity that the material would have produced with larger grains. Although the findings are based on simulations, Liu claims that researchers can achieve comparable results by synthesizing tin telluride and other topological materials and changing their grain size using a nanostructuring technique. Other researchers have proposed that shrinking the grain size of a material can improve its thermoelectric efficiency, but Liu claims that they have mostly assumed that the ideal size is much larger than 10 nanometers. "In our simulations, we discovered that we can shrink the grain size of a topological material far more than previously thought, and based on this principle, we can increase its performance," Liu says. Tin telluride is one of the topological materials that have yet to be discovered. If researchers can determine the optimal grain size for each of these materials, topological materials, according to Liu, can soon be a viable, more effective alternative to producing renewable energy. ConclusionLiu believes that topological materials are excellent for thermoelectric materials, and our findings indicate that this is a very promising material for potential applications. The Solid-State Solar Thermal Energy Conversion Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center of the United States Department of Energy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contributed to this research (DARPA). Article From Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesArticle Edited by kynix 

Warm hints: The word in this article is about 1000 and the  reading time is about 6 minutes.SummaryResearchers from Purdue University showed a range of concepts and technologies about semiconductor industry at international IEDM 2016 Conference in Dec. 2016. Looking forward to the future of semiconductor,which concepts included innovations to extend the performance of today's silicon-based transistors,along with entirely new types of nanoelectronic devices to complement and potentially replace conventional technology in future computers. This is a device is made from the semiconductor germaniumIssueIn the conference,researchers said,"For the past 50 years, ever more electronic devices envelop us in our day-to-day life, and electronic-device innovation has been a major economic factor in the U.S. and world economy," said Gerhard Klimeck, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Purdue's Network for Computational Nanotechnology in the university's Discovery Park. "These advancements were enabled by making the basic transistors in computer chips ever smaller. Today the critical dimensions in these devices are just some 60 atoms thick, and further device size reductions will certainly stop at small atomic dimensions." New technologies will be needed for industry to keep pace with Moore's law, an observation that the number of transistors on a computer chip doubles about every two years, resulting in rapid progress in computers and telecommunications. It is becoming increasingly difficult to continue shrinking electronic devices made of conventional silicon-based semiconductors, called complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, said Muhammad Ashraful Alam, Purdue University's Jai N. Gupta Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "As transistors are becoming smaller they are facing a number of challenges in terms of increasing their performance and ensuring their reliability," he said. Purdue researchers presented five papers proposing innovative designs to extend CMOS technology and new devices to potentially replace or augment conventional transistors during the annual International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2016) Dec. 5-7 in San Francisco. The conference showcases the latest developments in electronic device technology. Purdue researchers are in the  laboratoryIntegrated circuits, or chips, now contain around 2 billion transistors. The more devices that are packed onto a chip, the greater the heating, with today's chips generating around 100 watts per square centimeter, comparable to that of a nuclear reactor. "As a result, self-heating has become a fundamental concern that hinders performance and can damage transistors, and we are making advances to address it," Alam said. Two of the IEDM conference papers detail research to suppress self-heating and enhance the performance of conventional CMOS chips. The remaining papers deal with new devices for future computer technologies that require lower power to operate, meaning they would not self-heat as significantly. "We are not only working to extend the state-of-art of traditional technology, but also to develop next-generation transistor technologies," Alam said. Transistors are electronic switches that turn on and off to allow computations using the binary code of ones and zeros. A critical component in transistors, called the gate, controls this switching. As progressively smaller transistors are designed, however, this control becomes increasingly difficult because electrons leak around the ultra-small gate. One of the conference papers focuses on a potential solution to this leakage: creating transistors that are surrounded by the gate, instead of the customary flat design. Unfortunately, enveloping the transistor with a gate causes increased heating, which hinders reliability and can damage the device. The researchers used a technique called submicron thermo-reflectance imaging to pinpoint locations of excessive heating. Another paper details a potential approach to suppress this self-heating, modeling how to more effectively dissipate heat by changing how the transistor connects to the complex circuitry in the chip.The three remaining papers propose next-generation devices: networks of nanomagnets, extremely thin layers of a material called black phosphorous and "tunnel" field effect transistors, or FETs. Such technologies would operate at far lower voltages than existing electronics, generating less heat. "You want to use as low a voltage as possible because that reduces power dissipation and if you can reduce power dissipation the battery of your cell phone will last longer, you can do more computing with a smaller amount of power and you will be able to cram more functional elements into a given area," Klimeck said. The tunnel FETS could potentially reduce power consumption by more than 40 times. "Reducing power consumption by a factor of 40 would be a huge development," Klimeck said. Another conference paper details research to develop devices made of black phosphorous, which might one day replace silicon as a semiconductor in transistors. Findings showed the devices can pass large amounts of current with ultra-low resistance while demonstrating good switching performance, said Peide Ye, the Richard J. and Mary Jo Schwartz Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "We have demonstrated the highest performance of this kind of 2-D device," Ye said.Peide Ye,the Richard J. and Mary Jo Schwartz Professor of Electrical and Computer EngineeringDevices made from the material also could bring new types of optical and chemical sensors. The devices were created using a technique called chemical vapor deposition in research performed at Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center. Future research will include efforts to create smaller black phosphorous devices, Ye said. A fifth paper details how networks of nanomagnets could serve as the building blocks of future computers. Findings show the networks mimic Ising networks - named after German physicist Ernst Ising - which harness mathematics to solve complex probabilistic problems. The nanomagnet networks might be used to draw from huge databases to perform demanding jobs in areas ranging from business and finance, to health care and scientific research. The conventional approach to performing big data computations is through new software running on CMOS devices. However, nanomagnet networks represent a different approach: developing an entirely new type of hardware for the feat, said Zhihong Chen, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.The nanomagnet arrays are potential building blocks for probabilistic computer hardware has been proved. Researchers are still in unremitting efforts to creat new semiconductor technologies.  Article Provided by Purdue UniversityArticle edited by kynix