Social Odometry: Imitation Based Odometry in Collective Robotics

The improvement of odometry systems in collective robotics remains an important challenge for several applications. Social odometry is an online social dynamics which confers the robots the possibility to learn from the others. Robots neither share any movement constraint nor access to centralized information. Each robot has an estimate of its own location and an associated confidence level that decreases with distance traveled. Social odometry guides a robot to its goal by imitating estimated locations, confidence levels and actual locations of its neighbors. This simple online social form of odometry is shown to produce a self-organized collective pattern which allows a group of robots to both increase the quality of individuals’ estimates and efficiently improve their collective performanc

Online Bearing Remaining Useful Life Prediction Based on a Novel Degradation Indicator and Convolutional Neural Networks

In industrial applications, nearly half the failures of motors are caused by the degradation of rolling element bearings (REBs). Therefore, accurately estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) for REBs are of crucial importance to ensure the reliability and safety of mechanical systems. To tackle this challenge, model-based approaches are often limited by the complexity of mathematical modeling. Conventional data-driven approaches, on the other hand, require massive efforts to extract the degradation features and construct health index. In this paper, a novel online data-driven framework is proposed to exploit the adoption of deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) in predicting the RUL of bearings. More concretely, the raw vibrations of training bearings are first processed using the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) and a novel nonlinear degradation indicator is constructed as the label for learning. The CNN is then employed to identify the hidden pattern between the extracted degradation indicator and the vibration of training bearings, which makes it possible to estimate the degradation of the test bearings automatically. Finally, testing bearings' RULs are predicted by using a $\epsilon$-support vector regression model. The superior performance of the proposed RUL estimation framework, compared with the state-of-the-art approaches, is demonstrated through the experimental results. The generality of the proposed CNN model is also validated by transferring to bearings undergoing different operating conditions

Linear Operation of Switch-Mode Outphasing Power Amplifiers

Radio transceivers are playing an increasingly important role in modern society. The ”connected” lifestyle has been enabled by modern wireless communications. The demand that has been placed on current wireless and cellular infrastructure requires increased spectral efficiency however this has come at the cost of power efficiency. This work investigates methods of improving wireless transceiver efficiency by enabling more efficient power amplifier architectures, specifically examining the role of switch-mode power amplifiers in macro cell scenarios. Our research focuses on the mechanisms within outphasing power amplifiers which prevent linear amplification. From the analysis it was clear that high power non-linear effects are correctable with currently available techniques however non-linear effects around the zero crossing point are not. As a result signal processing techniques for suppressing and avoiding non-linear operation in low power regions are explored. A novel method of digital pre-distortion is presented, and conventional techniques for linearisation are adapted for the particular needs of the outphasing power amplifier. More unconventional signal processing techniques are presented to aid linearisation of the outphasing power amplifier, both zero crossing and bandwidth expansion reduction methods are designed to avoid operation in nonlinear regions of the amplifiers. In combination with digital pre-distortion the techniques will improve linearisation efforts on outphasing systems with dynamic range and bandwidth constraints respectively. Our collaboration with NXP provided access to a digital outphasing power amplifier, enabling empirical analysis of non-linear behaviour and comparative analysis of behavioural modelling and linearisation efforts. The collaboration resulted in a bench mark for linear wideband operation of a digital outphasing power amplifier. The complimentary linearisation techniques, bandwidth expansion reduction and zero crossing reduction have been evaluated in both simulated and practical outphasing test benches. Initial results are promising and indicate that the benefits they provide are not limited to the outphasing amplifier architecture alone. Overall this thesis presents innovative analysis of the distortion mechanisms of the outphasing power amplifier, highlighting the sensitivity of the system to environmental effects. Practical and novel linearisation techniques are presented, with a focus on enabling wide band operation for modern communications standards

