Electronics Command Research Articles

Haptic Feedback Device Using 3D-Printed Flexible, Multilayered Piezoelectric Coating for In-Car Touchscreen Interface.

This study focuses on the development of a piezoelectric device capable of generating feedback vibrations to the user who manipulates it. The objective here is to explore the possibility of developing a haptic system that can replace physical buttons on the tactile screen of in-car systems. The interaction between the user and the developed device allows completing the feedback loop, where the user's action generates an input signal that is translated and outputted by the device, and then detected and interpreted by the user's haptic sensors and brain. An FEM (finite element model) via ANSYS multiphysics software was implemented to optimize the haptic performance of the wafer structure consisting of a BaTiO3 multilayered piezocomposite coated on a PET transparent flexible substrate. Several parameters relating to the geometric and mechanical properties of the wafer, together with those of the electrodes, are demonstrated to have significant impact on the actuation ability of the haptic device. To achieve the desired vibration effect on the human skin, the haptic system must be able to drive displacement beyond the detection threshold (~2 µm) at a frequency range of 100-700 Hz. The most optimized actuation ability is obtained when the ratio of the dimension (radius and thickness) between the piezoelectric coating and the substrate layer is equal to ~0.6. Regarding the simulation results, it is revealed that the presence of the conductive electrodes provokes a decrease in the displacement by approximately 25-30%, as the wafer structure becomes stiffer. To ensure the minimum displacement generated by the haptic device above 2 µm, the piezoelectric coating is screen-printed by two stacked layers, electrically connected in parallel. This architecture is expected to boost the displacement amplitude under the same electric field (denoted E) subjected to the single-layered coating. Accordingly, multilayered design seems to be a good alternative to enhance the haptic performance while keeping moderate values of E so as to prevent any undesired electrical breakdown of the coating. Practical characterizations confirmed that E=20 V/μm is sufficient to generate feedback vibrations (under a maximum input load of 5 N) perceived by the fingertip. This result confirms the reliability of the proposed haptic device, despite discrepancies between the predicted theory and the real measurements. Lastly, a demonstrator comprising piezoelectric buttons together with electronic command and conditioning circuits are successfully developed, offering an efficient way to create multiple sensations for the user. On the basis of empirical data acquired from several trials conducted on 20 subjects, statistical analyses together with relevant numerical indicators were implemented to better assess the performance of the developed haptic device.

Study of a Cutting Fluid Application System Adaptation on a Bench Milling Machine for an Academic Laboratory Environment

Abstract: Cutting fluid is a resource that can benefit machining, improving the service life, surface, and dimensional qualities of cutting tools. For the operation of a basic cutting fluid application system, it is necessary to consider the components that store, filter, and induce the flow of the cutting fluid. Some essential components are the reservoir, the filter, and the pump. Aiming to provide better machining conditions, this study presented the proposal for designing and manufacturing a cutting fluid application system for an academic laboratory's bench drill/milling machine. The experimental research characterized the study methodology, in which the system was built with the least possible resources. The main result showed that the system achieved the proposed objective. For pump selection, a system of equations was developed in Microsoft Excel software, which indicated a pressure variation in the flow system of approximately 15 kPa. After the three-dimensional modeling, a script for the manufacture and assembly of the system components was prepared, involving the processes of forming, machining and welding. Adaptations were made to the machine tool, such as the insertion of a limit switch that reduced the longitudinal displacement of the work table by 150 mm. An electronic command system was inserted to control the cutting fluid flow. In the testing phase, positive aspects were observed (reservoir position, absence of leaks, cutting fluid flow, among others) and negative aspects (cutting fluid return paths). Some further improvements proved possible, especially on a machine not designed to have a cutting fluid system.

