Automation Components Research Articles

Group Profiling Automation for Crime and Terrorism (GPACT)

The U.S. State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism officially lists 59 foreign terrorist organizations, while the current Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC) database contains over 3,800 groups. The number of actual groups is constantly changing as new groups emerge and existing groups are redefined, thus motivating a need to automate the rapid generation of multi-faceted group profiles to provide on-demand support for analyst understanding. Robust, automated profiles can be generated for these groups by leveraging current Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and large-scale analytics over relevant text (e.g., news stories, social media). Information on key individuals, attack history, group interactions, and more can be extracted and assembled into a dynamic organizational profile. Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs (LM ATL) has developed a prototype system for creating such profiles, based on the publicly released Integrated Crisis Early Warning System (ICEWS) Coded Event Data, a set of over 13 million automatically generated events extracted from public news stories. This set of data has proven valuable for situational awareness and event forecasting, and a more actor-centric view of the data can yield rich details about a group's history and modus operandi. Profile generation, then, is based on the following capabilities: (1) event clustering, (2) event trending, and (3) narrative generation. In this paper, we describe both the framework and analytical components of the Group Profiling Automation for Crime and Terrorism (GPACT) prototype that generates terrorist and criminal group profiles. After describing the overall framework we focus on three analytical capabilities. First, event clustering operates over the set of event data to identify clusters of related events relevant to a particular topic of interest (e.g., interactions with other groups, past attack history), similar to how topic and document clustering operates. The second, event trend analysis, performs analytics over event data focusing on clustered topics to provide awareness of aggregate patterns detectable in the data. Third, narrative generation uses a template-based approach to natural language generation to construct a textual overview of the organization. Our results are analyzed, and ideas for potential future research identified.

Finite Element Simulation for Quality Dependent Lifetime Analysis of Micro Gears

Abstract Nowadays, micro motors are used in combination with micro transmissions in manifold industrial applications such as dental drills or the equipment for minimally invasive surgery in the medical industry, hexapod micro positioning systems for wafer processing in the field of industrial automation or adjustable automotive components such as fixings of LCD monitors. Micro transmissions consist of micro gears, which are critical to their functionality. Micro gears are typically defined as gears with a module which is lower than 200 μm. To ensure proper operation of the micro gears for their expected purpose, a reliable prediction of their lifetime is crucial. Lifetime evaluation is particularly important for micro gears, as the influence of their geometric shape deviations on their load rating is significantly higher in comparison to gears with larger modules. This is a consequence of the larger shape deviations of micro gears in relation to their part size due to their manufacturing processes. The lifetime of micro gears can be evaluated by an experimental approach. Within this a pair of micro gears is systematically worn under realistic, clearly defined conditions, until a defect of one of the micro gears can be detected. This can be conducted by means of a highly precise experimental setup. In this article, a methodology to calculate the characteristic loads at the tooth flanks of the pair of micro gears during the experiments based on finite element analysis is introduced. For this purpose, CAD models of the real gear geometry of the specimen are deducted by means of high precision 3D measurements and spline interpolation. On the basis of these data, the lifetime of the micro gears dependent on their shape deviations can be predicted by means of a model based on reliability statistics.

Short message service can be a promising tool for psychiatric patients and clinicians.

Short message service (SMS), commonly referred to as text messaging, allows instantaneous communication between mobile telephones and other systems via 160-character messages. SMS has a wide reach, and thus researchers and public health officials have considered using this platform for health-related communication. Today, as our society continues to integrate components of automation in various forms and levels of human interaction, and with the increasing ubiquity of mobile technology in health care, technology-delivered health interventions such as SMS offer a creative alternative that can be a valuable tool to assist mental health patients in their own treatment and recovery and for the mental health clinicians who are responsible for providing care and its delivery.

Application of the device of slices for automation of matrix calculations

The basic concepts of the device of slices for the processing of multidimensional numerical arrays are represented. The data on the developed matrix component supporting the concept of simple and generalized slices are given. The application efficiency of the slicing device and matrix components in industrial automation at the stages of matrix computation automation is shown.

Ambient-aware continuous care through semantic context dissemination.

