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At least 127 records · Page 7

Modeling and sensory feedback control for space manipulators

The positioning control problem of the endtip of space manipulators whose base are uncontrolled is examined. In such a case, the conventional control method for industrial robots based on a local feedback at each joint is not applicable, because a solution of the joint displacements that satisfies a given position and orientation of the endtip is not decided uniquely. A sensory feedback control scheme for space manipulators based on an artificial potential defined in a task-oriented coordinates is proposed. Using this scheme, the controller can easily determine the input torque of each joint from the data of an external sensor such as a visual device. Since the external sensor is mounted on the unfixed base, the manipulator must track the moving image of the target in sensor coordinates. Moreover the dynamics of the base and the manipulator are interactive. However, the endtip is proven to asymptotically approach the stationary target in an inertial coordinate frame by the Liapunov's method. Finally results of computer simulation for a 6-link space manipulator model show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Masutani, Yasuhiro↗

SHF: Symmetrical Hierarchical Forest with Pretrained Vision Transformer Encoder for High-Resolution Medical Segmentation

This paper presents a novel approach to addressing the long-sequence problem in high-resolution medical images for Vision Transformers (ViTs). Using smaller patches as tokens can enhance ViT performance, but quadratically increases computation and memory requirements. Therefore, the common practice for applying ViTs to high-resolution images is either to: (a) employ complex sub-quadratic attention schemes or (b) use large to medium-sized patches and rely on additional mechanisms within the model to capture the spatial hierarchy of details. We propose Symmetrical Hierarchical Forest (SHF), a lightweight approach that adaptively patches the input image to increase token information density and encode hierarchical spatial structures into the input embedding. We then apply a reverse depatching scheme to the output embeddings of the transformer encoder, eliminating the need for convolution-based decoders. Unlike previous methods that modify attention mechanisms or use a complex hierarchy of interacting models, SHF can be retrofitted to any ViT model to allow it to learn the hierarchical structure of details in high-resolution images without requiring architectural changes. Experimental results demonstrate significant gains in computational efficiency and performance: on the PAIP WSI dataset, we achieved a 3∼32×speedup or a 2.95%∼7.03% increase in accuracy (measured by Dice score) at a 64K2 resolution with the same computational budget, compared to state-of-the-art production models. On the 3D medical datasets BTCV and KiTS, training was 6×faster, with accuracy gains of 6.93% and 5.9%, respectively, compared to models without SHF.

Zhang, Enzhi [Hokkaido University, Japan]↗

Novel Quadratic High Gain Boost Converter With Adaptive Soft-Switching Scheme and Reduced Conduction Loss

In this article, an improved soft-switching quadratic boost converter is proposed. Instead of inserting an additional active clamp or auxiliary zero-voltage transition circuit at the switching node, the proposed topology connects the high-voltage switching node to the input diode node by replacing one of the input diodes with a low-rated switch. The proposed topology can attain soft-switching condition for all the switches and input diode turns- off under zero-current switching (ZCS). The operation of input-side switch not only aids zero-voltage switching (ZVS) turn- on for the main switch but also helps in reducing the conduction loss. Also, the input-side switch operates under ZCS turn- on and ZVS turn- off , making it a loss economical solution. An adaptive timing scheme for driving the input switch is proposed, which can ensure soft-switching condition under varying gain and load range. The detailed operational modes, analysis, and design considerations of the proposed topology are presented. A 250 W hardware prototype is built to validate the performance of the proposed converter operating at 100 kHz switching frequency. Results with adaptive soft-switching scheme shows that the converter is modulated to achieve its best efficiency condition under various system conditions. Furthermore, a peak efficiency of 96.1% at 155 W and efficiencies above 95.75% over a wide load range are achieved using all Si devices.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

