Analysis and design of a capsule landing system and surface vehicle control system for Mars exploration

Problems related to an unmanned exploration of the planet Mars by means of an autonomous roving planetary vehicle are investigated. These problems include: design, construction and evaluation of the vehicle itself and its control and operating systems. More specifically, vehicle configuration, dynamics, control, propulsion, hazard detection systems, terrain sensing and modelling, obstacle detection concepts, path selection, decision-making systems, and chemical analyses of samples are studied. Emphasis is placed on development of a vehicle capable of gathering specimens and data for an Augmented Viking Mission or to provide the basis for a Sample Return Mission

Interrogation of Optical Fiber Sensors for Civil Engineering Applications using Widely Tunable Laser

Předložená disertační práce zkoumá možnosti použití nového typu polovodičového MGY- Laseru elektricky laditelného v širokém spektrálním rozsahu a zabývá se možnostmi jeho nasazení v optovláknové senzorové síti založené na metodě FBG (Fiber Bragg Grating). Výzkum byl započat komplexními dlouhodobými testy reálného měřícího scénáře z oblasti stavebnictví, sestaveného pro účely ověření limitujících aspektů současných technik. Inženýrské aplikace nabízejí velké množství vzájemně se vylučujících požadavků pro návrh strukturálních senzorových systémů. Tyto požadavky jsou sdíleny mnoha dalšími technologickými oblastmi, což přispívá k vysokému stupni univerzálnosti použití dosažených výsledků. Na základě posouzení stavu současné techniky a aplikačních požadavků byly v práci nejprve identifikovány aspekty, které mají být výzkumem zlepšeny. V dalším kroku byl detailně charakterizován MG-Y laser Syntune/Finisar S7500. Na základě dat získaných měřením byla zkoumána nová metoda spojitého řízená vlnové délky záření laseru. Provedené experimenty vedly nejen k návrhu nového způsobu spojité regulace vlnové délky ale také k vytvoření prostředků pro vlastní kalibraci systému na základě jeho vnitřních vlastností (podélných módů rezonátoru).This dissertation investigates the use of a MG-Y-Laser, a novel type of semiconductor laser that is electrically tunable over a wide spectral range, for the interrogation of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based fiber-optical sensing networks. The research started with a complex long-term test of a real world measurement scenario from the field of civil engineering to elucidate limiting aspects of state of the art techniques. Civil engineering applications pose a multitude of mutually exclusive challenges toward structural sensing systems. These challenges are shared by many other fields of technology, making the results to a large degree universally applicable. Following an assessment of the state of art and the application requirements, the aspects to be improved by the research were identified. A Syntune/Finisar S7500 MG-Y-Laser device was then thoroughly characterized. Based on the gathered measurement data, novel tuning methods aimed at wavelength continuous control were investigated. This led to the invention of a tuning method that not only allows wavelength continuous control but also provides a means of self calibration based on intrinsic properties (longitudinal cavity modes) of the device.

Radar Technology

In this book “Radar Technology”, the chapters are divided into four main topic areas: Topic area 1: “Radar Systems” consists of chapters which treat whole radar systems, environment and target functional chain. Topic area 2: “Radar Applications” shows various applications of radar systems, including meteorological radars, ground penetrating radars and glaciology. Topic area 3: “Radar Functional Chain and Signal Processing” describes several aspects of the radar signal processing. From parameter extraction, target detection over tracking and classification technologies. Topic area 4: “Radar Subsystems and Components” consists of design technology of radar subsystem components like antenna design or waveform design

Preliminary study of NAVSTAR/GPS for general aviation

The activities conducted as a planning effort to focus attention on the applicability of the global positioning system for general aviation are described. The description of GPS, its impact on economic and functional aspects of general aviation avionics, as well as a declaration of potential extensions of the basic concept have been studied in detail

On Automation in Anesthesia

The thesis discusses closed-loop control of the hypnotic and the analgesic components of anesthesia. The objective of the work has been to develop a system which independently controls the intravenous infusion rates of the hypnotic drug propofol and analgesic drug remifentanil. The system is designed to track a reference hypnotic depth level, while maintaining adequate analgesia. This is complicated by inter-patient variability in drug sensitivity, disturbances caused foremost by surgical stimulation, and measurement noise. A commercially available monitor is used to measure the hypnotic depth of the patient, while a simple soft sensor estimates the analgesic depth. Both induction and maintenance of anesthesia are closed-loop controlled, using a PID controller for propofol and a P controller for remifentanil. In order to tune the controllers, patient models have been identified from clinical data, with body mass as only biometric parameter. Care has been taken to characterize identifiability and produce models which are safe for the intended application. A scheme for individualizing the controller tuning upon completion of the induction phase of anesthesia is proposed. Practical aspects such as integrator anti-windup and loss of the measurement signal are explicitly addressed. The validity of the performance measures, most commonly reported in closed-loop anesthesia studies, is debated and a new set of measures is proposed. It is shown, both in simulation and clinically, that PID control provides a viable approach. Both results from simulations and clinical trials are presented. These results suggest that closed-loop controlled anesthesia can be provided in a safe and efficient manner, relieving the regulatory and server controller role of the anesthesiologist. However, outlier patient dynamics, unmeasurable disturbances and scenarios which are not considered in the controller synthesis, urge the presence of an anesthesiologist. Closed-loop controlled anesthesia should therefore not be viewed as a replacement of human expertise, but rather as a tool, similar to the cruise controller of a car

