Control Circuit Research Articles

No evidence for effects of low-intensity vestibular noise stimulation on mild-to-moderate gait impairments in patients with Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundGait impairment is a key feature in later stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which often responds poorly to pharmacological therapies. Neuromodulatory treatment by low-intensity noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) has indicated positive effects on postural instability in PD, which may possibly be conveyed to improvement of dynamic gait dysfunction.ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of individually tuned nGVS on normal and cognitively challenged walking in PD patients with mild-to-moderate gait dysfunction.MethodsEffects of nGVS of varying intensities (0–0.7 mA) on body sway were examined in 32 patients with PD (ON medication state, Hoehn and Yahr: 2.3 ± 0.5), who were standing with eyes closed on a posturographic force plate. Treatment response and optimal nGVS stimulation intensity were determined on an individual patient level. In a second step, the effects of optimal nGVS vs. sham treatment on walking with preferred speed and with a cognitive dual task were investigated by assessment of spatiotemporal gait parameters on a pressure-sensitive gait carpet.ResultsEvaluation of individual balance responses yielded that 59% of patients displayed a beneficial balance response to nGVS treatment with an average optimal improvement of 23%. However, optimal nGVS had no effects on gait parameters neither for the normal nor the cognitively challenged walking condition compared to sham stimulation irrespective of the nGVS responder status.ConclusionsLow-intensity nGVS seems to have differential treatment effects on static postural imbalance and continuous gait dysfunction in PD, which could be explained by a selective modulation of midbrain-thalamic circuits of balance control.

The SpinBus architecture for scaling spin qubits with electron shuttling

Quantum processor architectures must enable scaling to large qubit numbers while providing two-dimensional qubit connectivity and exquisite operation fidelities. For microwave-controlled semiconductor spin qubits, dense arrays have made considerable progress, but are still limited in size by wiring fan-out and exhibit significant crosstalk between qubits. To overcome these limitations, we introduce the SpinBus architecture, which uses electron shuttling to connect qubits and features low operating frequencies and enhanced qubit coherence. Device simulations for all relevant operations in the Si/SiGe platform validate the feasibility with established semiconductor patterning technology and operation fidelities exceeding 99.9%. Control using room temperature instruments can plausibly support at least 144 qubits, but much larger numbers are conceivable with cryogenic control circuits. Building on the theoretical feasibility of high-fidelity spin-coherent electron shuttling as key enabling factor, the SpinBus architecture may be the basis for a spin-based quantum processor that meets the scalability requirements for practical quantum computing.

Design and Manufacturing Using 3D Printing Technology of A 5-DOF Manipulator for Industrial Tasks

Robotic manipulators have become very necessary in industrial applications all over the world. In this paper, a 5-DOF robotic manipulator is designed and manufactured to simulate a real industrial task. The manipulator is intended to transfer an object with a weight of 30 grams from a known place to another known one, which is a pick and place task. Firstly, all parts of the manipulator are designed using SolidWorks software. During the design, all parts’ dimensions are considered. The end-effector of the manipulator is designed based on gear system. Secondly, 3D printing technology is used to manufacture these designed parts. The manufacturing process is very accurate and efficient. Servo motors are considered to do the motion of the manipulator, which are easily and directly connected to the control circuit. As, 5-DOF manipulator is manufactured, five servo motors are used: one motor for every joint. The motion of the motors is controlled by Arduino Uno unit which is a cheap and easy programming unit. Experiments are executed with the developed robot to show its effectiveness and success by preparing three boxes which the robot effectively transfers from one place to another. Eventually, the challenges during the design and manufacturing of this robot are mentioned in this paper.