RAVEN User Manual

RAVEN is a generic software framework to perform parametric and probabilistic analysis based on the response of complex system codes. The initial development was aimed to provide dynamic risk analysis capabilities to the Thermo-Hydraulic code RELAP-7, currently under development at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Although the initial goal has been fully accomplished, RAVEN is now a multi-purpose probabilistic and uncertainty quantification platform, capable to agnostically communicate with any system code. This agnosticism includes providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These APIs are used to allow RAVEN to interact with any code as long as all the parameters that need to be perturbed are accessible by inputs files or via python interfaces. RAVEN is capable of investigating the system response, and investigating the input space using Monte Carlo, Grid, or Latin Hyper Cube sampling schemes, but its strength is focused to- ward system feature discovery, such as limit surfaces, separating regions of the input space leading to system failure, using dynamic supervised learning techniques. The development of RAVEN has started in 2012, when, within the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program, the need to provide a modern risk evaluation framework became stronger. RAVEN principal assignment is to provide the necessary software and algorithms in order to employ the concept developed by the Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) program. RISMC is one of the pathways defined within the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. In the RISMC approach, the goal is not just the individuation of the frequency of an event potentially leading to a system failure, but the closeness (or not) to key safety-related events. Hence, the approach is interested in identifying and increasing the safety margins related to those events. A safety margin is a numerical value quantifying the probability that a safety metric (e.g. for an important process such as peak pressure in a pipe) is exceeded under certain conditions. The initial development of RAVEN has been focused on providing dynamic risk assessment capability to RELAP-7, currently under development at the INL and, likely, future replacement of the RELAP5-3D code. Most the capabilities that have been implemented having RELAP-7 as principal focus are easily deployable for other system codes. For this reason, several side activates are currently ongoing for coupling RAVEN with soft- ware such as RELAP5-3D, etc. The aim of this document is the explanation of the input requirements, focalizing on the input structure.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Inferring safety critical events from vehicle kinematics in naturalistic driving environment: Application of deep learning Algorithms

Advances in sensing technology has enabled the collection of countless terabytes of second-by-second kinematics data. Such data provides opportunities for real-time monitoring of driving behavior and identification of safety critical events (SCEs) including crashes and near crashes. The concept of volatility is relevant in this context, which identifies instability and erratic variations in driving behavior prior to involvement in SCEs. This study utilized vehicle kinematics from a large-scale naturalistic driving data to develop a deep learning approach based on 1D convolutional neural networks (CNN) for inferring SCEs. The data are unique in the sense that such accurate pre-crash data at high fidelity are not available in traditional crash repositories. This study contributes to the literature by providing a first attempt at predicting responses to SCEs by developing deep learning-based CNN architectures using novel driving volatility based kinematic thresholds for a sample of 9553 events. The key contribution lies in developing a volatility-based CNN input layout that is acceptable to CNN schemes and represents the motion kinematics such as speed, acceleration and volatility measures. Several 1D-CNN architectures were developed using layers, numbers of convolutions, layer patterns, and kernels. Shallow and deep architectures were tested, revealing higher accuracy of shallow architectures in detecting SCEs. The optimal number of epochs were identified using an early stopping method while the CNN performance was improved by increasing the number of epochs. The ensemble CNN had the highest predictive accuracy of 95.6% for detection of crashes and near crashes, which was 2.5% higher than the optimal CNN using 20% hold out test data. The ensemble CNN also outperformed classical machine learning models and model performance reported in past studies on detection of SCEs. Finally, these results have implications for identification of safety hotspots and providing real-time alerts and warnings in connected and highly automated vehicle environment including society of automotive engineers levels 3–5.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Time-Dependent Boundary Modeling to Inform Design of SPARC Diagnostic and Actuators

The purpose of this work was to inform the design of diagnostic and actuator systems for a new experimental facility for Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), called SPARC [Creely2020], using time-dependent plasma boundary simulations with the Scrape Off Layer Plasma Simulator (SOLPS) code [Wiesen2015]. The SPARC tokamak is a device that aims to demonstrate fusion energy production and high-field plasma operating scenarios. The developed technologies will be incorporated into a net-electricity pilot that will demonstrate approximately 200MW of electric power. A major difference from other private industry fusion companies is the use of a standard aspect ratio, but at a high magnetic field strength, which provides a well-established physics basis and a modest extrapolation to reactor operation. Time-dependent simulations were used to inform the design of main-chamber plasma facing components, which are protected by feedback control of the heat and particle loads during high power operation. The simulations provide the timescales and magnitudes of plasma and neutral particle response useful for determining the position and operation of diagnostics and actuators that will enable control. The plasma response and phase-space diagrams also provide input into advanced model-based control schemes, which are envisioned for later SPARC operation. Model-based control can reduce the risk of component failure, which would require expensive in-situ repairs and the associated delays, by predicting the system response to actuators over a short time-horizon.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

