Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transpot project-demonstration act system definition

The 1985 ACT airplane is the Final Active Controls Technology (ACT) Airplane with the addition of three-axis fly by wire. Thus it retains all the efficiency features of the full ACT system plus the weight and cost savings accruing from deletion of the mechanical control system. The control system implements the full IAAC spectrum of active controls except flutter-mode control, judged essentially nonbeneficial, and incorporates new control surfaces called flaperons to make the most of wing-load alleviation. This redundant electronic system is conservatively designed to preserve the extreme reliability required of crucial short-period pitch augmentation, which provides more than half of the fuel savings

Implementation of explosion safety regulations in design of a mobile robot for coal mines

The article focuses on specific challenges of the design of a reconnaissance mobile robotic system aimed for inspection in underground coal mine areas after a catastrophic event. Systems that are designated for these conditions must meet specific standards and regulations. In this paper is discussed primarily the main conception of meeting explosion safety regulations of European Union 2014/34/EU (also called ATEX-from French "Appareils destines a etre utilises en ATmospheres Explosives") for Group I (equipment intended for use in underground mines) and Category M1 (equipment designed for operation in the presence of an explosive atmosphere). An example of a practical solution is described on main subsystems of the mobile robot TeleRescuera teleoperated robot with autonomy functions, a sensory subsystem with multiple cameras, three-dimensional (3D) mapping and sensors for measurement of gas concentration, airflow, relative humidity, and temperatures. Explosion safety is ensured according to the Technical Report CLC/TR 60079-33 "s" by two main independent protections-mechanical protection (flameproof enclosure) and electrical protection (automatic methane detector that disconnects power when methane breaches the enclosure and gets inside the robot body).Web of Science811art. no. 230

Platform-based design, test and fast verification flow for mixed-signal systems on chip

This research is providing methodologies to enhance the design phase from architectural space exploration and system study to verification of the whole mixed-signal system. At the beginning of the work, some innovative digital IPs have been designed to develop efficient signal conditioning for sensor systems on-chip that has been included in commercial products. After this phase, the main focus has been addressed to the creation of a re-usable and versatile test of the device after the tape-out which is close to become one of the major cost factor for ICs companies, strongly linking it to model’s test-benches to avoid re-design phases and multi-environment scenarios, producing a very effective approach to a single, fast and reliable multi-level verification environment. All these works generated different publications in scientific literature. The compound scenario concerning the development of sensor systems is presented in Chapter 1, together with an overview of the related market with a particular focus on the latest MEMS and MOEMS technology devices, and their applications in various segments. Chapter 2 introduces the state of the art for sensor interfaces: the generic sensor interface concept (based on sharing the same electronics among similar applications achieving cost saving at the expense of area and performance loss) versus the Platform Based Design methodology, which overcomes the drawbacks of the classic solution by keeping the generality at the highest design layers and customizing the platform for a target sensor achieving optimized performances. An evolution of Platform Based Design achieved by implementation into silicon of the ISIF (Intelligent Sensor InterFace) platform is therefore presented. ISIF is a highly configurable mixed-signal chip which allows designers to perform an effective design space exploration and to evaluate directly on silicon the system performances avoiding the critical and time consuming analysis required by standard platform based approach. In chapter 3 we describe the design of a smart sensor interface for conditioning next generation MOEMS. The adoption of a new, high performance and high integrated technology allow us to integrate not only a versatile platform but also a powerful ARM processor and various IPs providing the possibility to use the platform not only as a conditioning platform but also as a processing unit for the application. In this chapter a description of the various blocks is given, with a particular emphasis on the IP developed in order to grant the highest grade of flexibility with the minimum area occupation. The architectural space evaluation and the application prototyping with ISIF has enabled an effective, rapid and low risk development of a new high performance platform achieving a flexible sensor system for MEMS and MOEMS monitoring and conditioning. The platform has been design to cover very challenging test-benches, like a laser-based projector device. In this way the platform will not only be able to effectively handle the sensor but also all the system that can be built around it, reducing the needed for further electronics and resulting in an efficient test bench for the algorithm developed to drive the system. The high costs in ASIC development are mainly related to re-design phases because of missing complete top-level tests. Analog and digital parts design flows are separately verified. Starting from these considerations, in the last chapter a complete test environment for complex mixed-signal chips is presented. A semi-automatic VHDL-AMS flow to provide totally matching top-level is described and then, an evolution for fast self-checking test development for both model and real chip verification is proposed. By the introduction of a Python interface, the designer can easily perform interactive tests to cover all the features verification (e.g. calibration and trimming) into the design phase and check them all with the same environment on the real chip after the tape-out. This strategy has been tested on a consumer 3D-gyro for consumer application, in collaboration with SensorDynamics AG

