Low-cost Solar Tracking and Irradiance Measurement using Miniature 5-DoF Robotic Arm and Raspberry Pi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Yu Ding ◽  
Jong-Chyuan Tzou ◽  
Shang-Chen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Irradiance Measurement ◽  
Solar Tracking

scholarly journals Low Cost Computer Vision based Shape Detection in Textile Industries with Robotic Arm

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5311-5314
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Automation System ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Pick And Place ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Textile Industries ◽  
Being Moved

This paper presents low cost automation system for textile industries where colour and shape are detected along with pick and place robotic arm. Edge detection techniques and Contour approximation algorithmare used for pattern detection.The main goal is to count the number of samples of each pattern or shapes. This system makes use of raspberry pi with a PI camera. The PI cam is used for capturing the image of the textiles being moved on a conveyor belt. The system is programmed using open CV platform. The simulation results using OpenCV environment coded with Python are presented

scholarly journals Low-Cost Automation for Gravity Compensation of Robotic Arm

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3823
Author(s):  
William Montalvo ◽  
Juan Escobar-Naranjo ◽  
Carlos A. Garcia ◽  
Marcelo V. Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Gravity Compensation ◽  
Pd Control ◽  
End Effector ◽  
Robotic Arms ◽  
Position Errors ◽  
Control Scheme

During the Industry 4.0 era, the open source-based robotic arms control applications have been developed, in which the control algorithms apply for movement precision in the trajectory tracking paths based on direct or reverse kinematics. Therefore, small errors in the joint positions can summarize in large position errors of the end-effector in the industrial activities. Besides the change of the end-effector position for a given variation of the set-point in manipulator joint positions depends on the manipulator configuration. This research proposes a control based on Proportional Derivative (PD) Control with gravity compensation to show the robustness of this control scheme in the robotic arm’s industrial applications. The control algorithm is developed using a low-cost board like Raspberry Pi (RPI) where the Robot Operating System (ROS) is installed. The novelty of this approach is the development of new functions in ROS to make the PD control with gravity compensation in low-cost systems. This platform brings a fast exchange of information between the Kuka™ youBot robotic arm and a graphical user’s interface that allows a transparent interaction between them.

scholarly journals New Omnidirectional Sensor Based on Open-Source Software and Hardware for Tracking and Backtracking of Dual-Axis Solar Trackers in Photovoltaic Plants

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 726
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Gómez-Uceda ◽  
José Ramirez-Faz ◽  
Marta Varo-Martinez ◽  
Luis Manuel Fernández-Ahumada
Keyword(s):  
Open Source Software ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Radiative Capture ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Solar Tracking ◽  
Software And Hardware ◽  
Celestial Sphere ◽  
Photovoltaic Plants

In this work, an omnidirectional sensor that enables identification of the direction of the celestial sphere with maximum solar irradiance is presented. The sensor, based on instantaneous measurements, functions as a position server for dual-axis solar trackers in photovoltaic plants. The proposed device has been developed with free software and hardware, which makes it a pioneering solution because it is open and accessible as well as capable of being improved by the scientific community, thereby contributing to the rapid advancement of technology. In addition, the device includes an algorithm developed ex professo that makes it possible to predetermine the regions of the celestial sphere for which, according to the geometric characteristics of the PV plant, there would be shading between the panels. In this way, solar trackers do not have to locate the Sun’s position at all times according to astronomical models, while taking into account factors such as shadows or cloudiness that also affect levels of incident irradiance on solar collectors. Therefore, with this device, it is possible to provide photovoltaic plants with dual-axis solar tracking with a low-cost device that helps to optimise the trajectory of the trackers and, consequently, their radiative capture and energy production.

scholarly journals Designing of an Advanced Compression Bioreactor with an Implementation of a Low-Cost Controlling System Connected to a Mobile Application

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 915
Author(s):  
Gözde Dursun ◽  
Muhammad Umer ◽  
Bernd Markert ◽  
Marcus Stoffel
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Application ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Experimental Information ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Tissue Constructs ◽  
Cost Controlling ◽  
Controlling System ◽  
And Control ◽  
Tissue Models