Low-cost mobile dental unit for oral care service delivery in third world countries: from concept to operation

In this paper, we design and implement two low-cost dental units in order to remedy the difficulties of its accessibility for healthcare services in hospitals and the difficulties encountered with the maintenance of medical equipment. In developing countries, income is low and a huge amount of people do not have access to basic dental healthcare partly due to the cost involved in the purchase and maintenance of imported dental units. In the present work, two varieties of dental units were designed and built using electronic, pneumatic and hydraulic circuits. The first one is a dental cabinet with an electronic command board and without a chair. The second is made of hydraulic and pneumatic systems as command with a foldable chair and a stand. The pneumatic and hydraulic systems enable the dentist to operate the instruments by hand and/or foot. The mechanical design of the two dental units was done in Inventor software. Both equipment types were installed in three healthcare centres in Cameroon and their initial social impact was investigated.

Optimised PLC transmission over pulse‐width modulated network

In industrial application of adjustable speed drive for electrical motors, some sensors are supplying mandatory information such as speed or position of the rotor to the electronic command. In most deployed applications, these data are transmitted through an additional dedicated line. In order to avoid this additional installation, power line communication (PLC) technology can be used. This study proposes a PLC communication solution between an inverter and a motor through a variable length cable. This solution relies on the modelling of this communication channel as well as the characterisation of the pulse-width modulated signal. The communication parameters such as carrier frequency or modulation format (quadrature phase shift keying etc.) have been optimised to reduce the channel-to-noise ratio in this context. An error free 2 Mbit/s communication has been achieved on a 2 kW test bench.

Glory in Their Spirit: How Four Black Women Took on the Army During World War II

Book Review| July 01 2019 Glory in Their Spirit: How Four Black Women Took on the Army During World War II Glory in Their Spirit: How Four Black Women Took on the Army During World War II. By Sandra M. Bolzenius. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2018. xvi + 208 pp. Graphs, tables, appendices, notes, index, and bibliography. $99 (cloth); $19.95 (paper). Melissa Ziobro Melissa Ziobro Monmouth University Melissa Ziobro is currently Specialist Professor of Public History at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, teaching courses that include Introduction to Public History, Oral History, and Museums and Archives Management. She worked as a command historian at the US Army Communications–Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, from 2004 to 2011. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Journal of American Ethnic History (2019) 38 (4): 105–107. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.38.4.0105 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Melissa Ziobro; Glory in Their Spirit: How Four Black Women Took on the Army During World War II. Journal of American Ethnic History 1 January 2019; 38 (4): 105–107. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.38.4.0105 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressJournal of American Ethnic History Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2019 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2019 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Wind Turbine Participation in Primary Frequency Control

Wind energy is a clean and desirable power source, but wind turbines can potentially operate to the detriment of grid stability. As wind turbine penetration increases, concerns grow regarding power intermittency and frequency regulation. These factors motivate a need for control methodologies that enable a wind turbine to support grid frequency regulation. In this paper, a control design is proposed for a wind turbine to operate in conjunction with a backup synchronous generator for primary frequency control in a microgrid. The proposed design capitalizes on the idea that the wind turbine has a significant amount of rotational inertia in its rotor, and so the power output of the wind turbine can be rapidly adjusted for frequency support via power electronic commands. A novel torque controller is proposed to quickly track the commanded power output without causing wind turbine instability, and an H2 gain-scheduled pitch controller has been developed to optimally track the commanded power output while avoiding turbine overspeeding. The proposed design may be used for either un-deloaded or deloaded wind turbine operation, depending on the available wind power. Simulation results show that the proposed wind turbine frequency control effectively enhances the grid frequency response by reducing the frequency deviation from its nominal value following a power imbalance event.

Black box modeling of a turboshaft gas turbine engine fuel control unit based on neural NARX

