26,666 research outputs found
Control systems with network delay
In this paper motion control systems with delay in measurement and control channels are discussed and a new structure of the observer-predictor is proposed. The feature of the proposed system is enforcement of the convergence in both the estimation and the prediction of the plant output in the presence of the variable, unknown delay in both measurement and in the control channels. The estimation is based on the available data – undelayed control input, the delayed
measurement of position or velocity and the nominal parameters of the plant and it does not require apriori knowledge of the delay. The stability and convergence is proven and selection of observer and the controller parameters is discussed. Experimental results are shown to illustrate the theoretical prediction
Lensing of Fast Radio Bursts by Plasma Structures in Host Galaxies
Plasma lenses in the host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) can strongly
modulate FRB amplitudes for a wide range of distances, including the
Gpc distance of the repeater FRB121102. To produce caustics, the lens'
dispersion-measure depth (), scale size (), and distance
from the source () must satisfy . Caustics produce strong
magnifications () on short time scales ( hours to days and
perhaps shorter) along with narrow, epoch dependent spectral peaks (0.1 to
1~GHz). However, strong suppression also occurs in long-duration (
months) troughs. For geometries that produce multiple images, the resulting
burst components will arrive differentially by s to tens of ms and
they will show different apparent dispersion measures, pc cm. Arrival time perturbations may mask any
underlying periodicity with period s. When arrival times differ by
less than the burst width, interference effects in dynamic spectra are
expected. Strong lensing requires source sizes smaller than , which can be satisfied by compact objects such as
neutron star magnetospheres but not by AGNs. Much of the phenomenology of the
repeating fast radio burst source FRB121102 is similar to lensing effects. The
overall picture can be tested by obtaining wideband spectra of bursts (from
to 10 GHz and possibly higher), which can also be used to characterize the
plasma environment near FRB sources. A rich variety of phenomena is expected
from an ensemble of lenses near the FRB source. We discuss constraints on
densities, magnetic fields, and locations of plasma lenses related to
requirements for lensing to occur.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
Detection of intrinsic source structure at ~3 Schwarzschild radii with Millimeter-VLBI observations of SAGITTARIUS A*
We report results from very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations
of the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center, Sgr A*, at 1.3 mm (230
GHz). The observations were performed in 2013 March using six VLBI stations in
Hawaii, California, Arizona, and Chile. Compared to earlier observations, the
addition of the APEX telescope in Chile almost doubles the longest baseline
length in the array, provides additional {\it uv} coverage in the N-S
direction, and leads to a spatial resolution of 30 as (3
Schwarzschild radii) for Sgr A*. The source is detected even at the longest
baselines with visibility amplitudes of 4-13% of the total flux density.
We argue that such flux densities cannot result from interstellar refractive
scattering alone, but indicate the presence of compact intrinsic source
structure on scales of 3 Schwarzschild radii. The measured nonzero
closure phases rule out point-symmetric emission. We discuss our results in the
context of simple geometric models that capture the basic characteristics and
brightness distributions of disk- and jet-dominated models and show that both
can reproduce the observed data. Common to these models are the brightness
asymmetry, the orientation, and characteristic sizes, which are comparable to
the expected size of the black hole shadow. Future 1.3 mm VLBI observations
with an expanded array and better sensitivity will allow a more detailed
imaging of the horizon-scale structure and bear the potential for a deep
insight into the physical processes at the black hole boundary.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted to Ap
H ∞ sliding mode observer design for a class of nonlinear discrete time-delay systems: A delay-fractioning approach
Copyright @ 2012 John Wiley & SonsIn this paper, the H ∞ sliding mode observer (SMO) design problem is investigated for a class of nonlinear discrete time-delay systems. The nonlinear descriptions quantify the maximum possible derivations from a linear model, and the system states are allowed to be immeasurable. Attention is focused on the design of a discrete-time SMO such that the asymptotic stability as well as the H ∞ performance requirement of the error dynamics can be guaranteed in the presence of nonlinearities, time delay and external disturbances. Firstly, a discrete-time discontinuous switched term is proposed to make sure that the reaching condition holds. Then, by constructing a new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional based on the idea of ‘delay fractioning’ and by introducing some appropriate free-weighting matrices, a sufficient condition is established to guarantee the desired performance of the error dynamics in the specified sliding mode surface by solving a minimization problem. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show the effectiveness of the designed SMO design scheme
Recent X-ray measurements of the accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1907+09
X-ray observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar 4U~1907+09, obtained during
February 1996 with the Proportional Counter Array on the Rossi X-ray Timing
Experiment (RXTE), have enabled the first measurement of the intrinsic pulse
period Ppulse since 1984: Ppulse=440.341[+0.012,-0.017] s. 4U 1907+09 is in a
binary system with a blue supergiant. The orbital parameters were solved and
this enabled the correction for orbital delay effects of a measurement of
Ppulse obtained in 1990 with Ginga. Thus, three spin down rates could be
extracted from four pulse periods obtained in 1983, 1984, 1990, and 1996. These
are within 8% equal to a value of dPpulse/dt=+0.225 s/yr. This suggest that the
pulsar is perhaps in a monotonous spin down mode since its discovery in 1983.
