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Business Opportunities
In support of the Canadian Space Program, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is actively engaged developing a range of innovative technologies, and many of these are available for licensing to industry. The CSA has prepared this guide highlighting a number of these technologies in order to generate interest and business opportunities with leading edge companies.
The CSA plays a key role by investing in industrial research and development. The Agency’s programs support technologies that are in an advanced stage of development or that are near-to-market, which contribute to enhancing world-leading innovation in the space sector.
Approximately 80% of the CSA’s budget is contracted out for projects involving industry, universities, and specialized research institutes. Key indicators that CSA investment is working for Canada are seen in economic growth, skills development, partnership alliances, enhanced Canadian industrial competitiveness, and excellence in research and development.
For more information on the technologies presented in this guide, please contact the CSA Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer Office: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca. We look forward to exploring a range of business opportunities with you that may benefit your company or organization.
Contents
An Efficient Algorithm for Computer Simulation of Constrained Mechanical Systems
Multidimensional Real-Time Data Compression Using Vector Quantization: Three Technologies
Adaptive Self-Tuning Controller of Manipulators Using Uncalibrated Joint Torque Sensing
Zero-G Emulating Test Bed for Spacecraft Attitude/ Translation Control System
Dynamometer with Active Load for Testing Manipulator's Joint Prototypes
Identification and Torque/Force Control of Hydraulic Actuators
A Robust-Performance Approach to Impedance-Matching of Robots Interacting with Unknown Environments
Method and System of Increasing Signal-to-Noise Ratio of Multi-Dimensional Data
Cortex, a Software Toolbox for On-Board Reactive Autonomy using Hierarchical Finite State Machines (HSFM)
The Technology
The invention provides an integrated development environment for the development, testing, debugging, execution, and monitoring of Hierarchical Finite State Machines (HFSM). Users are able to assemble a series of logic rules in on-board software to encode reactionary complex behaviors to various discrete events. It also offers automatic generation of clean, efficient, and stand-alone Finite State Machines (FSM) implementation source code, including the automatic generation of HTML format documentation.
Commercial Potential
Potential commercial applications exist where on-board reactive autonomy is required. These applications include, but are not limited to, the following:
Autonomous land vehicles for military and civilian applications (i.e. military and disaster intervention robotics, humanitarian de-mining, among other applications);
Mining automation and other service robotics applications such as forestry, agriculture and infrastructure maintenance;
Space robotics (including planetary and orbital applications); and
Autonomous satellites, and unmanned vehicles.
The Business Opportunity
Autonomous machines such as space robots, satellites, and unmanned vehicles require on-board autonomy to deal with situational uncertainties. However, existing solutions fail to provide a stable, user-friendly environment with all of the necessary features to address this problem of reactive autonomy.
CORTEX allows for the creation and seamless assembly of modular state machines, the capacity to dynamically load states at run-time, and an integrated environment to create, test, execute, and monitor Finite State Machines (FSM). This invention eliminates the development time dedicated to low-level implementation of logic and removes the requirement for detailed knowledge of software engineering practices.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50736
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Inference Techniques for Diagnosis Based on Set Operations
The Technology
The invention provides inference techniques for diagnosis based on set operations that aim to find a set of all possible faulty components in a complex system. It further attempts to find the exact faulty component(s) through the use of probability-based fault probing. The techniques encompassed by the invention are applicable to systems with low to a very high number of components and require very little memory and computational resources.
Commercial Potential
The technology has commercial applications in any industry that includes the use of complex systems that may have faulty components. Generally, these techniques may be applied to maintenance and testing applications (or any application requiring fault detection and isolation) within the automotive, aircraft and marine industries, medical and pharmaceutical fields and other manufacturing industries.
Within the armed forces and military, the invention may have further applications in critical systems. The implementation may be done in stand-alone software and hardware or may be embedded in a health-monitoring module for complex army systems (e.g. tanks, unmanned air vehicles, jet fighters, helicopters).
The Business Opportunity
Components of a complex system are subject to possible and probable faults during operation. A means of identifying a subset of components that most likely include the faulty component(s) is required since it is impossible and impractical to examine all system components. Probing techniques are then required to identify the exact faulty component(s) from the suspected subset of components. The main limitation of traditional approaches is poor scalability to the number of components in the underlying system. In addition, traditional approaches suffer from high computational memory and processing usage.
