An on-line path planner for industrial manipulators

In this paper, an on-line path planner for an industrial manipulator is presented. The proposed control architecture is capable of driving the manipulator in its environment while avoiding collisions. Potential fields are used in order to control the joint velocities in such a way that the robot avoids the obstacles. We also propose a new weighted pseudoinverse matrix that improves the manipulator capability of finding feasible paths to move around obstacles and pass through narrow corridors without relying on the manipulator dynamic model. The proposed technique fits to both redundant and non-redundant manipulators. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed solution

Direct digital design of PIDF controllers with ComPlex zeros for DC-DC buck converters

This paper presents a new direct digital design method for discrete proportional integral derivative PID + filter (PIDF) controllers employed in DC-DC buck converters. The considered controller structure results in a proper transfer function which has the advantage of being directly implementable by a microcontroller algorithm. Secondly, it can be written as an Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) digital filter. Thirdly, the further degree of freedom introduced by the low pass filter of the transfer function can be used to satisfy additional specifications. A new design procedure is proposed, which consists of the conjunction of the pole-zero cancellation method with an analytical design control methodology based on inversion formulae. These two methods are employed to reduce the negative effects introduced by the complex poles in the transfer function of the buck converter while exactly satisfying steady-state specifications on the tracking error and frequency domain requirements on the phase margin and on the gain crossover frequency. The proposed approach allows the designer to assign a closed-loop bandwidth without constraints imposed by the resonance frequency of the buck converter. The response under step variation of the reference value, and the disturbance rejection capability of the proposed control technique under load variations are also evaluated in real-time implementation by using the Arduino DUE board, and compared with other methods

Tuning rules for robust FOPID controllers based on multi-objective optimization with FOPDT models

In this paper a set of optimally balanced tuning rules for fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative controllers is proposed. The control problem of minimizing at once the integrated absolute error for both the set-point and the load disturbance responses is addressed. The control problem is stated as a multi-objective optimization problem where a first-order-plus-dead-time process model subject to a robustness, maximum sensitivity based, constraint has been considered. A set of Pareto optimal solutions is obtained for different normalized dead times and then the optimal balance between the competing objectives is obtained by choosing the Nash solution among the Pareto-optimal ones. A curve fitting procedure has then been applied in order to generate suitable tuning rules. Several simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Levator alae nasi muscle V-Y island flap for nasal tip reconstruction

Nasal tip reconstruction can be very challenging. It requires close attention to skin texture, colour and thickness matching, with the respect of the nasal aesthetic units and symmetry. Flaps are usually preferred to skin grafts where possible. Based on different donor areas, various flaps have been described for reconstruction of this region. Here we present a new V-Y myocutaneous island flap based on the levator alae nasi muscle (LAN muscle) blood supply. This flap may represent an alternative to the nasalis myocutaneous sliding V-Y flap previously described by Rybka. As its pivot point it is located more cranially than the nasalis flap, and it can advance more medially than the Rybka flap, with the possibility of covering larger defects of the nasal tip area, up to 1.8 cm in diameter. Over the past 5 years, 24 patients received nasal tip reconstruction with this flap following the resection of basal cell carcinomas. Good tip projection was maintained, and the aesthetic outcome was satisfactory, with well healed scars. We recommend this technique as an alternative to other flaps for nasal tip defects, especially if paramedian

An Hardware-in-the-Loop Tool for the Design of Complex Mechanical Systems Controllers

In this paper we propose an Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) system for industrial drives. The system allows the user to optimize the design of control strategies by emulating complex mechanical applications. In fact, with this approach it is possible to simulate the behavior of the real mechanical system, and therefore to verify a priori the effectiveness of a control strategy and to achieve a rapid prototyping of the mechatronic system. The structure of the system consists of a couple of brushless motor which are connected by a mechanical joint. In one drive the control functions related to a specific application are implemented while the other one is used to replicate the mechanical system model of the application. A modular approach has been selected in order to allow a rapid development of a given application. In particular, a library of components has been implemented both in Simulink and in an IEC61131-3 language

Event-Based control of depth of hypnosis in anesthesia

Background and Objective: In this paper, we propose the use of an event-based control strategy for the closed-loop control of the depth of hypnosis in anesthesia by using propofol administration and the bispectral index as a controlled variable. Methods: A new event generator with high noise-filtering properties is employed in addition to a PIDPlus controller. The tuning of the parameters is performed off-line by using genetic algorithms by considering a given data set of patients. Results: The effectiveness and robustness of the method is verified in simulation by implementing a Monte Carlo method to address the intra-patient and inter-patient variability. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the event-based control system achieves a reduction of the total variation of the manipulated variable of 93% in the induction phase and of 95% in the maintenance phase. Conclusions: The use of event based automatic control in anesthesia yields a fast induction phase with bounded overshoot and an acceptable disturbance rejection. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the technique effectively mimics the behavior of the anesthesiologist by providing a significant decrement of the total variation of the manipulated variable

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Induces Interleukin-6 Production and Integrin Ligand Expression by Distinct Transduction Pathways

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pleiotropic cytokine that elicits a large number of biological effects. However, the intracellular signaling mechanisms that are responsible for the TNF-alpha effects remain largely unknown. We have previously demonstrated that cultured mouse Sertoli cells, after TNF-alpha treatment, increase the surface expression of adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production (Riccioli, A., Filippini, A., De Cesaris, P., Barbacci, E., Stefanini, M., Starace, G., and Ziparo, E. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 5808-5812). Here, we show that, in cultured Sertoli cells, TNF-alpha activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (p38, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase/stress-activated protein kinase, and the p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinases) as revealed by an increased phosphorylation of p38, activating transcription factor-2, c-Jun, and Elk-1. Furthermore, our data indicate that the biological effects induced by TNF-alpha in Sertoli cells (enhancement of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and IL-6 expression) depend on the activation of different signaling pathways. SB203580, a highly specific p38 inhibitor, does not affect ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression, but strongly inhibits IL-6 production. Moreover, interferon-gamma, which up-regulates adhesion molecule expression and reduces IL-6 production, does not induce phosphorylation of p38. Our data strongly support the hypothesis that, in response to TNF-alpha, activation of p38 leads to IL-6 production, whereas ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression could be induced by activation of the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase/stress-activated protein kinase pathway