On the improvement of deconvolution with digitized data using a Runge-Kutta integration scheme

A relatively simple change in the treatment of the input function in numerical integration of high-order differential equations by Runge-Kutta methods provides substantial improvements in accuracy, particularly when the forcing function is in digitized form. The Runge-Kutta-Gill coefficients are modified to incorporate the changes; with pulse-type excitations, improvements on the order of 2 to 50 times greater accuracy are demonstrated.

Houghton, J. R.↗

Coding for Communication Channels with Dead-Time Constraints

Coding schemes have been designed and investigated specifically for optical and electronic data-communication channels in which information is conveyed via pulse-position modulation (PPM) subject to dead-time constraints. These schemes involve the use of error-correcting codes concatenated with codes denoted constrained codes. These codes are decoded using an interactive method. In pulse-position modulation, time is partitioned into frames of Mslots of equal duration. Each frame contains one pulsed slot (all others are non-pulsed). For a given channel, the dead-time constraints are defined as a maximum and a minimum on the allowable time between pulses. For example, if a Q-switched laser is used to transmit the pulses, then the minimum allowable dead time is the time needed to recharge the laser for the next pulse. In the case of bits recorded on a magnetic medium, the minimum allowable time between pulses depends on the recording/playback speed and the minimum distance between pulses needed to prevent interference between adjacent bits during readout. The maximum allowable dead time for a given channel is the maximum time for which it is possible to satisfy the requirement to synchronize slots. In mathematical shorthand, the dead-time constraints for a given channel are represented by the pair of integers (d,k), where d is the minimum allowable number of zeroes between ones and k is the maximum allowable number of zeroes between ones. A system of the type to which the present schemes apply is represented by a binary- input, real-valued-output channel model illustrated in the figure. At the transmitting end, information bits are first encoded by use of an error-correcting code, then further encoded by use of a constrained code. Several constrained codes for channels subject to constraints of (d,infinity) have been investigated theoretically and computationally. The baseline codes chosen for purposes of comparison were simple PPM codes characterized by M-slot PPM frames separated by d-slot dead times.

Moision, Bruce↗

Airborne Mission Concept for Coastal Ocean Color and Ecosystems Research

NASA airborne missions in 2011 and 2013 over Monterey Bay, CA, demonstrated novel above- and in-water calibration and validation measurements supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The resultant airborne data characterize contemporaneous coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems spanning a next-generation spectral domain (320-875 nm). This airborne instrument suite for calibration, validation, and research flew at the lowest safe altitude (ca. 100 ft or 30 m) as well as higher altitudes (e.g., 6,000 ft or 1,800 m) above the sea surface covering a larger area in a single synoptic sortie than ship-based measurements at a few stations during the same sampling period. Data collection of coincident atmospheric and aquatic properties near the sea surface and at altitude allows the input of relevant variables into atmospheric correction schemes to improve the output of corrected imaging spectrometer data. Specific channels support legacy and next-generation satellite capabilities, and flights are planned to within 30 min of satellite overpass. This concept supports calibration and validation activities of ocean color phenomena (e.g., river plumes, algal blooms) and studies of water quality and coastal ecosystems. The 2011 COAST mission flew at 100 and 6,000 ft on a Twin Otter platform with flight plans accommodating the competing requirements of the sensor suite, which included the Coastal-Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) for the first time. C-AIR (Biospherical Instruments Inc.) also flew in the 2013 OCEANIA mission at 100 and 1,000 ft on the Twin Otter below the California airborne simulation of the proposed NASA HyspIRI satellite system comprised of an imaging spectrometer and thermal infrared multispectral imager on the ER-2 at 65,000 ft (20,000 m). For both missions, the Compact-Optical Profiling System (Biospherical Instruments, Inc.), an in-water system with microradiometers matching C-AIR, was deployed to compare sea-truth measurements and low-altitude Twin Otter flights within Monterey Bay red tide events. This novel airborne and in-water sensor capability advances the science of coastal measurements and enables rapid response for coastal events.