Instead of pure reliance on logic reasoning (which is characteristic of traditional approaches), the invention uses set operations for inference. The techniques are scalable to the number of components in the system and require very little memory and computational resources, with the advantage of providing great commercial value.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50743
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
An Efficient Algorithm for Computer Simulation of Constrained Mechanical Systems
The Technology
The invention represents an efficient algorithm for solving differential algorithmic equations of constrained mechanical systems based on the concept of linear operator equations. Unlike many other algorithms, the formulation provides numerical stability and accuracy with redundant constraints and/or singular configurations. Experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed formulation can proceed smoothly and accurately in the vicinity of a singular configuration. No iteration is required to compute acceleration. Furthermore, the equation of motion is expressed in a relatively compact form which offers computational efficiency.
Commercial Potential
Application of the proposed algorithm in a commercial product has the potential to boost simulator performance and increase numerical stability in fields as diverse as: virtual reality, vehicle and car suspension and steering systems, aircraft, manipulators (e.g. manipulators interacting with the environment, manipulators with a closed-kinematic chain, parallel manipulators, etc.) and robotics.
The Business Opportunity
Many industries, including manufacturing, robotics, automation, and the automobile industry, are developing sophisticated computer simulators that are essential tools for the design and analysis of mechanical systems. In general, existing algorithms used for computer simulation of constrained mechanical systems suffer from numerical instability and inaccuracy when there are redundant constraints and/or singular configurations present.
The invention not only overcomes these limitations, but requires smaller computations, which contributes to minimizing the computational cost of performing a simulation. The proposed algorithm has application in such simulators, in that it facilitates both speed and accuracy in simulating complex dynamic systems in real-time.
Technology Transfer Details
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50734
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Multidimensional Real-Time Data Compression Using Vector Quantization: Three Technologies
The Technology
The original inventions, on which these three technologies are based, have been patented in the United States with issue numbers: 6,546,146, 6,724,940, 6,701,021 and 6,798,360. Together, they provide a method and system for real-time near-lossless data compression of a continuous data flow of multidimensional data with a high compression ratio, high data throughput, and information preservation. Recursive Hierarchical Self-Organizing Cluster Vector Quantization (HSOCVQ) and Cluster Successive Approximation Multi-Stage Vector Quantization (SAMVQ) revolutionarily improve conventional vector quantization (VQ) compression technology. HSOCVQ eliminates the heavy computational burden by training only a few, rather than thousands of, co-devectors in a way of hierarchically splitting and adaptively reorganizing clusters. It compresses a data cube until each of the spectral vectors is encoded with fidelity better than a given threshold. SAMVQ is a multi-stage VQ compression technology, which compresses a data cube using small codebooks in a manner of successive approximation and optimal convergence. It achieves a fidelity that approaches or exceeds the full search VQ method.
Commercial PotentialPossible commercial applications of the inventions include:
- Airborne hyperspectral imaging;
- Medical imaging (CAT scans and MRI);
- Military applications (particularly with regards to surveillance); and
- Other applications involving 3D (or higher) data characterized by vector correlation.
The Business Opportunity
These technologies allow data compression technology to be implemented with limited hardware (which can be costly) and software that is characterized by significantly reduced computational complexity. As such, fewer hardware and software resources are required to perform the near-lossless data compression. Moreover, the size of codebook in Successive Approximation Multi-Stage Vector Quantization (SAMVQ) is over two orders of magnitude smaller than that in conventional vector quantizationcompression technology, thereby avoiding long-codebook training times. In addition, Hierarchical Self-Organizing Cluster Vector Quantization (HSOCVQ)guarantees that the reconstruction fidelity of each spectrum in the compressed data cube is better than a given threshold, so that it can well preserve "golden" spectra or smaller targets.
Both SAMVQ and HSOCVQ can compress data with reconstruction fidelity better than the level of the intrinsic noise (caused by instrument noise and pre-processing uncertainties, etc.) of the original data to achieve so-called "lossless" compression in the sense of the intrinsic noise of the original data.
Technology Transfer Details
Commercialization licenses for the multidimensional data compression technologies are available, either together or separately.
