Automatic Controller Research Articles

Evolutionary design of marginally robust multivariable PID controller

Two Margin-based design methods for tuning of decentralized PI controllers for multivariable systems are presented. The first method is predefined marginally robust controller (PMR) which is based on solving a constrained optimization problem to satisfy the desired values of the multivariable phase and gain margins that are set based on the designer’s knowledge of the working condition of the plant. The second method is self-setting marginally robust (SMR) that is an automatic controller design procedure. This method, by solving a many-objective optimization problem (MaOP), sets controller coefficients and finds optimum gain and phase margins. It offers a trade-off between tracking, interaction, and robustness. Evolutionary algorithm is applied to solve the problems and disk margin to define the multivariable stability margins. Proposed methods by combining the simplicity of margin-based design and effectiveness of optimization problems offer a practical solution in tuning the industrial multivariable controllers. Simulation results show that these methods are simple, practical, and at the same time, comparable with other robust multivariable controllers.

WORKSHOP PENGGUNAAN MIKROKONTROLER BAGI GURU DI SMK NEGERI 1 KLATEN

Vocational High School is one of the educational institutions that is responsible for creating human resources who have the ability, skills and expertise, so that graduates are ready to enter the world of work. SMK Negeri 1 Klaten, Central Java, especially lecturers in the department of computer and telecommunications network engineering, has the hope that it is necessary to explore the material and develop learning in the practical use of the Arduino microcontroller. The purpose of this activity is to implement the use of microcontrollers on devices that require automatic controllers such as machine controllers, IoT relay control, home security systems, and also other electronic equipment. The PKM activity method is carried out in stages: observation & requirements analysis, communication & dialogue, workshop, and evaluation. As a result of this activity, the workshop participants participated actively and looked enthusiastic in the activity by diligently asking questions. In the evaluation of the workshop, the results of the practicum were obtained: 75% of the participants succeeded well, and 25% of the participants with good enough results and were able to carry out the practicum independently.

A Soft Sensor to Estimate the Opening of Greenhouse Vents Based on an LSTM-RNN Neural Network.

In greenhouses, sensors are needed to measure the variables of interest. They help farmers and allow automatic controllers to determine control actions to regulate the environmental conditions that favor crop growth. This paper focuses on the problem of the lack of monitoring and control systems in traditional Mediterranean greenhouses. In such greenhouses, most farmers manually operate the opening of the vents to regulate the temperature during the daytime. Therefore, the state of vent opening is not recorded because control systems are not usually installed due to economic reasons. The solution presented in this paper consists of developing a Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) as a soft sensor to estimate vent opening using the measurements of different inside and outside greenhouse climate variables as input data. A dataset from a traditional greenhouse located in Almería (Spain) was used. The data were processed and analyzed to study the relationships between the measured climate variables and the state of vent opening, both statistically (using correlation coefficients) and graphically (with regression analysis). The dataset (with 81 recorded days) was then used to train, validate, and test a set of candidate LSTM-based networks for the soft sensor. The results show that the developed soft sensor can estimate the actual opening of the vents with a mean absolute error of 4.45%, which encourages integrating the soft sensor as part of decision support systems for farmers and using it to calculate other essential variables, such as greenhouse ventilation rate.

A Microfluidic System for Investigating Anticipatory Medication Effects on Dopamine Homeostasis in Dopaminergic Cells.

Dopamine (DA) homeostasis influences emotions, neural circuit development, cognition, and the reward system. Dysfunctions in DA regulation can lead to neurological disorders, including depression, developmental disorders, and addiction. DA homeostasis disruption is a primary cause of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Therefore, understanding the relationship between DA homeostasis and PD progression may clarify the mechanisms for pharmacologically treating PD. This study developed a novel in vitro DA homeostasis platform which consists of three main parts: (1) a microfluidic device for culturing DAergic neurons, (2) an optical detection system for reading DA levels, and (3) an automatic closed-loop control system that establishes when and how much medication to infuse; this uses a microfluidic device that can cultivate DAergic neurons, perfuse solutions, perform in vitro PD modeling, and continuously monitor DA concentrations. The automatically controlled closed-loop control system simultaneously monitors pharmacological PD treatment to support long-term monitoring of DA homeostasis. SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were chosen as DAergic neurons. They were cultivated in the microfluidic device, and real-time cellular DA level measurements successfully achieved long-term monitoring and modulation of DA homeostasis. When applied in combination with multiday cell culture, this advanced system can be used for drug screening and fundamental biological studies.

