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At least 19 records

Factors Affecting Override Behavior during Demand Flexibility from High-Resolution Smart Thermostat Data

In this study, we delineate key weather and demographic predictors of override behavior in residential buildings during connected thermostats demand response events. Anticipating and reducing overrides is critical to demand flexibility (DF) program success. We use high- dimensional fixed effects linear regression techniques on a large ecobee dataset for about 5,000 enrolled households in the United States. We identify critical weather (indoor and outdoor temperature), building (housing type), and occupant (previous DF overrides and previous DF event exposure) factors influencing the override patterns of customers during thermostat demand response. We also differentiate DF events by season to understand the different indoor and outdoor conditions that might influence seasonal override rates. We found significant differences in override rates between building types, with single-family semi-detached homes generally having the highest overrides. Having a history of overrides was additionally a critical factor in predicting occupant response to future DF events. Understanding these override differences is necessary for rural electric cooperatives and emerging DF programs without access to large DR historical data. Overall, we provide critical information on technical and local demographic characteristics that may be correlated to building type to influence strategies to reduce overrides and improve the adoption of DF technologies.

connected thermostats (CTs)↗

Manual Crew Override of Vehicle Landings Following G-Transitions

BACKGROUND Manual control during exploration spaceflight consists of both planned automated supervisory control and unplanned crew override. This crew override capability is critical to enable overall mission success during landing contingencies. However, the introduction of manual override capabilities must be implemented to enable crews to mitigate risks introduced by human error. Adaptive changes in the sensorimotor system can manifest during g-transitions as spatial disorientation. While training and landing aids enable successful landing through disorientation, these adaptive changes may increase cognitive demand that needs to be accounted for in the manual control strategy. It is important to characterize these effects as soon as possible following the G-transition to develop appropriate countermeasures. METHODS In this study, we will examine operational piloting tasks following International Space Station (ISS) missions in a simulated lunar landing using a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) motion base. The motion-based simulation will be implemented in our laboratory at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and will be available within hours following the return from commercial crew landings. The primary goals of this study are (1) to understand the impact of spaceflight on crew ability to perform manual crew override tasks, (2) to examine how adaptive changes in vestibular and cognitive function relate to changes in manual crew override proficiency, and (3) compare performance during late “just-in-time” on-board training with early post-flight crew performance. The impact of spaceflight on piloting capability will be assessed from pre- versus post-flight changes in crewmembers assigned to either short duration (< 30 day) or long duration (~6- month) missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Individual differences in post-flight vestibular and cognitive changes include motion sickness reports, measures of tilt motion perception accuracy and precision, and dual-task tracking. During the 6DOF lunar simulation, the crew will manually takeover attitude and rate-of-descent to the nominal or re-designated landing aim point during the approach phase. The outcome measures for the lunar crew override tasks will be the percent time maintaining actual vehicle states, e.g., attitude and rate-of-descent, within recommended guidance during the landing approach, number and maximum deviation outside limits, and root mean square error (RMSE). Given that “just-in-time” (JIT) training is an operational expectation for the Human Landing System (HLS) program, all participants will perform late inflight JIT training for each manual crew override task in which they will participate. Crew proficiency will be captured inflight during JIT training that will be implemented on a laptop with hand controllers to allow the crewmember to practice the landing task procedures like the approach implemented for JIT training with Shuttle landing and ISS telerobotic tasks. COUNTERMEASURE UPDATES The lunar lander simulation has been implemented onto a two-laptop display system where subjects select from alternative landing points, based upon avoiding hazards that the on-board system identifies during the landing. The subject makes inputs using a rotational hand controller (i.e., joystick) and a translational hand controller, which are processed by simulated vehicle dynamics to update the vehicle attitude and rate of descent. Subjects will utilize a combination of flight, situation, and status displays to monitor the state of the simulated vehicle. The simulation exports tilt and translation movements to a 6DOF motion base synced to visual movements and provides representative vestibular cues to the subject while performing the task inside an enclosed cabin featuring a simulated lunar out-the-window view and a heads-down lander cockpit view. RELEVANCE This project will deliver an operational demonstration of crew override capability following spaceflight and identify potential deficits that may require remediation. Comparison of individual vestibular and cognitive changes with crew override performance will help better characterize the manual control risks associated with sensorimotor alterations. The inclusion of “just-in-time” on-board training will ensure we are characterizing changes in override proficiency with this expected countermeasure in place. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge contributions from Draper, HLS Joint Test Panel, Crew HLS Interfaces for Piloting Working Group, and Dynamic Skills Trainer (DST) Lab toward the development of the lunar landing simulation. This project is funded by the Human Health Countermeasures Element.

