scholarly journals Development of a Control Systems Training Module for Application on Undergraduate Engineering Classes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano A. E. Silva ◽  
Ivan Barroso ◽  
Alexsander Menezes ◽  
Alessandro R. L. Zachi ◽  
Milena F. Pinto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Training Module ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Student Access ◽  
Training Control

Student access to laboratory experiments is critical in undergraduate engineering courses since it integrates theory and practice. The access of students to such practical examples helps them to understand and apply what is learned. However, due to rapid technological advancement, educational kits can quickly become obsolete. Besides, there are many known commercial platforms for training.Many of them have steep prices, which makes their availability dicult for every student. The present work proposes a low-cost ATMEGA-based system as the main device for an educational tool for training Control System Theory. The system enables the students to test dierent control strategies through the use of a simple educational kit.

Concentration of Impurities during Melting of Snow Made from Secondary Sewage Effluent

1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Zapf-Gilje ◽  
S. O. Russell ◽  
D. S. Mavinic
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Chloride ◽  
Chloride Solution ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Sewage Effluent ◽  
Potassium Chloride Solution ◽  
Laboratory Results ◽  
Solution Field ◽  
Concentration Of Impurities

When snow is made from sewage effluent, the impurities become concentrated in the early melt leaving the later runoff relatively pure. This could provide a low cost method of separating nutrients from secondary sewage effluent. Laboratory experiments showed that the degree of concentration was largely independent of the number of melt freeze cycles or initial concentration of impurity in the snow. The first 20% of melt removed with it 65% of the phosphorus and 90% of the nitrogen from snow made from sewage effluent; and over 90% of potassium chloride from snow made from potassium chloride solution. Field experiments with a salt solution confirmed the laboratory results.

scholarly journals An Agent-Based Crop Model Framework for Heterogeneous Soils

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Jorge Lopez-Jimenez ◽  
Nicanor Quijano ◽  
Alain Vande Wouwer
Keyword(s):  
Growth Models ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soil Heterogeneity ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Crop Growth Models ◽  
Definition Of

Climate change and the efficient use of freshwater for irrigation pose a challenge for sustainable agriculture. Traditionally, the prediction of agricultural production is carried out through crop-growth models and historical records of the climatic variables. However, one of the main flaws of these models is that they do not consider the variability of the soil throughout the cultivation area. In addition, with the availability of new information sources (i.e., aerial or satellite images) and low-cost meteorological stations, it is convenient that the models incorporate prediction capabilities to enhance the representation of production scenarios. In this work, an agent-based model (ABM) that considers the soil heterogeneity and water exchanges is proposed. Soil heterogeneity is associated to the combination of individual behaviours of uniform portions of land (agents), while water fluxes are related to the topography. Each agent is characterized by an individual dynamic model, which describes the local crop growth. Moreover, this model considers positive and negative effects of water level, i.e., drought and waterlogging, on the biomass production. The development of the global ABM is oriented to the future use of control strategies and optimal irrigation policies. The model is built bottom-up starting with the definition of agents, and the Python environment Mesa is chosen for the implementation. The validation is carried out using three topographic scenarios in Colombia. Results of potential production cases are discussed, and some practical recommendations on the implementation are presented.

A Low-Cost Hexa Platform for Efficient Force Control Systems Using Industrial Manipulators

2009 ◽  
Vol 147-149 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafal Osypiuk ◽  
Torsten Kröger
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Force Control ◽  
Execution Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Industrial Manipulators ◽  
Control Concept ◽  
Six Dof ◽  
Parallel Platform ◽  
Six Degree Of Freedom

This contribution presents a new force control concept for industrial six-degree of freedom (DOF) manipulators, which uses a Hexa platform that provides an active environmental stiffness for all six DOFs. The paper focuses on the Hexa platform and is split into two essential parts: (i) parallel platform construction, and (ii) application of force control with industrial manipulators using a six-DOF environmental stiffness. This mechatronic solution almost gives one hundred percent robustness for stiffness changes in the environment, what guaranties a significant shortening of execution time.

scholarly journals A Novel Longitudinal Speed Estimator for Four-Wheel Slip in Snowy Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2809
Author(s):  
Dongmin Zhang ◽  
Qiang Song ◽  
Guanfeng Wang ◽  
Chonghao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Slip Rate ◽  
Vehicle Speed ◽  
Acceleration Sensor ◽  
Wheel Slip ◽  
Longitudinal Acceleration ◽  
Tire Rotation ◽  
Speed Estimator

This article proposes a novel longitudinal vehicle speed estimator for snowy roads in extreme conditions (four-wheel slip) based on low-cost wheel speed encoders and a longitudinal acceleration sensor. The tire rotation factor, η, is introduced to reduce the deviation between the rotation tire radius and the manufacturer’s marked tire radius. The Local Vehicle Speed Estimator is defined to eliminate longitudinal vehicle speed estimation error. It improves the tire slip accuracy of four-wheel slip, even with a high slip rate. The final vehicle speed is estimated using two fuzzy control strategies that use vehicle speed estimates from speed encoders and a longitudinal acceleration sensor. Experimental and simulation results confirm the algorithm’s validity for estimating longitudinal vehicle speed for four-wheel slip in snowy road conditions.