Furthermore, the RXTE observations show transient ~18 s oscillations during a
flare that lasted about 1 hour. The oscillations may be interpreted as
Keplerian motion of an accretion disk near the magnetospheric radius. This, and
the notion that the co-rotation radius is much larger than any conceivable
value for the magnetospheric radius (because of the long spin period), renders
it unlikely that this pulsar spins near equilibrium like is suspected for other
slowing accreting X-ray pulsars. We suggest as an alternative that perhaps the
frequent occurrence of a retrograde transient accretion disk may be
consistently slowing the pulsar down. Further observations of flares can
provide more evidence of this.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures, to be published in Astrophysical Journal part I
on March 20, 199
Size of the Vela Pulsar's Emission Region at 18 cm Wavelength
We present measurements of the linear diameter of the emission region of the
Vela pulsar at observing wavelength lambda=18 cm. We infer the diameter as a
function of pulse phase from the distribution of visibility on the
Mopra-Tidbinbilla baseline. As we demonstrate, in the presence of strong
scintillation, finite size of the emission region produces a characteristic
W-shaped signature in the projection of the visibility distribution onto the
real axis. This modification involves heightened probability density near the
mean amplitude, decreased probability to either side, and a return to the
zero-size distribution beyond. We observe this signature with high statistical
significance, as compared with the best-fitting zero-size model, in many
regions of pulse phase. We find that the equivalent full width at half maximum
of the pulsar's emission region decreases from more than 400 km early in the
pulse to near zero at the peak of the pulse, and then increases again to
approximately 800 km near the trailing edge. We discuss possible systematic
effects, and compare our work with previous results
Improved performance of motor-drive systems by SAW shaft torque feedback
The paper describes the application of a non-contact, high bandwidth, low cost, SAW-based torque
measuring system for improving the dynamic performance
of industrial process motor-drive systems. Background to
the SAW technology and its motor integration is discussed
and a resonance ratio control (RRC) technique for the
coordinated motion control of multi-inertia mechanical
systems, based on the measurement of shaft torque via a
SAW-based torque sensor is proposed. Furthermore, a
new controller structure, RRC plus disturbance feedback
is proposed, which enables the controller to be designed to
independently satisfy tracking and regulation
performance. A tuning method for the RRC structure is
given based on the ITAE index, normalized as a function of
the mechanical parameters enabling a direct performance
comparison between a basic proportional and integral (PI)
controller. The use of a reduced-order state observer is
presented to provide a dynamic estimate of the load-side
disturbance torque for a multi-inertia mechanical system,
with an appraisal of the composite closed-loop dynamics.
The control structures are experimentally validated and
demonstrate significant improvement in dynamic tracking
performance, whilst additionally rejecting periodic load
side disturbances, a feature previously unrealisable except
by other, high-gain control schemes that impose small
stability margins
Radio Circular Polarization Produced in Helical Magnetic Fields in Eight Active Galactic Nuclei
Homan & Lister (2006) have recently published circular-polarization (CP)
detections for 34 objects in the MOJAVE sample - a set of bright, compact AGN
being monitored by the Very Long Baseline Array at 15 GHz. We report the
detection of 15-GHz parsec-scale CP in two more AGN (3C345 and 2231+114), and
confirm the MOJAVE detection of CP in 1633+382. It is generally believed that
the most likely mechanism for the generation of this CP is Faraday conversion
of linear polarization to CP. A helical jet magnetic-field (B-field) geometry
can facilitate this process - linearly polarized emission from the far side of
the jet is converted to CP as it passes through the magnetised plasma at the
front side of the jet on its way toward the observer. In this case, the sign of
the generated CP is essentially determined by the pitch angle and helicity of
the helical B field. We have determined the pitch-angle regimes and helicities
of the helical jet B fields in 8 AGN for which parsec-scale CP has been
detected, and used them to predict the expected CP signs for these AGN if the
CP is generated via conversion in these helical fields. We have obtained the
intriguing result that our predictions agree with the observed signs in all
eight cases, provided that the longitudinal B-field components in the jets
correspond to South magnetic poles. This clearly non-random pattern
demonstrates that the observed CP in AGN is directly associated with the
presence of helical jet B fields. These results suggest that helical B fields
are ubiquitous in AGN jets.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS
Robust H∞ control for networked systems with random packet losses
Copyright [2007] IEEE. This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Such permission of the IEEE does not in any way imply IEEE endorsement of any of Brunel University's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to [email protected]. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it.In this paper, the robust Hinfin control problem Is considered for a class of networked systems with random communication packet losses. Because of the limited bandwidth of the channels, such random packet losses could occur, simultaneously, in the communication channels from the sensor to the controller and from the controller to the actuator. The random packet loss is assumed to obey the Bernoulli random binary distribution, and the parameter uncertainties are norm-bounded and enter into both the system and output matrices. In the presence of random packet losses, an observer-based feedback controller is designed to robustly exponentially stabilize the networked system in the sense of mean square and also achieve the prescribed Hinfin disturbance-rejection-attenuation level. Both the stability-analysis and controller-synthesis problems are thoroughly investigated. It is shown that the controller-design problem under consideration is solvable if certain linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are feasible. A simulation example is exploited to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed LMI approach
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