Optimizing real-time equational rule-based systems

Analyzing and reducing the execution-time upper bound of real-time rule-based expert systems is a very important task because of the stringent timing constraints imposed on this class of systems. We present a new runtime optimization to reduce the execution-time upper bound of real-time rule-based expert systems. In order to determine rules to be evaluated at runtime, a predicate dependency list, which consists of a predicate, its active rule set and corresponding inactive rule set, is created for each predicate in a real-time rule-based program. Based on the predicate dependency list and the current value of each variable, the new runtime optimization dynamically selects rules to be evaluated at runtime. For the timing analysis of the proposed algorithm, we introduce a predicate-based rule dependency graph, a predicate-based enable-rule graph, and their construction algorithm. We also discuss the bounded time of the equational logic rule-based program using the predicate-based rule dependency graph as well as the predicate-based enable-rule graph. The implementation and performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm using both synthetic and practical real-time rule-base programs are also presented. The performance evaluation shows that the runtime optimizer reduces the number of rule evaluations and predicate evaluations as well as the response time upper bound significantly, and the new algorithm yields better execution-time upper bound compared to other optimization methods.     

Concept mapping your Web searches: a design rationale and Web-enabled application

Although it has become very common to use World Wide Web‐based information in many educational settings, there has been little research on how to better search and organize Web‐based information. This paper discusses the shortcomings of Web search engines and Web browsers as learning environments and describes an alternative Web search environment that combines a concept mapping and a data mining technique to address their drawbacks.     

Image database design based on 9D-SPA representation for spatial relations

Spatial relationships between objects are important features for designing a content-based image retrieval system. We propose a new scheme, called 9D-SPA representation, for encoding the spatial relations in an image. With this representation, important functions of intelligent image database systems such as visualization, browsing, spatial reasoning, iconic indexing, and similarity retrieval can be easily achieved. The capability of discriminating images based on 9D-SPA representation is much more powerful than any spatial representation method based on minimum bounding rectangles or centroids of objects. The similarity measures using 9D-SPA representation provide a wide range of fuzzy matching capability in similarity retrieval to meet different user's requirements. Experimental results showed that our system is very effective in terms of recall and precision. In addition, the 9D-SPA representation can be incorporated into a two-level index structure to help reduce the search space of each query processing. The experimental results also demonstrated that, on average, only 0.1254 percent /spl sim/ 1.6829 percent of symbolic pictures (depending on various degrees of similarity) were accessed per query in an image database containing 50,000 symbolic pictures.     

Optimal timeslot and channel allocation considering fairness for multicell CDMA/TDD systems

The CDMA/TDD system is a highly attractive solution to support the next generation cellular mobile systems which provide unbalanced multimedia services between downlink and uplink. In this paper, we analyze the interference for downlink and uplink timeslots in a multicell CDMA/TDD system. We also mathematically formulate an optimal timeslot and channel allocation problem considering capacity fairness among cells, which is to maximize the system capacity under the given traffic unbalance, and propose an efficient algorithm based on the simulated annealing technique. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed scheme yields a good performance, and fairness among cells improves with a decrease in the system capacity.     

Electrostatic actuation of three-dimensional MEMS mirrors using sidewall electrodes

We propose and demonstrate electrostatic sidewall-electrodes actuation of three-dimensional (3-D) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gimbal mirrors. The linearity of the mirror angle dependence on actuation voltage is improved with the sidewall-electrodes actuation. In addition, the undesired spring-softening effect commonly found in electrostatic actuation, where the mirror resonance frequency decreases with increased tilt angle, is significantly reduced. Sidewall actuation enables superior performance of 3-D MEMS mirrors including large pull-in angles, reduced actuation voltages, improved device reliability, and fast switching times.     

Optimal common-mode voltage reduction PWM technique for inverter control with consideration of the dead-time effects-part II: applications to IM drives with diode front end

The main theme of this paper is to demonstrate the applications of the newly developed common-mode voltage reduction pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) technique, which restricts the common-mode voltage to one-third of DC-link voltage, to vector-controlled induction motor drives. As compared to previous common-mode voltage reduction techniques, the presented technique can be applied to the inverter with diode front end and has no adverse effect on the linear modulation range. Therefore, vector-controlled drives using the developed technique for inverter control have a wide speed range. Moreover, the effects of the common-mode voltage reduction PWM technique on speed response for vector-controlled induction motor drives will be fully investigated in this paper. It will be demonstrated by intensive experimental results that speed performance does not deteriorate significantly within the rated speed range.     

Electrically induced heat dissipation in metallized film capacitors

Elevated temperature is a key aging factor for metallized polymer film capacitors with the capacitor life expectancy halved with every 8/spl deg/C of temperature rise. For film capacitors in service, both application of a time-varying external voltage and the extinction of internal breakdown events can deposit significant heat onto the capacitor structure leading to an undesirable temperature rise. Often such heat generation is localized spatially and the resulting temperature gradient enhances the probability of subsequent breakdowns. To facilitate a thorough and generic understanding, a thermal model of metallized film capacitors is developed to simulate the dynamics of heat generation and transfer under the switching impact of an external voltage. Thermal processes in solids (polymer layers, electrode coating, and zinc-spray segment) are modeled with conduction mechanism, whereas convection mechanism is considered for silicone oil and air. Heat generation is induced either by ohmic losses of the externally applied electric field, or by internal breakdown events within the metallized film capacitor structure. This allows a seamless interface between the heat transfer model and the equivalent circuit based field calculation model. Based this electrothermal model, numerical examples are used to study temperature distribution within film capacitors and then to examine the likelihood of localized temperature hot-spots that may lead to spatially preferential breakdowns.     

Combined extended and superimposed finite element method for cracks

A combination of the extended finite element method (XFEM) and the mesh superposition method (s‐version FEM) for modelling of stationary and growing cracks is presented. The near‐tip field is modelled by superimposed quarter point elements on an overlaid mesh and the rest of the discontinuity is implicitly described by a step function on partition of unity. The two displacement fields are matched through a transition region. The method can robustly deal with stationary crack and crack growth. It simplifies the numerical integration of the weak form in the Galerkin method as compared to the s‐version FEM. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.