iShopFloor: an Internet-enabled agent-based intelligent shop floor

Global competition is driving manufacturing companies to change the way they do business. New kinds of shop floor control systems need to be implemented for these companies to respond quickly to changing shop floor environments and customer demands. This paper presents a new concept called iShopFloor-an intelligent shop floor based on the Internet, web, and agent technologies. It focuses on the implementation of distributed intelligence in the manufacturing shop floor. The proposed approach provides the framework for components of a complex control system to work together as a whole rather than as a disjoint set. It encompasses both information architecture and integration methodologies. The paper introduces the basic concept of iShopFloor, a generic system architecture, and system components. It also describes the implementation of eXtensible Markup Language message services in iShopFloor and the application of intelligent agents to distributed manufacturing scheduling. A prototype environment is presented, and some implementation issues are discussed.     

High-Tc dc-SQUID magnetometer and its application in eddy current non-destructive evaluation

We have fabricated and tested a high-T_c dc-SQUID magnetometer patterned on a YBCO thin film deposited on a SrTiO₃ bicrystal substrate. The measurement of noise spectrum at 77 K showed that the magnetometer has a white noise of 333 fT/Hz^1/2 without superconducting shield, corresponding to a flux sensitivity of 14.5 μΦ₀/Hz^1/2. We constructed a test system for eddy current non-destructive evaluation of conducting aluminum plates by using the magnetometer. Flaws over 10 mm below the surface can be clearly identified. By mapping the magnetic field distribution, we can locate the flaw position. The signals caused by flaw were expanded due to the use of double-D type driving coil with a wider central slit. The experimental results confirmed that this test system could operate in a magnetic unshielded environment.     

Pretreatment of Highly Polluted Pharmaceutical Waste Broth by Wet Air Oxidation

The preoxidation of a highly polluted waste pharmaceutical fermentation broth using wet air oxidation (WAO) has been studied as a possible method for the effective removal of organics. The applied (pre)treatment method should enhance the biotreatability of the pharmaceutical fermentation broth in terms of reduced initial toxicity and higher biodegradability. Preliminary experiments in the pilot biological treatment plant were successful only at low organic loads, whereas the system collapses at higher ones. The characterization of the fermentation broth was started by common physicochemical analysis, whereas several bioassays were used to determine its impact on biological treatment plants and the environment. Toxicity prior to and after WAO was determined using the acute Vibrio fischeri test, measurement of inhibition of O2 consumption, and the Daphnia magna acute test. Ready biodegradability of the treated and untreated broth has also been assessed. WAO experiments were accomplished in the 2?L batch reactor at different temperatures (240/280°C) and operating pressures. WAO experiments confirmed reduction of the toxicity toward microorganisms, whereas oxidized wastewater was more toxic to daphnids. Biodegradability of the oxidized broth has also been enhanced. Further work has been focused on designing appropriate combination of WAO and biological processes.     

Mesh network resiliency using GMPLS

The generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) is being developed as the control plane for the evolving photonic network. We describe how GMPLS can be used with mesh networks to provide efficient network resiliency. In particular we examine the key aspects of GMPLS that are used to support protection and restoration. We also study the various protection and restoration techniques, and we highlight the tradeoffs between recovery time and resource redundancy     

Magnetic induction micromachine-part I: Design and analysis

Most microscale electric and magnetic machines studied in the last decade lack the power density to support many practical applications. This paper introduces a design for a magnetic induction machine that offers power densities in excess of 200 MW/m/sup 3/ and efficiencies of up to 50%, while providing more than 10 W of mechanical power. This is a substantial performance increase in MEMS electromagnetic machines studied to date.     

A 16-Mbit/s adapter chip for the IBM token-ring local area network

The authors describe a 9.02×9.02-mm chip built in 1-μm CMOS with two levels of metal and an additional mask level for fabricating capacitors. It contains both analog and digital circuits and has provisions for self-test. The function includes the transmitter, receiver, protocol handler, an microprocessor, as well as interfaces for RAM/ROM storage, IBM PC bus, IBM PS/2 bus, IBM 3174 bus, and Motorola 68000 bus. The physical design terrains are formed by 24K circuits of standard cell gates, a 10K-circuit equivalent hand-honed custom microprocessor, and an analog macro. The chip operates from a single 5-V supply, and the power consumption is 0.8 W nominal at 16 Mb/s. The chip can also be operated at 4 Mb/s     

Web-based systems design: a study of contemporary practices and an explanatory framework based on “method-in-action”

This paper reports the findings of a detailed study of Web-based systems design (WBSD) practices in Ireland based on data collected over a 3-year period (2002–2005), the objectives of which were to (1) contribute towards a richer understanding of the current “real-world” context of WBSD by characterising the profile of a typical project (team size, timeframe, nature of requirements, etc.) and identifying the key challenges, constraints, and imperatives (i.e. “mediating factors”) faced by Web-based system designers, and (2) understand how those contextual parameters and mediating factors influence the activity of WBSD as regards the selection and enactment of whatever design practices are therefore engaged (i.e. the use of methods, procedures, etc.). Data was gathered through a survey which yielded 165 usable responses, and later through a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews. Using grounded theory, an explanatory conceptual framework is derived, based on an extension of the “method-in-action” model, the application of which to WBSD has not been previously investigated in depth. It is proposed that this framework of WBSD issues is valuable in a number of ways to educators, researchers, practitioners, and method engineers.