Automatic control system for automatic maintenance of microclimate in vegetable storages

The paper presents an automatic control system for automatic maintenance of the desired microclimate in the storage, controlled by a computer. The state of the microclimate in the vegetable store is monitored with the product and channel temperature sensors and internal and external humidity sensors. This system will automatically control the ventilation parameters at different times of the year, and regulate humidity conditions.

FEATURES OF ENSURING TRANSPARENT AND EFFICIENT BUDGETARY FUNDING OF EDUCATION UNDER THE MARTIAL LAW

The article addresses current issues related to ensuring transparency and efficiency of budget financing in the education sector under martial law. The authors analyze approaches to ensuring monitoring and transparency in the use of budget funds, which is particularly important during times when Ukraine is facing challenging circumstances, and the issue of rational allocation of available financial resources becomes critical. The article provides an overview of the amount of budgetary funding for education in Ukraine, which has been reduced since the beginning of russia's large-scale war against Ukraine. It is substantiated that one of the ways to address above-mentioned issues is to ensure transparency and effectiveness in budget financing of education by implementing additional financial control measures, primarily by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Furthermore, the authors propose the development of relevant performance indicators for educational institutions with a corresponding correlation to the allocated budget financing. At present, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine's control over the designated and efficient use of targeted subventions at the local level has a number of shortcomings: insufficient methodological quality of data in relevant reports, lack of internal automatic data integrity controls, violation of reporting deadlines by respondents, outdated approach of sending out Excel templates for forms and collecting them on the e-mails of authorized specialists, etc. Insufficient use of modern tools for reporting, and consequently, ineffective control over the allocation and use of targeted funding from the state budget by budget managers, limits the effectiveness of managerial decision-making, creates a constant systemic risk of deteriorating education development at the local level. It is necessary to introduce financial reporting for each educational institution, which will allow for an appropriate analysis of the effectiveness of budget spending. In turn, the process of collecting, processing and disseminating such financial statements of educational institutions requires appropriate automation. Automation of the process will enable the quick and efficient processing of reports and the identification of risk areas. In particular, it is advisable to create an information and analytical system for collecting and analyzing financial reports of educational institutions to provide conditions for making management decisions based on reliable and evidence-based data.

Automatic water level indicator and controller

Everyone is well aware of the wastage of water through tanks, which has always been a concern. In many cities and villages, water wastage has increased as people have not maintained their tanks properly. This paper is designed to monitor and control water levels in tanks, reservoirs, or other storage containers. The proposed system utilizes a combination of sensors, microcontrollers, and actuation mechanisms to provide real-time monitoring and control of water levels. This automated approach offers numerous benefits, including improved water conservation, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced convenience. For smaller tanks, solutions such as ball valves are applicable, which automatically stop the water flow once the tank is full. This is a simple and basic idea for smaller tanks. However, in many large tanks located in buildings, hotels, schools, etc., which require a significant amount of water storage, there is a need to prevent overflow. An electronic solution can be implemented to save water. When the tank is nearing full capacity, it will raise an alarm and stop the water pump. Conversely, it can also help fill the tank when it's empty using an electronic device. The Arduino Uno-based automatic water level indicator and controller is a practical and efficient solution for monitoring and controlling water levels in various applications. This system utilizes ultrasonic sensors to measure water levels by emitting sound waves and calculating the distance based on the echoes they receive after bouncing off obstacles in the water. The Arduino Uno-based automatic water level indicator and controller utilizing ultrasonic sensors is a practical and versatile solution for managing water levels efficiently. It offers accurate measurements, automation, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability for various applications, making it a valuable tool for water level monitoring and control.

Vehicles Automatic Controller by using the Eye Gaze Sensor Application

Vehicles Automatic Controller by using the Eye Gaze Sensor Application

Nonlinear Predictive Control for Temperature Regulation of Solar Furnaces

In the context of material synthesis and thermal stress tests, solar furnaces play a fundamental role. These experimental systems are usually operated manually by trained operators. However, the use of automatic controllers can be essential to take into account the different dynamics of the treated materials, follow the different temperature profiles required in the tests, meet system security requirements, and face the intermittency of the main energy source, the solar energy. On these bases, the present work proposes a control system for temperature regulation in solar furnaces. The controller is based on a nonlinear model predictive control strategy that deals, in a single control layer, with the nonlinear behaviour of the system, the effect of disturbances, and the system's operating constraints. The controller was experimentally tested in the solar furnace SF60 of Plataforma Solar de Almería (southeast Spain), showing adequate performance against setpoint temperature changes, reaching a settling time of the order of 54 % faster than the open-loop system's time constant, and effectively rejecting irradiance disturbances. In addition, the operational constraints were ensured in almost all operating circumstances, observing only slight deviations of less than 2°C. These results allow us to position the proposed controller as a relevant tool for daily operation.