Austin M Bollinger↗

Manual Crew Override of Vehicle Landings Following G-Transitions

BACKGROUND Manual control during exploration spaceflight consists of both planned automated supervisory control and unplanned crew override. This crew override capability is critical to enable overall mission success during landing contingencies. However, the introduction of manual override capabilities must be implemented to enable crews to mitigate risks introduced by human error. Adaptive changes in the sensorimotor system can manifest during g-transitions as spatial disorientation. While training and landing aids enable successful landing through disorientation, these adaptive changes may increase cognitive demand that needs to be accounted for in the manual control strategy. It is important to characterize these effects as soon as possible following the G-transition to develop appropriate countermeasures. METHODS The following study seeks to inform the risk associated with altered sensorimotor and vestibular function impacting critical mission tasks. We aim to characterize the effects of short and long-duration weightlessness on manual control following G-transitions using simulated lunar landing on a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) motion base, a fixed base simulation, and a supervisory control tablet task. The primary goal is to understand the impact of spaceflight on crew ability to perform manual crew override and supervisory control. This aim will be assessed by comparing pre- versus postflight simulation performance in crewmembers assigned to either short duration (< 30 day) or long duration (~6- month) missions to the International Space Station (ISS). We hypothesize there will be postflight increases in the percent time that pilots are outside of the acceptable range for recommended vehicle state parameters and the reaction time for secondary cognitive tasks. Ground-based control subjects, who are demographically matched to the crew considering age (± 5 years) and gender, will undergo the same testing schedule as the crew to examine the effects of flight phase independent of microgravity exposure. The second aim is to examine how adaptive changes in vestibular and cognitive function relate to changes in manual crew override proficiency. Crew performance for a sensorimotor perceptual test battery will evaluate motion perception tracking, roll nulling, and/or vection sensitivity using the 6DOF motion base. We hypothesize that a higher severity of vestibular alterations will be associated with increased percent time outside of guidance limits. Motion sickness severity and sleepiness will also be evaluated. To determine the impact of “just-in-time” training, the third aim seeks to compare performance during on-board lunar landing tasks conducted late in-flight to early postflight. We hypothesize that proficiency on the “just-in-time” laptop trainer late in mission will be positively correlated with early postflight proficiency on the same task. The final aim will establish assessments of performance, training protocols, and the learning progression in a ground-control cohort of first-time users. RESULTS The assessment of the learning progression associated with the piloting task on the motion base system with thirty ground subjects will be reported. Learning curves will be established across four distinct sessions and within session considering trial difficulty. The difficulty of the landing task can be modulated with the landing divert distance and cross or downrange difficulty. Results may include changes in performance across multiple trials of a multi-attribute lunar tablet supervisory control task. Preliminary investigations of eighteen subjects who completed vestibular threshold and motion perception tasks offer expected performance ranges for upcoming preflight crew evaluations. The results yielded an average roll threshold of 0.46 ± 0.30 deg/s and an average roll nulling root mean square error performance of 2.52 ± 0.52 deg/s. RELEVANCE This project will deliver an operational demonstration of crew monitoring capability following spaceflight and identify potential deficits that may require remediation. Comparison of individual vestibular and cognitive changes with crew performance will help better characterize the manual control risks associated with sensorimotor alterations. Ground testing will evaluate learning progression, refine training protocols, and serve as a control cohort for comparisons to crew performance. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge contributions from Draper, the Dynamic Skills Trainer (DST) Lab, and the Software, Robotics, and Simulation Division toward the development of the lunar landing simulation platforms. This project is funded by the Human Health Countermeasures Element.

