A novel data-driven approach to support decision-making during production scale-up of assembly systems

In today's manufacturing settings, a sudden increase in the customer demand may enforce manufacturers to alter their manufacturing systems either by adding new resources or changing the layout within a restricted time frame. Without an appropriate strategy to handle this transition to higher volume, manufacturers risk losing their market competitiveness. The subjective experience-based ad-hoc procedures existing in the industrial domain are insufficient to support the transition to a higher volume, thereby necessitating a new approach where the scale-up can be realised in a timely, systematic manner. This research study aims to fulfill this gap by proposing a novel Data-Driven Scale-up Model, known as DDSM, that builds upon kinematic and Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) models. These models are further enhanced by historical production data and knowledge representation techniques. The DDSM approach identifies the near-optimal production system configurations that meet the new customer demand using an iterative design process across two distinct levels, namely the workstation and system levels. At the workstation level, a set of potential workstation configurations are identified by utilising the knowledge mapping between product, process, resource and resource attribute domains. Workstation design data of selected configurations are streamlined into a common data model that is accessed at the system level where DES software and a multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (GA) are used to support decision-making activities by identifying potential system configurations that provide optimum scale-up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For the optimisation study, two conflicting objectives: scale-up cost and production throughput are considered. The approach is employed in a battery module assembly pilot line that requires structural modifications to meet the surge in the demand of electric vehicle powertrains. The pilot line is located at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, where the production data is captured to initiate and validate the workstation models. Conclusively, it is ascertained by experts that the approach is found useful to support the selection of suitable system configuration and design with significant savings in time, cost and effort.     

Segmentation by Continuous Latent Semantic Analysis for Multi-structure Model Fitting

International Journal of Computer Vision - In this paper, we propose a novel continuous latent semantic analysis fitting method, to efficiently and effectively estimate the parameters of model...     

基于CAN总线的嵌入式智能防褥疮气垫床的设计

针对家庭护理问题,设计并实现了基于CAN总线的嵌入式智能防褥疮气垫床.阐述了该智能气垫床的硬件系统设计,软件系统设计及实现方法.气垫床控制模块由AT90CAN128单片机、气垫床、压力传感器、气泵和电磁阀门等构成.采用S3C2440作为主控制模块,以WindowsCE操作系统为核心开发的人机交互界面(HMI)通过CAN总线实时传递各个功能模块命令,能够实现气垫床的预定功能,给出了实验实测数据,并且能够实现即插即用的模块化设计.     

以ARM为核心的嵌入式体感遥控器设计

介绍一种以ARM为核心的嵌入式服务机器人体感遥控器的设计。硬件上,本遥控器采用具有ARM Cortex—M3内核的STM32F103C8T6作为核心处理器,选用ST公司的iNEMO惯性导航模块进行手部姿态的识别,同时还具有LCD显示模块、无线收发模块和电源模块;软件上,采用嵌入式操作系统μC／OS—Ⅱ实现多任务的调度和外围设备的管理。经实验验证,本遥控器具有高稳定性、高实时性、高可靠性、低误码率等优点。     

Integrating local action elements for action analysis

In this paper, we propose a framework for human action analysis from video footage. A video action sequence in our perspective is a dynamic structure of sparse local spatial–temporal patches termed action elements, so the problems of action analysis in video are carried out here based on the set of local characteristics as well as global shape of a prescribed action. We first detect a set of action elements that are the most compact entities of an action, then we extend the idea of Implicit Shape Model to space time, in order to properly integrate the spatial and temporal properties of these action elements. In particular, we consider two different recipes to construct action elements: one is to use a Sparse Bayesian Feature Classifier to choose action elements from all detected Spatial Temporal Interest Points, and is termed discriminative action elements. The other one detects affine invariant local features from the holistic Motion History Images, and picks up action elements according to their compactness scores, and is called generative action elements. Action elements detected from either way are then used to construct a voting space based on their local feature representations as well as their global configuration constraints. Our approach is evaluated in the two main contexts of current human action analysis challenges, action retrieval and action classification. Comprehensive experimental results show that our proposed framework marginally outperforms all existing state-of-the-arts techniques on a range of different datasets.     

