Systematic convergence of nonlinear stochastic estimators on the Special Orthogonal Group SO(3)

This paper introduces two novel nonlinear stochastic attitude estimators developed on the Special Orthogonal Group with the tracking error of the normalized Euclidean distance meeting predefined transient and steady‐state characteristics. The tracking error is confined to initially start within a predetermined large set such that the transient performance is guaranteed to obey dynamically reducing boundaries and decrease smoothly and asymptotically to the origin in probability from almost any initial condition. The proposed estimators produce accurate attitude estimates with remarkable convergence properties using measurements obtained from low‐cost inertial measurement units. The estimators proposed in continuous form are complemented by their discrete versions for the implementation purposes. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed estimators against uncertain measurements and large initialization error, whether in continuous or discrete form.     

Packet loss detection in networked control systems

One of the main issues related to the reliable operation of network control systems concerns the design of mechanisms able to detect anomalies in the functioning of the communication network through which the control loops are closed. In this article, we address the problem of detecting the occurrence of packet losses and design a mechanism that can detect the occurrence of packet losses directly from process sensor data. Specifically, we propose a moving‐horizon estimation scheme that permits to detect if the packet‐loss rate exceeds prescribed thresholds, which are representative of stability and performance of the control system. We discuss theoretical properties of the proposed solution along with an approximation scheme with reduced computational burden. A numerical example is discussed to substantiate the analysis.     

H∞ control for uncertain one‐sided Lipschitz nonlinear systems in finite frequency domain

The current article discusses the H_∞ disturbance attenuation control design problem for one‐sided Lipschitz systems in finite frequency domain. Models containing norm‐bounded parameter uncertainties, disturbances, and input nonlinearities are considered. By contrast to existing full frequency methods, the H_∞ controller is computed depending on the frequency ranges of disturbances. The finite frequency disturbance attenuation index is initially defined. Thanks to Finsler's lemma, sufficient and less conservative analysis conditions are also derived for the closed‐loop system. Then, synthesis conditions in the low, middle, and high frequency ranges as well as the whole frequency range, are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities. At last, to prove the effectiveness and the superiority of the proposed approach, a physical example is used and a comparative study is done.     

Multiplane displays based on liquid crystals for AR applications

Multiplane displays are capable of displaying 3D scenes with correct focus cues by creating multilayer 2D images in the display volume. Hence, such a 3D display technique could effectively address the accommodation‐vergence conflict (AVC) problem, which is prevalent in augmented reality (AR) displays. In this paper, we review the recent progress on multiplane AR displays based on liquid crystals (LCs) for AR applications. The working principle of multiplane AR displays is illustrated, the electro‐optical properties of the tunable LC devices are investigated and display prototypes are demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the prospects and challenges of multiplane AR displays based on LCs.     

Differences between oculomotor and perceptual artifacts for temporally limited head mounted displays

We used perceptual and oculomotor measures to understand the negative impacts of low (phantom array) and high (motion blur) duty cycles with a high‐speed, AR‐likehead‐mounted display prototype. We observed large intersubject variability for the detection of phantom array artifacts but a highly consistent and systematic effect on saccadic eye movement targeting during low duty cycle presentations. This adverse effect on saccade endpoints was also related to an increased error rate in a perceptual discrimination task, showing a direct effect of display duty cycle on the perceptual quality. For high duty cycles, the probability of detecting motion blur increased during head movements, and this effect was elevated at lower refresh rates. We did not find an impact of the temporal display characteristics on compensatory eye movements during head motion (e.g., VOR). Together, our results allow us to quantify the tradeoff of different negative spatiotemporal impacts of user movements and make subsequent recommendations for optimized temporal HMD parameters.     

Smart control of the assembly process with a fuzzy control system in the context of Industry 4.0

Assembly line balancing is important for the efficiency of the assembly process, however, a wide range of disruptions can break the current workload balance. Some researchers explored the task assignment plan for the assembly line balancing problem with the assumption that the assembly process is smooth with no disruption. Other researchers considered the impacts of disruptions, but they only explored the task re-assignment solutions for the assembly line re-balancing problem with the assumption that the re-balancing decision has been made already. There is limited literature exploring on-line adjustment solutions (layout adjustment and production rate adjustment) for an assembly line in a dynamic environment. This is because real-time monitoring of an assembly process was impossible in the past, and it is difficult to incorporate uncertainty factors into the balancing process because of the randomness and non-linearity of these factors. However, Industry 4.0 breaks the information barriers between different parts of an assembly line, since smart, connected products, which are enabled by advanced information and communication technology, can intelligently interact and communicate with each other and collect, process and produce information. Smart control of an assembly line becomes possible with the large amounts of real-time production data in the era of Industry 4.0, but there is little literature considering this new context. In this study, a fuzzy control system is developed to analyze the real-time information of an assembly line, with two types of fuzzy controllers in the fuzzy system. Type 1 fuzzy controller is used to determine whether the assembly line should be re-balanced to satisfy the demand, and type 2 fuzzy controller is used to adjust the production rate of each workstation in time to eliminate blockage and starvation, and increase the utilization of machines. Compared with three assembly lines without the proposed fuzzy control system, the assembly line with the fuzzy control system performs better, in terms of blockage ratio, starvation ratio and buffer level. Additionally, with the improvement of information transparency, the performance of an assembly line will be better. The research findings shed light on the smart control of the assembly process, and provide insights into the impacts of Industry 4.0 on assembly line balancing.     

