Data-driven Soft Sensors in the Process Industry

In the last two decades Soft Sensors established themselves as a valuable alternative to the traditional means for the acquisition of critical process variables, process monitoring and other tasks which are related to process control. This paper discusses characteristics of the process industry data which are critical for the development of data-driven Soft Sensors. These characteristics are common to a large number of process industry fields, like the chemical industry, bioprocess industry, steel industry, etc. The focus of this work is put on the data-driven Soft Sensors because of their growing popularity, already demonstrated usefulness and huge, though yet not completely realised, potential. A comprehensive selection of case studies covering the three most important Soft Sensor application fields, a general introduction to the most popular Soft Sensor modelling techniques as well as a discussion of some open issues in the Soft Sensor development and maintenance and their possible solutions are the main contributions of this work

Application of an electronic nose coupled with fuzzy-wavelet network for the detection of meat spoilage

Food product safety is one of the most promising areas for the application of electronic noses. During the last twenty years, these sensor-based systems have made odour analyses possible. Their application into the area of food is mainly focused on quality control, freshness evaluation, shelf-life analysis and authenticity assessment. In this paper, the performance of a portable electronic nose has been evaluated in monitoring the spoilage of beef fillets stored either aerobically or under modified atmosphere packaging, at different storage temperatures. A novel multi-output fuzzy wavelet neural network model has been developed, which incorporates a clustering pre-processing stage for the definition of fuzzy rules. The dual purpose of the proposed modelling approach is not only to classify beef samples in the relevant quality class (i.e. fresh, semi-fresh and spoiled), but also to predict their associated microbiological population. Comparison results against advanced machine learning schemes indicated that the proposed modelling scheme could be considered as a valuable detection methodology in food microbiology

Intelligent strategies for mobile robotics in laboratory automation

In this thesis a new intelligent framework is presented for the mobile robots in laboratory automation, which includes: a new multi-floor indoor navigation method is presented and an intelligent multi-floor path planning is proposed; a new signal filtering method is presented for the robots to forecast their indoor coordinates; a new human feature based strategy is proposed for the robot-human smart collision avoidance; a new robot power forecasting method is proposed to decide a distributed transportation task; a new blind approach is presented for the arm manipulations for the robots

Neuro-Fuzzy Based Intelligent Approaches to Nonlinear System Identification and Forecasting

Nearly three decades back nonlinear system identification consisted of several ad-hoc approaches, which were restricted to a very limited class of systems. However, with the advent of the various soft computing methodologies like neural networks and the fuzzy logic combined with optimization techniques, a wider class of systems can be handled at present. Complex systems may be of diverse characteristics and nature. These systems may be linear or nonlinear, continuous or discrete, time varying or time invariant, static or dynamic, short term or long term, central or distributed, predictable or unpredictable, ill or well defined. Neurofuzzy hybrid modelling approaches have been developed as an ideal technique for utilising linguistic values and numerical data. This Thesis is focused on the development of advanced neurofuzzy modelling architectures and their application to real case studies. Three potential requirements have been identified as desirable characteristics for such design: A model needs to have minimum number of rules; a model needs to be generic acting either as Multi-Input-Single-Output (MISO) or Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) identification model; a model needs to have a versatile nonlinear membership function. Initially, a MIMO Adaptive Fuzzy Logic System (AFLS) model which incorporates a prototype defuzzification scheme, while utilising an efficient, compared to the Takagi–Sugeno–Kang (TSK) based systems, fuzzification layer has been developed for the detection of meat spoilage using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The identification strategy involved not only the classification of beef fillet samples in their respective quality class (i.e. fresh, semi-fresh and spoiled), but also the simultaneous prediction of their associated microbiological population directly from FTIR spectra. In the case of AFLS, the number of memberships for each input variable was directly associated to the number of rules, hence, the “curse of dimensionality” problem was significantly reduced. Results confirmed the advantage of the proposed scheme against Adaptive Neurofuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) techniques used in the same case study. In the case of MISO systems, the TSK based structure, has been utilized in many neurofuzzy systems, like ANFIS. At the next stage of research, an Adaptive Fuzzy Inference Neural Network (AFINN) has been developed for the monitoring the spoilage of minced beef utilising multispectral imaging information. This model, which follows the TSK structure, incorporates a clustering pre-processing stage for the definition of fuzzy rules, while its final fuzzy rule base is determined by competitive learning. In this specific case study, AFINN model was also able to predict for the first time in the literature, the beef’s temperature directly from imaging information. Results again proved the superiority of the adopted model. By extending the line of research and adopting specific design concepts from the previous case studies, the Asymmetric Gaussian Fuzzy Inference Neural Network (AGFINN) architecture has been developed. This architecture has been designed based on the above design principles. A clustering preprocessing scheme has been applied to minimise the number of fuzzy rules. AGFINN incorporates features from the AFLS concept, by having the same number of rules as well as fuzzy memberships. In spite of the extensive use of the standard symmetric Gaussian membership functions, AGFINN utilizes an asymmetric function acting as input linguistic node. Since the asymmetric Gaussian membership function’s variability and flexibility are higher than the traditional one, it can partition the input space more effectively. AGFINN can be built either as an MISO or as an MIMO system. In the MISO case, a TSK defuzzification scheme has been implemented, while two different learning algorithms have been implemented. AGFINN has been tested on real datasets related to electricity price forecasting for the ISO New England Power Distribution System. Its performance was compared against a number of alternative models, including ANFIS, AFLS, MLP and Wavelet Neural Network (WNN), and proved to be superior. The concept of asymmetric functions proved to be a valid hypothesis and certainly it can find application to other architectures, such as in Fuzzy Wavelet Neural Network models, by designing a suitable flexible wavelet membership function. AGFINN’s MIMO characteristics also make the proposed architecture suitable for a larger range of applications/problems

