A high speed scanning system for vision based navigation/control of mobile robots.

One of the main problems in the design of mobile robots is the development of creating smart integrated information systems. These systems may include different type of sensors. Usually a CeD vision system is a necessary part for these systems. This thesis considers the design of a fast mechanical scanning system for a CCD vision system and the synthesis of the optimal control for this system. The mathematical model of the transport subsystem for mobile robots subjected to an external disturbance is created. The correctness of this model is proved on the base of simulation and experimental results. Regression coefficients are calculated and an estimate of model accuracy is carried out. The approach of power calculation for the actuators for the fast mechanical scanning system is considered. Implementation of this approach extends the use of a general mathematical model of the transport subsystem of the mobile robot and as such considerably reduces the design time. The main features for estimation of external disturbances are determined. Limitations of implementation of some technical solutions for mobile robot sensors are defined according to an analysis conducted of different factors for external disturbances. Di~erent kinematic schemes of the scanning systems have been analysed in this thesis. Practical recommendations of the kinematic scheme used in scanning systems are given. The essential features of a kinematic scheme for the fast mechanical scanning system have been developed and verified. A method for the solution of the inverse kinematics of a 3 degree of freedom scanning system in terms of velocities and in accelerations is presented. This method is utilised for formulating optimal control for the fast mechanical scanning system. 11 v ASlLY RUBrsov PHD· THESIS The algorithms of fast scanning have been produced for the different types of the sensors. The limitations for the practical realisations for these algorithms are considered in this thesis. The optimal control algorithms for the developed scanning system are produced. This control minimises the sum of instant powers of the scanning system actuators. A practical algorithm has been derived utilising the control scheme structure developed theoretically. The capability of this control algorithm has been proved by experimental study. Advantages of this developed control algorithm for 3 degree scanning system has been proven by experimentation

Aerial Vehicles

This book contains 35 chapters written by experts in developing techniques for making aerial vehicles more intelligent, more reliable, more flexible in use, and safer in operation.It will also serve as an inspiration for further improvement of the design and application of aeral vehicles. The advanced techniques and research described here may also be applicable to other high-tech areas such as robotics, avionics, vetronics, and space

Aerospace medicine and biology: A cumulative index to a continuing bibliography (supplement 319)

This publication is a cumulative index to the abstracts contained in Supplements 307 through 318 of Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A Continuing Bibliography. Seven indexes are included -- subject, personal author, corporate source, foreign technology, contract number, report number and accession number

Implementing Industry 4.0 in SMEs

This open access book addresses the practical challenges that Industry 4.0 presents for SMEs. While large companies are already responding to the changes resulting from the fourth industrial revolution , small businesses are in danger of falling behind due to the lack of examples, best practices and established methods and tools. Following on from the publication of the previous book ‘Industry 4.0 for SMEs: Challenges, Opportunities and Requirements’, the authors offer in this new book innovative results from research on smart manufacturing, smart logistics and managerial models for SMEs. Based on a large scale EU-funded research project involving seven academic institutions from three continents and a network of over fifty small and medium sized enterprises, the book reveals the methods and tools required to support the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 along with practical examples

A complex systems approach to education in Switzerland

The insights gained from the study of complex systems in biological, social, and engineered systems enables us not only to observe and understand, but also to actively design systems which will be capable of successfully coping with complex and dynamically changing situations. The methods and mindset required for this approach have been applied to educational systems with their diverse levels of scale and complexity. Based on the general case made by Yaneer Bar-Yam, this paper applies the complex systems approach to the educational system in Switzerland. It confirms that the complex systems approach is valid. Indeed, many recommendations made for the general case have already been implemented in the Swiss education system. To address existing problems and difficulties, further steps are recommended. This paper contributes to the further establishment complex systems approach by shedding light on an area which concerns us all, which is a frequent topic of discussion and dispute among politicians and the public, where billions of dollars have been spent without achieving the desired results, and where it is difficult to directly derive consequences from actions taken. The analysis of the education system's different levels, their complexity and scale will clarify how such a dynamic system should be approached, and how it can be guided towards the desired performance

On the Combination of Game-Theoretic Learning and Multi Model Adaptive Filters

This paper casts coordination of a team of robots within the framework of game theoretic learning algorithms. In particular a novel variant of fictitious play is proposed, by considering multi-model adaptive filters as a method to estimate other players’ strategies. The proposed algorithm can be used as a coordination mechanism between players when they should take decisions under uncertainty. Each player chooses an action after taking into account the actions of the other players and also the uncertainty. Uncertainty can occur either in terms of noisy observations or various types of other players. In addition, in contrast to other game-theoretic and heuristic algorithms for distributed optimisation, it is not necessary to find the optimal parameters a priori. Various parameter values can be used initially as inputs to different models. Therefore, the resulting decisions will be aggregate results of all the parameter values. Simulations are used to test the performance of the proposed methodology against other game-theoretic learning algorithms.</p

Time Localization of Abrupt Changes in Cutting Process using Hilbert Huang Transform

Cutting process is extremely dynamical process influenced by different phenomena such as chip formation, dynamical responses and condition of machining system elements. Different phenomena in cutting zone have signatures in different frequency bands in signal acquired during process monitoring. The time localization of signal’s frequency content is very important. An emerging technique for simultaneous analysis of the signal in time and frequency domain that can be used for time localization of frequency is Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT). It is based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) of the signal into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) as simple oscillatory modes. IMFs obtained using EMD can be processed using Hilbert Transform and instantaneous frequency of the signal can be computed. This paper gives a methodology for time localization of cutting process stop during intermittent turning. Cutting process stop leads to abrupt changes in acquired signal correlated to certain frequency band. The frequency band related to abrupt changes is localized in time using HHT. The potentials and limitations of HHT application in machining process monitoring are shown