Study and implementation of programmable logic controller

This project work is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the history and development of Programmable Logic Controllers and its subsequent applications in different industries. In The second part PLC was implemented to control 3 different processes namely lift car controller, Liquid level controller, Temperature controller. Automation of many different processes, such as controlling machines or factory assembly lines, is done through the use of small computers called a programmable logic controller (PLC). This is actually a control device that consists of a programmable microprocessor, and is programmed using a specialized computer language. Before, a programmable logic controller would have been programmed in ladder logic, which is similar to a schematic of relay logic. A modern programmable logic controller is usually programmed in any one of several languages, ranging from ladder logic to Basic or C. Typically, the program is written in a development environment on a personal computer (PC), and then is downloaded onto the programmable logic controller directly through a cable connection. The program is stored in the programmable logic controller in on-volatile memory.The programmable logic controller has made a significant contribution to factory automation. Earlier automation systems had to use thousands of individual relays and cam timers, but all of the relays and timers within a factory system can often be replaced with a single programmable logic controller. Today, programmable logic controllers deliver a wide range of functionality, including basic relay control, motion control, process control, and complex networking, as well as being used in Distributed Control Systems. There are several different types of interfaces that are used when people need to interact with the programmable logic controller to configure it or work with it. This may take the form of simple lights or switches or text displays, or for more complex systems, a computer of Web interface on a computer running a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Programmable logic controllers were first created to serve the automobile industry, and the first programmable logic controller project was developed in 1968 for General Motors to replace hard-wired relay systems with an electronic controller.The lift controller controls the movement of the lift. The program is designed to make the lift car move to the correct floor based on floor request. The temperature controller controls the temperature of the fluid based on a set point. The level controller controls the level of a liquid in a tank

An Experimental Approach to a Rapid Propulsion and Aeronautics Concepts Testbed

Modern aircraft design tools have limitations for predicting complex propulsion-airframe interactions. The demand for new tools and methods addressing these limitations is high based on the many recent Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts being developed for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) markets. We propose that low cost electronics and additive manufacturing can support the conceptual design of advanced autonomy-enabled concepts, by facilitating rapid prototyping for experimentally driven design cycles. This approach has the potential to reduce complex aircraft concept development costs, minimize unique risks associated with the conceptual design, and shorten development schedule by enabling the determination of many "unknown unknowns" earlier in the design process and providing verification of the results from aircraft design tools. A modular testbed was designed and built to evaluate this rapid design-build-test approach and to support aeronautics and autonomy research targeting UAM applications utilizing a complex, transitioning-VTOL aircraft configuration. The testbed is a modular wind tunnel and flight model. The testbed airframe is approximately 80% printed, with labor required for assembly. This paper describes the design process, fabrication process, ground testing, and initial wind tunnel structural and thermal loading of a proof-of-concept aircraft, the Langley Aerodrome 8 (LA-8)

Integration of RFID and Industrial WSNs to Create A Smart Industrial Environment

A smart environment is a physical space that is seamlessly embedded with sensors, actuators, displays, and computing devices, connected through communication networks for data collection, to enable various pervasive applications. Radio frequency identification (RFID) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) can be used to create such smart environments, performing sensing, data acquisition, and communication functions, and thus connecting physical devices together to form a smart environment. This thesis first examines the features and requirements a smart industrial environment. It then focuses on the realization of such an environment by integrating RFID and industrial WSNs. ISA100.11a protocol is considered in particular for WSNs, while High Frequency RFID is considered for this thesis. This thesis describes designs and implementation of the hardware and software architecture necessary for proper integration of RFID and WSN systems. The hardware architecture focuses on communication interface and AI/AO interface circuit design; while the driver of the interface is implemented through embedded software. Through Web-based Human Machine Interface (HMI), the industrial users can monitor the process parameters, as well as send any necessary alarm information. In addition, a standard Mongo database is designed, allowing access to historical and current data to gain a more in-depth understanding of the environment being created. The information can therefore be uploaded to an IoT Cloud platform for easy access and storage. Four scenarios for smart industrial environments are mimicked and tested in a laboratory to demonstrate the proposed integrated system. The experimental results have showed that the communication from RFID reader to WSN node and the real-time wireless transmission of the integrated system meet design requirements. In addition, compared to a traditional wired PLC system where measurement error of the integrated system is less than 1%. The experimental results are thus satisfactory, and the design specifications have been achieved