Distributed Proportional-spatial Derivative control of nonlinear parabolic systems via fuzzy PDE modeling approach

In this paper, a distributed fuzzy control design based on Proportional-spatial Derivative (P-sD) is proposed for the exponential stabilization of a class of nonlinear spatially distributed systems described by parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Initially, a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy parabolic PDE model is proposed to accurately represent the nonlinear parabolic PDE system. Then, based on the T-S fuzzy PDE model, a novel distributed fuzzy P-sD state feedback controller is developed by combining the PDE theory and the Lyapunov technique, such that the closed-loop PDE system is exponentially stable with a given decay rate. The sufficient condition on the existence of an exponentially stabilizing fuzzy controller is given in terms of a set of spatial differential linear matrix inequalities (SDLMIs). A recursive algorithm based on the finite-difference approximation and the linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques is also provided to solve these SDLMIs. Finally, the developed design methodology is successfully applied to the feedback control of the Fitz-Hugh-Nagumo equation.     

Multi-agent systems for protecting critical infrastructures: A survey

Multi-agent systems have emerged as a very significant platform in provisioning distributed and collaborative services to critical applications. Such applications require ubiquitous agent presence in the environment for monitoring, collecting data, communication, and subsequent data analysis, where the sensitivity of the application's nature cannot be understated. Recent advances in the field of autonomous, ubiquitous, intelligent and distributed computing have led to corresponding developments in the use of collaborating multi-agents to protect critical infrastructures. Such systems have witnessed crucial demand for deployment in diverse application scenarios such as E-commerce, E-health, Network Intrusion Detection, Telematics and Transport Systems, Environmental Monitoring, as well as for distributed information processing in general. Critical infrastructures have longed for a distributed system in place for their uninterrupted and accurate operations. Multi-agents have provided one such approach towards addressing the issue of protecting such infrastructures through collaborative and distributed information processing. In this paper, a state-of-the-art on the use of multi-agent based systems for protecting five most common critical infrastructures, is presented.     

Optimal Performance in Tracking Stochastic Signal Under Disturbance Rejection

The analysis method of optimal tracking performance is proposed for multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) linear time‐invariant (LTI) systems under disturbance rejection. An H₂ criterion of the error signal between the output of the plant and the reference signal is used as a measure for the tracking performance. Spectral factorization is applied to obtain the optimal solution of the system tracking error. The explicit expressions are derived for this minimal tracking error with respect to random reference signals under disturbance rejection. It is shown that the nonminimum phase zeros, the zero direction, the unstable poles, the pole direction of a given plant, statistical characteristics of the reference input signal, and disturbance signal have a negative effect on a feedback system's ability to reduce the system error with disturbance rejection. The results show that the optimal tracking performance will further be damaged because of disturbance rejection. Some typical examples are given to illustrate the theoretical results.     

Stability of Impulsive Stochastic Neutral Partial Differential Equations With Infinite Delays

In this paper, we study the existence and asymptotic stability in the pth moment of the mild solutions to impulsive stochastic neutral partial differential equations with infinite delays. Sufficient conditions ensuring the stability of the impulsive stochastic system are established. The results are obtained via the Banach fixed point theorem.     

Comparative study on economic contribution rate of education of China and foreign countries based on soft computing method

Economic contribution rate of education (ECRE) is the key factor of education economics. This article selected China, South Korea, United States and other countries for a total of 15 samples, and put the data of the same period under the framework of soft computing, to simulate the production chain of “education–potential human capital–actual human capital–economic growth”. The basic idea is: Firstly, 15 countries are softly categorized according to the level of science and technology (S&T) progress. Secondly, potential human capital and actual human capital establish the internal correlation (fuzzy mapping) in the same classification, and we conceptualize actual human capital as one production factor, joined with the other two production factors, fixed asset and land, to set up the fuzzy mapping to economic growth., and then calculate economic contribution rate of education of China and foreign by two fuzzy mapping of them. Thirdly, this paper analyzes the present state and differences in the development of education between China and foreign according to different ECRE, and offers proposals for promoting the education in China.