Development of new edge-detection filter based on genetic algorithm: an application to a soldering joint inspection

This paper proposes a new technique of edge detection for inspecting edge and perfection of soldering joint in the flip-chip, which is an important part of a hard disk drive. Summation of error between the actual values and the measured values from the designed system of several data sets is formulated as the objective function. Genetic algorithm is adopted to find the optimal filter mask to enhance the accuracy of the inspection system. As the results indicated, the accuracy of a system with the proposed edge-detection technique is superior to that of a system with conventional filters.     

Robust loop shaping-fuzzy gain scheduling control of a servo-pneumatic system using particle swarm optimization approach

In this paper, a new technique called robust loop shaping-fuzzy gain scheduled control (RLS-FGS) is proposed to design an effective nonlinear controller for a long stroke pneumatic servo system. In our technique, a nonlinear dynamic model of a long stroke pneumatic servo plant is identified by the fuzzy identification method and is used as the plant for our design. The structure of local controllers is selected as PID control which is proven by many research works that this type of control has many advantages such as simple structure, well understanding, and high performance. The proposed technique uses particle swarm optimization (PSO) to find the optimal local controllers which maximize the average stability margin. In addition, performance weighting function which is normally difficult to obtain is automatically determined by PSO. By the proposed technique, the RLS-FGS controller can be designed, and the structure of local controllers is still not complicated. As seen in the simulation and experimental results, our proposed technique is better than the classical gain scheduled PID controller tuned by pole placement and the conventional fuzzy PID controller tuned by ISE method in terms of robust performance.     

Application of electrolyzer system to enhance frequency stabilization effect of microturbine in a microgrid system

It is well known that the power output of microturbine can be controlled to compensate for load change and alleviate the system frequency fluctuations. Nevertheless, the microturbine may not adequately compensate rapid load change due to its slow dynamic response. Moreover, when the intermittent power generations from wind power and photovoltaic are integrated into the system, they may cause severe frequency fluctuation. In order to study the fast dynamic response, this paper applies electrolyzer system to absorb these power fluctuations and enhance the frequency control effect of microturbine in the microgrid system. The robust coordinated controller of electrolyzer and microturbine for frequency stabilization is designed based on a fixed-structure H_∞ loop shaping control. Simulation results exhibit the robustness and stabilizing effects of the proposed coordinated electrolyzer and microturbine controllers against system parameters variation and various operating conditions.     

Nanoscopic mechanical anisotropy in hydrogel surfaces

The bulk mechanical properties of soft materials have been studied widely, but it is unclear to what extent macroscopic behavior is reflected in nanomechanics. Using an atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging method called force spectroscopy mapping (FSM), it is possible to map the nanoscopic spatial distribution of Young's modulus, i.e. "stiffness," and determine if soft or stiff polymer domains exist to correlate nano- and macro-mechanics. Two model hydrogel systems typically used in cell culture and polymerized by a free radical polymerization process, i.e. poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(acrylamide) (PAam) hydrogels, were found to have significantly different nanomechanical behavior despite relatively similar bulk stiffness and roughness. PVP gels contained a large number of soft and stiff nanodomains, and their size was inversely related to crosslinking density and changes in crosslinking efficiency within the hydrogel. In contrast, PAam gels displayed small nanodomains occuring at low frequency, indicating relatively uniform polymerization. Given the responsiveness of cells to changes in gel stiffness, inhomogeneities found in the PVP network indicate that careful nanomechanical characterization of polymer substrates is necessary to appreciate complex cell behavior.     

Robust 2DOF fuzzy gain scheduling control for DC servo speed controller

This paper proposes a new design method called “robust 2DOF fuzzy gain scheduling control” for a DC servo speed control system. The proposed technique utilizes the basic concept of 2DOF robust loop shaping, whose time‐domain specifications are combined during the controller design using a reference model. In addition, the local controllers are fixed‐ structure robust controllers whose structure can be specified as for a simple controller. A fuzzy approach is adopted in both system identification process and global control structure to accomplish an entirely robust system. Although the design of robust control in a fuzzy system is not easy, genetic algorithms (GAs) simplify the control design problem to design the fuzzy controller such that the average stability margin is minimized. Implementation of a DC servo speed control was adopted to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed controller. As seen from the results, the proposed controller has more robust performance and can be adopted in applications with a wide operating range. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.