Improved nonlinear trajectory tracking using RBFNN for a robotic helicopter

This paper presents a backstepping control method using radial‐basis‐function neural network (RBFNN) for improving trajectory tracking performance of a robotic helicopter. Many well‐known nonlinear controllers for robotic helicopters have been constructed based on the approximate dynamic model in which the coupling effect is neglected; their qualitative behavior must be further analyzed to ensure that the unmodeled dynamics do not destroy the stability of the closed‐loop system. In order to improve the controller design process, the proposed controller is developed based on the complete dynamic model of robotic helicopters by using an RBFNN function approximation to the neglected dynamic uncertainties, and then proving that all the trajectory tracking error variables are globally ultimately bounded and converge to a neighborhood of the origin. The merits of the proposal controller are exemplified by four numerical simulations, showing that the proposed controller outperforms a well‐known controller in (J. Robust Nonlinear Control 2004; 14 (12):1035–1059). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust observer–controller compensator design using the loop shaping design procedure and the algebraic method

This paper investigates robust observer‐controller compensator design using Vidyasagar's structure (VS). VS has a unit matrix parameter H similar to the Q parameter for the Youla–Kucera parameterization. VS can be designed based on the left coprimeness of the central controller in the H_∞‐loop shaping design procedure (H_∞‐LSDP) and therefore can preserve the intrinsic properties of the H_∞‐LSDP. This paper introduces algebraic methods to simplify the design of H in the VS controller by solving specific algebraic equations. In particular, the algebraic design of H can achieve two things. First, a dynamic H adjusts the tracking performance and yields the integral action. Second, a dynamic H rejects the input and output sinusoidal disturbances with known frequencies. These attributes are indications of the flexibility of the proposed method since the output‐feedback controller design of the H_∞‐LSDP cannot easily deal with such conditions. This paper discusses the achieved loop and the closed‐loop behavior of the system with VS, and also gives two numerical examples. The first example shows that the proposed method results in a better design in many aspects than the resulting from H_∞‐LSDP. The second example shows the application of the proposed method to rejecting input and output step disturbances, and input and output multiple sinusoidal disturbances, for which the H_∞‐LSDP can hardly be used. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organic wavelength‐converting‐film‐based hybrid planar white light‐emitting diodes

Abstract— In this study, organic wavelength‐converting films (WCFs) applied to InGaN blue LED‐based hybrid planar WLED has been fabricated. The organic dye layer in the WCF was formed between the upper and bottom polymer sheets by using a simple roll‐laminating technique. Subsequently, the hybrid planar WLEDs have been fabricated based upon these films. The luminous efficiency of green WCF‐based hybrid planar WLEDs with a single blue LED chip was 34.6 lm/W and that of red‐WCF‐assisted green WCF‐based hybrid planar WLEDs was 27.3 lm/W under 20 mA. The use of WCF to fabricate hybrid planar WLEDs showed better stability than that of directly coating organic color‐convergence materials (CCMs) on the LED chips. It only decreased to about 10% of the initial wavelength‐converting intensity after 1 hour of continual operation at 20 mA.     

Laser‐irradiated zinc oxide thin‐film transistors fabricated by solution processing

Abstract— This study investigates the effects of subjecting zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films to laser irradiation. The optical, structural, and electrical properties of the as‐deposited and laser‐irradiated films at different laser energies were studied. The transmittances without/with laser irradiation showed a net increase from 85 to 92% (@550 nm) for 250‐nm ZnO films, indicating an improvement in sample crystal linity. In addition, laser treatment decreased the ZnO band gap. Composition structure analysis shows that the crystallinity increased when the laser energy increased. Thin‐film transistors (TFTs) with a ZnO active layer were fabricated. The mobility of as‐deposited ZnO TFT devices (0.19 cm²/V‐sec) increased more than 2.5 times for ZnO of unirradiated laser treatment (0.49 cm²/V‐sec).     