Design of 3-D Operation Support System with Variable Autonomy via Gaussian Process Regression

In this paper, we design a human-robot collaboration system that supports 3-D manual reaching task of a robot manipulator to one of potential candidates of targets. This semi-autonomous robotic task is categorized into so-called overlapping interaction, where a human and an automatic controller determine the same signal and how to blend them is appropriately determined so that ideal operation supports for the operator are achieved. To this end, we build a human model from the operation data of an expert through Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), and design an autonomy determination mechanism based on the variance information given by GPR. Moreover, in order to allow the human interventions in dealing with various uncertainties in the real operation, we further add logic to switch automatic and manual control to the autonomy determination mechanism based on the variance of the operator's GPR model. Various user studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the present support system in terms of control performances and human workload.

Perawatan Kompresor Udara Guna Menunjang Olah Gerak Kapal MV. CHARLOTTE

The purpose of this study is to detail the main causative factors of reservoir water tank issues that lead to delays in operating the main engine. The data analysis method used is qualitative descriptive analysis. The results show that the reasons for the compressor malfunction during the maneuvering of the MV. Charlotte include broken piston rings, damaged compressor cylinder head gaskets, leaks in high and low-pressure valves, and compression leaks in the compressor. The solution involves shutting down the compressor, closing the intake/outlet valves, removing the connecting rod bolts, replacing the piston rings, conducting a running test, cleaning the cylinder head surface, applying liquid gasket, and ensuring no leakage after installation. It is important to check and ensure the cylinder head bolts are tightened according to the manufacturer's manual. Additionally, shutting down the compressor, opening the valves, and performing skimming or replacing damaged components are necessary. Energy savings can be achieved by improving the compressed air system, which can reduce operational and maintenance costs. Compressor efficiency can be enhanced by using automatic controls to regulate compressor operation as needed and maintaining the system's air pressure as low as possible to minimize leakage. The conclusion emphasizes that efforts to ensure the compressor functions properly during ship maneuvers include repairing or replacing compressor components when damage is identified. If repairs are not possible, component replacement must be carried out immediately without delay.

Синтез модельно-прогнозуючого регулятора режиму дуття киснево-конвертерного процесу

The purpose of the research was to find a solution for a decrease in the cost price of the basic oxygen furnace steel. It is conditioned by an increase in the scrap metal portion due to an increase in the СО to CO2 afterburn degree in the basic oxygen furnace cavity according to the optimal model predictive control of the parameters of the blowing mode. The optimal parameter control system was synthesized for the blowing mode of the oxygen-converter melting on the basis of the feedback based on the model-predictive control using the linear-quadratic functional and it enabled a simultaneous control of the blowing intensity and the lance position when programmatically changing the task for the oxygen consumption and CO2 content improving also the control quality and energy saving during the melting process due to an increased afterburn degree during the CO to CO2 conversion that is a consequence of an increased portion of the scrap metal. Closed CO to CO2 afterburn degree control systems were improved by the synthesis of the model-predictive controller taking into consideration process limitations imposed on the shifting rate of controlling mechanisms, improving thus the process control quality in the case of the limitations. The suggested solution enables certain process control quality improvement under the conditions of process limitations. A comparative investigation of the operation of the model – predictive controller and combined control system with PID–controllers showed that the obtained transition processes of the automatic control of the blowing mode for the basic oxygen furnace melting using the automatic model-predictive controller provided ISE values for the oxygen consumption loop equal to 5577 and the CO2 content equal to 43 in basic oxygen furnace gases with a maximum dynamic deviation of the CO2 content in converter gases equal to 0.95 %. The use of the model-predictive controller allowed us to improve the control quality for the oxygen consumption loop by a factor of 1.63 CO2 and by a factor of 32.5 for the CO2 content control loop in converter gases. A maximum dynamic deviation of the CO2 content in converter gases was reduced by 16.55 % in comparison to that in the combined control system equipped with PID-controllers.

