Nonlinear System Modeling, Optimal Cam Design, and Advanced System Control for an Electromechanical Engine Valve Drive

A cam-based shear force-actuated electromechanical valve drive system offering variable valve timing in internal combustion engines was previously proposed and demonstrated. To transform this concept into a competitive commercial product, several major challenges need to addressed, including the reduction of power consumption, transition time, and size. As shown in this paper, by using nonlinear system modeling, optimizing cam design, and exploring different control strategies, the power consumption has been reduced from 140 to 49 W (65%), the transition time has been decreased from 3.3 to 2.7 ms (18%), and the actuator torque requirement has been cut from 1.33 to 0.30 N·m (77%).Sheila and Emanuel Landsman Foundatio

Analysis and Control of a Cellular Converter System with Stochastic Ripple Cancellation and Minimal Magnetics

Abstract-A parallel converter architecture based on the resonant pole inverter (RPI) topology is presented. It is shown that this architecture minimizes the output magnetics required for current sharing. A new current control scheme is introduced which reduces peak currents, losses, and output voltage ripple for many operating conditions. This new control method is applicable to both the single RPI and the parallel architecture. Additionally, the paper analytically quantifies the degree of passive ripple cancellation between cells of a parallel architecture. It is shown that the rms ripple current of an N -cell paralleled converter system is a factor of 1= p N lower than for an equivalent single converter. These results are verified using a piecewise-linear model. We conclude that the parallel architecture overcomes some of the major disadvantages of the conventional RPI

A wirelessly powered and controlled device for optical neural control of freely-behaving animals

Optogenetics, the ability to use light to activate and silence specific neuron types within neural networks in vivo and in vitro, is revolutionizing neuroscientists' capacity to understand how defined neural circuit elements contribute to normal and pathological brain functions. Typically, awake behaving experiments are conducted by inserting an optical fiber into the brain, tethered to a remote laser, or by utilizing an implanted light-emitting diode (LED), tethered to a remote power source. A fully wireless system would enable chronic or longitudinal experiments where long duration tethering is impractical, and would also support high-throughput experimentation. However, the high power requirements of light sources (LEDs, lasers), especially in the context of the extended illumination periods often desired in experiments, precludes battery-powered approaches from being widely applicable. We have developed a headborne device weighing 2 g capable of wirelessly receiving power using a resonant RF power link and storing the energy in an adaptive supercapacitor circuit, which can algorithmically control one or more headborne LEDs via a microcontroller. The device can deliver approximately 2 W of power to the LEDs in steady state, and 4.3 W in bursts. We also present an optional radio transceiver module (1 g) which, when added to the base headborne device, enables real-time updating of light delivery protocols; dozens of devices can be controlled simultaneously from one computer. We demonstrate use of the technology to wirelessly drive cortical control of movement in mice. These devices may serve as prototypes for clinical ultra-precise neural prosthetics that use light as the modality of biological control.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2OD002002))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01DA029639)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1RC1MH088182)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1RC2DE020919)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01NS067199)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R43NS070453)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER award)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant DMS 1042134)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant DMS 0848804)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant EFRI 0835878)Benesse FoundationGoogle (Firm)Dr. Gerald Burnett and Marjorie BurnettUnited States. Dept. of Defense (CDMRP PTSD Program)Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyBrain & Behavior Research FoundationAlfred P. Sloan FoundationSociety for NeuroscienceMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryMcGovern Institute for Brain Research at MITWallace H. Coulter Foundatio

State and local governments plan for development of most land vulnerable to rising sea level along the US Atlantic coast

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of IOP Publishing for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Environmental Research Letters 4 (2009): 044008, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/4/4/044008.Rising sea level threatens existing coastal wetlands. Overall ecosystems could often survive by migrating inland, if adjacent lands remained vacant. On the basis of 131 state and local land use plans, we estimate that almost 60% of the land below 1 m along the US Atlantic coast is expected to be developed and thus unavailable for the inland migration of wetlands. Less than 10% of the land below 1 m has been set aside for conservation. Environmental regulators routinely grant permits for shore protection structures (which block wetland migration) on the basis of a federal finding that these structures have no cumulative environmental impact. Our results suggest that shore protection does have a cumulative impact. If sea level rise is taken into account, wetland policies that previously seemed to comply with federal law probably violate the Clean Water Act