Hannah M. Weiss↗

Experimental Investigation of an Overriding Control to Effect Recovery from Surge and Stall in a Turbojet Engine

The override was designed to automatically recover the engine from stall and surge by reducing fuel flow and then increasing fuel flow in a manner to avoid repeated stalls and surges and successfully complete the acceleration. One of two parameters was used to operate the override, tailpipe temperature, or the derivative of compressor-discharge pressure. The override operating with tailpipe temperature recovered the engine from stall and surge. Operating on compressor-discharge-pressure derivative, the override recovered the engine from surge, but failed when stall was encountered.

Stiglic, Paul M↗

Overriding Faulty Circuit Breakers

Retainer keeps power on in emergency. Simple mechanical device attaches to failed aircraft-type push/pull circuit breaker to restore electrical power temporarily until breaker replaced. Device holds push/pull button in closed position; unnecessary for crewmember to hold button in position by continual finger pressure. Sleeve and plug hold button in, overriding mechanical failure in circuit breaker. Windows in sleeve show button position.

Robbins, Richard L.↗

Manual Override For Electromechanical Latch

Override mechanism enables user to operate electromechanical latching mechanism manually if primary mechanism fails. Release/Engage Mechanism (REM) moves pin receivers to confine pins on object to be held. Clutch disengages electrically driven latch normally used. Used to latch and unlatch large, heavy objects from fixed support structure.

Scott, Richard↗

Linear Electromagnetic Acutator With Manual Override

Conceptual permanent-magnet-assisted electromagnetic linear actuator used to set axial position of metering component in valve. One notable feature of actuator is external pole-piece subassembly that swivels manually about axis of linear motion (which is also axis of cylindrical symmetry) to vary distribution of magnetic flux in such way as to override electrical position control. Armature and magnets hermetically sealed.

Abel, Stephen G.↗

Override of spontaneous respiratory pattern generator reduces cardiovascular parasympathetic influence

We investigated the effects of voluntary control of breathing on autonomic function in cardiovascular regulation. Variability in heart rate was compared between 5 min of spontaneous and controlled breathing. During controlled breathing, for 5 min, subjects voluntarily reproduced their own spontaneous breathing pattern (both rate and volume on a breath-by-breath basis). With the use of this experimental design, we could unmask the effects of voluntary override of the spontaneous respiratory pattern generator on autonomic function in cardiovascular regulation without the confounding effects of altered respiratory pattern. Results from 10 subjects showed that during voluntary control of breathing, mean values of heart rate and blood pressure increased, whereas fractal and spectral powers in heart rate in the respiratory frequency region decreased. End-tidal PCO2 was similar during spontaneous and controlled breathing. These results indicate that the act of voluntary control of breathing decreases the influence of the vagal component, which is the principal parasympathetic influence in cardiovascular regulation.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

Data-driven modeling of dynamic occupant thermostat override behavior for demand response applications

Buildings consume nearly 40% of global energy and produce similar emissions. Whiletechnological advances address efficiency, occupant behavior causes energy use variations up to 300% between identical buildings. This gap between predicted and actual building performance impacts building design, operations, and grid demand management programs. Through analyses of smart thermostat data from 1,400 single-occupant homes, the researchdemonstrates that occupants respond to 8°F thermostat setpoint changes within a median of 15 minutes, while 2°F changes trigger responses within a median of 30 minutes. This highlights an understudied temporal relationship between thermostat setbacks and response time of occupant behaviors. Models of such behavior dynamics are required to incorporate occupant impacts into building performance simulation. A key contribution of this dissertation is the Thermal Frustration Theory (TFT), which positsthat thermal discomfort driven behaviors are caused by the time-accumulation of discomfort, not simply a temperature deviation threshold or a delay from an initiating event. Using a dataset of 634 thermostats, each with 25+ manual setpoint changes, a comparative analysis of TFT and comfort zone and a delayed response theories demonstrated that personalized TFT models better predict when manual setpoint change occur. This was measured by the area under the curve statistical measure (AUC); all three models perform similarly by a Matthews Correlation Coefficient measure. Higher AUC performance is especially important for modeling occupant behavior in demand response programs where false negatives of rare occupant interactions could adversely affect grid stability. EnergyPlus based simulations were conducted with TFT-derived occupant models, demonstrating the ability to identify parameters of known TFT models from only data observable with smart thermostats, even under the presence of noise from routine overrides. Overall, the dissertation highlights that thermostat interactions are neither static,instantaneous, nor driven solely by the environment. Instead, temporal accumulation of discomfort and routine-based behavior play important roles. The methodology and results offer a pathway towards more accurate modeling of human-building interactions for policy assessment, building design, and demand response programs.

