Situational awareness-based energy management for unmanned electric surveillance platforms

In the present day fossil fuel availability, cost, security and the pollutant emissions resulting from its use have driven industry into looking for alternative ways of powering vehicles. The aim of this research is to synthesize/design and develop a framework of novel control architectures which can result in complex powered vehicle subsystems to perform better with reduced exogeneuous information. This research looks into the area of energy management by proposing an intelligent based system which not only looks at the beaten path of where energy comes from and how much of it to use, but it goes further by taking into consideration the world around it. By operating without GPS, it realies on data such as usage, average consumption, system loads and even other surrounding vehicles are considered when making the difficult decisions of where to direct the energy into, how much of it, and even when to cut systems off in benefit of others. All this is achieved in an integrated way by working within the limitations of non-fossil fuelled energy sources like fuel cells, ultracapacitors and battery banks using driver-provided information or by crafting an artificial usage profile from historicaly learnt data. By using an organic computing philosophy based on artificial intelligence this alternative approach to energy supply systems presents a different perspective beginning by accepting the fact that when hardware is set energy can be optimized only so much and takes a step further by answering the question of how to best manage it when refuelling might not be an option. The result is a situationally aware system concept that is portable to any type of electrically powered platform be it ground, aerial or marine since it operates on the fact that all operate within three dimensional space. The system´s capabilities are then verified in a virtual reality environment which can be tailored to the meet reseach needs including allowing for different altitudes, environmental temperature and humidity profiles. This VR system is coupled with a chassis dynamometer to allow for testing of real physical prototype unmanned ground vehicles where the intelligent system will benefit by learning from real platform data. The Thesis contributions and objectives are summarised next: The control system proposed includes an awareness of the surroundings within which the vehicle is operating without relying on GPS position information. The system proposed is portable and could be used to control other systems. The test platform developed within the Thesis is flexible and could be used for other systems. The control system for the fuel cell system described within the work has included an allowance for altitude and humidity. These factors would appear to be significant for such systems. The structure of the control system and its hierarchy is novel. The ability of the system to be applied to a UAV and as such control a ‘vehicle’ in 3 dimensions, and yet be also applied to a ground vehicle, where roll and pitch are largely a function of the ground over which it travels (so the UGV only uses a subset of the control functionality). The mission awareness of the control structure appears to be the heart of the potential contribution to knowledge, and that this also includes the ability to create an estimated, artificial mission profile should one not be input by the operators. This learnt / adaptive input could be expanded on to highlight this aspect

Optimización de la red de distribución de una compañía de lácteos en Colombia

En el caso de la compañía que nos permite elaborar este trabajo podemos evidenciar que desde su fundación en 1945, y durante sus 66 años de labores ha sido una de las empresas líderes en buscar la calidad y el mejoramiento continuo en todas sus actividades a todo nivel de la organización, y como respuesta a esta continua búsqueda hoy cuenta con una gran variedad de productos, elaborados con los más altos estándares de calidad y que se han posicionado en el mercado en forma contundente, ubicándola como empresa pionera en este modelo de negocio. Una política de esta organización es estar a la vanguardia en estrategias que generen valor agregado a todos los procesos y operaciones, y desde ese punto de vista han considerado a la logística como la herramienta integradora de todos los elementos fundamentales dentro de una organización, sabiendo que mediante la aplicación ordenada y lógica de esta, se logra la sostenibilidad y la consecución de altísimos índices de productividad. Este marco ha generado que cada vez las compañías no solo compitan con sus productos estrellas sino que se vean obligados a mejorar significativamente sus cadenas de abastecimiento, para lograr la disminución de costos operativos y lograr agilidad en la colocación de sus productos en manos del cliente fina

Tratamiento de aguas de efluentes minero – metalúrgicos utilizando, métodos pasivos y activos en sistemas experimentales

