Robust averaging protects decisions from noise in neural computations

An ideal observer will give equivalent weight to sources of information that are equally reliable. However, when averaging visual information, human observers tend to downweight or discount features that are relatively outlying or deviant (‘robust averaging’). Why humans adopt an integration policy that discards important decision information remains unknown. Here, observers were asked to judge the average tilt in a circular array of high-contrast gratings, relative to an orientation boundary defined by a central reference grating. Observers showed robust averaging of orientation, but the extent to which they did so was a positive predictor of their overall performance. Using computational simulations, we show that although robust averaging is suboptimal for a perfect integrator, it paradoxically enhances performance in the presence of “late” noise, i.e. which corrupts decisions during integration. In other words, robust decision strategies increase the brain’s resilience to noise arising in neural computations during decision-making

Measurements, Models, Systems and Design

531 s.

Modelling and estimation in lithium-ion batteries: a literature review

Lithium-ion batteries are widely recognised as the leading technology for electrochemical energy storage. Their applications in the automotive industry and integration with renewable energy grids highlight their current significance and anticipate their substantial future impact. However, battery management systems, which are in charge of the monitoring and control of batteries, need to consider several states, like the state of charge and the state of health, which cannot be directly measured. To estimate these indicators, algorithms utilising mathematical models of the battery and basic measurements like voltage, current or temperature are employed. This review focuses on a comprehensive examination of various models, from complex but close to the physicochemical phenomena to computationally simpler but ignorant of the physics; the estimation problem and a formal basis for the development of algorithms; and algorithms used in Li-ion battery monitoring. The objective is to provide a practical guide that elucidates the different models and helps to navigate the different existing estimation techniques, simplifying the process for the development of new Li-ion battery applications.This research received support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under projects MAFALDA (PID2021-126001OB-C31 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ ERDF,EU) and MASHED (TED2021-129927B-I00), and by FI Joan Oró grant (code 2023 FI-1 00827), cofinanced by the European Union.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Tyre curve estimation in slip-controlled braking

Progress in reducing actuator delays in pneumatic brake systems creates an opportunity for advanced anti-lock braking algorithms to be used on heavy goods vehicles. However, these algorithms require knowledge of variables that are impractical to measure directly. This paper introduces a braking force observer and road surface identification algorithms to support a sliding-mode slip controller for air-braked heavy vehicles. Both the force observer and the slip controller are shown to operate robustly under a variety of conditions in quarter-car simulations. A non-linear least-squares algorithm was found to be capable of performing regressions on all the parameters of the tyre model from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute when used ‘in the loop’ with the controller and the observer. A recursive least-squares algorithm that is less computationally expensive than the non-linear algorithm was also investigated but gave only reasonable estimates of the tyre model parameters on high-friction smooth roads. The authors would like to thank the members of the Cambridge Vehicle Dynamics Consortium (CVDC), and the Gates Cambridge Trust for their parts in funding this work.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Sage via http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/095440701558593

Linear active disturbance rejection control of waste heat recovery systems with organic Rankine cycles

In this paper, a linear active disturbance rejection controller is proposed for a waste heat recovery system using an organic Rankine cycle process, whose model is obtained by applying the system identification technique. The disturbances imposed on the waste heat recovery system are estimated through an extended linear state observer and then compensated by a linear feedback control strategy. The proposed control strategy is applied to a 100 kW waste heat recovery system to handle the power demand variations of grid and process disturbances. The effectiveness of this controller is verified via a simulation study, and the results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can provide satisfactory tracking performance and disturbance rejection

Flexible and robust control of heavy duty diesel engine airpath using data driven disturbance observers and GPR models

Diesel engine airpath control is crucial for modern engine development due to increasingly stringent emission regulations. This thesis aims to develop and validate a exible and robust control approach to this problem for speci cally heavy-duty engines. It focuses on estimation and control algorithms that are implementable to the current and next generation commercial electronic control units (ECU). To this end, targeting the control units in service, a data driven disturbance observer (DOB) is developed and applied for mass air ow (MAF) and manifold absolute pressure (MAP) tracking control via exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve and variable geometry turbine (VGT) vane. Its performance bene ts are demonstrated on the physical engine model for concept evaluation. The proposed DOB integrated with a discrete-time sliding mode controller is applied to the serial level engine control unit. Real engine performance is validated with the legal emission test cycle (WHTC - World Harmonized Transient Cycle) for heavy-duty engines and comparison with a commercially available controller is performed, and far better tracking results are obtained. Further studies are conducted in order to utilize capabilities of the next generation control units. Gaussian process regression (GPR) models are popular in automotive industry especially for emissions modeling but have not found widespread applications in airpath control yet. This thesis presents a GPR modeling of diesel engine airpath components as well as controller designs and their applications based on the developed models. Proposed GPR based feedforward and feedback controllers are validated with available physical engine models and the results have been very promisin

Recent Advances in Model-Based Fault Diagnosis for Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Comprehensive Review

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have found wide applications in a variety of fields such as electrified transportation, stationary storage and portable electronics devices. A battery management system (BMS) is critical to ensure the reliability, efficiency and longevity of LIBs. Recent research has witnessed the emergence of model-based fault diagnosis methods in advanced BMSs. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the model-based fault diagnosis methods for LIBs. First, the widely explored battery models in the existing literature are classified into physics-based electrochemical models and electrical equivalent circuit models. Second, a general state-space representation that describes electrical dynamics of a faulty battery is presented. The formulation of the state vectors and the identification of the parameter matrices are then elaborated. Third, the fault mechanisms of both battery faults (incl. overcharege/overdischarge faults, connection faults, short circuit faults) and sensor faults (incl. voltage sensor faults and current sensor faults) are discussed. Furthermore, different types of modeling uncertainties, such as modeling errors and measurement noises, aging effects, measurement outliers, are elaborated. An emphasis is then placed on the observer design (incl. online state observers and offline state observers). The algorithm implementation of typical state observers for battery fault diagnosis is also put forward. Finally, discussion and outlook are offered to envision some possible future research directions.Comment: Submitted to Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews on 09-Jan-202

Estimation of Liquid Level in a Harsh Environment Using Chaotic Observer

The increased demand for liquid level measurement has been a key factor in designing accurate and reliable control systems. Here, a study was carried out to calculate the liquid level in a tank using a pressure sensor for changes in inlet liquid parameters like temperature, density and velocity. Prediction of their variables for the long term is essential due to the randomness present in the input and measurement. Hence, observer design for state estimation of a non-linear dynamic system with uncertainties in the measurement and process becomes important. This work provides a feedback observer solution for a system with multiple inputs and single measurable output. A full state observer model is developed to estimate a system’s states with a sensor placed at a definite position from the pipe’s input point through which the liquid flows at different densities and temperatures. Using the observability properties, Luenberger full state observer is designed by various methods, verified using MATLAB and SIMULINK for the system state estimation. To incorporate process noise and measurement noise, the Kalman estimator is integrated with the system. Chaotic systems are susceptible to initial conditions, variations in parameters and are complex dynamic systems. However, providing consistently precise measurements through particular meters necessitates time-consuming computations that can be reduced by employing machine learning approaches that make use of optimizers. The results obtained are compared with the prediction models obtained using Artificial Neural Networks and are validated through the readings obtained from the experimental setup