Control strategy for automatic gantry crane systems: a practical and intelligent approach

The use of gantry crane systems for transporting payload is very common in building constructions. However, moving the payload using the crane is not an easy task especially when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Various attempts in controlling gantry cranes system based on open- loop and closed-loop control systems were proposed. However, most of the proposed controllers were designed based on the model and parameter of the crane system. In general, modeling and parameter identifications are troublesome and time consuming task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a practical and intelligent control method for automatic gantry crane is introduced and evaluated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is not only effective for controlling the crane but also robust to parameter variation

Towards Autonomous Aviation Operations: What Can We Learn from Other Areas of Automation?

Rapid advances in automation has disrupted and transformed several industries in the past 25 years. Automation has evolved from regulation and control of simple systems like controlling the temperature in a room to the autonomous control of complex systems involving network of systems. The reason for automation varies from industry to industry depending on the complexity and benefits resulting from increased levels of automation. Automation may be needed to either reduce costs or deal with hazardous environment or make real-time decisions without the availability of humans. Space autonomy, Internet, robotic vehicles, intelligent systems, wireless networks and power systems provide successful examples of various levels of automation. NASA is conducting research in autonomy and developing plans to increase the levels of automation in aviation operations. This paper provides a brief review of levels of automation, previous efforts to increase levels of automation in aviation operations and current level of automation in the various tasks involved in aviation operations. It develops a methodology to assess the research and development in modeling, sensing and actuation needed to advance the level of automation and the benefits associated with higher levels of automation. Section II describes provides an overview of automation and previous attempts at automation in aviation. Section III provides the role of automation and lessons learned in Space Autonomy. Section IV describes the success of automation in Intelligent Transportation Systems. Section V provides a comparison between the development of automation in other areas and the needs of aviation. Section VI provides an approach to achieve increased automation in aviation operations based on the progress in other areas. The final paper will provide a detailed analysis of the benefits of increased automation for the Traffic Flow Management (TFM) function in aviation operations

Cyber-physical systems in food production chain

The article reviews the state-of-the-science in the field of cyber-physical systems (CPSs). CPSs are intelligent systems that include physical, biological and computational components using engineering networks. CPSs are able to integrate into production processes, improve the exchange of information between industrial equipment, qualitatively transform production chains, and effectively manage business and customers. This is possible due to the ability of CPSs to manage ongoing processes through automatic monitoring and controlling the entire production process and adjusting the production to meet customer preferences. A comprehensive review identified key technology trends underlying CPSs. These are artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, augmented reality, Internet of things, quantum computing, fog computing, 3D printing, modeling and simulators, automatic object identifiers (RFID tags). CPSs will help to improve the control and traceability of production operations: they can collect information about raw materials, temperature and technological conditions, the degree of food product readiness, thereby increasing the quality of food products. Based on the results, terms and definitions, and potential application of cyber-physical systems in general and their application in food systems in particular were identified and discussed with an emphasis on food production (including meat products).The article reviews the state-of-the-science in the field of cyber-physical systems (CPSs). CPSs are intelligent systems that include physical, biological and computational components using engineering networks. CPSs are able to integrate into production processes, improve the exchange of information between industrial equipment, qualitatively transform production chains, and effectively manage business and customers. This is possible due to the ability of CPSs to manage ongoing processes through automatic monitoring and controlling the entire production process and adjusting the production to meet customer preferences. A comprehensive review identified key technology trends underlying CPSs. These are artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, augmented reality, Internet of things, quantum computing, fog computing, 3D printing, modeling and simulators, automatic object identifiers (RFID tags). CPSs will help to improve the control and traceability of production operations: they can collect information about raw materials, temperature and technological conditions, the degree of food product readiness, thereby increasing the quality of food products. Based on the results, terms and definitions, and potential application of cyber-physical systems in general and their application in food systems in particular were identified and discussed with an emphasis on food production (including meat products)

A State-of-the-art Integrated Transportation Simulation Platform

Nowadays, universities and companies have a huge need for simulation and modelling methodologies. In the particular case of traffic and transportation, making physical modifications to the real traffic networks could be highly expensive, dependent on political decisions and could be highly disruptive to the environment. However, while studying a specific domain or problem, analysing a problem through simulation may not be trivial and may need several simulation tools, hence raising interoperability issues. To overcome these problems, we propose an agent-directed transportation simulation platform, through the cloud, by means of services. We intend to use the IEEE standard HLA (High Level Architecture) for simulators interoperability and agents for controlling and coordination. Our motivations are to allow multiresolution analysis of complex domains, to allow experts to collaborate on the analysis of a common problem and to allow co-simulation and synergy of different application domains. This paper will start by presenting some preliminary background concepts to help better understand the scope of this work. After that, the results of a literature review is shown. Finally, the general architecture of a transportation simulation platform is proposed