Agent-based management of support systems for distributed brainstorming

In this paper, we describe the design and the management of an agent-based system that supports distributed brainstorming activities. The support system is a highly coordinated IoT application composed of many locally installed interface devices, multimedia communication functions, and cloud functions that process application logic and store meeting data. The system is designed to support a variety of brainstorming sessions, so its functionalities must be modifiable and enable the system to be adapted to different environments and user requirements without any loss of performance. System accessibility should be also ensured from any location for any user. These constraints require a flexible and usable support system.We further discuss the aspects of flexibility and usability that are important in a support system for distributed brainstorming, from which we propose a conceptual schema for flexible and usable support systems. To realize this schema, we present a resource-oriented architecture that can modify the brainstorming support system’s structure and functions. Flexibility is achieved thanks to an agent-based system that manages resources and operates on them according to users’ requests.We also describe the system architecture, which is organized around a set of channels dedicated to different services proposed to the users. We present in detail a video channel that ensures user awareness during synchronized activities. We then conduct several experiments verifying the usability of important channels in the architecture and present the results of these experiments.Finally, we discuss experimental scenarios that show how the system owes its adaptability to management based on an agent organization that supports distributed brainstorming and other activities.     

Perception‐aware autonomous mast motion planning for planetary exploration rovers

Highly accurate real‐time localization is of fundamental importance for the safety and efficiency of planetary rovers exploring the surface of Mars. Mars rover operations rely on vision‐based systems to avoid hazards as well as plan safe routes. However, vision‐based systems operate on the assumption that sufficient visual texture is visible in the scene. This poses a challenge for vision‐based navigation on Mars where regions lacking visual texture are prevalent. To overcome this, we make use of the ability of the rover to actively steer the visual sensor to improve fault tolerance and maximize the perception performance. This paper answers the question of where and when to look by presenting a method for predicting the sensor trajectory that maximizes the localization performance of the rover. This is accomplished by an online assessment of possible trajectories using synthetic, future camera views created from previous observations of the scene. The proposed trajectories are quantified and chosen based on the expected localization performance. In this study, we validate the proposed method in field experiments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Yard. Furthermore, multiple performance metrics are identified and evaluated for reducing the overall runtime of the algorithm. We show how actively steering the perception system increases the localization accuracy compared with traditional fixed‐sensor configurations.     

Zone model predictive control for pressure management of water distribution network

In the water distribution network (WDN), although the water demand of the node is changing constantly, the water quantity and water pressure of the node need to be met at each moment. To realize energy saving and consumption reduction, it is proposed to control the nodal water head of WDN in an appropriate narrow range. The frequent large fluctuation of the water demand, which may lead the water pressure exceed the expected range, increases the difficulty of the zone control. To realize optimized WND control, a novel zone predictive control is proposed, where two switching cases are considered. The switching condition is whether there are feasible solutions to keep the pressure within the expected region over the prediction horizon. When the condition is satisfied, the controller minimizes the variation of inputs with constraints of pressure range for ensuring the tank level staying within the expected zone and obtaining optimal economic cost. When the current pressure is out of the expected region or the condition is not satisfied due to the large variation of water demand, a reference trajectory of outputs is introduced, which is combined with the inputs as an optimization variable, and the constraints of expected zone are moved from the output to the introduced reference trajectory. Through minimizing the distance between reference trajectory and output, the controller will keep the tank level from deviating too far from the expected zone and will drive the tank level rapidly into the expected zone once the tank level exceeds the expected range. An application of the proposed zone MPC to WDN in Shinan District of Shanghai is given to illustrate its effectiveness.     

空冷器用高压水清洗与雾化降温系统集成设计与开发

高压水清洗系统和喷淋降温系统分别是春季保持空冷器翅片表面清洁和夏季保证空冷器在高温下正常运行的2个重要辅助系统。针对喷淋系统的缺点研究了高压射流雾化技术,通过试验论证了高压水清洗与雾化降温系统集成的可行性和合理性。根据设计思路开发的集成系统已在山西某项目获得应用并取得了良好的使用效果,此高压水清洗与雾化降温集成系统中高压水发生装置及介质输送管路共用,产生的高压水射流雾化颗粒可达到60μm,夏季降温效果较传统喷淋降温效果大幅提升,水资源的利用率得到极大提高,系统性价比更高。