Robot learning through task identification

The operation of an autonomous mobile robot in a semi-structured environment is a complex, usually non-linear and partly unpredictable process. Lacking a theory of robot–environment interaction that allows the design of robot control code based on theoretical analysis, roboticists still have to resort to trial-and-error methods in mobile robotics.The RobotMODIC project aims to develop a theoretical understanding of a robot’s interaction with its environment, and uses system identification techniques to identify the system robot–task–environment. In this paper, we present two practical examples of the RobotMODIC process: mobile robot self-localisation and mobile robot training to achieve door traversal.In both examples, a transparent mathematical function is obtained that maps inputs–sensory perception in both cases–to output — location and steering velocity respectively. Analysis of the obtained models reveals further information about the way in which a task is achieved, the relevance of individual sensors, possible ways of obtaining more parsimonious models, etc.     

Knowledge-based control and case-based diagnosis based upon empirical knowledge and fuzzy logic for the SBR plant.

Because biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) involve a long time-delay and various disturbances, in general, skilled operators manually control the plant based on empirical knowledge. And operators usually diagnose the plant using similar cases experienced in the past. For the effective management of the plant, system automation has to be accomplished based upon operating recipes. This paper introduces automatic control and diagnosis based upon the operator's knowledge. Fuzzy logic was employed to design this knowledge-based controller because fuzzy logic can convert the linguistic information to rules. The controller can manage the influent and external carbon in considering the loading rate. The input of the controller is not the loading rate but the dissolved oxygen (DO) lag-time, which has a strong relation to the loading rate. This approach can replace an expensive sensor, which measures the loading rate and ammonia concentration in the reactor, with a cheaper DO sensor. The proposed controller can assure optimal operation and prevent the over-feeding problem. Case-based diagnosis was achieved by the analysis of profile patterns collected from the past. A new test profile was diagnosed by comparing it with template patterns containing normal and abnormal cases. The proposed control and diagnostic system will guarantee the effective and stable operation of WWTPs.     

Fabrication and frequency response of a complex ultrasonic transducer for multilayer evaluation

To characterize the thickness of a corrosive fluid system's coated facilities, such as pipes, tubes, tanks, and structural members, a complex ultrasonic transducer capable of measuring multilayered parts was fabricated and the time and frequency responses were evaluated. The target transducer was constructed with two active dual elements made from tape-cast PbNb₂O₆ sheets and an additional thin-film active element made from sol–gel spin-coated Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ films. After adjusting the properties of each active element, a complex transducer was assembled after matching the impedance of each element and considering the minimal interference between the active layers. The impulse response of the assembled complex transducer shows excellent characteristics. Moreover, the assembled transducer's capability of accurately measuring the thickness assures that it can be directly applied to related industries.     

OPAH a model for optimal design of multipurpose small hydropower plants

The investment in small hydropower plants requires the analysis of hydrological, technical, operational, budgetary, economical and financial aspects. The analysis of each possible configuration demands the joint action of several technicians, consuming substantial time and money. During initial design of the project, simplified procedures are usually adopted which may compromise the quality of the base configuration.In this paper we will present a global overview of the OPAH model, which was developed to surpass these limitations. This global model performs the optimization of project configuration. This model uses non-linear programming optimization to analyze the multipurpose operation of the hydropower plant. It uses a numeric simulation model of unsteady flow under pressure to analyze the hydraulic circuit. It uses an economical and financial simulation model that takes in to account the project risk associated to hydrologic and market variability, the financial capacity of the investor and the fiscal aspects.     

Simulation of humidity control and greenhouse temperature tracking in a growth chamber using a passive air conditioning unit

In this paper, we define a dynamic discrete model of a passive air conditioning unit, without the more typical compression or absorption-refrigeration cycle. The unit is composed of heat exchangers, a positioning system and humid corrugated pads. The aim of the study was to follow the temperature in a greenhouse and to replicate it with a desired and stable relative humidity in a ventilated growth chamber. A control law, based on a quadratic criterion and dynamic programming, taking output error and energy consumption minimisation into account, was used to control the behaviour of the unit in spite of air intake disturbances. The results of the simulation indicate that the air conditioning unit can produce a variable climate in the growth chamber, with a wide range of relative humidity setpoints.     

