Three medals for AGH UST at “IWIS 2015”

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Scientists and researchers of the AGH University of Science and Technology won three medals at the 9th International Warsaw Invention Show “IWIS 2015”, which took place on 11-13 October, 2015.  

• Platinum medal 

“A hybrid solar energy converter” 

Authors: professor Krzysztof Wojciechowski – Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, and Konstanty Marszałek, DSc – Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications 

 

The converter contains a concave mirror, which is also a selective mirror reflecting infrared radiation for electromagnetic waves longer than 1.1 μm, as well as a transparent mirror for ultraviolet, visible and near infrared radiation (within wavelength from 0.8 to 1.1 μm). Behind the concave mirror there are photovoltaic cells, covering the projection of the entire surface of the concave mirror. In the principal focus of the mirror there is a thermoelectric module with a working fluid cooler sticking to its cold surface. The invention extends the range of converted solar energy from ultraviolet to far infrared, which increases the amount of electric energy that can obtained with the use of the device. The honoured solution is an innovation in the dynamically-developing field of renewable sources of energy. The invention has been granted a patent of the Polish Patent Office (11 September, 2015), and a patent application has also been submitted to the European Patent Office.

• Gold medal 

“Device for ultrafast X-ray imaging” 

Authors: professor Paweł Gryboś, professor Robert Szczygieł, Krzysztof Kasiński, DSc, Piotr Maj, DSc – Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatics, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering 

 

The compact ultrafast X-ray camera is a device which can record a 75 µm × 75 µm image made of 65,536 pixels with the speed of 20,000 frames per second. Each photon is processed individually by a detection module which has a surface area of 20 mm × 20 mm. The device enables the registration of impulses within a selected energy range, which results in the quality improvement of the recorded image. The camera can be used in new generation detection systems which use X-radiation (for example, in material tests, the analysis of chemical compounds, and medical imaging). An important part of the invention is a hybrid, pixel detection module – the heart of the camera, which can be easily used to build a detector of a large surface, which makes the range of applications even wider. Communication with the module is performed via standard interfaces: Ethernet, USB, Camera-Link. 

• Silver medal 

“System for monitoring changes in values and directions of stresses in the roof of mine or tunnel heading” 

Authors: professor Janusz Kwaśniewski, Ireneusz Dominik, DSc, Krzysztof Lalik, DSc – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics 

 

The device contains a propagation block for elastic ultrasound waves, which consists of ultrasonic transducers attached at the end of a number of rock bolts sticking out of the roof of a heading. A generating transducer is attached to the central rock bolt, and receiving transducers are attached to the other bolts – these transducers are connected one after another in the circuit of the propagation block by a switching module. The block of the analysis of changes contains a database of frequency changes of a self-excited system for each connected rock bolt. Thanks to the analysis of measurement results it is possible to develop an Internet map showing stresses in the tested part of a mine or tunnel heading. 

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