Design of Pedal Bicycle Prototype using the PID Controller as an Alternative Energy Generator

In recent years, electricity consumption in Indonesia rose to 1.109 kWh, as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources reported. An alternate method for generating electrical energy is harvesting the energy produced via exercising on a stationary bike. By employing Arduino Mega 2560pro-powered torque control using the PID (Proportional – Integral – Derivative) technique, we can effectively save the generator's power in the battery and modify the paddle load to match the user's desired settings. The design incorporates a repurposed bicycle that has been rebuilt, along with the addition of a transmission gear, a controller box housing a control circuit, a relay, and an inverter. Additionally, it is equipped with a display and buttons. This system can generate a paddle load ranging from 1 to 17 in normal mode and 1 to 10 in PID mode. The system has a maximum current output of 3.2A and a battery capacity of 24VDC. This DC voltage is then transformed into a 220 VA AC voltage suitable for residential electrical use using an inverter. The PID controller will regulate the current flowing into the battery, ensuring it remains steady even with a consistent wood load. PID control can reach a set point at the settling time, 7 s, with an overshoot and a steady-state error of 0%. Every motor achieved the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) value set to the ideal current. As the RPM increases, the PWM decreases until it reaches the preset set point with a constant current value.

Research of the regulator of an expander-generator unit

The relevance of research is determined by the tasks of increasing the efficiency of alternative and renewable energy power plants. The purpose of the work is to develop a method of coordinating the settings of the automatic excitation regulators and the speed of rotation of the rotor of the generator from the vortex installation of the expander-generator unit, which is part of the autonomous power consumption network. To achieve the goal, the methods of mathematical modelling in the MATLAB environment, physical modelling, processing of experimental data, theory of automatic control, theory of magnetic field, theory of electric machines, programming of microprocessor devices were used. Considering the need to expand the base of alternative energy sources, the task of controlling the energy plant for the utilization of excess pressure of gas transportation networks was considered. The study of the regulator of the expander-generator unit was based on a model reflecting the interaction of mechanical and electrical processes. A set of nonlinear differential equations corresponded to the description of these processes. Accurate consideration of nonlinearities of the considered control object complicates the implementation of the corresponding microprocessor control systems. Modelling is aimed at achieving a compromise between the required accuracy of object control and the possibilities of simplifying the object control structure. The use of experimental and datasheet data of the devices made it possible to evaluate the dynamics of turbine rotation and voltage generation, forming the factors for the untying of the control circuits. The use of MATLAB with the Lookup Table option made it possible to perform a multi-point linearization of the nonlinear description of the process, speeding up the modelling and adjustment of the regulator. This is important to incoordinate the settings of the frequency control loops and the output voltage, given the trade-off between the speed of the regulator and the minimization of oscillations in the generation frequency. Based on the obtained results, a regulator of the expander-generator unit was developed, which ensures the stabilization of the initial parameters of the unit under the conditions of electrical load disturbances. In practice, the obtained data can be used in the integration of renewable energy sources into the general energy system through the optimization of the operation of generators

Optimization and Improvement of Three-phase Asynchronous Motor Soft Starter Control Circuit

Abstract The soft starters of ABB company are used in a pumped storage power station. Sometimes, a phase absent fault was reported during the process of the motor starting and then led to starting failure. To solve this problem, this article first explained the working principle of the device, and then analyzed the design of the control circuit and the characteristics of the components. Combined with the actual inspection results to find the crux of the problem, It proposed optimization and improvement methods for the soft starter control circuit, and achieved the desired results.

Development of multi-channel magnetic flux leakage testing system for bridge cables

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) is one of the most popular techniques for detecting broken wire in bridge cables. MFL sensor array has attracted a lot of attention in recent years due to its capacity to measure the spatial distribution of the magnetic field of bridge cable. More sensors in the array lead to increased useful information extraction from the MFL field, allowing for more precise quantitative evaluation of bridge cable damage. This study reports the development of a cable MFL testing system capable of synchronous acquiring up to 512 channels of MFL sensors signal. Radial sensor arrays (RSA) composed of vertically placed magnetic sensors spaced at equal intervals are developed to be arranged around the bridge cable. They record the spatial distribution of the magnetic leakage field of the broken wire by collecting the MFL signal at various lift-offs. To solve the problem of multi- channel MFL signal synchronous acquisition, this study develops a MFL signal acquisition card based on multiplexing technology, capable of synchronous acquisition of up to 512 channels of MFL signal. Multiplexers are used to switch sensor channels, followed by multi-channel A/D conversion chips to convert the transmitted data. The converted data are temporally stored in the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) buffer of the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and transferred to the computer through the network port for display, storage, and signal processing. Finally, the motion control circuit, mechanical structure, and control software of the bridge cable MFL testing system are fully customized. Experiment results reveal that the system can be used in multi-channel MFL testing, laying the foundation for further multi-channel signal processing and bridge cable health evaluation.