RESUMEN  Los relaves mineros son la principal fuente de contaminación debido a la presencia de metales pesados, que repercuten en el sistema ecológico y en la salud  humana; de allí que el objetivo fue  tratar las aguas de efluentes mineros-metalúrgicos  aplicando métodos activos y pasivos. Para el método pasivo se utilizó compost y humus y como material de reacción se usó la técnica de flujo estable propuesta por Smit (1999), mientras que para el método activo se utilizó membrana semipermeable artesanal y se siguió la técnica de la ósmosis inversa. El análisis cuantitativo de los metales pesados Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd y Hg, se realizó utilizando el espectrofotómetro Perkin Elmer 601. Por el sistema compost y humus encontramos remoción de Cu, As, Cd y Hg superiores al 97 %, Zn para el humus con 85.67 % y Pb para compost con 95.66 %. En el sistema de membrana semipermeable artesanales, Pb, As y Zn fueron retenidos en niveles superiores al 99 % y otros como el Hg y Cd fueron retenidos totalmente; en este caso el metal con menor capacidad de retención fue el Cu con valores de 98.83 % para la membrana del humus y 99.55 % para la membrana del compost. Se concluye que el humus y compost tienen una elevada capacidad de remoción de metales; y al juntarlo con la membrana semipermeable, maximiza aún más los resultados esperados. Palabras clave: Remoción, metal pesado, espectrofotómetro, osmosis inversa, membrana semipermeable. ABSTRACT  The tailings are the main source of contamination due to the presence of heavy met als, which impact the ecosystem and human health; so it is necessary to implement innovative techniques to help mitigate the impact caused by these pollutants, such as lead, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium and mercury; hence the objective of this research project is to conduct studies to reduce the degree of water pollution from mines, using active and passive methods, which are practical applications for the treatment of mine effluents.  In the experimental part within the liability method using compost and humus as reaction material steady flow technique proposed by Smit was used, while for the case of active method using semipermeable membrane craft technique of reverse osmosis followed. Quantitative analysis of the heavy metals Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd and Hg, was performed using the Perkin Elmer 601 spectrophotometer. The results obtained using compost and humus system show us a removal of heavy metals copper, arsenic, cadmium and mercury above 97%; compared to heavy metals showed lower percentages of removal, zinc hummus with 85.67% and lead to compost with 95.66%. In the system of craft semipermeable membrane, heavy metals like lead, arsenic and zinc were retained at levels above 99% and others such as mercury and cadmium were held totally; in this case the metal holding capacity less copper was 98.83% with values for humus membrane and 99.55% for the membrane of the compost. Therefore we conclude that the humus and compost have a high capacity for removal of metals; and to join it with the semipermeable membrane having a high metal holding capacity, further maximizes the expected results. Keywords: Removal, heavy metal, spectrophotometer, reverse osmosis, semipermeable membrane.  ACEPTADO: Febrero 2015 RECIBIDO:   Diciembre 2015

Towards human-knee orthosis interaction based on adaptive impedance control through stiffness adjustment

Rehabilitation interventions involving powered, wearable lower limb orthoses that can provide high-challenging locomotor tasks for repetitive training sessions, mainly when assist-as-needed strategies, such as adaptive impedance control, are designed. In this study, the adaptive behavior was ensured by software control of the robotic stiffness involved in the human-knee orthosis interaction in function of the gait cycle and speed. To estimate the stiffness, we analyzed the interaction torque-angle characteristics with experimental data. The speed-stiffness dependency was more evident when high stiffness values are demanded by the user's effort. Experimental evidence from five healthy subjects highlight that the adaptive control strategy provides a more comfortable, natural motion, and kinematic freedom as compared to the trajectory tracking control, allowing the user to contribute to the gait training. Future insights cover the implementation of gravitational compensation and real-time estimation and control of all inner dynamic properties of the impedance control law.This work has been supported by the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia - with the reference scholarship SFRH/BD/108309/2015, with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, and by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI) - with the reference project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941, and partially supported with grant RYC-2014-16613 by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Powered knee orthosis for human gait rehabilitation: first advances

This paper presents a new system for a powered knee orthosis, that was designed to assist and improve the gait function of patients with gait pathologies. The system contains the orthotic device (embedded with sensors for angle and user-orthosis interaction torque measurements, and an electric actuator) and wearable sensors (inertial measurement unit, force sensitive resistors, and electromyography sensors), which allows the generation of smart rehabilitation tools and several motion assistive techniques. The main goal is to present a conceptual overview and functional description of the system and use scenarios of each component. The attachment mechanism of the orthosis to the limb is also highlighted, being composed of a straps system fixed in the mechanical links of the joint. It was noticed that users with distinct lower-limb morphologies can presents difficulties wearing the orthosis, since the device needs constant adjust to align the mechanical and human joints. The system was validated in ground-level walking on healthy subjects, with emphasis on the impact of the device in the user. The subjects reported that the orthosis is comfortable to use, easy to wear, and no issues were raised regarding the aesthetics of the device. Only the weight was assimilated as a possible hindrance (compensated in the future). Future challenges involve the inclusion of an ankle joint in the system and the use of the proposed tool in rehabilitation.This work is supported by the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia - with the reference scholarship SFRH/BD/108309/2015, with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, and by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI) - with the reference project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941, and partially supported with grant RYC-2014-16613 by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Robustness Analysis of Eigenstructure Assignment Controllers on Rigid-Flexible Satellites

Flexible spacecraft with attached solar panels may exhibit undesired vibrations and structural deformations. These types of vehicles show an intrinsic coupling of the elements of the structure. The attitude maneuvers performed by flexible spacecraft may cause non-desired deflections of attached flexible elements. Any attitude and orbit control system generally solves these problems using filters that are designed to attenuate the relative deflections of flexible appendages. In this paper, we propose a method for designing attitude static controllers using an eigenstructure assignment (EA) method. A set of requirements were specified from our understanding of the system modes in an open loop. Exhaustive theoretical and numerical simulations were performed on special cases to verify the controller design procedure. In the design of the controller, we considered all of the aspects that relate to the eigenstructure assignment. The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining a high degree of decoupling for some selected modes via the application of an EA method. Finally a robustness analysis is perform to the system together with the designed controller by means of a mu-analysi

El A.B.C. de la tecnología

En este artículo de la decimotercera entrega de la revista “Infomaderas” se habla de los consultores técnicos que las empresas contratan con el objetivo de mejorar su producción.Qué es un consultor técnico – Servicios técnicos de estudio y proyección – Servicios tecnológicos – Control de calidad – Servicios económicos – Servicios de gestión o administración – Servicios de capacitación.na5 página