These opportunities may be referred to by the CSA case IDs: 50690 (Recursive HSOCVQ), 50691 (Cluster SAMVQ), and 50692 (Data compression engines).
Patents
50690 : US 6,798,360
50691 : US 7,551,785
50692 : US 7,251,376
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Adaptive Self-Tuning Controller of Manipulators Using Uncalibrated Joint Torque Sensing
The Technology
The invention represents an adaptive controller for robot manipulators that uses signals received from joint torque sensors to adaptively compensate for the effects of robot link dynamics. In particular, the invention uses a self-tuning control algorithm that adaptively tunes the gains and offset of the torque sensor in addition to other parameters (including inertia of the motor’s rotors, link twist angles, friction parameters of the joints, etc.), to achieve zero tracking error.
Commercial Potential
The technology has applications in areas requiring high degrees of precision in position tracking, including the following:
- Arc welding;
- Laser cutting;
- Fixtureless assembly;
- CNC machine tooling;
- High-speed tracking and positioning servo systems for precision weapons;
- Radar-tracking antennae; and
- Missile interception systems.
The Business Opportunity
Many applications of manipulators depend on a high degree of precision in position tracking in spite of load dynamics. The invention addresses this need by providing a robust control algorithm capable of achieving precise position tracking irrespective of load dynamics (e.g. link dynamics of manipulators, cutting force in a CNC machine tool, or wind force in a radar-tracking antenna). In order to accomplish this, the invention uses uncalibrated joint torque sensors without the need for an accurate link dynamics model, which may or may not be available.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50740
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
System for Interactive Visualization and Analysis of Imaging Spectrometry Datasets over a Wide-area Network
The Technology
The invention has been patented in the United States (US Patent no. 6,546,146). The technology allows users to interactively visualize and analyze large imaging spectrometry datasets using a personal computer a connectivity package for a wide-area network (i.e. internet).
Using a new "on-the-fly" compression process, the technology reduces the volume of the data by about 100 times. Users can select, view and analyze imaging spectrometry datasets via a wide-area network with almost no lag time thanks to the operation being on the data in compressed form.
Commercial Potential
Potential commercial application areas include earth observation, military surveillance, astronomy, microscopy, medicine (i.e. medical imaging systems), and characterization of materials (i.e. material science). There may also exist applications in forensic and general medicine. The techniques of the invention may be applied to imaging spectrometers that are used in absorption or reflection spectroscopy, fluormetry, and energy transfer diffractometry. Further applications of these techniques include process control and energy-dispersive tomography.
The Business Opportunity
The invention can be used to encode, browse, store, and transmit any type of imaging spectrometry data (also known as hyperspectral imagery), whether ground-based, airborne, or spaceborne. Because data is stored and processed in compressed form, the system provides for an abundance of imaging spectrometry datasets in combination with fast information and products retrieval capabilities. Alternative systems do not provide equivalent features and on-line access to large imaging spectrometry datasets across wide-area networks.
This invention is the only known system to combine encoding, processing in compressed form for effective product retrievals, index mapping, compressed data storage, high-speed transfer, and rapid decompression, while empowering the user to determine the usefulness of an imaging spectrometry dataset via wide-area networks before investing in it.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50344
Patents
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Zero-G Emulating Test Bed for Spacecraft Attitude/ Translation Control System
The Technology
This technology is used for zero-gravity emulation of a spacecraft in an Earth laboratory environment (1 g) using a controlled manipulator which holds a flight spacecraft or satellite. The control system changes the dynamic behaviour of the testing spacecraft to emulate the behaviour of the target spacecraft in orbit. Such an arrangement also makes it possible not only to be able to scale the inertia of the testing spacecraft, but also to create the motion perturbation induced by the flexible element of flight spacecraft, even if test spacecraft lack such elements.
Commercial Potential
The greatest challenge in implementing a control system for spacecraft is that ground-based testing must take place in a 1-g environment, whereas the eventual hardware will operate in a zero-g environment. Present research shows that this innovation is of vital importance to be able to test and validate the system performance under realistic conditions and through maximum usage of hardware. This technology has the potential to significantly improve the reliability of operational performance of satellite attitude/translation control systems in-orbit.
Adoption of the invention could confer comparative, competitive advantages by improving the design and effectiveness of terrestrial testing of satellite attitude/ translation control systems.