Сокращение расхода электроэнергии грузовыми магистральными электровозами 2(3)ЭС5С при работе в энергоэффективном режиме по итогам эксплуатационных испытаний

Purpose: To evaluate the reduction in power specific consumption by freight mainline loco-motives 2(3)ES5S when operating in power-efficient mode (automatic speed control in com-bination with discrete-adaptive switch on/off of Traction Electric Drive depending on an in-stantaneous load), obtained from the results of operational tests. Methods: Array records analysis of on-board recorder made it possible to establish the nature of the dependence of locomotive efficiency degree from its power consumption. Way for controlling multi-engine traction electric drive efficiency in traction mode has been developed and patented. Computer modeling has allowed to obtain preliminary estimate to increase power efficiency. Speed au-tomatic controller block is built using finite automation theory method. The proposed changes, aimed at locomotive power efficiency improvement, have been introduced into top-level con-trol system. Final ratings of power consumption have been obtained during operational trials. Results: The analysis of results obtained during two trips on about 7-thousand-ton mass trains along section with hilly profile of 108 km length is presented. Ceteris paribus, during second trip, when electric locomotive was operating in power-efficient mode (discrete-adaptive con-trol of operating traction drive number in combination with speed automatic control), specific consumption reduction of electric power for traction was achieved on 25% in comparison with the first trip when all 12 traction motors were constantly working. Practical importance: Long-term development program of JSC Russian Railways provides for cost consistent reduc-tion for electric power that’s a purchased (consumed) product. In particular, optimization is planned in such direction as reducing specific consumption of power and fuel for train trac-tion.

Development of Automatic Controlled Walking Assistive Device Based on Fatigue and Emotion Detection

The world’s aging population is increasing. The number of elderly individuals having walking impairments is also increasing. Adequate exercise is becoming necessary for them. Therefore, several walking assistive devices have been developed or are under development. However, elderly individuals may have low motivation for exercising, or they may experience physical damage by excessive fatigue. This study proposed a method to enable elderly individuals to exercise with a positive emotion and prevent damage such as muscle fatigue. We proposed a 3D human condition model to control the walking assistive device. It includes the arousal, pleasure, and fatigue dimensions. With regard to the arousal and pleasure dimensions, we used heartbeat and electromyography (EEG) signals to train a deep neural network (DNN) model to identify human emotions. For fatigue detection, we proposed a method based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect muscle fatigue. All the sensors are portable. This implies that it can be used for outdoor activities. Then, we proposed a walking strategy based on a 3D human condition model to control the walking assistive device. Finally, we tested the effectiveness of the automatic control system. The wearing of the walking assistive device and implementation of the walking strategy can delay the fatigue time by approximately 24% and increase the walking distance by approximately 16%. In addition, we succeeded in visualizing the distribution of emotion during each walking method variation. It was verified that the walking strategy can improve the mental condition of a user to a certain extent. These results showed the effectiveness of the proposed system. It could help elderlies maintain higher levels of motivation and prevent muscle damage by walking exercise, using the walking assistive device.

Automatic Current-Constrained Double Loop ADRC for Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator Based on Singular Perturbation Theory

For an electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA), the position, speed, and current cascade three-loop control architecture are dominant in existing active disturbance rejection control (ADRC). However, this architecture suffers from many problems, such as severe noise sensitivity of the extended state observer (ESO), excessive complexity of control structure, and too many tuned parameters, which makes the controller not easy to implement in practice. Aiming at the above drawbacks, a novel cascade double-loop ADRC strategy that is automatic current-constrained is proposed, which makes the whole ADRC architecture simplified to the position and the integrated speed–current double-loop architecture. Firstly, for the position control loop, the singular perturbation theory is used to reasonably reduce the order of the model for the position subsystem of EHA. A reduced order ADRC controller (ROADRC) is synthesized, which not only effectively reduces the noise sensitivity of ESO, but also circumvents use of the actuation acceleration information in the controller design process. Secondly, the integrated speed–current ADRC controller is designed by taking the speed and current subsystems of EHA into synthesis, which avoids the problem of excessive current loop bandwidth in conventional three-loop control architecture, and the number of tuned parameters is significantly reduced. Additionally, an uncomplicated and effective automatic current-constrained ADRC controller (CACADRC) is designed to solve the problem in the integrated speed–current ADRC that the current cannot be automatically constrained. Finally, by comparing the three-loop PI controller with the traditional three-loop ADRC, a detailed simulation analysis is carried out to verify the effectiveness and merits of the proposed controller. The simulation results show that the proposed controller not only inherits the advantages of high precision and strong disturbance rejection performance of the conventional ADRC, but can also efficiently decrease the noise sensitivity of ESO and effectively achieve the current-constrained control.

Tracheal tube cuff pressure during anesthesia for robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy and the efficacy of an automatic cuff pressure controller (SmartCuff): observational studies of 1-sample paired data.