Sharma, Kunind [Northeastern University] (ORCID:00↗

Groundwater Depth Overrides Tree-Species Effects on the Structure of Soil Microbial Communities Involved in Nitrogen Cycling in Plantation Forests

Microbial communities found in soil ecosystems play important roles in decomposing organic materials and recycling nutrients. A clear understanding on how biotic and abiotic factors influence the microbial community and its functional role in ecosystems is fundamental to terrestrial biogeochemistry and plant production. The purpose of this study was to investigate microbial communities and functional genes involved in nitrogen cycling as a function of groundwater depth (deep and shallow), tree species (pine and eucalypt), and season (spring and fall). Soil fungal, bacterial, and archaeal communities were determined by length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (LH-PCR). Soil ammonia oxidation archaeal (AOA) amoA gene, ammonia oxidation bacterial (AOB) amoA gene, nitrite oxidoreductase nrxA gene, and denitrifying bacterial narG, nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes were further studied using PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Soil fungal and bacterial communities remained similar between tree species and groundwater depths, respectively, regardless of season. Soil archaeal communities remained similar between tree species but differed between groundwater depths in the spring only. Archaeal amoA for nitrification and bacterial nirK and nosZ genes for denitrification were detected in DGGE, whereas bacterial amoA and nrxA for nitrification and bacterial narG and nirS genes for denitrification were undetectable. The detected nitrification and denitrification communities varied significantly with groundwater depth. There was no significant difference of nitrifying archaeal amoA or denitrifying nirK communities between different tree species regardless of season. The seasonal difference in microbial communities and functional genes involved in nitrogen cycling suggests microorganisms exhibit seasonal dynamics that likely impact relative rates of nitrification and denitrification.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Force override rate control for robotic manipulators

The work reported deals with the problem of operating a robot manipulator under a rate control mode while the end effector is not in contact with the external environment, and then switching to a force control mode when contact is made. The paper details how the modal changeover may be accomplished in a manner transparent to the operator, and will allow operator applied forces to be reflected at the robot end effector. A one degree of freedom demonstration system is used to illustrate the concept, which is then applied to a PUMA manipulator. Sample code for the implementation of the control is provided, experimental results show that the optimum setting for the gain is a function of the compliance of the end effector, and the compliance of the external constraint.

Driels, Morris↗

Plate motion controls on back-arc spreading

The motions of the subducting and the overriding plates influence the spatial and temporal distribution of back-arc spreading. Cenozoic plate motions in hot spot-fixed and no-net-rotation reference frames were studied with attention to correlations between changes in motion and episodes of back-arc spreading in the western Pacific. The results suggest that major back-arc opening occurs when both the overriding plate retreats from the trench in an absolute sense and the subducting plate undergoes a significant speed-up. Neither phenomenon alone is sufficient to initiate spreading. Three major plate velocity increases can be identified in the Cenozoic: (1) the Pacific plate 5-9 Ma; (2) the Indian plate at 27 Ma; and (3) the Pacific plate at 43 Ma, due to its shift from northerly to more westerly motion. At the present time, the Indian and Philippine are the only overriding plates that are retreating from their Pacific trenches and back-arc spreading occurs only on these two retreating plates. Although the Indian plate has been retreating for at least 25 Ma, back-arc spreading began only following the Pacific plate speed-up 5-9 Ma. Earlier, during the Indian plate speed-up, no overriding plates were retreating strongly and no back-arc spreading epsiodes are preserved from this time. For the earliest Pacific plate shift at 43 Ma, the Eurasian plate was not advancing, thus creating the only favorable plate kinematic conditions in the Cenozoic for back-arc basin formation in this region. It is unclear whether extension in the Japan Sea is a result of these conditions.