A receptor company could apply this technology to: testing attitude control systems (ACS) of commercial satellites; investigating the disturbance effect of a deployment mechanism (e.g. solar panel or antenna) of commercial satellites; and testing the gas-jet propulsion system and translation control system of free-flying inspection robots, constellation satellites, and orbital formation satellites.
The Business Opportunity
In the aerospace industry, there is a well-defined need to test and verify spacecraft attitude/translation control systems while all components are integrated. The risks associated with faulty components and the faulty integration of such a complex system is high. Failure is costly.
This zero-gravity emulating test bed can provide an efficient facility for verification and testing of a spacecraft control system after all components have been integrated.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50689
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
Email: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Dynamometer with Active Load for Testing Manipulator's Joint Prototypes
The Technology
A product derived from this invention could be used as a development tool for manufacturers of electromechanical actuators for robotics applications, in various industrial sectors. The mechanical load of a mechatronics system can be replaced with an active load system and the actuators of a mechatronics system can be tested before the rest of the mechanical system is fabricated.
Commercial Potential
The demand for development of new actuators for mechatronics systems is established and growing. Yet prototyping of the complete system for testing is often an expensive and inflexible process. A product derived from this invention would be a cost-effective replacement for tradirtional prototyping.
This invention is designed for a facility for testing space or terrestrial robot actuators under their end-use thermal and mechanical conditions. Unlike the conventional dynamometer, which has a brake to apply friction torque, this invention uses active load that generates the torque dynamics of a target manipulator.
The Business Opportunity
The need for new actuators in robotics and automation is pervasive. However, any newly developed actuator must undergo extensive mechanical, electrical, control and thermal tests. Currently, actuator tests can be performed on a robot prototype built with the newly developed actuators. However, the prototyping process is expensive, inflexible, and not applicable for space robots, as such robots do not operate in the thermal and gravity conditions of Earth.
This invention is designed for a specialized test-bed facility that develops and tests electromechanical actuators for robotics and automation applications. Its design innovations allow for less expensive and more cost-effective development and testing of actuators.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50706
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Design of a Load Cell with Large Overload Capacity
The Technology
Load cells (force sensors) are fragile devices. Commercially available load cells generally have an overload capacity up to one and a half times full-scale range. Exceeding this limit damages the sensor structure. This load cell provides large overload protection capacity without compromising the sensitivity or affecting the characteristics of the sensor. A special design feature is that it becomes virtually rigid after the sensor flexures reach their maximum deflection.
Commercial Potential
This sensor features high stiffness and good extraneous load rejection that makes it ideal for robotic laboratories. It is mainly for the single-point load cell type.
Commercial load cells are widely used in the aerospace, agriculture, automotive, aviation, construction, forestry, freight transportation, maritime, mining, and waste management markets. These devices are embedded in industrial-weighing and materials-handling equipment in dynamic and stationary weighing systems, load-handling and moving systems, measurement devices, instrumentation, and operations control and information systems.
The Business Opportunity
The overload capacity of the commercial load cell is not high enough for many industrial and laboratory applications. Therefore, in practice, an oversized sensor is used to increase the margin of overload safety. However, the larger sensors are usually less accurate.
This invention has an overload capacity several times that of a sensor. This is its competitive advantage. It could ensure that sensors will not break when overloaded and that load cells do not require recalibration or replacing after overload testing.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50705
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Identification and Torque/Force Control of Hydraulic Actuators
The Technology
This invention employs sensors to measure selected physical variables of an operating hydraulic actuator for identification and control purposes. The commercial product derived from this invention would use a hydraulic actuator with additional sensors (that is, a pressure transducer and motion sensors to capture position and velocity) and a controller with embedded proprietary software. The actuator would be part of an industrial system with sufficient onboard processing hardware to accommodate the controller.
Commercial Potential
This technology is a combined scheme of identification and torque control for rotary hydraulic actuators. It can readily be applied to linear hydraulic actuators.
Hydraulic actuators are widely used in industrial applications such as robotic manipulators, forestry, earth moving, mining, material handling, construction sites, and manufacturing automation where large power-to-mass ratio is required.
The Business Opportunity
In practice, it is difficult to control a hydraulic actuator precisely—and, thus, also a mechatronic system—because the force/torque generated by the actuator is affected by the actuator's own motion and that of the load. This technology innovation allows rotary and linear hydraulic actuators to generate a precise amount of torque, regardless of the actuator motion.