Oceans↗

Analysis of the Planetary Boundary Layer Height During DISCOVER-AQ Baltimore–Washington, D.C., with Lidar and High-Resolution WRF Modeling

The daytime planetary boundary layer (PBL) was examined for the Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) Baltimore (Maryland)–Washington, D.C., campaign of July 2011 using PBL height (PBLH) retrievals from aerosol backscatter measurements from ground-based micropulse lidar (MPL), the NASA Langley Research Center airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar-1 (HSRL-1), and the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite. High-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model simulations with horizontal grid spacing of 1 km and different combinations of PBL schemes, urban parameterization, and sea surface temperature inputs were evaluated against PBLHs derived from lidars, ozonesondes, and radiosondes. MPL and WRF PBLHs depicted a growing PBL in the morning that reached a peak height by midafternoon. WRF PBLHs calculated from gridded output profiles generally showed more rapid growth and higher peak heights than did the MPLs, and all WRF–lidar differences were dependent on model configuration, PBLH calculation method, and synoptic conditions. At inland locations, WRF simulated an earlier descent of the PBL top in the afternoon relative to the MPL retrievals and radiosonde PBLHs. At Edgewood, Maryland, the influence of the Chesapeake Bay breeze on the PBLH was captured by both the ozonesonde and WRF data but generally not by the MPL PBLH retrievals because of generally weaker gradients in the aerosol backscatter profile and limited normalized relative backscatter data near the top height of the marine layer.

Hegarty, Jennifer D.↗

Sustained Veggie: A Preliminary Look at Continuous On-Orbit Food Production

The Veggie system on the International Space Station (ISS) intermittently supplements the crew diet with fresh, leafy green crops. For 120 days, Sustained Veggie assessed the potential of continuous on-orbit crop production. Crops grown in Veggie have been grown concurrently, but Sustained Veggie staggered plant initiation and harvest to provide more constantly available produce. The objective of this preliminary study was to compare two growth schemes to determine the methodology for required inputs, optimal yield, food safety, and crew considerations.

Bunchek, Jess M.↗

On controlling robots with redundancy

An adaptive position control scheme for manipulators possessing either kinematic or actuator redundancy is presented. The controller is developed by considering the end-effector position control problem and redundancy resolution problem separately. The end-effector position control problem is solved by using an adaptive scheme to generate the Cartesian-space control input required to track the desired end-effector position trajectory; this control problem is nonredundant even for redundant robots. The Cartesian-space position controller is derived using a model reference adaptive control (MRAC) approach, and does not require knowledge of the complex robot dynamic model or parameter values for the robot or the payload. As a result, the scheme is applicable to both open-chain and closed-chain robots, and is computationally efficient for on-line implementations.

Colbaugh, R.↗

Time-delay control of a magnetic levitated linear positioning system

In this paper, a high accuracy linear positioning system with a linear force actuator and magnetic levitation is proposed. By locating a permanently magnetized rod inside a current-carrying solenoid, the axial force is achieved by the boundary effect of magnet poles and utilized to power the linear motion, while the force for levitation is governed by Ampere's Law supplied with the same solenoid. With the levitation in a radial direction, there is hardly any friction between the rod and the solenoid. The high speed motion can hence be achieved. Besides, the axial force acting on the rod is a smooth function of rod position, so the system can provide nanometer resolution linear positioning to the molecule size. Since the force-position relation is highly nonlinear, and the mathematical model is derived according to some assumptions, such as the equivalent solenoid of the permanently magnetized rod, so there exists unknown dynamics in practical application. Thus 'robustness' is an important issue in controller design. Meanwhile the load effect reacts directly on the servo system without transmission elements, so the capability of 'disturbance rejection; is also required. With the above consideration, a time-delay control scheme is chosen and applied. By comparing the input-output relation and the mathematical model, the time-delay controller calculates an estimation of unmodeled dynamics and disturbances and then composes the desired compensation into the system. Effectiveness of the linear positioning system and control scheme are illustrated with simulation results.