The cuff pressure of a tracheal tube may increase during robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery for prostatectomy (RALP), which requires pneumoperitoneum in a steep head-down position, but there have been no studies which confirmed this. In study 1, we studied how frequently the cuff pressure significantly increased during anesthesia for the RALP. In study 2, we studied if the SmartCuff (Smiths Medical Japan, Tokyo) automatic cuff pressure controller would minimize the changes in the intracuff pressure. With approval of the study by the research ethics committee (approved number: 20115), we measured the cuff pressures in anesthetized patients undergoing RALP and in those undergoing gynecological laparotomy (as a reference cohort), with and without the use of the SmartCuff. In 21 patients undergoing RALP, a clinically meaningful increase (5 cmH2O or greater) was observed in all the 21 patients (P = 0.00; 95% CI for difference: 86-100%), whereas in 23 patients undergoing gynecological laparotomy, a clinically meaningful decrease (5 cmH2O or greater) was observed in 21 of 23 patients (91%, P < 0.0001; 95% CI for difference: 72-99%). With the use of the SmartCuff, there was no significant increase in the incidence of a clinically meaningful change in the intracuff pressure in either cohort. The cuff pressure of a tracheal tube would frequently increase markedly in patients undergoing RALP, whereas it would frequently decrease markedly in patients undergoing gynecological laparotomy. The SmartCuff may inhibit the changes in the cuff pressure during anesthesia.

Sistem Monitoring Otomatis Irigasi Pertanian untuk Memenuhi Kebutuhan Air Daerah Pesawahan

This study aims to design and implement a circuit that functions to open and close the rice field irrigation&#x0D; door automatically. By using an automatic irrigation control system in order to make it easier for farmers&#x0D; to control the entry of water in the irrigation flow. With the development of technology, the existence of&#x0D; sensors and microcontrollers, it is easier to make automatic irrigation controllers using ultrasonic&#x0D; sensors. To read the water distance when the water distance is normal, the servo motor will open 180º.&#x0D; And if the water experiences a height within a certain distance, the servo motor will move to close. As a&#x0D; water distance controller, the ultrasonic sensor reads the water distance which will be displayed on the&#x0D; LCD screen. The adapter functions as a supply of AC (220V) to DC (12V) current which is used to supply&#x0D; current to the Arduino. In order for the irrigation flow to function automatically, an Arduino UNO R3&#x0D; microcontroller is needed to receive data sent from the servo motor, ultrasonic sensor. So that this tool&#x0D; can be programmed to control the irrigation flow based on a predetermined command.&#x0D;

Design of a Machine Vision-Based Automatic Digging Depth Control System for Garlic Combine Harvester

The digging depth is an important factor affecting the mechanized garlic harvesting quality. At present, the digging depth of the garlic combine harvester (GCH) is adjusted manually, which leads to disadvantages such as slow response, poor accuracy, and being very dependent on the operator’s experience. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a machine vision-based automatic digging depth control system for the original garlic digging device. The system uses the improved YOLOv5 algorithm to calculate the length of the garlic root at the front end of the clamping conveyor chain in real-time, and the calculation result is sent back to the system as feedback. Then, the STM32 microcontroller is used to control the digging depth by expanding and contracting the electric putter of the garlic digging device. The experimental results of the presented control system show that the detection time of the system is 30.4 ms, the average accuracy of detection is 99.1%, and the space occupied by the model deployment is 11.4 MB, which suits the design of the real-time detection of the system. Moreover, the length of the excavated garlic roots is shorter than that of the system before modification, which represents a lower energy consumption of the system and a lower rate of impurities in harvesting, and the modified system is automatically controlled, reducing the operator’s workload.

Formalization of Functional Requirements for Digital Substation Protection and Automatic Control Systems

Formalization of Functional Requirements for Digital Substation Protection and Automatic Control Systems

Bidirectional Visitor Counter with Automatic Light Controller

In state-of-the-art international, there is a non-stop need for automated equipment. With the increase in this international, there may be an immediate need for developing circuits that might trade the complexity of existence to simplicity. This undertaking's called “Bidirectional visitor Counter using Arduino " is designed to matter the number of visitors in the auditorium, in a function hall, offices, department stores, sports venue, and so on. The tool counts all people getting into and exiting the auditorium or corridor or different vicinity. Relying upon the sensor’s interruption, the device identifies the access and exit of someone. At the hit implementation of the device, it displays the variety of human beings present in the auditorium or corridor. That is a cost-powerful, fee decreasing system even as implemented in locations in which the site visitors need to rely on and control.