Synthesizing a uniformly spaced array pattern using integral operator for removing progressive phase shift

In this article, an analytical technique is introduced to obtain the excitation coefficients of uniformly spaced linear antenna arrays in order to achieve a desired array factor. By integration of the prescribed array factor, the array factor dependency to the progressive phase shift is eliminated. A new system of linear equations is consequently obtained whose solution represents the excitation coefficients of the array. Some examples are presented to verify the accuracy of the introduced method. The performance of this strategy is compared with those obtained by the other well‐known techniques such as Woodward‐Lawson and Fourier transform. It is shown that the presented method estimates the desired array pattern with a very good precision.     

Microwave bandpass filter by feedback interference topology

This paper proposes a signal feedback interference topology to control the characteristics of a coupled line bandpass filter. Control is carried out by varying the ratio of the transmission line parameters of the forward and the feedback couplers. The topology produces a compact filter that does not require a complicated design or fabrication. The results of the insertion and return losses show that the feedback‐controlled design has desirable features in terms of the design frequency, fractional bandwidth, stopband rejection level, roll‐off rate and insertion loss. The test results of the fabricated prototype achieved good agreement with the simulation results of the ideal transmission line design model. Several microwave, modern wireless and mobile/satellite communication systems may benefit from such a filter design due to its compactness and flexibility.     

User idea implementation in open innovation communities: Evidence from a new product development crowdsourcing community

In collaborative crowdsourcing communities for open innovation, users generate and submit ideas as idea co‐creators. Firms then select and implement valuable ideas for new product development. Despite the popularity and success of these open innovation communities, relatively little is known about the factors that determine the implementation of the user‐generated ideas. Based on research on individual creativity, we propose a conceptual model integrating users' previous experience, idea presentation characteristics and feedback valence to explain the likelihood of idea implementation. We validate our research model with a panel data analysis of 43 550 ideas submitted by 16 360 users in the MIUI new product development community hosted by Xiaomi, a large electronics manufacturing company in China. We find an inverted U‐shaped relationship between users' past successful experience and idea implementation. Furthermore, the length of ideas is positively associated with the likelihood of idea implementation. There is also an inverted U‐shaped relationship between supporting evidence and idea implementation. Finally, we demonstrate the negative effect of positive feedback and the positive effect of negative feedback on idea implementation. These findings offer rich insights to understand the phenomenon of open innovation better. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

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.     

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.     

α径迹法用于分辨高浓铀和Pu微粒的方法研究

擦拭样品微粒分析技术是核保障环境样品分析的一种主要手段，从大量灰尘颗粒中识别并定位含高浓铀（HEU）或含Pu微粒是微粒分析首先需要解决的问题。本文以HEU和Pu微粒为研究对象，建立了用于微粒α径迹测量的样品制备方法，采用CR-39固体径迹探测器为α径迹探测器，测量了不同蚀刻时间2种微粒产生的α径迹星的径迹参数。结果表明：可通过测量径迹短轴与曲率直径并作图来分辨HEU和Pu微粒，该方法对于蚀刻时间大于10 h的微粒径迹星，均能明显分辨，对于径迹非常密集的径迹星，也能准确分辨。     

浅谈不同给液方式在铜电解车间的应用

不同给液方式对铜电解过程中有重要的影响,不同的循环方式会影响槽内温度分布、电解液成分及阳极泥沉降等,因此,根据铜电解生产不同情况的需要,分析对比了多种给液方式在贵冶电解车间的应用,总结了这几种给液方式的优缺点和适用条件。     

一种压电半导体纳米线的热电耦合性能研究

采用有限元分析方法,研究了一种n型压电半导体纳米线(氧化锌)的电热耦合性能,分析了外部温度对氧化锌纳米线内部机械场、电场及电流场分布的影响,并讨论了本构方程线性化对电学参数的影响。研究结果表明,温度对氧化锌纳米线的电场、载流子浓度和电流密度影响很大,采用线性本构和非线性本构求得的电场、电子浓度和电流密度最大相差分别为24%,32%和68%,基于非线性本构分析压电半导体的电学性能会引起很大误差。该研究结果可为压电半导体器件利用温度调控电场、电流提供理论依据。     

浅析火力发电厂汽水系统中内径管与外径管的设计选择

按照管道加工工艺的不同,管道可分为内径控制管和外径控制管。通过热轧工艺生产的外径控制无缝钢管,可满足火力发电厂汽水系统中绝大部分管道的使用要求。对于超(超)临界机组的主蒸汽和高温再热蒸汽管道采用的P91/P92材质的大口径厚壁无缝钢管,由于对材料性能和加工工艺有特殊要求,因此宜采用内径控制管。