Commercial hydraulic actuators incorporating the invention will improve in performance significantly where high torque/force and precise control are required, such as in industrial robotics and automation. In certain applications, this invention would have a competitive advantage over existing hydraulic actuators in the marketplace.
Technology Transfer Details
Une licence de commercialisation est disponible pour cette technologie.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50719
Patents
US 7,403,826
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Adaptive Output Force Control of Hydraulic Cylinders
The Technology
Commercial hydraulic actuator testing systems are available and in-house designed hydraulic testing systems are employed in the industry. Furthermore, test beds for hydraulic actuators have been developed for research purposes in universities. However, these commercial and research test systems do not seem to use an approach based on the adaptive output force control of hydraulic cylinders. This technology establishes the dynamic equivalency between electrically driven motors and hydraulically driven cylinders.
Commercial Potential
The demand for hydraulic actuators is well established and growing. They are used in a variety of industrial applications.
The product derived from this innovation may be in the form of a software module together with a sophisticated parameter tuning procedure; it would be implemented by the end-user within the user's test facility. Alternatively, it could be a fully functional test bed with load sensors, electronic cabling, microprocessors, displays, software and, ancillary mechanical elements. This test bed could support and drive the actuator during testing and automatically implement the testing procedures.
The Business Opportunity
Canadian Space Agency engineers have developed an innovative method for the emulation of electrical actuation by using hydraulic actuators for robotic systems. From this invention a commercial product could be created that has a control algorithm, including a software package. It also offers a sophisticated parameter tuning procedure for adaptive control of hydraulic actuators and ancillary equipment for robotic applications.
It can be used to significantly increase the output force control performance of hydraulic actuators by compensating 95% of the piston friction. It has applications for both free-motion and contact tasks.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50699
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
Email: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Adaptive Control of Harmonic Drives
The Technology
The innovation significantly improves the control performance of harmonic drives by using a proprietary control algorithm (i.e., software and a sophisticated parameter tuning procedure) together with a flexspline torque sensor. The conventional adaptive controller is modified to use torque sensor measurements and has been tested on four types of harmonic drives.
This technology can be easily incorporated in motion/force control of robot manipulators based on either the torque control interface or the virtual power flow principal that defines each dynamic coupling between a joint and a robot.
Commercial Potential
Various technologies are currently used to control harmonic drives in industrial applications. Each of these technologies has limitations that result in imperfect robotic motion control performance.
This invention offers a competitive control system for harmonic drives that are used in robotics and mechatronic systems.
Harmonic drives are used to control motion in applications requiring precise positional accuracy and repeatability, such as in precision machining, factory automation, robotics, and aerospace applications.
The Business Opportunity
Harmonic drives are widely used in robotic applications due to their compactness and ease of use. However, performance is always limited because of friction and flexibility issues.
This innovative adaptive controller is able to take into account the flexspline dynamics, to compensate for the friction, and to handle the uncertainties of dynamic parameters simultaneously. It would confer competitive advantage to a harmonic drive manufacturer with its improved motion and torque control performance, particularly for demanding robotic applications.
Technology Transfer Details
A commercialization license for this technology is available.
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50718
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
A Robust-Performance Approach to Impedance-Matching of Robots Interacting with Unknown Environments
The Technology
This invention represents the development of a method to emulate a target robot operating in a complex environment with the use of an actual robot. The actual robot serves to replicate the dynamic behaviour of the target robot without relying on complex contact dynamic calculations. Experimental results have demonstrated the invention to achieve robust performance.
Commercial Potential
The emulation method described by the subject invention may have commercial application in the validation of robots working in harsh environments, such as space and undersea robots. In addition, military applications may include control of mine-defusing robots and emulation of undersea robotic arms, remotely operated vehicles, and docking satellites. Retrofitting the proposed impedance controller into existing industrial robots is expected to generate improved robustness and performance.
The Business Opportunity
Emulating robots are required to verify the functionality of robots performing contact tasks in harsh environments. Control of the emulating robot is very challenging; it requires matching the contact force frequency-response of the emulating robot and that of the actual robot, attenuating sensitivity to force sensor noise, while maintaining contact stability in spite of uncertain environmental impedance and inaccurate emulating robot dynamics model.