Design and implementation of a soft computing-based controller for a complex mechanical system

Soft-Computing basierende Regler beinhalten Algorithmen, die im Bereich des Maschinellen Lernens einzuordnen sind. Diese Regler sind in der Lage eine geeignete Steuerungsstrategie durch direkte Interaktion mit einer dynamischen Regelstrecke zu entwerfen. Sowohl klassische als auch moderne Reglerentwurfsmethoden hangen von der Genauigkeit des verwendeten dynamischen Systemmodells ab, was insbesondere bei steigender Komplexitat des Systems und auftretenden Modellunsicherheiten nicht mehr uneingeschrankt gewahrleistet werden kann. Die Ziele von Soft- Computing basierenden Reglern sind die Verbesserung der Gute des Regelverhaltens und eine geeignete Anpassung der Regler ohne eine mathematische Modellbildung auf Grundlage von physikalischen Gesetzen. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit werden funf Algorithmen zur Modellbildung und Regelung dynamischer Systeme untersucht, welche auf dem Mehrschichten-Perzeptron-Netzwerk (Multi-Layer Perceptron network, MLP), auf der Methode der Support Vector Machine (SVM), der Gau-Prozesse, der radialen Basisfunktionen (Radial Basis Functions, RBF) sowie der Fuzzy-Inferenz-Systeme basieren. Im Anschluss an die Darstellung der zugrunde liegenden mathematischen Zusammenhange dieser Methoden sowie deren Hauptanwendungsfelder im Bereich der Modellbildung und Regelung dynamischer Systeme wird eine systematische Evaluierung der funf Methoden diskutiert. Anhand der Verwendung quantitativer Gutekennziern werden diese Methoden fur die Verwendung in der Modellbildung und Regelung dynamischer Systeme vergleichbar gegenubergestellt. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Evaluierung wird der SVM-basierte Algorithmus als Kernalgorithmus des Soft-Computing basierenden Reglers verwendet. Der vorgestellte Regler besteht aus zwei Hauptteilen, wobei der erste Teil aus einer Modellfunktion der dynamischen Regelstrecke und einem SVM-basierten Beobachter besteht, und der zweite Teil basierend auf dem Systemmodell eine geeignete Regelstrategie generiert. Die Verikation des SVM-basierten Regleralgorithmus erfolgt anhand eines FEM-Modells eines dynamischen elastischen Balken bzw. einseitig eingespannten elastischen Balkens. Dieses Modell kann z. B. als Ersatzmodell fur das mechanische Verhalten eines exiblen Roboterarms oder einer Flugzeugtrag ache verwendet werden. Der Hauptteil der Modellfunktion besteht aus einem automatischen Systemidentikationsalgorithmus, der auch die Integration eines systematischen Modellbildungsansatzes fur dynamische Systeme ermoglicht.Die Ergebnisse des SVM-basierten Beobachter zeigen ahnliches Verhalten zum Kalman- Bucy Beobachter. Auch die Sensitivitatsanalyse der Parameter zeigt eine bessere Gute der SVM-basierten Beobachter im Vergleich mit den Kalman-Bucy Beobachtern. Im Anschluss wird der SVM-basierte Regler zur Schwingungsregelung des Kragtragers verwendet. Hierbei werden vergleichbare Ergebnisse zum LQR-Regler erzielt. Eine experimentelle Validierung des SVM basierten Reglers erfolgt an Versuchsst anden eines elastischen Biegebalkens sowie eines invertierten Biegebalkens. Die Zustandsbeobachtung fuhrt zu vergleichbaren Ergebnissen verglichen mit einem Kalman-Bucy Beobachter. Auch die Modellbildung des elastischen Balkens fuhrt zu guten Ubereinstimmungen. Die Regelgute des Soft-Computing basierenden Reglers wurde am Versuchsstand des invertierten Biegebalkens