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.     

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.     

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。     

2种灰色模型在矿区地表沉陷预计中的适用性

目前矿区地表单点沉陷动态预计方法主要基于传统的水准测量数据,监测方法单一,成本高,观测点易破坏,不能保证地表形变信息的实时性,且采用灰色模型进行地表沉陷预计时只针对单一模型的应用,没有结合模型自身特点分析其适用性。以袁店二矿7221工作面为试验区域,采用合成孔径雷达差分干涉测量技术监测矿区地表沉陷量,分别建立了描述沉陷量与时间关系的GM(1,1)与灰色Verhulst模型进行地表沉陷量预计,实现了矿区地表沉陷监测与动态预计一体化。通过比较、分析GM(1,1)与灰色Verhulst模型对地表沉陷量的拟合及预计结果,得出了2种灰色模型在矿区地表沉陷预计中的适用性:在矿区开采沉陷开始至活跃前期,若地表单点沉陷量曲线呈近似单峰型,则宜采用GM(1,1)进行短期预计;当矿区地表沉陷进入衰退阶段,单点沉陷量曲线呈平底饱和状态,则宜采用灰色Verhulst模型进行中长期预计。     

基于模拟退火优化BP神经网络的变形监测数据预测方法

针对BP神经网络模型用于变形监测数据处理时容易陷入局部极小值并且收敛速度慢的问题，提出一种基于模拟退火(Simulated Annealing,SA)算法优化BP神经网络的建筑物变形预测方法，利用SA的全局寻优能力对BP神经网络的模型参数进行优化，使参数迭代过程始终保持较高的“温度”和“能量”，从而确保BP神经网络能够得到全局最优解的同时具备较高的预测精度和收敛速度。采用实际算例对所提SA-BP方法在低信噪比和小样本条件下的预测精度进行验证，结果表明所提方法相对于传统BP神经网络法和小波方法能够获得更高的预测精度，并且在小样本和低信噪比条件下优势更加明显。     

精细注水配套工艺技术优化研究

本文通过对注水配套工艺的优化研究,有效提高奈曼油田分注率和配注合格率,提高精细注水开发效果。     

储能水管-冲击式水轮机发电系统设计及发电效益分析

为充分利用高层建筑物内部的水能包括生活污水及高层建筑物顶楼雨水,可将其转化为电能。由此设计的储能水管-冲击式水轮机装置即通过冲击式水轮机和发电机将高层建筑物内部储存的生活污水及雨水的势能转变为可供使用的电能,并通过建立单户用水模拟模型,设置储能水管对30、100层建筑进行发电模拟。模拟结果表明,储能水管-冲击式水轮机发电具有很好的发电效益和节能减排社会效益,获得了日发电过程中冲击式水轮机的水头变换和启停特性,为该系统中冲击式水轮机的个性设计提供了依据。     

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。