A modeling method for the control circuit of a double-fed induction generator in a wind power system based on multimodel fusion

Abstract The current modeling techniques of a Double-fed induction generator (DFIG) for wind power systems have shortcomings in the idealization of equipment internal parameters and unitization of system coupling. In this paper, a multi-model fusion method of doubly-fed induction wind turbine modeling for wind power systems is proposed. Firstly, the 1.5 MW DFIG body is constructed according to the parameters of the physical prototype. Then, to realize the system’s control of DFIG, the DIFG external circuit and control circuit of the wind power system are built to realize multi-system coupling simulation modeling. Through simulation analysis, the effectiveness of the multi-model coupling simulation system and the availability of the method are proved.

IoT based Smart Fault Identification and Monitoring System for Electric Poles

Electricity is essential in modern life, but damaged power lines cause thousands of electrocutions in India every year. To fix a damaged power line, the power supply is turned off, and a fuse controller is placed on the electric feeder. If the fuse controller trips on a broken wire, the electricity is cut off until the damage is located. This process can be time-consuming and requires resources. This research aims to design a IoT based control system to reduce the time for repairing broken electrical lines and prevent accidents by adopting measures to expedite the repair process, enhance safety, and optimize maintenance efficiency. LoRa devices are installed every 1 km along the cable for a total range of 10 km. A central tower marks the halfway point. A single LoRa device at the tower may be more cost-effective than multiple devices at each pole. A control circuit embedded by transistor and diode safeguard the circuit's integrity and ensure current flows in a single direction, protecting it if a wire between two poles is damaged. After locating damage to a pole, an email is sent to the relevant authority, including location, pole number, and incident time. An automatic alarm will sound when electricity is turned off, warning the public of the danger. Additionally, this system saves time and resources, and is cost-effective.

Control system of the electric drive of a robot with a dc motor

Problem. Robotics and flexible production systems are the most important technical basis for the intensification of production. The use of robotic systems is expanding every year. This paper considers a two-circuit servo control system using the example of a DC motor current and speed control system and examines the functional diagram of the third circuit, a digital angle control system. Using the Matlab + SIMULINK software package, the servo drive and the digital system for controlling the angular position of the robot manipulator were modelled. Goal. As a result of the analysis, the purpose of the study was highlighted: the development of a digital system for adjusting the angular position of the manipulator, improve the quality of its positioning. Tasks: to study work management systems; to study the drives of robots; to get a mathematical model of an electric motor; to develop a machine diagram of a digital electric drive; to synthesize a three-loop robot positioning control system. Methodology. The research problems should be solved by methods of analysis and synthesis of automatic control systems. Results. In the work, a three-circuit control system of the electric drive of a robot with a direct current motor was developed. Thus, as a result of modeling the operation of a digital electric drive with three control circuits for current, speed and positioning, an aperiodic transient process was provided with quality indicators. Originality. Thus, the results of simulation of the two-loop servo control system showed that the dynamic characteristics of the electric motor in terms of current and speed of rotation, which meet the requirements of the task, are provided by the PI controller in the current control circuit and the PID controller in the speed control circuit. Thus, as a result of modeling the operation of a digital electric drive with three control circuits for current, speed and positioning, an aperiodic transient process was provided with quality indicators. Practical value. The following results were obtained during the research: the best control law for the current circuit is the proportional-integral (PI) law; the best control law for the speed contour is the proportional-integral-differential (PID) law; the best control law for a digital positioning control loop is the proportional (P) law.