(1) Background: Bioreactors mimic the natural environment of cells and tissues by providing a controlled micro-environment. However, their design is often expensive and complex. Herein, we have introduced the development of a low-cost compression bioreactor which enables the application of different mechanical stimulation regimes to in vitro tissue models and provides the information of applied stress and strain in real-time. (2) Methods: The compression bioreactor is designed using a mini-computer called Raspberry Pi, which is programmed to apply compressive deformation at various strains and frequencies, as well as to measure the force applied to the tissue constructs. Besides this, we have developed a mobile application connected to the bioreactor software to monitor, command, and control experiments via mobile devices. (3) Results: Cell viability results indicate that the newly designed compression bioreactor supports cell cultivation in a sterile environment without any contamination. The developed bioreactor software plots the experimental data of dynamic mechanical loading in a long-term manner, as well as stores them for further data processing. Following in vitro uniaxial compression conditioning of 3D in vitro cartilage models, chondrocyte cell migration was altered positively compared to static cultures. (4) Conclusion: The developed compression bioreactor can support the in vitro tissue model cultivation and monitor the experimental information with a low-cost controlling system and via mobile application. The highly customizable mold inside the cultivation chamber is a significant approach to solve the limited customization capability of the traditional bioreactors. Most importantly, the compression bioreactor prevents operator- and system-dependent variability between experiments by enabling a dynamic culture in a large volume for multiple numbers of in vitro tissue constructs.

scholarly journals Development of a Smartphone-Based University Library Navigation and Information Service Employing Wi-Fi Location Fingerprinting

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Guenther Retscher ◽  
Alexander Leb
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
University Library ◽  
Stop And Go ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
Localization Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
Suitable Location

A guidance and information service for a University library based on Wi-Fi signals using fingerprinting as chosen localization method is under development at TU Wien. After a thorough survey of suitable location technologies for the application it was decided to employ mainly Wi-Fi for localization. For that purpose, the availability, performance, and usability of Wi-Fi in selected areas of the library are analyzed in a first step. These tasks include the measurement of Wi-Fi received signal strengths (RSS) of the visible access points (APs) in different areas. The measurements were carried out in different modes, such as static, kinematic and in stop-and-go mode, with six different smartphones. A dependence on the positioning and tracking modes is seen in the tests. Kinematic measurements pose much greater challenges and depend significantly on the duration of a single Wi-Fi scan. For the smartphones, the scan durations differed in the range of 2.4 to 4.1 s resulting in different accuracies for kinematic positioning, as fewer measurements along the trajectories are available for a device with longer scan duration. The investigations indicated also that the achievable localization performance is only on the few meter level due to the small number of APs of the University own Wi-Fi network deployed in the library. A promising solution for performance improvement is the foreseen usage of low-cost Raspberry Pi units serving as Wi-Fi transmitter and receiver.

Face recognition in an intelligent door lock with ResNet model based on deep learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Suphawimon Phawinee ◽  
Jing-Fang Cai ◽  
Zhe-Yu Guo ◽  
Hao-Ze Zheng ◽  
Guan-Chen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Graphics Recognition ◽  
Face Images ◽  
The Face ◽  
Door Lock

Internet of Things is considerably increasing the levels of convenience at homes. The smart door lock is an entry product for smart homes. This work used Raspberry Pi, because of its low cost, as the main control board to apply face recognition technology to a door lock. The installation of the control sensing module with the GPIO expansion function of Raspberry Pi also improved the antitheft mechanism of the door lock. For ease of use, a mobile application (hereafter, app) was developed for users to upload their face images for processing. The app sends the images to Firebase and then the program downloads the images and captures the face as a training set. The face detection system was designed on the basis of machine learning and equipped with a Haar built-in OpenCV graphics recognition program. The system used four training methods: convolutional neural network, VGG-16, VGG-19, and ResNet50. After the training process, the program could recognize the user’s face to open the door lock. A prototype was constructed that could control the door lock and the antitheft system and stream real-time images from the camera to the app.

scholarly journals Optimal design of the solar tracking system of parabolic trough concentrating collectors

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-619
Author(s):  
Li Kong ◽  
Yunpeng Zhang ◽  
Zhijian Lin ◽  
Zhongzhu Qiu ◽  
Chunying Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
The North ◽  
Tracking Mode ◽  
Solar Tracking ◽  
East West

Abstract The present work aimed to select the optimum solar tracking mode for parabolic trough concentrating collectors using numerical simulation. The current work involved: (1) the calculation of daily solar radiation on the Earth’s surface, (2) the comparison of annual direct solar radiation received under different tracking modes and (3) the determination of optimum tilt angle for the north-south tilt tracking mode. It was found that the order of solar radiation received in Shanghai under the available tracking modes was: dual-axis tracking > north-south Earth’s axis tracking > north-south tilt tracking (β = 15°) > north-south tilt tracking (β = 45) > north-south horizontal tracking > east-west horizontal tracking. Single-axis solar tracking modes feature simple structures and low cost. This study also found that the solar radiation received under the north-south tilt tracking mode was higher than that of the north-south Earth’s axis tracking mode in 7 out of 12 months. Therefore, the north-south tilt tracking mode was studied separately to determine the corresponding optimum tilt angles in Haikou, Lhasa, Shanghai, Beijing and Hohhot, respectively, which were shown as follows: 18.81°, 27.29°, 28.67°, 36.21° and 37.97°.

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