experimentell erprobt. Es wird deutlich, dass Ergebnisse im Rahmen der erforderlichen Vorgaben erzielt werden konnen.The focus of this thesis is to obtain a soft computing-based controller for complex mechanical system. soft computing based controllers are based on machine learning algorithm that able to develop suitable control strategies by direct interaction with targeted dynamic systems. Classical and modern control design methods depend on the accuracy of the system dynamic model which cannot be achieved due to the dynamic system complexity and modeling uncertainties. A soft computing-based controller aims to improve the performance of the close loop system and to give the controller adaptation ability as well as to reduce the need for mathematical modeling based on physical laws. In this work ve dierent softcomputing algorithms used in the eld of modeling and controlling dynamic systems are investigated.These algorithms are Multi-Layer Perceptron(MLP) network, Support Vector Machine (SVM),Gaussian process, Radial Basis Function (RBF), and Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). The basic mathematical description of each algorithm is given. Additionally, the most recent applications in modeling and controlling of dynamic system are summarized. A systematic evaluation of the ve algorithms is proposed. The goal of the evaluation is to provide quantitative measure of the performance of soft computing algorithms when used in modeling and controlling a dynamic system. Based on the evaluation, the SVM algorithm is selected as the core learning algorithm for the soft computing based controller. The controller has two main units. The rst unit has two functions of modeling dynamic system and obtaining a SVM-based observer. The second unit is in charge of generating suitable control strategy based on the dynamic model obtained. The verication of the controller using SVM algorithm is done using an elastic cantilever beam modeled using Finite Element Method (FEM). An elastic cantilever beam can be considered as a representation of exible single-link manipulator or aircraft wing. In the core of the modeling unit, an automatic system identication algorithm which allows a systematic modeling approach of dynamic systems is implemented. The results show that the system dynamic model using SVM algorithm is accurate with respect to the FEM model. As for the SVM-based observer the results show that it has good estimation in comparison with to dierent Kalman-Bucy observers. The sensitivity to parameters variations analysis shows that the SVM-based observer has better performance than Kalman-Bucy observer. The SVM based controller is used to control the vibration of the cantilever beam; the results show that the model reference controller using SVM has a similar performance to LQR controller. The validation of the controller using SVM algorithm is carried out using the elastic cantilever beam test rig and the inverted cantilever beam test rig. The states estimation using SVM-based observer of the elastic cantilever beam test rig is successful and accurate compared to a Kalman-Bucy observer. Modeling of the elastic cantilever beam using the SVM algorithm shows good accuracy. The performance of controller is tested on the inverted cantilever beam test rig. The results show that required performance objective can be realized using this control strategy

Development of soft computing and applications in agricultural and biological engineering