Turboshaft gas turbine engine is one of the main components in most marine vehicle propulsion systems. The most important part of the turboshaft engines, which has direct impact on the performance of the engine and, as a result, on the performance of the propulsion system and the vehicle, is the engine fuel control system which requires much attention and precise design. The proper design of the fuel control system requires accurate modeling of the fuel system components, such as fuel control unit. Fuel control unit is an electrohydraulic fuel flow control system, which consists of a pump and control valves, which controls the fuel flow to the combustion chamber based on the electronic control unit command. Because of the physical laws governing the hydraulic systems, fuel control unit exhibits purely nonlinear behavior and also for some behavior caused by hysteresis and friction in valves and internal components of the pump, modeling of the fuel control unit is complicated. Therefore, in this article, black box modeling approach based on neural Nonlinear Autoregressive Model with Exogenous Input (NARX) structure is employed to accurately model the fuel control unit. For this, at first a test bench including hydraulic system, sensors, and data acquisition system are designed and constructed to measure and record data from the fuel control unit inputs and outputs. The training as well as validation data were generated using amplitude-modulated pseudorandom binary signal as an excitation signal. Then, the identified model is evaluated with both validation data and different test data. Results show that the obtained model follows the real system with good accuracy and demonstrate the effectiveness of the NARX structure to model the fuel control unit. This model can be used for fuel controller designing or model-in-the-loop/hardware-in-the-loop simulation/test of controller in future works.

PERFORMANCE OF DIESEL ENGINE FUELLED WITH FOUR VEGETABLE OILS, PREHEATED AND AT ENGINE WORKING TEMPERATURE

ABSTRACT With the rise of restrictions imposed by law for gases emission, several technologies both for petrodiesel (PD) or diesel engines are been applied, such as the sulfur reduction and the injection electronic command, followed of gases recirculation and/or after-treatment. The utilization of biofuels is considered as an interesting option for pollutants reduction. In this study was evaluated the performance on short duration tests (minor period than the factory indication of the lubricant lifespan) of the Diesel engine fueled with four vegetable oils. With the aim to select the most interesting oils for future evaluations in long duration tests. The analyzed variables were fuel consumption, power relative loss and opacity, for oils of linseed, crambe, rapseed, jatropha , with 100 °C preheating and engine work temperature (60 °C) comparing those with the PD. It was verified that the vegetable oils, on average, present a lower consumption than the PD for the cases of working without load, however with load, they presented higher consumption. In addiction were observed that the oils show a higher relative power loss in relation of PD and provides lower emission of particulate matter. Crambe and canola presented the best performance among the evaluated oils.

Bayesian Networks for Combat Equipment Diagnostics

The lives of U.S. soldiers in combat depend on complex weapon systems and advanced technologies. In combat conditions, the resources available to support the operation and maintenance of these systems are minimal. Following the failure of a critical system, technical support personnel may take days to arrive via helicopter or ground convoy—leaving soldiers and civilian experts exposed to battlefield risks. To address this problem, the U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) developed a suite of systems, Virtual Logistics Assistance Representative (VLAR), with a single purpose: to enable a combat soldier to maintain critical equipment. The CECOM VLAR team uses an operations research (OR) approach to codifying expert knowledge about Army equipment and applying that knowledge to troubleshooting equipment diagnostics in combat situations. VLAR infuses a classic knowledge-management spiral with OR techniques: from socializing advanced technical concepts and eliciting tacit knowledge, to integrating expert knowledge, to creating an intuitive and instructive interface, and finally, to making VLAR a part of a soldier’s daily life. VLAR is changing the Army’s sustainment paradigm by creating an artificial intelligence capability and applying it to equipment diagnostics. In the process, it has generated a sustainable cost-savings model and a means to mitigate combat risk. Through 2015, VLAR saved the Army $27 million in direct labor costs from an investment of $8 million by reducing the requirement for technical support personnel. We project additional direct costs savings of $222 million from an investment of $60 million by the end of 2020. Most importantly, VLAR has prevented an estimated 4,500 casualties by reducing requirements for helicopter and ground-convoy movements. This translates to short- and long-term medical cost savings of over $9 billion. In this paper, we discuss the OR methods that underpin VLAR, at the heart of which lie causal Bayesian networks, and we detail the process we use to translate scientific theory and experiential knowledge into accessible applications for equipment diagnostics.