Fein, J. B.↗

Mantle flow pressure and the angle of subduction - Non-Newtonian corner flows

Corner flows of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids are used to model the flow in a subduction zone which is viscously driven by the motions of the converging plates and the descending slab. The pressures induced by the flow tend to lift the slab up beneath the overriding plate thereby offsetting the tendency of gravity to align the slab with the vertical. The low angles of subduction observed in Peru and Central Chile may be the result of strong dynamic pressures forcing the slab up against the overriding plate. Viscous coupling between the overriding plate and the downgoing slab is essential if the nonvertical dips of slabs are a consequence of the balance between gravitational and pressure torques. For a Newtonian mantle, shear stresses and pressures on the top of the slab are comparable. If the mantle is non-Newtonian, however, the pressures greatly exceed the shear stresses, for most acute dip angles. Thus frictional forces on the top and bottom surfaces of slabs are less important in resisting slab descent into a non-Newtonian mantle than they are in resisting penetration into a Newtonian mantle.

Tovish, A.↗

‪A Novel Methodology for Longitudinal Studies of Home Thermal Comfort Perception and Behavior

Human-building interactions significantly influence building energy consumption and affect peak energy demand. For example, heating and cooling contribute 46% of daily peak residential energy demand. Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) can potentially increase energy-demand flexibility and accelerate the adoption of renewables. However, traditional demand response (DR) programs focused on shedding peak loads disregard the human-building interactions leading to occupant thermal frustration. Specifically, they do not model occupants’ ability to override thermostat controls, nor how indoor environmental conditions and socio&#x2;cultural factors affect the timing and magnitude of overrides. Studies have found 20% of occupants override thermostat setpoints during DR events longer than 6 hours yet lack detail about the motivation that might guide more successful efforts. Balancing energy-demand flexibility with occupant thermal comfort requires understanding dynamic occupant behavior, the underlying psychophysiological drivers, in the context of homes. This paper presents methods for scalable longitudinal studies of residential occupant behavior dynamics to inform the development of psychophysiological occupant-centric building models. Smart sensors were installed to measure local environmental conditions in 20 homes in two regions of the United States. Just-in-time ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) provided qualitative data on occupant thermal comfort and local environmental conditions not captured in Internet-of-Things (IoT) based studies or existing datasets. Participant interviews provided insight into environmental attitudes, mental models, and the role of economics in comfort and behavior, which in turn may affect thermostat interactions. Based on these data, interventions in the next phase of the study will collect data and monitor occupant behavior during simulated DR events.

Kane, Michael↗

Aggregate residential demand flexibility behavior: A novel assessment framework

Residential demand flexibility (DF) could save the U.S. electric grid up to 10 GW of peak demand while supporting increased amounts of renewable generation. However, less than 40% of the estimated DF peak reduction capacity is currently realized, and less than 8% of American households are enrolled. These low participation rates are combined with high rates of "overriding" a DF event and eventual opt-outs among enrolled customers. There is still not a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of DF participation and occupant interaction with DF program signals. We, therefore, present a novel survey processing framework to assess occupant DF-relevant behavior from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). Using the framework, we summarize both the extensive and intensive behavior of more than 200,000 ATUS respondents (2003-2018 data) and provide insights on the DF-relevant behavior of residential occupants, which is generally overlooked in the literature. Here we use the framework to identify the activity priorities of residential occupants in the United States during different DF-relevant periods (critical peak, peak, and off-peak). These preferred activities capture overlooked routine behaviors that could be barriers to DF participation, if ignored, and might explain the high levels of overrides often exhibited by participants of demand response.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