Advances in Intelligent Vehicle Control

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Advances in Intelligent Vehicle Control that was published in the journal Sensors. It presents a collection of eleven papers that covers a range of topics, such as the development of intelligent control algorithms for active safety systems, smart sensors, and intelligent and efficient driving. The contributions presented in these papers can serve as useful tools for researchers who are interested in new vehicle technology and in the improvement of vehicle control systems

New decentralized algorithms for spacecraft formation control based on a cyclic approach

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-231).When considering the formation control problem for large number of spacecraft, the advantages of implementing control approaches with a centralized coordination mechanism can be outpaced by the risks associated with having a primary vital control unit. Additionally, in formations with a large number of spacecraft, a centralized approach implies an inherent difficulty in gathering and broadcasting information from/to the overall system. Therefore, there is a need to explore efficient decentralized control approaches. In this thesis a new approach to spacecraft formation control is formulated by exploring and enhancing the recent results on the theory of convergence to geometric patterns and exploring the analysis of this approach using the tools of contracting theory. First, an extensive analysis of the cyclic pursuit dynamics leads to developing control laws useful for spacecraft formation flight which, as opposed to the most common approaches in the literature, do not track fixed relative trajectories and therefore, reduce the global coordination requirements. The proposed approach leads to local control laws that verify global emergent behaviors specified as convergence to a particular manifold. A generalized analysis of such control approach by using tools of partial contraction theory is performed, producing important convergence results. By applying and extending results from the theory of partially contracting systems, an approach to deriving sufficient conditions for convergence is formulated. Its use is demonstrated by analyzing several examples and obtaining global convergence results for nonlinear, time varying and more complex interconnected distributed controllers. Experimental results of the implementation of these algorithms were obtained using the SPHERES testbed on board the International Space Station, validating many of the important properties of this decentralized control approach. They are believed to be the first implementation of decentralized formation flight in space. To complement the results we also consider a short analysis of the advantages of decentralized versus centralized approach by comparing the optimal performance and the effects of complexity and robustness for different architectures and address the issues of implementing decentralized algorithms in a inherently coupled system like the Electromagnetic Formation Flight.by Jaime Luís Ramírez Riberos.Ph.D

RFID Technology in Intelligent Tracking Systems in Construction Waste Logistics Using Optimisation Techniques

Construction waste disposal is an urgent issue for protecting our environment. This paper proposes a waste management system and illustrates the work process using plasterboard waste as an example, which creates a hazardous gas when land filled with household waste, and for which the recycling rate is less than 10% in the UK. The proposed system integrates RFID technology, Rule-Based Reasoning, Ant Colony optimization and knowledge technology for auditing and tracking plasterboard waste, guiding the operation staff, arranging vehicles, schedule planning, and also provides evidence to verify its disposal. It h relies on RFID equipment for collecting logistical data and uses digital imaging equipment to give further evidence; the reasoning core in the third layer is responsible for generating schedules and route plans and guidance, and the last layer delivers the result to inform users. The paper firstly introduces the current plasterboard disposal situation and addresses the logistical problem that is now the main barrier to a higher recycling rate, followed by discussion of the proposed system in terms of both system level structure and process structure. And finally, an example scenario will be given to illustrate the system’s utilization

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Guiding readers through the basics of these rapidly emerging networks to more advanced concepts and future expectations, Mobile Ad hoc Networks: Current Status and Future Trends identifies and examines the most pressing research issues in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Containing the contributions of leading researchers, industry professionals, and academics, this forward-looking reference provides an authoritative perspective of the state of the art in MANETs. The book includes surveys of recent publications that investigate key areas of interest such as limited resources and the mobility of mobile nodes. It considers routing, multicast, energy, security, channel assignment, and ensuring quality of service. Also suitable as a text for graduate students, the book is organized into three sections: Fundamentals of MANET Modeling and Simulation—Describes how MANETs operate and perform through simulations and models Communication Protocols of MANETs—Presents cutting-edge research on key issues, including MAC layer issues and routing in high mobility Future Networks Inspired By MANETs—Tackles open research issues and emerging trends Illustrating the role MANETs are likely to play in future networks, this book supplies the foundation and insight you will need to make your own contributions to the field. It includes coverage of routing protocols, modeling and simulations tools, intelligent optimization techniques to multicriteria routing, security issues in FHAMIPv6, connecting moving smart objects to the Internet, underwater sensor networks, wireless mesh network architecture and protocols, adaptive routing provision using Bayesian inference, and adaptive flow control in transport layer using genetic algorithms