Modern approaches to control of a multiple hearth furnace in kaolin production

The aim of this thesis is to improve the overall efficiency of the multiple hearth furnace (MHF) in kaolin calcination by developing control strategies which incorporate machine learning based soft sensors to estimate mineralogy related constraints in the control strategy. The objective of the control strategy is to maximize the capacity of the furnace and minimize energy consumption while maintaining the product quality of the calcined kaolin. First, the description of the process of interest is given, highlighting the control strategy currently implemented at the calciner studied in this work. Next, the state of the art on control of calcination furnaces is presented and discussed. Then, the description of the mechanistic model of the MHF, which plays a key role in the testing environment, is provided and an analysis of the MHF dynamic behavior based on the industrial and simulated data is presented. The design of the mineralogy-driven control strategy for the multiple hearth furnace and its implementation in the simulation environment are also outlined. The analysis of the results is then presented. Furthermore, the extensive sampling campaign for testing the soft sensors and the control strategy logic of the industrial MHF is reported, and the results are analyzed and discussed. Finally, an introduction to Model Predictive Control (MPC) is presented, the design of the Linear MPC framework for the MHF in kaolin calcination is described and discussed, and future research is outlined

Control and identification of non-linear systems using neural networks and reinforcement learning

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Elétrica, 2018.Este trabalho propõe um contolador adaptativo utilizando redes neuras e aprendizado por reforço para lidar com não-linearidades e variância no tempo. Para a realização de testes, um sistema de nível de líquidos de quarta ordem foi escolhido por apresentar uma gama de constantes de tempo e por possibilitar a mudança de parâmetros. O sistema foi identificado com redes neurais para prever estados futuros com o objetivo de compensar o atraso e melhorar a performance do controlador. Diversos testes foram realizados com diversas redes neurais para decidir qual rede neural seria utilizada para cada tarefa pertinente ao controlador. Os parâmetros do controlador foram ajustados e testados para que o controlador pudesse alcançar parâmetros arbitrários de performance. O controlador foi testado e comparado com o PI tradicional para validação e mostrou caracteristicas adaptativas e melhoria de performance ao longo do tempo, além disso, o controlador desenvolvido não necessita de informação prévia do sistema.Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAP-DF).This work presents a proposal of an adaptive controller using reinforcement learning and neural networks in order to deal with non-linearities and time-variance. To test the controller a fourth-order fluid level system was chosen because of its great range of time constants and the possibility of varying the system parameters. System identification was performed to predict future states of the system, bypass delay and enhance the controller’s performance. Several tests with different neural networks were made in order to decide which network would be assigned to which task. Various parameters of the controller were tested and tuned to achieve a controller that satisfied arbitrary specifications. The controller was tested against a conventional PI controller used as reference and has shown adaptive features and improvement during execution. Also, the proposed controller needs no previous information on the system in order to be designed

Online system identification development based on recursive weighted least square neural networks of nonlinear hammerstein and wiener models.

The realistic dynamics mathematical model of a system is very important for analyzing a system. The mathematical system model can be derived by applying physical, thermodynamic, and chemistry laws. But this method has some drawbacks, among which is difficult for complex systems, sometimes is untraceable for nonlinear behavior that almost all systems have in the real world, and requires much knowledge. Another method is system identification which is also called experimental modeling. System identification can be made offline, but this method has a disadvantage because the features of a dynamic system may change over time. The parameters may vary as environmental conditions change. It requires big data and consumes a long time. This research introduces a developed method for online system identification based on the Hammerstein and Wiener nonlinear block-oriented structure with the artificial neural networks (NN) advantages and recursive weighted least squares algorithm for optimizing neural network learning in real-time. The proposed method aimed to obtain a maximally informative mathematical model that can describe the actual dynamic behaviors of a system, using the DC motor as a case study. The goodness of fit validation based on the normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE) and normalized mean square error, and Theil’s inequality coefficient are used to evaluate the performance of models. Based on experimental results, for best Wiener parallel NN model and series-parallel NN model are 93.7% and 89.48%, respectively. Best Hammerstein parallel NN polynomial based model and series-parallel NN polynomial model are 88.75% and 93.9% respectively, for best Hammerstein parallel NN sigmoid based model and series-parallel NN sigmoid based model 78.26% and 95.95% respectively, and for best Hammerstein parallel NN hyperbolic tangent based model and series-parallel NN hyperbolic tangent based model 70.7% and 96.4% respectively. The best model of the developed method outperformed the conventional NARX and NARMAX methods best model by 3.26% in terms of NRMSE goodness of fit