BackgroundThe ultimate ambient-intelligent care room contains numerous sensors and devices to monitor the patient, sense and adjust the environment and support the staff. This sensor-based approach results in a large amount of data, which can be processed by current and future applications, e.g., task management and alerting systems. Today, nurses are responsible for coordinating all these applications and supplied information, which reduces the added value and slows down the adoption rate.The aim of the presented research is the design of a pervasive and scalable framework that is able to optimize continuous care processes by intelligently reasoning on the large amount of heterogeneous care data.MethodsThe developed Ontology-based Care Platform (OCarePlatform) consists of modular components that perform a specific reasoning task. Consequently, they can easily be replicated and distributed. Complex reasoning is achieved by combining the results of different components. To ensure that the components only receive information, which is of interest to them at that time, they are able to dynamically generate and register filter rules with a Semantic Communication Bus (SCB). This SCB semantically filters all the heterogeneous care data according to the registered rules by using a continuous care ontology. The SCB can be distributed and a cache can be employed to ensure scalability.ResultsA prototype implementation is presented consisting of a new-generation nurse call system supported by a localization and a home automation component. The amount of data that is filtered and the performance of the SCB are evaluated by testing the prototype in a living lab. The delay introduced by processing the filter rules is negligible when 10 or fewer rules are registered.ConclusionsThe OCarePlatform allows disseminating relevant care data for the different applications and additionally supports composing complex applications from a set of smaller independent components. This way, the platform significantly reduces the amount of information that needs to be processed by the nurses. The delay resulting from processing the filter rules is linear in the amount of rules. Distributed deployment of the SCB and using a cache allows further improvement of these performance results.

A data warehouse to support web site automation

BackgroundDue to the constant demand for new information and timely updates of services and content in order to satisfy the user’s needs, web site automation has emerged as a solution to automate several personalization and management activities of a web site. One goal of automation is the reduction of the editor’s effort and consequently of the costs for the owner. The other goal is that the site can more timely adapt to the behavior of the user, improving the browsing experience and helping the user in achieving his/her own goals.MethodsA database to store rich web data is an essential component for web site automation. In this paper, we propose a data warehouse that is developed to be a repository of information to support different web site automation and monitoring activities. We implemented our data warehouse and used it as a repository of information in three different case studies related to the areas of e-commerce, e-learning, and e-news.ResultThe case studies showed that our data warehouse is appropriate for web site automation in different contexts.ConclusionIn all cases, the use of the data warehouse was quite simple and with a good response time, mainly because of the simplicity of its structure.

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND SIMULATION OF LOW COST AUTOMATION FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE TURNING MACHINE

The project has been carried out at Rane Engine Valve Ltd. (REVL), Chennai. The main aim of the project is to design, development and simulation of Low Cost Automation (LCA) for Special Purpose Turning Machine, which is now a major area of research. The machine is a SPM and is useful for machining (undercut, turning head diameter, fillet, chamfering) operations of engine valves used in automobile industry. The objective is to reduce rejections and cost, maintain quality and to achieve high volume production. The methodology of design, development and simulation of Low Cost Automation for the twin spindle special purpose turning machine involves collection of data regarding pneumatic, electro pneumatic and low cost automation, enhanced concept design anddevelopment of various component of automation, electro pneumatic circuit design and simulation using Fluid SIM software. The design is based on LCA principles rather than pneumatic and PLC principles. A 3D model of the machine is also created using Pro-Esoftware to represent implemented components after the design and development process.

The Aid of a Mistake Proofing with the use of Mechatronic Systems According to the Poka-Yoke Methodology

An important aspect raised in the article is the practical application of rules dedicated to Poka-Yoke systems using real industrial automation components that enable detection of defective elements. The article includes also an optimization of the structure of constructed devices for an unambiguous determination of the Poka-Yoke criteria and a minimization of the possibility of random errors made by the employee (or intentionally deceives of sensor systems). Despite clear conditions of the method the authors observed a lack of publications related to the description of the implementation of equipment elaborated in accordance with the presented methodology in industrial applications. This article presents the author's Poka-Yoke system used for a detection of drawpieces made of steel (with welded nuts) which are components of systems of passenger cars.

The Design of Information Processing in Automatic Circle-Counting System in Track Events

Sports track events are the major events in sports competition and have been the major ways of peoples participation in sports. As technology advances and managerial concept changes, the digitalization, intelligentization and automation of management has become an unavoidable trend for track events. As a major component of track events managerial automation, automatic circle-counting system has been attached great importance by the sports circle. Based on these developmental changes in track events management, this paper analyses the core part of automatic circle-counting system in track events, that is the research and design of information processing, with special focus on the analysis of its influence on electronic circuit, processing module and data base. This research aims to ;perfect the design of information processing with improved function, rationalized interface design, solid framework and simple operation so as to provide scientific and efficient service to track events and promote actively the IT level of track events management.

