A high precision visual localization sensor and its working methodology for an indoor mobile robot

To overcome the shortcomings of existing robot localization sensors, such as low accuracy and poor robustness, a high precision visual localization system based on infrared-reflective artificial markers is designed and illustrated in detail in this paper. First, the hardware system of the localization sensor is developed. Secondly, we design a novel kind of infrared-reflective artificial marker whose characteristics can be extracted by the acquisition and processing of the infrared image. In addition, a confidence calculation method for marker identification is proposed to obtain the probabilistic localization results. Finally, the autonomous localization of the robot is achieved by calculating the relative pose relation between the robot and the artificial marker based on the perspective-3-point(P3P) visual localization algorithm. Numerous experiments and practical applications show that the designed localization sensor system is immune to the interferences of the illumination and observation angle changes. The precision of the sensor is ±1.94 cm for position localization and ±1.64° for angle localization. Therefore, it satisfies perfectly the requirements of localization precision for an indoor mobile robot.

The 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl group as solubilizing protective group for the in situ deprotection/deposition of extended aromatic thiolate monolayers

While self-assembled monolayers(SAMs)of aromatic thiolates are frequently used in a wide range of applications,their formation is often hampered by the low solubilities of their precursors.Here we introduce the 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl group as a protective group for the thiol moiety,which increases the solubility and stability of the precursor,but becomes cleaved off during monolayer formation,especially at elevated temperature(60°C)and in presence of protons(trifluoroacetic acid).For a series of substituted terphenylthiols as model systems,it could be demonstrated by using ellipsometry,infrared-reflection absorption spectroscopy,and scanning-tunneling microscopy that the resulting SAMs have the same structure and quality as the ones obtained from the respective unprotected thiols.The protective group has the additional advantage to be stable under Pdcatalyzed C–C bond formation reaction conditions,facilitating the syntheses of the respective precursors.

Lateral dipole moments induced by all-cis-pentafluorocyclohexyl groups cause unanticipated effects in self-assembled monolayers

All-cis-hexafluoro-and all-cis-pentafluoro-cyclohexane(PFCH)derivatives are new kinds of materials,the structures and properties of which are dominated by the highly dipolar Janus-face motif.Here,we report on the effects of integrating the PFCH groups into self-assembled monolayers(SAMs)of alkanethiolates on Au(111).Monolayers with an odd(eleven)and even(twelve)number of methylene groups were characterized in detail by several complementary experimental tools,supported by theoretical calculations.Surprisingly,all the data show a high similarity of both kinds of monolayers,nearly lacking the typically observed odd-even effects.These new monolayers have a packing density about 1/3 lower than that of non-substituted alkanethiolate monolayers,caused by the bulkiness of the PFCH moieties.The orientations of the PFCH groups and the alkyl chains could be determined independently,suggesting a conformation similar to the one found in the solid state structure of an analogous compound.Although in the SAMs the PFCH groups are slightly tilted away from the surface normal with the axial fluorine atoms pointing downwards,most of the dipole moments of the group remain oriented parallel to the surface,which is a unique feature for a SAM system.The consequences are much lower water contact angles compared to other partly fluorinated SAMs as well as rather moderate work function values.The interaction between the terminal PFCH moieties results in an enhanced stability of the PFCH-decorated SAMs toward exchange reaction with potential molecular substituents in spite of the lower packing density of these films.