BLDC Motor based Air Dessert Cooler

Abstract: This paper proposes a new position sensorless drive for brushless DC (BLDC) motors.Growing need for high productivity is placing new demands on mechanisms connected with electrical motors. The demand for low costBrushless DC (BLDC) motor has increased in industrial applications. A simple BLDC motor control algorithm forlow cost motor drive applications using general purpose microcontrollers has been created and presented in this paper. Proposed design will allow the user to rotate the motor either clockwise or counter clockwise direction. Dependingon the rotor position the sensor will give response to the controller circuit. Then the controller circuit will fix the direction of current following to the stator. The design controller circuit is also implemented. The overall design consists of microcontroller circuit, logic gates, switching devices (MOSFET/BJT), BLDC motor, sensors.

Comparative Analysis of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Urban Electric/Hybrid Electric Vehicles

This paper presents an experimental comparison of two types of Li-ion battery stacks for low-voltage energy storage in small urban Electric or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (EVs/HEVs). These systems are a combination of lithium battery cells, a battery management system (BMS), and a central control circuit—a lithium energy storage and management system (LESMS). Li-Ion cells are assembled with two different active cathode materials, nickel–cobalt–aluminum (NCA) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP), both with an integrated decentralized BMS. Based on experiments conducted on the two assembled LESMSs, this paper suggests that although LFP batteries have inferior characteristics in terms of energy and power density, they have great capacity for improvement.

Miniaturized all-in-one microneedle device for point of care light therapy

Light therapies have been applied to millions of patients for treating many kinds of diseases, especially superficial ones. Currently, mainstream light therapies utilize the combined effects of photosensitizers and light to either remove disordered tissue or promote the growth of healthy tissue. Adverse effects of light therapy, including metabolic burden caused by circulatory photosensitizer and skin damage induced by high irradiance light, are yet to be addressed. This study provides a Miniaturized all-in-one Light therapy Device (MiLD). All components required for light therapy, including dual-function microneedles, LED array, control circuit, and battery are integrated together to form a miniaturized portable device with 2 cm in length, 1.7 cm in width, 1.2 cm in height, and 3.6 g in weight. The all-in-one design and patch-to-cure operation of MiLD enables the successful demonstration of point-of-care light therapy. Satisfactory therapeutic effects have been verified in mice on both types of light therapy. Meanwhile, transdermally co-delivering both photosensitizer and light in situ fully avoids photosensitizer accumulation in blood and remarkably reduces the irradiance of light, therefore significantly alleviating metabolic burden and light-induced skin damage. Overall, the MiLD lays the technical foundation of point-of-care light therapy with its miniaturized all-in-one design, simple patch-to-cure operation, satisfactory therapeutic effects, and minimum adverse effects.

Innate Orientating Behavior of a Multi-Legged Robot Driven by the Neural Circuits of C. elegans.

The objective of this research is to achieve biologically autonomous control by utilizing a whole-brain network model, drawing inspiration from biological neural networks to enhance the development of bionic intelligence. Here, we constructed a whole-brain neural network model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), which characterizes the electrochemical processes at the level of the cellular synapses. The neural network simulation integrates computational programming and the visualization of the neurons and synapse connections of C. elegans, containing the specific controllable circuits and their dynamic characteristics. To illustrate the biological neural network (BNN)'s particular intelligent control capability, we introduced an innovative methodology for applying the BNN model to a 12-legged robot's movement control. Two methods were designed, one involving orientation control and the other involving locomotion generation, to demonstrate the intelligent control performance of the BNN. Both the simulation and experimental results indicate that the robot exhibits more autonomy and a more intelligent movement performance under BNN control. The systematic approach of employing the whole-brain BNN for robot control provides biomimetic research with a framework that has been substantiated by innovative methodologies and validated through the observed positive outcomes. This method is established as follows: (1) two integrated dynamic models of the C. elegans' whole-brain network and the robot moving dynamics are built, and all of the controllable circuits are discovered and verified; (2) real-time communication is achieved between the BNN model and the robot's dynamical model, both in the simulation and the experiments, including applicable encoding and decoding algorithms, facilitating their collaborative operation; (3) the designed mechanisms using the BNN model to control the robot are shown to be effective through numerical and experimental tests, focusing on 'foraging' behavior control and locomotion control.