Soft computing is a set of “inexact” computing techniques, which are able to model and analyze very complex problems. For these complex problems, more conventional methods have not been able to produce cost-effective, analytical, or complete solutions. Soft computing has been extensively studied and applied in the last three decades for scientific research and engineering computing. In agricultural and biological engineering, researchers and engineers have developed methods of fuzzy logic, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, decision trees, and support vector machines to study soil and water regimes related to crop growth, analyze the operation of food processing, and support decision-making in precision farming. This paper reviews the development of soft computing techniques. With the concepts and methods, applications of soft computing in the field of agricultural and biological engineering are presented, especially in the soil and water context for crop management and decision support in precision agriculture. The future of development and application of soft computing in agricultural and biological engineering is discussed

Design of monitoring applications and prediction of key industrial metrics: IIoT + AI

The global industry has suffered deep changes in the last years because of the successful development and integration of new technologies. Industry 4.0 has emerged as a new standard for achieving efficiency and improving processes. Among the technologies used in Industry 4.0, Internet of Things applied to industry (IIoT) enable real-time, intelligent, and autonomous access, collection, analysis, communications, and exchange of process, product and/or service information, within the industrial environment, so as to optimize overall production value. Because of its importance, in this project, a methodology for extracting, analyzing and using the data gathered by IIoT devices is proposed in order to extract meaningful information and to predict industrial key metrics with Artificial Intelligence. In addition, for the complete validation of the proposed methodology, a practical implementation of all the mentioned aspects is carried out by developing a study of the industrial process in the wastewater treatment field using the data collected by an Industrial Internet of Things infrastructure and modelling key time series metrics, such as total organic carbon (TOC) and carbon removal performance (CRP) by using Machine Learning models XGBOOST Regressor, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Regressor and Support Vector Regressor (SVR) to implement a dashboard with an operational panel and a decision-making panel that helps anticipate possible deviations in the performance of the industrial process

Air pollution forecasts: An overview

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Air pollution is defined as a phenomenon harmful to the ecological system and the normal conditions of human existence and development when some substances in the atmosphere exceed a certain concentration. In the face of increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, scholars have conducted a significant quantity of related research, and in those studies, the forecasting of air pollution has been of paramount importance. As a precaution, the air pollution forecast is the basis for taking effective pollution control measures, and accurate forecasting of air pollution has become an important task. Extensive research indicates that the methods of air pollution forecasting can be broadly divided into three classical categories: statistical forecasting methods, artificial intelligence methods, and numerical forecasting methods. More recently, some hybrid models have been proposed, which can improve the forecast accuracy. To provide a clear perspective on air pollution forecasting, this study reviews the theory and application of those forecasting models. In addition, based on a comparison of different forecasting methods, the advantages and disadvantages of some methods of forecasting are also provided. This study aims to provide an overview of air pollution forecasting methods for easy access and reference by researchers, which will be helpful in further studies

Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines Using Intelligent Machine Learning Techniques

Wind Turbine condition monitoring can detect anomalies in turbine performance which have the potential to result in unexpected failure and financial loss. This study examines common Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) data over a period of 20 months for 21 pitch regulated 2.3 MW turbines and is presented in three manuscripts. First, power curve monitoring is targeted applying various types of Artificial Neural Networks to increase modeling accuracy. It is shown how the proposed method can significantly improve network reliability compared with existing models. Then, an advance technique is utilized to create a smoother dataset for network training followed by establishing dynamic ANFIS network. At this stage, designed network aims to predict power generation in future hours. Finally, a recursive principal component analysis is performed to extract significant features to be used as input parameters of the network. A novel fusion technique is then employed to build an advanced model to make predictions of turbines performance with favorably low errors

A Rapid Detection of Meat Spoilage using an Electronic Nose and Fuzzy-Wavelet systems

Freshness and safety of muscle foods are generally considered as the most important parameters for the food industry. To address the rapid detection of meat spoilage microorganisms during aerobic or modified atmosphere storage, an electronic nose with the aid of fuzzy wavelet network has been considered in this research. The proposed model incorporates a clustering pre-processing stage for the definition of fuzzy rules. The dual purpose of the proposed modelling approach is not only to classify beef samples in the respective quality class (i.e. fresh, semi-fresh and spoiled), but also to predict their associated microbiological population directly from volatile compounds fingerprints. Comparison results against neural networks and neurofuzzy systems indicated that the proposed modelling scheme could be considered as a valuable detection methodology in food microbiolog