Electronic technique for temperature compensation of fibre Bragg gratings sensors

Optical sensors composed of fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) are becoming a choice for a wide range of sensing applications. However, in order to manufacture temperature independent sensors, it is necessary to compensate for the intrinsic temperature dependence of the FBG. In this letter we present an extremely effective, simple and low cost novel technique for stabilising the bias point of an interrogation current amplitude detection system which uses a laser diode source and a pair of matched FBGs. An electronic feedback control circuit measures the wavelength shift due to temperature variations in a reference FBG and actuates on the laser diode temperature, to induce changes in its wavelength output and compensate for the temperature dependence of the FBG sensor.     

Stabilization of fixed modes in expansions of LTI systems

The objective of this note is to propose a method for stabilization of structurally fixed modes in expansions of LTI dynamic systems in the scope of overlapping decentralized control design based on the expansion/contraction framework, enabling successful design for a broader class of problems than considered so far. The method is based on a judicious choice of complementary matrices in the expanded space. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate simplicity and efficiency of the proposed approach.     

Integration of prior knowledge of measurement noise in kernel density classification

Samples can be measured with different precisions and reliabilities in different experiments, or even within the same experiment. These varying levels of measurement noise may deteriorate the performance of a pattern recognition system, if not treated with care. Here we seek to investigate the benefit of incorporating prior knowledge about measurement noise into system construction. We propose a kernel density classifier which integrates such prior knowledge. Instead of using an identical kernel for each sample, we transform the prior knowledge into a distinct kernel for each sample. The integration procedure is straightforward and easy to interpret. In addition, we show how to estimate the diverse measurement noise levels in a real world dataset. Compared to the basic methods, the new kernel density classifier can give a significantly better classification performance. As expected, this improvement is more obvious for small sample size datasets and large number of features.     

Phase transition of LCP fluids confined in nanochannels through MD simulation

Manipulation of molecular orientation alignment in MCTLCPs (main-chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers) by pure shear at nano scale has been investigated for the first time using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Results indicate that high planar shear induces long-range uniform orientation ordering (liquid crystalline phase) of initially randomly orientated molecules of MCTLCP fluid confined in a nanochannel, which is confirmed by analyzing the orientation order parameter and the snapshots of MCTLCP liquid in a nanochannel under different shear rates. Insights into the origin of the phase transition phenomena are given at molecular level through investigating the thermodynamic density distribution of MCTLCP molecules in the nanochannel, suggesting that the energy shift due to a radical jump of system density affects both the magnitude and the orientation of the molecular ordering. Simulation results also show that there is a critical shear rate for transforming isotropic phase into liquid crystalline phase. The critical shear rate is dependent on the temperature of the MCTLCP system. Findings in this paper may present useful information for processing TLCP molecules at nano scale and the understanding of nanoflow.     

The influence of Johnson–Cook material constants on finite element simulation of machining of AISI 316L steel

In literature, five different sets of work material constants used in the Johnson–Cook's (J–C) constitutive equation are implemented in a numerical model to describe the behaviour of AISI 316L steel. The aim of this research is to study the effects of five different sets of material constants of the J–C constitutive equation in finite-element modelling of orthogonal cutting of AISI 316L on the experimental and predicted cutting forces, chip morphology, temperature distributions and residual stresses. Several experimental equipments were used to estimate the experimental results, such as piezoelectric dynamometer for cutting forces measurements, thermal imaging system for temperature measurements and X-ray diffraction technique for residual stresses determination on the machined surfaces; while an elastic–viscoplastic FEM formulation was implemented to predict the local and global variables involved in this research. It has been observed that all the considered process output and, in particular the residual stresses are very sensitive to the J–C's material constants.