Cellular Model for the Analysis of IRBIT-Dependent Regulation of the Type 1 IP<sub>3</sub> Receptor

In vertebrate genomes, three genes encode subunits of IP3 receptors, including IP3R1, IP3R2, and IP3R3. Despite high homology between different subunits, homotetrameric IP3 receptors formed by IP3R1, IP3R2, and IP₃R3 in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane are markedly distinct by their functional features and regulatory mechanisms. It was particularly reported that IP3R1 is specifically regulated by the IP3R binding protein released with IP₃ (IRBIT), which competes with IP3 for binding to IP3R1. In turn, affinity of IRBIT/IP₃R1 binding is regulated by phosphorylation of IRBIT. By using the CRISPR/Cas9 approach to edit the genome of HEK-293 cells, two monoclonal cell lines were generated as a platform for uncovering a role of IRBIT and associated regulatory circuits in control of the IP₃R1 activity. In one line, HEK-IP3R1, IP₃R2, and IP3R3 genes were disrupted, while IP₃R1 was remained functional. Based on this line, the HEK-IP3R1/DIRBIT line was generated, wherein IRBIT (AHCYL1) gene was inactivated. The comparative analysis of ACh-induced Ca2+ signaling in cells of both lines was performed by employing the Ca2+ dye Fluo-4 and Ca2+ imaging. It was particularly shown that ACh mobilized Ca2+ in cells of both lines, which responded to the agonist at widely varied doses in an “all-or-nothing” manner. Yet, HEK-IP₃R1/DIRBIT cells turned out to be less sensitive to ACh compared to HEK-IP₃R1 cells.

Development of a deep-sea in-situ anion analyzer for marine biogeochemical cycle observation

A novel deep-sea in-situ anion analyzer (DIAA) is proposed and developed for long-term and continuous observation of marine biogeochemistry and ecology. The DIAA is designed to analyze the concentrations of various anions in seawater, such as F−, Cl−, Br−, NO3−, SO42−, and PO43−, based on ion chromatography (IC) technology. The DIAA consists of a control circuit module, a conductivity signal acquisition module, and a flow analysis module. The control circuit module is installed in a sealed pressure-resistant vessel, while the conductivity signal acquisition module and the flow analysis module are housed in a sealed pressure-balanced vessel. The two vessels are capable of functioning at a water depth of up to 4000 m. A seawater in-situ dilution device is designed to solve the issue that the concentrations of Cl− and SO42− in seawater exceeds the IC detection limit. Moreover, an in-situ calibration device enables the DIAA to operate subsea for a long time without recovery. In addition, the DIAA can diagnose and isolate faults automatically. The operation status can be monitored remotely on the shore, and the scientific data can be acquired in real-time. During the sea trial, the DIAA was connected to Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) seafloor observatory at a water depth of approximately 900m and operated for six months successfully. The measurement accuracy and the long-term stability of the instrumentation have been verified.

Where Top-Down Meets Bottom-Up: Cell-Type Specific Connectivity Map of the Whisker System