A note on the R sub 0-parameter for discrete memoryless channels

An explicit class of discrete memoryless channels (q-ary erasure channels) is exhibited. Practical and explicit coded systems of rate R with R/R sub o as large as desired can be designed for this class

The telecommunications and data acquisition

Radio astronomy and radio interferometry at microwave frequencies are discussed. Other topics concerning the Deep Space Network include program planning, planetary and interplanetary mission support, tracking and ground based navigation, communications, and station control and system technology

DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR AN INTEGRAL LARGE SCALE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR

Small and large scale integral light water reactors are being developed to supply electrical power and to meet the needs of process heat, primarily for water desalination. This dissertation research focuses on the instrumentation and control of a large integral inherently safe light water reactor (designated as I2S-LWR) which is being designed as part of a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Research Project (IRP). This 969 MWe integral pressurized water reactor (PWR) incorporates as many passive safety features as possible while maintaining competitive costs with current light water reactors. In support of this work, the University of Tennessee has been engaged in research to solve the instrumentation and control challenges posed by such a reactor design. This dissertation is a contribution to this effort. The objectives of this dissertation are to establish the feasibility and conceptual development of instrumentation strategies and control approaches for the I2S-LWR, with consideration to the state of the art of the field. The objectives of this work are accomplished by the completion of the following tasks: Assessment of instrumentation needs and technology gaps associated with the instrumentation of the I2S-LWR for process monitoring and control purposes. Development of dynamic models of a large integral PWR core, micro-channel heat exchangers (MCHX) that are contained within the reactor pressure vessel, and steam flashing drums located external to the containment building. Development and demonstration of control strategies for reactor power regulation, steam flashing drum pressure regulation, and flashing drum water level regulation for steady state and load-following conditions. Simulation, detection, and diagnosis of process anomalies in the I2S-LWR model. This dissertation is innovative and significant in that it reports the first instrumentation and control study of nuclear steam supply by integral pressurized water reactor coupled to an isenthalpic expansion vessel for steam generation. Further, this dissertation addresses the instrumentation and control challenges associated with integral reactors, as well as improvements to inherent safety possible in the instrumentation and control design of integral reactors. The results of analysis and simulation demonstrate the successful development of dynamic modeling, control strategies, and instrumentation for a large integral PWR

Simulation of dynamic systems with uncertain parameters

This dissertation describes numerical methods for representation and simulation of dynamic systems with time invariant uncertain parameters. Simulation is defined as computing a boundary of the system response that contains all the possible behaviors of an uncertain system. This problem features many challenges, especially those associated with minimizing the computational cost due to global optimization. To reduce computational cost, an approximation or surrogate of the original system model is constructed by employing Moving Least Square (MLS) Response Surface Method for non-convex global optimization. For more complicated systems, a gradient enhanced moving least square (GEMLS) response surface is used to construct the surrogate model more accurately and efficiently. This method takes advantage of the fact that parametric sensitivity of an ODE system can be calculated as a by-product with less computational cost when solving the original system. Furthermore, global sensitivity analysis for monotonic testing can be introduced in some cases to further reduce the number of samples. The proposed method has been applied to two engineering applications. The first is hybrid system verification by reachable set computing/approximation. First, the computational burden of using polyhedron for reachable set approximation is reviewed. It is then proven that the boundary of a reachable set is formed only by the trajectories from the boundary of an initial state region. This result reduces the search space from R n to R n−1 . Finally, the GEMLS method proposed is integrated with oriented rectangular hull for reachable set representation and an approximation with improved accuracy and efficiency can be achieved. Another engineering application is model-based fault detection. In this case, a fault free system is modeled as a parametric uncertain system whose parameters belong to a given bounded set. The performance boundary of a fault free system can be acquired by using the proposed approach and then employed as an adaptive threshold. A fault is defined when system parameters do not belong to the set due to malfunction or degradation. Once such a fault occurs, the monitored system performance will extend beyond the normal system boundary predicted.Mechanical Engineerin