Building Cataloging Capacity for Libraries in South Sudan: A North–South–South Collaboration

In the developing world, a common trend is to have north–south collaborations constituting most of the continuous professional development (CPD) activities for librarians. The emerging drift highlighted in this article is a north–south–south initiative aimed at rebuilding the University of Juba Library through capacity-building of the library staff. This article will illuminate the process of equipping library staff with cataloging skills in the absence of previous library training. This endeavor is a result of the collaborative efforts of Makerere University Library (MakLib) in Uganda and the University of Bergen Library (UoBL) in Norway under the Juba Library Automation Project (JULAP). JULAP's main objective is to rebuild the University of Juba Library with the components of library automation and training of library staff. This article will concentrate on the practical training of the library staff in cataloging and the hands-on training on the Koha integrated library system to lay the groundwork for computerized library services for the University of Juba. This article will also highlight the challenges and lessons learned so far while articulating strategies for the future.

Designing High Performance Factory Automation Applications on Top of DDS

DDS is a recent specification aimed at providing high-performance publisher/subscriber middleware solutions. Despite being a very powerful flexible technology, it may prove complex to use, especially for the inexperienced. This work provides some guidelines for connecting software components that represent a new generation of automation devices (such as PLCs, IPCs and robots) using Data Distribution Service (DDS) as a virtual software bus. More specifically, it presents the design of a DDS-based component, the so-called Automation Component, and discusses how to map different traffic patterns using DDS entities exploiting the wealth of QoS management mechanisms provided by the DDS specification. A case study demonstrates the creation of factory automation applications out of software components that encapsulate independent stations.

A service- and multi-agent-oriented manufacturing automation architecture: An IEC 62264 level 2 compliant implementation

This paper describes an approach for developing and implementing a service- and multi-agent-oriented manufacturing automation architecture, being particularly focused on functional features of the IEC 62264 L2 standard. The proposed SoA architecture facilitates managing and controlling networked smart automation components in a distributed manufacturing environment. The services, generated and exposed by automation components located on the levels 1 and 2 of the ISA’95-compliant enterprise architecture, are essential part of an “Automation Service Cloud”, which is the result of the virtualization of the physical production environment. Moreover, these services can be accessed, requested and used by other components of these and upper levels, i.e., MES (Manufacturing Executing System) distributed components like a collaborative multi-agent-based manufacturing scheduling and dispatching system. Using the main characteristics of the service-orientation, the automation services can be composed and orchestrated in the cloud, creating emergent behaviors, which is a direct result of the virtualization, i.e., transforming the mechatronics/production layout into an automatically collaborative network.

Dissociated Neural Processing for Decisions in Managers and Non-Managers

Functional neuroimaging studies of decision-making so far mainly focused on decisions under uncertainty or negotiation with other persons. Dual process theory assumes that, in such situations, decision making relies on either a rapid intuitive, automated or a slower rational processing system. However, it still remains elusive how personality factors or professional requirements might modulate the decision process and the underlying neural mechanisms. Since decision making is a key task of managers, we hypothesized that managers, facing higher pressure for frequent and rapid decisions than non-managers, prefer the heuristic, automated decision strategy in contrast to non-managers. Such different strategies may, in turn, rely on different neural systems. We tested managers and non-managers in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using a forced-choice paradigm on word-pairs. Managers showed subcortical activation in the head of the caudate nucleus, and reduced hemodynamic response within the cortex. In contrast, non-managers revealed the opposite pattern. With the head of the caudate nucleus being an initiating component for process automation, these results supported the initial hypothesis, hinting at automation during decisions in managers. More generally, the findings reveal how different professional requirements might modulate cognitive decision processing.

Investigation of the Effect of Moving Forklift on Data Transmission of IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Radio

Low-cost wireless sensors embedded in machines and plant floors are essential components for intelligent monitoring and automation in automated manufacturing systems. To enable robust and confident industrial adoption of wireless sensor systems, their data transmission performance must be guaranteed before deployment. Moving objects such as forklifts in common manufacturing settings are known to cause errors and losses in wireless sensor data transmission. As an essential step toward building wireless sensor-based manufacturing plant floor monitoring systems, this study has conducted systematic data transmission performance measurements with IEEE 802.15.4 sensors in the presence of a moving forklift. It is found that for a typical moving forklift, its path loss profile can be predicted based on its stationary path loss profile. Specifically, the path loss for a moving forklift can be adequately modeled using a two-state time-dependent model with both deterministic and random contributions. Such a two-state path loss model can be applied to adequately estimate the packet error rate in the presence of moving objects.