Sensorimotor computation integrates bottom-up world state information with top-down knowledge and task goals to form action plans. In the rodent whisker system, a prime model of active sensing, evidence shows neuromodulatory neurotransmitters shape whisker control, affecting whisking frequency and amplitude. Since neuromodulatory neurotransmitters are mostly released from subcortical nuclei and have long-range projections that reach the rest of the central nervous system, mapping the circuits of top-down neuromodulatory control of sensorimotor nuclei will help to systematically address the mechanisms of active sensing. Therefore, we developed a neuroinformatic target discovery pipeline to mine the Allen Institute’s Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas. Using network connectivity analysis, we identified new putative connections along the whisker system and anatomically confirmed the existence of 42 previously unknown monosynaptic connections. Using this data, we updated the sensorimotor connectivity map of the mouse whisker system and developed the first cell-type-specific map of the network. The map includes 157 projections across 18 principal nuclei of the whisker system and neuromodulatory neurotransmitter-releasing. Performing a graph network analysis of this connectome, we identified cell-type specific hubs, sources, and sinks, provided anatomical evidence for monosynaptic inhibitory projections into all stages of the ascending pathway, and showed that neuromodulatory projections improve network-wide connectivity. These results argue that beyond the modulatory chemical contributions to information processing and transfer in the whisker system, the circuit connectivity features of the neuromodulatory networks position them as nodes of sensory and motor integration.

A rate hemispherical resonator gyroscope with bias stability of 0.0056°/h with compensation of phase delay

This paper demonstrated a high accuracy rate hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) with compensation of the phase delay induced by the front-end amplifier and the digital control circuit. Due to the existence of the phase delay, the output of the gyroscope is affected not only by the damping mismatch, but also by the frequency split of the resonator gyroscope, which is the main cause of the bias drift and the scale factor nonlinearity of rate resonator gyroscopes. Based on the results of theoretical analysis, a novel calibration method for the phase delay was proposed by monitoring the scale factor of the quadrature control loop. Detailed experimental results show that with phase delay compensation, the bias instability (BI) was improved from 0.0089°/h to 0.0027°/h, the angle random walk (ARW) was improved from 0.0047°/√h to 0.003°/√h, and the scale factor nonlinearity was decreased by 93.8 % from 734.8 ppm to 45.1 ppm. Measurement of one rate HRG after phase compensation at room temperature with duration of 7 hours shows a bias stability of better than 0.00658°/h and a bias repeatability of 0.0053°/h. The results show that the rate HRG with accurate phase delay compensation can achieve excellent accuracy and repeatability in long-time operation.

A novel measurement‐protection‐integrated current transformer based on hybrid core and magnetic field sensor

AbstractCurrent transformers (CTs) are widely used for energy metering, relay protection, condition monitoring and control circuits. However, CT saturation may lead to non‐negligible measurement errors and relay malfunctions, posing a threat to the stability and security of the power grid. In order to address the problem of CT saturation, a novel measurement‐protection‐integrated current transformer (MPICT) is proposed. First, the working states of the MPICT are summarised and the approximate expressions for the steady‐state measuring characteristics, the transient response characteristics, and the measurement errors are derived from the equivalent circuit model. Then, the feasibility of the MPICT and the theoretical analyses are verified by the 3D FEM simulation imitating the presented MPICT excited by diverse currents. Finally, a down‐scale prototype is fabricated and a series of tests are conducted in the laboratory to validate the effectiveness of the equipment. The simulation and experimental results suggest that the output of the MPICT can accurately reconstruct the primary current waveform, even if the primary current contains decaying or constant DC component.

Speed Control of a Linear Induction Motor Using V/F Technique

Speed control of single phase Linear Induction Motor using V/F method have been widely used in fans and pumps drives. High-power Linear Induction Motors (LIMs) face challenges in managing speed. Traditional system are ineffective, causing inefficiency and potential damage. To address this, our project proposes a control system for LIM speed control suing V/f method. Currently, linear induction motors (LIMs) are widely used in many industrial applications, including transportation, conveyor systems, actuators, material handling, pumping of liquid metal, sliding-door closers and others, with satisfactory performance. The proposed control system consists of Arduino controller , soft switching for controlling and motor driver board to run Linear induction motor with voltage and frequency monitoring. This control system has almost no effect in normal operation of LIM. Hardware testing results are obtained to verify the valuable operation of proposed circuit in Speed control of LIM. Keywords—Linear Inuction Motor , Speed Control, V/f Method , Arduino Controller , LCD Display etc.