Competitive Benchmarking: An IS Research Approach to Address Wicked Problems with Big Data and Analytics

Wicked problems like sustainable energy and financial market stability are societal challenges that arise from complex socio-technical systems in which numerous social, economic, political, and technical factors interact. Understanding and mitigating them requires research methods that scale beyond the traditional areas of inquiry of Information Systems (IS) “individuals, organizations, and markets” and that deliver solutions in addition to insights. We describe an approach to address these challenges through Competitive Benchmarking (CB), a novel research method that helps interdisciplinary research communities to tackle complex challenges of societal scale by using different types of data from a variety of sources such as usage data from customers, production patterns from producers, public policy and regulatory constraints, etc. for a given instantiation. Further, the CB platform generates data that can be used to improve operational strategies and judge the effectiveness of regulatory regimes and policies. We describe our experience applying CB to the sustainable energy challenge in the Power Trading Agent Competition (Power TAC) in which more than a dozen research groups from around the world jointly devise, benchmark, and improve IS-based solutions

Effects of firing angle imbalance on 12-pulse rectifiers with interphase transformers

Firing angle or source imbalances between 6-pulse bridges comprising a 12-pulse rectifier lead to current imbalance, due to the finite magnetizing inductance of the interphase transformer. The magnitude of the imbalance is limited by the negative feedback produced by load regulation of the 6-pulse groups. This paper uses both an averaged model and a piecewise-linear simulation to obtain a quantitative understanding of this effect. The averaged model is used to predict steady-state current shifts and transient behavior. The piecewise-linear model of the system is then used to verify and extend the results via computer simulation. It is shown that the current imbalance can be accurately predicted by the averaged model, making the model suitable for both feedback control and interphase transformer design

Analysis and control of a cellular converter system with stochastic ripple cancellation and minimal magnetics

A parallel converter architecture based on the resonant pole inverter (RPI) topology is presented. It is shown that this architecture minimizes the output magnetics required for current sharing. A new current control scheme is introduced which reduces peak currents, losses, and output voltage ripple for many operating conditions. This new control method is applicable to both the single RPI and the parallel architecture. Additionally, the paper analytically quantifies the degree of passive ripple cancellation between cells of a parallel architecture. It is shown that the RMS ripple current of an N cell paralleled converter system is a factor of 1√(N) lower than for an equivalent single converter. These results are verified using a piecewise-linear model. We conclude that the parallel architecture overcomes some of the major disadvantages of the conventional RPI.Bose Foundatio

Distributed interleaving of paralleled power converters

This paper introduces a distributed approach to interleaving paralleled power converter cells. Unlike conventional methods, the distributed approach requires no centralized control, automatically accommodates varying numbers of converter cells, and is highly tolerant of subsystem failures. A general methodology for achieving distributed interleaving is proposed, along with a specific implementation approach. The design and experimental verification of a 50 kHz prototype system is presented, and quantitative performance comparisons are made between synchronized clocking, independent clocking, and interleaved clocking of the converter cells. The experimental results corroborate the analytical predictions and demonstrate the tremendous benefits of the distributed interleaving approach.Bose FoundationUnited States. Office of Naval Researc

Design and evaluation of a cellular rectifier system with distributed control

This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of a six-cell 6 kW cellular (parallel) rectifier system which operates at nearly unity power factor. The cellular rectifier system implements both distributed load sharing and distributed ripple cancellation, eliminating the need for any centralized control. The implemented system mitigates some of the major drawbacks of its single-converter counterpart and achieves performance levels that cannot be achieved with an equivalent single converter.Bose FoundationUnited States. Office of Naval Research (ONR Grant N00014-96-1-0524