Device reliability under electrical stress and photo response of oxide TFTs

Abstract— The stability of oxide TFTs has been the main focus of this research and is probably the most crucial requirement for the successful application to flat‐panel displays. Although the high Fermi level of oxide semiconductors makes TFTs basically stable under electrical stress, the device reliability under diverse variations of electrical stress is affected by materials such as active semiconductors and gate insulators, processes for the formation of back/front channels and passivation layers, and device configurations among other things. How these factors affect the device reliability have been investigated and a review of the stability is presented. In addition, several categories of the light instability of oxide TFTs is presented and the origin is discussed.     

Single‐cell‐gap transflective liquid‐crystal display and the use of photoalignment technology

Abstract— In this paper, transflective liquid‐crystal‐display (LCD) technology will be reviewed, and several new single‐cell‐gap transflective LCD configurations are proposed. Photoalignment technology is studied especially for transflective‐LCD applications. In order to realize the optimal performance of the display as well as a matched transmittance/reflectance voltage curve (TVC/RVC) for the transflective configurations, two different single‐cell‐gap transflective‐LCD approaches will be discussed. The first one is the dual‐mode single‐cell‐gap approach, in which different liquid‐crystal modes are applied to the transmissive and reflective subpixels of the transflective LCD. The other approach is the single‐mode s ingle‐cell‐gap approach, in which an in‐cell retardation film is applied to adjust the performance and TVC/RVC matching of a transflective LCD. Photoalignment technology is used to fabricate the dual‐mode liquid‐crystal cell in the first approach and also the in‐cell retardation film in the second approach. Prototypes of the proposed configurations have been fabricated, which show good performance and a matched TVC/RVC.     

Optimum design of electromagnetic shielding rooms with minimum usage of absorbing materials

In this article, a novel method has been proposed to optimize the electromagnetic shielding rooms. This method is based on using minimum electromagnetic absorbing materials on the inner surface of the rooms. The positions of the absorbing materials are found optimally to produce a “best” performance for the shielding rooms. The ray‐tracing method is used to predict the shielding effectiveness (SE) of the electromagnetic shielding rooms with apertures. The performance of the proposed method is verified by a comprehensive example. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 2010.     

Filling gaps in diameter measurements on standing tree boles in the urban forest of Thessaloniki,Greece

Missing data are omnipresent in forestry research, and this poses problems in the analysis of primary data. Many statistical problems have been viewed as missing data problems. To cope with incomplete data, several methods are currently being used. They are all based on assumptions some of which might not be valid in a particular case. The choice mostly depends on the objective of the study. Considerable mensuration research is motivated by the need for yield projections that can support forest management decisions. This paper is focused on a new approach for filling gaps in diameter measurements on standing tree boles. Dealing with this problem, an attempt was made to examine the applicability of artificial neural network models for missing data estimation and to use the estimated values in the subsequent analysis. The procedure that should be followed in the development of such models is outlined. The results show good performance of the examined ANN models compared to regression treatments for missing data and ANN models demonstrate their adequacy and potential for filling gaps in diameter measurements on standing tree boles. The ANN models applied in this study are sufficiently general and have great potential to be applicable for estimating the missing values of many variables in environmental applications.     

Understanding user requirements and preferences for a digital library Web portal

This article reports the findings of a user study conducted in the context of the TELplus project to gain insights about user needs and preferences for the digital library services offered by The European Library Web portal. The user requirements collection for the Web portal was designed by adopting a comprehensive survey approach. This combined explicit user feedback with implicit usage data so as to provide a more in-depth analysis of user experience with the portal. The analysis conducted shed light on likely motivations for both participant usage and reluctance to use the services provided, leading to more informed decisions on how to refine, improve, and present Web portal services to their future users. The lessons learnt from this case study also contributed to the development of an integrated methodological framework which provided insights for the future design and evaluation of digital library Web portals and services.