A systematic literature review on intelligent automation: Aligning concepts from theory,practice, and future perspectives

With the recent developments in robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI), academics and industrial practitioners are now pursuing robust and adaptive decision making (DM) in real-life engineering applications and automated business workflows and processes to accommodate context awareness, adaptation to environment and customisation. The emerging research via RPA, AI and soft computing offers sophisticated decision analysis methods, data-driven DM and scenario analysis with regard to the consideration of decision choices and provides benefits in numerous engineering applications. The emerging intelligent automation (IA) – the combination of RPA, AI and soft computing – can further transcend traditional DM to achieve unprecedented levels of operational efficiency, decision quality and system reliability. RPA allows an intelligent agent to eliminate operational errors and mimic manual routine decisions, including rule-based, well-structured and repetitive decisions involving enormous data, in a digital system, while AI has the cognitive capabilities to emulate the actions of human behaviour and process unstructured data via machine learning, natural language processing and image processing. Insights from IA drive new opportunities in providing automated DM processes, fault diagnosis, knowledge elicitation and solutions under complex decision environments with the presence of context-aware data, uncertainty and customer preferences. This sophisticated review attempts to deliver the relevant research directions and applications from the selected literature to the readers and address the key contributions of the selected literature, IA’s benefits, implementation considerations, challenges and potential IA applications to foster the relevant research development in the domain.     

论焊接结构生产的技术改造

本文讨论了焊接结构生产技术改造的有关问题，包括总思路及总目标、自动化的基本框架、按低成本自动化的原则设计生产线和关键技术问题的论述。     

基于PLC的缸体加工机床控制系统

对可编程控制器（PLC）应用于某设备缸体加工专用机床控制系统的设计思路作了介绍，对系统的硬件组成和软件设计作了较为详细的阐述，通过上位监控计算机可对生产现场的设备状态实施监控和对现场参数进行调整。     

小型水电站电气自动化应用探讨

随着计算机技术的快速发展及自动化控制技术的日趋成熟,水电站电气自动化控制逐步得到应用。本文对古黄河水利枢纽水电站自动化控制系统进行介绍,该系统实现了电站的现代化管理,节约了人员成本,提高了工作效率,确保了水电站安全经济运行。     

Model checking response times in Networked Automation Systems using jitter bounds

Response time (RT) of Networked Automation Systems (NAS) is affected by timing imperfections induced due to the network, computing and hardware components. Guaranteeing RT in the presence of such timing imperfections is essential for building dependable NAS, and to avoid costly upgrades after deployment in industries.This investigation proposes a methodology and work-flow that combines modelling, simulation, verification, experiments, and software tools to verify the RT of the NAS during the design, rather than after deployment. The RT evaluation work-flow has three phases: model building, modelling and verification. During the model building phase component reaction times are specified and their timing performance is measured by combining experiments with simulation. During the modelling phase, component based mathematical models that capture the network architecture and inter-connection are proposed. Composition of the component models gives the NAS model required for studying the RT performance on system level. Finally, in the verification step, the NAS formal models are abstracted as UPPAAL timed automata with their timing interfaces. To model timing interfaces, the action patterns, and their timing wrapper are proposed. The formal model of high level of abstraction is used to verify the total response time of the NAS where the reactions to be verified are specified using a subset of timed computation tree logic (TCTL) in UPPAAL model checker. The proposed approach is illustrated on an industrial steam boiler deployment.     

光纤光栅传感器在公路隧道衬砌结构安全监测中的应用

从工程实用角度归纳了光纤光栅传感器相对于其他传统监测仪器的主要优势,阐述了其在隧道结构安全监测中的适宜性.在此基础上结合某公路隧道衬砌结构的薄弱部位和具体条件,设计了现场自动化监测和无线数据通信系统,采用光纤光栅传感器对隧道支护结构的变形和受力状态进行了实时监测实验,结果真实有效地反映了结构物的运行性态,表明光纤光栅传感器在公路隧道结构安全监测中具有良好的实用效果.     

浅谈基于昆腾PLC的V型滤池的自动控制系统的维护

在V型滤池的日常维护中,针对其出现的各种异常,总结分析了故障的各种原因,有效保证了自动控制系统设备的良好运行。     

Agro-ecosystem modeling can aid in the optimization of biomass feedstock supply

Recent European Directives promoted the development of biofuels, requesting mandatory limits to their emissions ot greenhouse gases (GHG). Second-generation biofuels based on lignocellulosic biomass are prime candidates but their GHG emissions are variable and uncertain. Agro-ecosystem modeling can capture them and the performance of biofuel feedstocks.This study aimed at optimizing feedstock supply for a bioethanol unit in France, from agricultural residues, annual and perennial crops. Their productivity and environmental impacts were modelled on a regional scale using geo-referenced data on soil properties, crop management, land-use and future weather data. Several supply scenarios were tested. Cereal straw was the most efficient feedstock but had a low availability, and only miscanthus could meet the bioethanol plant's demand. Sorghum combined poor yields and high GHG emissions compared by miscanthus and triticale. A mix of three biomass sources used less than 3% of the regional agricultural land while abating GHG emissions by 60%.     

虚拟环境下Web服务动态负载均衡策略改进

为了提高Web服务集群的伸缩性和自动化能力,从虚拟化和负载均衡两方面研究集群系统,对现有负载采集策略做了改进,设计并实现了一种可根据负载值自动控制集群规模的模型XCluster。新模型运行在Xen提供的虚拟化环境中,实时监视宿主机层和虚拟机层的负载状态,随着集群系统总负载的增长,逐渐引入新的虚拟机来扩大集群规模,同时将任务合理分配到各个虚拟机节点上;当总负载下降时,逐渐关闭虚拟机缩小集群规模,释放出来的硬件资源又可以提供给其他集群系统使用。理论分析和实验结果表明,XCluster只需占用很少的网络通信量完成信息收集和命令下达,能够充分利用虚拟机易于管理的优势完成后端节点的调度,并且在任务总量相同的情况下,使用尽可能少的集群节点来执行任务。     

Control 5.0: From Newton to Merton in Popper's Cyber-Social-Physical Spaces

The future of control in cyberspace of parallel worlds is discussed. It argues for the coming age of Control 5.0, the control technology for the new IT capable of dealing with artificial worlds with VR, AR, AI and robotics. The discipline of automation needs a new interpretation of its core knowledge and skill set of modeling, analysis, and control for cyber-socialphysical systems, and a paradigm shift from Newtonian Systems with Newton's Laws or Big Laws with Small Data to Mertonian Systems with Merton's Laws or Small Laws with Big Data.