The future of the printed book in the era of technological advancement: an imperative for digital innovation and engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhoydah Nyambane
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Face ◽  
Book Publishers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the place of the printed book in the era of technological advancement with the assumption that the print media is facing imminent death in the face of readily available and convenient online information. Also the paper aims to assess how the development of new technologies have affected the production, circulation and readership of the printed book, especially among the young generation. Design/methodology/approach Explanatory study was used with closed-ended approach to collect data from 50 students of the Technical University of Kenya and 5 key informant interviews with selected book publishers in Nairobi. The uses and gratification theory was used to explore the knowledge-seeking behavior among the respondents. Findings Findings showed that more than 80% of the respondents preferred the internet to the printed book, which, according to them, has no future in the face of technological advancement. Book publishers, on the other hand, felt that the printed book has a bright future among specific audiences who are committed to it, and especially those in the rural areas who have no access to the internet. While they agreed that the internet has posed a major challenge to the sales and readership of the printed book significantly, it is helping in marketing the printed book as opposed to killing it. New bookshops in Nairobi and modern libraries in high schools, tertiary institutions and universities demonstrate that the printed book is not dying soon. Research limitations/implications The researcher experienced challenges in data collection as the respondents were busy preparing for final examinations and hence many of them were not willing to spare time to fill the questionnaire. To solve this, the researcher had to spend more time to collect data as opposed to if the students were free and ready to participate in the study without any pressure. Practical implications The findings can be used as a basis for further research to widen the scope that can help bring a wider perspective to the topic. The results can also inform policy guidelines on the topic and also contribute to the body of knowledge. Social implications The topic touches on social phenomena that are affecting a number of young people and their information-seeking habits in the era of digital revolution. The way the young generation seek and use information should be of interest not only to academic staff but also to policymakers. Originality/value The paper is original based on primary data that was collected by the researcher from the respondents. It is backed by secondary data to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

scholarly journals Shaping Streamflow Using a Real-Time Stormwater Control Network

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 2259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhiram Mullapudi ◽  
Matthew Bartos ◽  
Brandon Wong ◽  
Branko Kerkez
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Network ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Smart Water ◽  
Decay Times ◽  
Retention Basins ◽  
Scale Control

“Smart” water systems are transforming the field of stormwater management by enabling real-time monitoring and control of previously static infrastructure. While the localized benefits of active control are well-established, the potential for system-scale control of watersheds is poorly understood. This study shows how a real-world smart stormwater system can be leveraged to shape streamflow within an urban watershed. Specifically, we coordinate releases from two internet-controlled stormwater basins to achieve desired control objectives downstream—such as maintaining the flow at a set-point, and generating interleaved waves. In the first part of the study, we describe the construction of the control network using a low-cost, open-source hardware stack and a cloud-based controller scheduling application. Next, we characterize the system’s control capabilities by determining the travel times, decay times, and magnitudes of various waves released from the upstream retention basins. With this characterization in hand, we use the system to generate two desired responses at a critical downstream junction. First, we generate a set-point hydrograph, in which flow is maintained at an approximately constant rate. Next, we generate a series of overlapping and interleaved waves using timed releases from both retention basins. We discuss how these control strategies can be used to stabilize flows, thereby mitigating streambed erosion and reducing contaminant loads into downstream waterbodies.

scholarly journals Assessments of Ultra-Low-Cost Venturi Nozzle in Undergraduate Engineering Classes

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arshan Nazempour ◽  
Paul Golter ◽  
Cecilia Richards ◽  
Robert Richards ◽  
Bernard Van Wie
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Venturi Nozzle

Control Systems for Automotive Vehicle Fuel Economy: A Literature Review

1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Sweet
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Type Systems ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Feedback Systems ◽  
Fuel Flow ◽  
Loop Feedback ◽  
Hybrid Vehicle Control

This paper is a review of current research on applications of control systems and theory to achieve energy conservation in automotive vehicles. The development of internal combustion engine control systems that modulate fuel flow, air flow, ignition timing and duration, and exhaust gas recirculation is discussed. The relative advantages of physical and empirical models for engine performance are reviewed. Control strategies presented include optimized open-loop schedule type systems, closed-loop feedback systems, and adaptive controllers. The development of power train and hybrid vehicle control systems is presented, including controllers for both conventional transmissions and those employing flywheel energy storage.

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