Assessment of LBT Systems using Petri Net modelling

Wireless communication is well established in industrial automation (IA). The rising number of different wireless technologies is the result of various IA application requirements. While WLAN and Bluetooth based systems fulfill the requirements of factory automation, WirelessHART and the upcoming ISA SP100a are more suitable for usage in process automation. However, the mentioned systems with different media access mechanisms share the same 2.4 GHz ISM band. Obviously, the growing integration of wireless automation components leads to an extended use of this limited frequency band. Thus, coexistence of wireless solutions is an important issue. This paper presents a model approach to assess communication behavior of Listen-before-Talk systems during interferences by networks with other media access mechanisms. The assessment parameters consider the requirements and conditions of IA applications. The model approach is based on high level Petri Nets. The investigations are focused on systems defined in the upcoming EN 300328 specification and not on existing wireless solutions.

Synchronized Realities

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) promises future environments that support the well-being of their inhabitants through comfort and assistive environments. For the elderly users, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) scenarios are targeting safe and independent living at home. Especially the integration of home automation components, such as intelligent light, window, and climate controls seem promising for such scenarios. In this paper, we present a new development method that is based on a detailed three-dimensional model and show how the model can be used for designing and evaluating assistive environments. Such a system has been developed and deployed. We present an architectural foundation of how Universal Remote Console technology can be applied to synchronize the virtual environment model with the real world. Furthermore, we extend previous work on Dual Reality by introducing the concept of Synchronized Realities that includes the synchronization between remote AmI environments. We will discuss application scenarios and show two demonstrators that we have implemented based on the proposed development method.

Development of an automated modular system for the synthesis of [11C]acetate

Carboxylation reactions offer a straightforward method for the synthesis of carbon-11 labelled carboxylic acids. Among these, the preparation of carbon-11 (C)-acetate is receiving increasing attention because of diagnostic applications in oncology in addition to its well-established use as a probe for myocardial oxidative metabolism. Although a number of dedicated modules are commercially available, the development of the synthesis on flexible platforms would be beneficial to widen the number of tracers, in particular for preclinical assessment and testing. In this study, the carboxylation reaction was implemented for the synthesis of sodium 1-[C]acetate after the classic route of carboxylation of methylmagnesium chloride by [C]carbon dioxide, followed by the acidic hydrolysis, purification and sterile filtration. This was performed using a commercially available kit of preassembled hardware units and fully compatible components of radiochemistry automation (VarioSystem). The system proved be to highly versatile and inexpensive and allowed a quick translation of the radiochemistry project into a working system even by less experienced personnel, because of predefined interfaces between electronic parts and operating software (preloaded on a laptop and included in the kit). The automatic module proved to be a simple and reliable system for the production of 1-[C]acetate that was prepared in 24 min (total synthesis time) with stable radiochemical yields (20% nondecay corrected) and high radiochemical purity (>97%). The module is used routinely to produce 1-[C]acetate for preclinical studies and is being implemented for the production of the labelled fatty acids.

Formal Specification and Verification of Industrial Control Logic Components

Component-based programming frameworks for industrial control logic development promise to shorten development and modification times, and to reduce programming errors. To get these benefits, it is, however, important that the components are specified and verified to work properly. This work introduces <emphasis emphasistype="boldital" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Reusable Automation Components</emphasis> (RACs), which contain not only the implementation details but also a formal specification defining the correct use and behaviour of the component. This formal specification uses temporal logic to describe time-related properties and has a special structure developed to meet industrial control needs. The RAC can be formally verified, to determine whether the implementation fulfils the specification or not. A RAC prototype development tool has been developed to demonstrate this capability. The main difference between the RAC and other frameworks for formal verification of control logic is the specification modeling. In RAC, not only the implementation but also the specification is based on the structure and languages of conventional control logic, aiming at being easy to comprehend for control logic engineers. Several industrial examples are discussed in this paper, showing the benefits and potential of the framework.

Domain-Specific Design of Industrial Automation and Control Systems: The MEDEIA Approach

Abstract The aim of this paper is to describe a model-driven design approach for Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). This approach is characterised by the transformation of domain specific engineering models to a central automation component model and the automatic code generation for varioius automation platforms. A central point of this work is the development and discussion of the domain specific model to automation component model transformation which is discussed in this paper. The work behind this approach is being developed in the MEDEIA project funded by the European Commission in the FP7.

Hardware and Software Integration of Mechatronic Systems for an Example Measurement Path for Temperature Sensors

This paper presents the method of designing a mechatronic system, as a result of an integration. As an example of the integration automation components, in one coherent measuring system, a measurement path for temperature sensors is proposed. A measuring path can be defined as a scale model, which reproduces thermal states of a temperature sensors system, used in real industrial applications. The system is extended by database application based on Access. Taking advantage of an iFIX special database block the temporary values of temperature are recorded in Access database with permanent period of time. The final analysis is performed in an Excel sheet.