New driving scheme for intelligent power‐efficient high‐voltage display drivers

Abstract— A new bistable‐display driver is presented. The innovation in the developed driver is the addition of a new logical block that calculates the most energy‐efficient driving waveforms. In this paper, the algorithms being applied to the row and column waveforms in order to reduce the power consumption are discussed. Some theoretical as well as experimental results are shown, proving a reduction in the power consumption by about 50%. The proposed algorithms are especially important for battery‐powered applications.     

Nanoparticle‐embedded polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal for paper‐like displays

Abstract— A polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal (PDLC) matrix template embedded with nano/microparticles can be backfilled/infiltrated with a dye‐doped liquid crystal for a paper‐like reflective display. In this way, a desirable degree of diffusion can be realized to reduce the viewing‐angle dependency of a gain reflector and metallic glare without changing other electro‐optical properties.     

Compact modeling of amorphous‐silicon thin‐film transistors with BSIM3

Abstract— A novel approach of modeling a‐Si:H TFTs with the industry‐standard BSIM3 compact model is presented. The described approach defines the a‐Si:H TFT drain current and terminal charges as explicit functions of terminal voltages using a minimum set of BSIM3 parameters. The set of BSIM3 parameters is chosen based on the electrical and physical characteristics of the a‐Si:H TFT and their values extracted from measured data. By using the selected BSIM3 model parameters, the a‐Si:H TFT is simulated inside SPICE to fit the simulated I‐V and C‐V curves with the measured results. Finally, the extracted BSIM3 model is validated by simulating the kickback voltage effect in an AMLCD pixel array.     

Capturing Global Youth: Mobile Gaming in the U.S., Spain,and the Czech Republic

We adapt the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine the factors influencing mobile gaming adoption among “global youth.” Our model replaces usefulness with convenience, incorporating visual appeal and escapism as antecedents of fun, and perceived novelty and economic value as antecedents of convenience. Questionnaire surveys were conducted in the U.S., Spain, and the Czech Republic, producing 432 usable responses. In the structural model assessment with the pooled sample, convenience exercises greater effects on attitude toward mobile games than fun, suggesting that the most important driver is probably the capability of being used flexibly at any time and in any place, rather than mere enjoyment. Tests of latent means suggest that most dimensions are perceived more strongly in the Czech Republic.     

Developing a dynamic project learning and cross‐project learning capability: synthesizing two perspectives

Driven by the complexity of new products and services, project work has become increasingly common in all types of organizations. However, research on project learning suggests that often project teams do not meet their stated objectives and, moreover, there is limited organizational learning from the experiences of project work. We use the dynamic capabilities framework to argue that building a dynamic project learning capability is useful for organizations that make extensive use of projects. We use both survey and interview data to discuss the key ways in which such a dynamic capability can be built. Our survey data demonstrate the importance of documenting project learning, but our interview data show that teams are often remiss at documenting their learning. The results from the two different approaches are synthesized using Boland & Tenkasi’s notions of perspective‐making and perspective‐taking. Importantly, combining the results from the two sets of data suggests that organizations need to emphasize the benefits from project reviews and documentation and explore ways in which the documents produced can be made more useful as boundary objects to encourage the sharing of learning across projects.     

Soft computing in engineering design - A review

The present paper surveys the application of soft computing (SC) techniques in engineering design. Within this context, fuzzy logic (FL), genetic algorithms (GA) and artificial neural networks (ANN), as well as their fusion are reviewed in order to examine the capability of soft computing methods and techniques to effectively address various hard-to-solve design tasks and issues. Both these tasks and issues are studied in the first part of the paper accompanied by references to some results extracted from a survey performed for in some industrial enterprises. The second part of the paper makes an extensive review of the literature regarding the application of soft computing (SC) techniques in engineering design. Although this review cannot be collectively exhaustive, it may be considered as a valuable guide for researchers who are interested in the domain of engineering design and wish to explore the opportunities offered by fuzzy logic, artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms for further improvement of both the design outcome and the design process itself. An arithmetic method is used in order to evaluate the review results, to locate the research areas where SC has already given considerable results and to reveal new research opportunities.     

Robust tracking control design for uncertain robotic systems with persistent bounded disturbances

In this study, a robust nonlinear L_∞‐gain tracking control design for uncertain robotic systems is proposed under persistent bounded disturbances. The design objective is that the peak of the tracking error in time domain must be as small as possible under persistent bounded disturbances. Since the nonlinear L_∞ ‐gain optimal tracking control cannot be solved directly, the nonlinear L_∞ ‐gain optimal tracking problem is transformed into a nonlinear L_∞ ‐gain tracking problem by given a prescribed disturbance attenuation level for the L_∞ ‐gain tracking performance. To guarantee that the L_∞ ‐gain tracking performance can be achieved for the uncertain robotic systems, a sliding‐mode scheme is introduced to eliminate the effect of the parameter uncertainties. By virtue of the skew‐symmetric property of the robotic systems, sufficient conditions are developed for solving the robust L_∞ ‐gain tracking control problems in terms of an algebraic equation instead of a differential equation. The proposed method is simple and the algebraic equation can be solved analytically. Therefore, the proposed robust L_∞ ‐gain tracking control scheme is suitable for practical control design of uncertain robotic systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Robust H∞ controller design for continuous‐time piecewise time‐delay systems

This paper investigates the robust H_∞ control problem for continuous‐time piecewise time‐delay systems by using piecewise continuous Lyapunov function. The uncertainties of the systems under consideration are expressed in a linear fractional form. A strict linear matrix inequality approach is developed to obtain delay‐dependent asymptotic stability conditions and H_∞ performance. The H_∞ controller design problem is solved by exploiting the cone complementarity linearization (CCL) method. Finally an example is given to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

凹印机恒张力控制系统的研究

张力控制技术广泛应用于卷绕类自动化控制系统中,以凹印机为研究对象,详细论述了凹印机系统的张力控制原理;并设计了一套以GE公司的90系列可编程逻辑控制器为控制器,采用工控机监控系统实时状态的张力控制系统;选用西门子公司的WinCC作为系统的组态软件,并采用OPC作为软件接口标准实现GE和西门子两家不同公司产品的数据交换;该方案不仅适合本系统,而且对于这一类放卷、收卷结构的张力控制系统均有一定的参考价值;生产运行表明,该系统运行稳定,控制精度满足要求。     

开启创造性设计思维的七个突破点

创造性设计思维能力的培养和提高将意味着打破一切可能或不可能的规则和限制,在设计实践的过程中逐步形成多向度的思维方式;设计的过程既是一个突破自我的过程,更是一个转换思维角度和方向、更新思维观念以及重新构建新概念的过程。突破的意义就在于树立新的规则和建立新的秩序,不断地突破又不断地建立,通过多方面的思维突破,进而打开创造性设计思维的新领域。