Tarn, J. H.↗

Considerations and techniques for incorporating remotely sensed imagery into the land resource management process.

Development of a scheme for utilizing remote sensing technology in an operational program for regional land use planning and land resource management program applications. The scheme utilizes remote sensing imagery as one of several potential inputs to derive desired and necessary data, and considers several alternative approaches to the expansion and/or reduction and analysis of data, using automated data handling techniques. Within this scheme is a five-stage program development which includes: (1) preliminary coordination, (2) interpretation and encoding, (3) creation of data base files, (4) data analysis and generation of desired products, and (5) applications.

Brooner, W. G.↗

RAPTURE User's Manual

This User's Guide serves as a brief introduction to the RAPTURE radiation effects analysis code. It includes an overview of the input format, RAPTURE's error- and consistency-checking of the user-provided input files, the automatic-differentiation and convergce-checking schemes employed by RAPTURE, and the RAPTURE output files. A variety of example problems are included in this Guide which collectively demonstrate RAPTURE's current capabilities and provide a suite of test problems and template input files for the user. This Guide includes, for each problem, the problem description, RAPTURE input files, and comparison of the RAPTURE solution with solutiong generated with the Monte Carlo transport code ITS, the legacy deterministic code ADEPT, and, where possible, published experimental results. An appendix includes a description of all keywords and options in the RAPTURE input file.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Model Predictive Control for Urban Traffic Signals with Stability Guarantees

Traditional traffic signal control focuses more on the optimization aspects whereas the stability and robustness of the closed-loop system are less studied. This paper aims to establish the stability properties of traffic signal control systems through the analysis of a practical model predictive control (MPC) scheme, which models the traffic network with the conservation of vehicles based on a store-and forward model and attempts to balance the traffic densities. More precisely, this scheme guarantees the exponential stability of the closed-loop system under state and input constraints when the inflow is feasible and traffic demand can be fully accessed. Practical exponential stability is achieved in case of small uncertain traffic demand by a modification of the previous scheme. Simulation results of a small-scale traffic network validate the theoretical analysis.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,MATHEMATICS AND COMPUT↗

A 'type one' servo explicit model following adaptive scheme.

This paper describes 'type 1' servo techniques applied to explicit model following systems. The advantages of using these are: (1) steady-state decoupling is provided for the controlled state variables as determined by a reference input (the pilot command for example), (2) overall stability of the decoupled adaptive scheme is guaranteed, (3) a zero steady-state error for those state variables incorporating integral feedback, to a constant input reference, and (4) improved transient performance. Example calculations have been performed using a mathematical model for a typical fighter aircraft and a desired performance reference model based on satisfactory aircraft flying qualities. Numerical results are given.

Tiroshi, I.↗

Guidance and Control strategies for aerospace vehicles

A neighboring optimal guidance scheme was devised for a nonlinear dynamic system with stochastic inputs and perfect measurements as applicable to fuel optimal control of an aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicle. For the deterministic nonlinear dynamic system describing the atmospheric maneuver, a nominal trajectory was determined. Then, a neighboring, optimal guidance scheme was obtained for open loop and closed loop control configurations. Taking modelling uncertainties into account, a linear, stochastic, neighboring optimal guidance scheme was devised. Finally, the optimal trajectory was approximated as the sum of the deterministic nominal trajectory and the stochastic neighboring optimal solution. Numerical results are presented for a typical vehicle. A fuel-optimal control problem in aeroassisted noncoplanar orbital transfer is also addressed. The equations of motion for the atmospheric maneuver are nonlinear and the optimal (nominal) trajectory and control are obtained. In order to follow the nominal trajectory under actual conditions, a neighboring optimum guidance scheme is designed using linear quadratic regulator theory for onboard real-time implementation. One of the state variables is used as the independent variable in reference to the time. The weighting matrices in the performance index are chosen by a combination of a heuristic method and an optimal modal approach. The necessary feedback control law is obtained in order to minimize the deviations from the nominal conditions.

Hibey, J. L.↗