This technology is available for license and serves to optimally change the impedance of a robot to any desired complex impedance (e.g., that of a flexible space robot) while ensuring contact stability for a class of prescribed environments. Such an impedance control method can be applied to a high-fidelity emulating robot system where the objective is to assign a prescribed impedance to the emulating robot.
Technology Transfer Details
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50748
Patents
US 7,688,016
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Method and System of Increasing Signal-To-Noise Ratio of Multi-Dimensional Data
The Technology
This invention comprises proprietary techniques to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of multi-dimensional data (i.e. data cubes) by removing noise in the data. It has been applied to increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of acquired hyperspectral imageries for improving remote sensing applications. This invention can also be used to areas where increasing SNR of multi-dimensional data is demanded, such as, 3-dimensional medical imagery. The techniques are implemented in software using conventional programming tools.
In some applications the invention may include specialized hardware to accommodate high performance computation. At this stage of product development the invention comprises only the software component and additional effort is required to design and optimize auxiliary high performance computational hardware.
Commercial Potential
The invention has commercial potential in applications of optical, radar and other form of images. The invention can improve the SNR and data usefulness for commercial end-users in government (surveillance), university, and industry (i.e. agriculture, mining, and forestry). The invention can also improve the SNR in 3D medical imaging applications (i.e. MRI, positron emission topography, enhanced ultrasound and computed tomography modalities), resulting in sharper images.
The Business Opportunity
Both the remote sensing and medical imaging markets recognize the need for high image quality to improve the usefulness of imagery. As such, commercial applications of the technology include enhancing raw imagery data processing, providing customized data processing services to end-users, and enhancing image quality in medical imaging.
This technology is available for license and provides a means for achieving higher signal-to-noise ratio requirements (e.g. elevate SNR in the range of 500:1 to 1000:1), which may result in sales of new and archived imagery data for remote sensing imagery receptors. In addition, the invention will provide for increased clarity and image definition for medical imaging equipment and software receptors.
Technology Transfer Details
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50769
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Velocity Estimation by Using Imperfect Accelerometer and Encoder for Rigid Contact Modeling and Control
The Technology
Accurate estimation of end effector velocity is critical in robotic applications involving high bandwidth modeling and control. The invention comprises two approaches for accurate velocity estimation, namely (1) two-channel approach and (2) observer-based approach, by using accurate position measurements and inaccurate acceleration measurements. A standard encoder and a solid-state accelerometer are required for the implementation. The signals from these devices are combined in the robot controller and processed using the proprietary algorithm (including the gain and offset parameter adaptation), which can be readily embedded into generic robot controller software.
Commercial Potential
The invention has application in both modeling and real-time control of robots where high frequency components of the velocity are required to perform accurate simulation and control. The most commercially attractive application for the invention is in haptic devices for surgery and related teleoperations. The invention would allow these devices to achieve a higher degree of haptic fidelity and force control. Potential users for this invention include manufacturers of haptic interfaces for robot-assisted surgical procedures and for simulation and surgical training.
The Business Opportunity
In rigid contact robot applications it is very difficult to achieve force control for tip contact with a solid surface or other features such as corners where there is sudden change in direction. The invention provides a smoother contact and continuous grasping of the rigid target by the robot.
This technology is available for licensing. There is an opportunity for this invention to improve the haptic interface performance in surgical simulations. Also, existing manufactures of surgical robots with haptic interfaces may be able to incorporate the invention into their existing system to improve the tactile experience by the surgeon.
Technology Transfer Details
The business opportunity may be referred to by its CSA case ID: 50779
Commercialization Contact
Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-5800
Fax: (450) 926-4613
E-mail: iptt@asc-csa.gc.ca
Patented Technologies
The Canadian Space Agency owns a number of technologies not described in this guide that are patented in Canada and the United States. Copies of the patents are available from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Some of these technologies may already be licensed to companies. Therefore, please contact the CSA Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer (IPM&TT) for more information about available licenses: IPTT@asc-csa.gc.ca.
Technologies patented in Canada
Technologies patented in the United States
* This patent is jointly owned by the Canadian Space Agency, Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology, and Thomson-CSF Optronics Canada, Inc.
