A design paradigm for mechatronic systems

Concepts of mechatronics are applicable in the design of complex and multi-domain dynamic systems. This paper presents an approach based on the mechatronic design quotient (MDQ) for systematic design of a mechatronic system. Traditional procedures of design are hierarchically separated into topological design and parametric design. Extending this concept, an MDQ may be “structured” into a multi-layered hierarchy. The approach and significance of the application of MDQ in mechatronic design are indicated using illustrative examples.     

Constant-frequency sliding-mode and PI linear controllers for powerrectifiers: a comparison

Constant-frequency sliding-mode and linear proportional integral (PI) cascaded controllers (internal current loop and external output voltage control loop) for 12-pulse thyristor rectifiers are designed, using new models and convenient assumptions, and their performances compared. The use of sliding-mode control on line-commutated power converters implies the use of fixed-frequency sliding-mode design, originating steady-state errors. These are eliminated using a higher order switching function, with fourth-order Bessel polynomial coefficients, to minimize the response time and to eliminate the overshoot in the reaching mode. Comparisons are made using simulations (MATLAB/SIMULINK blocks) and experimental results. The sliding-mode controllers, as well as the PI controllers, need almost the same hardware and present no steady-state errors and no output voltage overshoots. Besides allowing a faster dynamics than the PI controllers, the proposed sliding-mode approach provides a new, nonlinear theoretical frame for solving the control problem of power rectifiers with output filters     

A buck quadratic PWM soft-switching converter using a single activeswitch

High-switching frequency associated with soft commutation techniques is a trend in switching converters. Following this trend, a buck pulsewidth modulation (PWM) converter is presented. The DC voltage conversion ratio of this converter has a quadratic dependence on duty cycle, providing a large stepdown. This new buck quadratic PWM soft-single-switched converter, having only a single active switch, provides a high efficient operating condition for a wide load range at high-switching frequency. In order to illustrate the operating principle of this new converter, a detailed study including theoretical analysis, relevant equations and simulation, and experimental results is carried out     

SecMR – a secure multipath routing protocol for ad hoc networks

Multipath routing in ad hoc networks increases the resiliency against security attacks of collaborating malicious nodes, by maximizing the number of nodes that an adversary must compromise in order to take control of the communication. In this paper, we identify several attacks that render multipath routing protocols vulnerable to collaborating malicious nodes. We propose an on-demand multipath routing protocol, the secure multipath routing protocol (SecMR), and we analyze its security properties. Finally, through simulations, we evaluate the performance of the SecMR protocol in comparison with existing secure multipath routing protocols.     

A New Hand-Held Microsystem Architecture for Biological Analysis

This paper presents a hand-held microsystem based on new fully integrated magnetoresistive biochips for biomolecular recognition (DNA hybridization, antibody antigen interaction, etc.). Magnetoresistive chip surfaces are chemically treated, enabling the immobilization of probe biomolecules such as DNA or antibodies. Fluid handling is also integrated in the biochip. The proposed microsystem not only integrates the biochip, which is an array of 16times16 magnetoresistive sensors, but it also provides all the electronic circuitry for addressing and reading out each transducer. The proposed architecture and circuits were specifically designed for achieving a compact, programmable and portable microsystem. The microsystem also integrates a hand-held analyzer connected through a wireless channel. A prototype of the system was already developed and detection of magnetic nanoparticles was obtained. This indicates that the system may be used for magnetic label based bioassays     

The interplay of electronic structure,molecular orientation and charge transport in organic semiconductors: Poly(thiophene) and poly(bithiophene)

Ultrathin films of poly(thiophene) (PT) and poly(bithiophene) (PBT) were prepared by electrochemical route using ionic liquid (BFEE) as medium and electrolyte. Distinct morphologies and electrical properties were observed in these materials. To evaluate its response in photovoltaics, these films were used as active layer in bilayer geometry solar cells with the electron acceptor molecule C₆₀. The best performance was observed for PT films. In order to probe the differences in molecular dynamics and structural order, ultrafast electron dynamics in the low-femtosecond regime was evaluated by resonant Auger spectroscopy using the core–hole clock method at the sulfur K absorption edge. Electron delocalization times for the different polymeric films were derived as a function of the excitation energy. Photoabsorption measurements were conducted and molecular orientation derived. These results corroborated with the morphology found for these films and thus the performance of PT and PBT in the devices, and with the proposed conduction mechanism.     

Control of the single-phase three-leg AC/AC converter

This paper investigates the control of a single-phase three-leg ac/ac reversible converter in which a leg is shared by both the grid and the load side. Pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) techniques based on scalar and vector approaches are developed, introducing the concept of local and general apportioning factor and, also, a complete equivalence between scalar and space vector PWM. A hysteresis current controller capable of taking into account the shared leg is developed and a zero current error linear controller is presented. Furthermore, a control strategy to obtain maximum utilization of the dc-bus voltage is proposed. In addition, several relevant characteristics of the converter are addressed, such as voltage rating, harmonic distortion, shared leg and capacitor currents, and power rating. The converter is compared to four-leg and two-leg converters. Experimental results are presented.     

Energy Management Fuzzy Logic Supervisory for Electric Vehicle Power Supplies System

This paper introduces an energy management strategy based on fuzzy logic supervisory for road electric vehicle, combining a fuel cell power source and two energy storage devices, i.e., batteries and ultracapacitors. The control strategy is designed to achieve the high-efficiency operation region of the individual power source and to regulate current and voltage at peak and average power demand, without compromising the performance and efficiency of the overall system. A multiple-input power electronic converter makes the interface among generator, energy storage devices, and the voltage dc-link bus. Classical regulators implement the control loops of each input of the converter. The supervisory system coordinates the power flows among the power sources and the load. The paper is mainly focused on the fuzzy logic supervisory for energy management of a specific power electronic converter control algorithm. Nevertheless, the proposed system can be easily adapted to other converters arrangements or to distributed generation applications. Simulation and experimental results on a 3-kW prototype prove that the fuzzy logic is a suitable energy management control strategy.     

QoS-driven adaptive congestion control for voice over IP in multiservice wireless cellular networks

This work establishes a QoS-driven adaptive congestion control framework that provides QoS guarantees to VoIP service flows in mixed traffic scenarios for wireless cellular networks. The framework is composed of three radio resource management algorithms: admission control, packet scheduling, and load control. The proposed framework is scalable to several services and can be applied in any current or future packet-switched wireless system. By means of dynamic system-level simulations carried out in a specific case study where VoIP and Web service flows compete for shared access in an HSDPA wireless network, the proposed framework is able to increase the overall system capacity twofold depending on the traffic mix, while keeping the system operating optimally in its target QoS profile.     

The AROUND Architecture for Dynamic Location-Based Services

This paper presents a generic concept of location-based service as an abstraction for supporting the association between computational resources and location. The objective is to extend the advantages of service-based architectures to the development of location-based systems, thus providing a more open and extensible alternative to the vertical approaches typically used in this type of system. The novel AROUND architecture is proposed as an approach for supporting location-based services in the Internet environment. AROUND provides a service location infrastructure that allows applications to select services that are specifically associated with their current location. The architecture includes a flexible scope model that defines the association between services and location, and a service location infrastructure organised by spatial criteria and optimised for location-based queries. Based on a prototype implementation of this architecture, we have developed two case studies that illustrate the use of this approach for developing location-based systems. The overall results provide a valuable insight into the applicability of the architecture, and suggest that this model of location-based services can provide a useful approach for the development of a wide range of location-based applications.