Feasibility of the Microcomputers for the ADDASAT Capsule

One of the most challenging problems in developing the astrionics of the recoverable orbital ADDAHORSE microcapsule is represented by the power and size constraints which require an extreme degree of miniaturization. The size, mass and power requirements of the electronic and computing (astrionics) on-board control and command equipment can be conveniently reduced by designing an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) which integrates sensors, autopilot logic, drivers, RF communication and interface subsystems in a single, combined SoC (System-on-Chip). The feasibility of such a device is discussed here within the bounds of the ADDAHORSE project which was proposed for structural funding in Romania in 2014. This study was conducted by the Center for Innovation and Development in the Exploration of Space (CIDES) in the emerging Făgăraș facility of the future Făgăraș Space Center in Romania.

Grey Synthetic Relational Analysis Method-Based Effectiveness Evaluation of EWCC System with Incomplete Information

The grey synthetic relational analysis (GSRA) method-based effectiveness evaluation of the electronic warfare command and control (EWCC) system with incomplete information is investigated. The evaluation hierarchy structure of the EWCC system is put forward and classified into the target hierarchy, the rule hierarchy and the scheme hierarchy. Then, based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the grey relational analysis (GRA) method, the GSRA method is given to evaluate the effectiveness evaluation of the EWCC system with incomplete information. Finally, an effectiveness evaluation example of three EWCC systems with incomplete information shows the effectiveness of the GSRA method.

AHP Effectiveness Evaluation of Electronic Warfare Command and Control System under Complex Electromagnetic Environment

The effectiveness evaluation problem of electronic warfare command and control system (EWCCS) under complex electromagnetic environment is investigated by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. First, the evaluation hierarchy structures of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment are put forward and can be classified into target hierarchy, rule hierarchy and scheme hierarchy. Then, the AHP Algorithm is given as a preliminary knowledge to evaluate the effectiveness evaluation of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment. Finally, an effectiveness evaluation example of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment is considered by using AHP Algorithm.

The Intumescent Paint Layers Thickness Influence on the Load-Bearing Capacity of the Steel Joints

In order to improve the steel structures protection against fire, the intumescent paint method can be applied along with other methods. The intumescent paints layers numbers have to be optimized though. An uniform layer of intumescent paint, foreseen to protect the whole structure, represents both a higher cost and an uneconomical solution. The authors started examination on this problem, by analyzing one of the most recommended steel joints from the earthquake-proof criteria. The conceived and realized original electric furnace allows both a high-accuracy tuning/adjustment of the temperature and a good-stability of its, by means of the original electronic command. In order to perform high-accuracy and full-field monitoring of the displacements, the authors used a modern optical non-contact system, the Video Image Correlation one. The obtained preliminary results are very promising and will be continued in the next period by this international team.

Nonlinear Photon-Assisted Tunneling Transport in Optical Gap Antennas

We introduce strongly coupled optical gap antennas to interface optical radiation with current-carrying electrons at the nanoscale. The transducer relies on the nonlinear optical and electrical properties of an optical gap antenna operating in the tunneling regime. We discuss the underlying physical mechanisms controlling the conversion involving d-band electrons and demonstrate that a simple two-wire optical antenna can provide advanced optoelectronic functionalities beyond tailoring the electromagnetic response of a single emitter. Interfacing an electronic command layer with a nanoscale optical device may thus be facilitated by the optical rectennas discussed here.

A Kind of Traffic Light Controller Simulation Design

With traffic problems becoming more prominent issues, directing traffic is no longer can be solved relying solely on human effort. Therefore, the design of traffic lights to complete this demand has become increasingly urgent. In order to ensure vehicular and pedestrian traffic at the crossroads of the smooth, clear through, electronic traffic signal control command is often used. This article describes the use of digital circuits to achieve the design of traffic lights. The paper first describes the design principles of traffic lights and the total circuits, all units were introduced in the total circuits, the final design of the circuit diagram of the test simulation. Simulation results from the experiment can be seen in this article the design of the circuit can be achieved on the control of traffic lights, and simple method for the design of traffic signal controller to provide a certain degree of meaningful research.

A Novel GNSS Integrity Augmentation System for Civil and Military Aircraft

This paper presents a novel Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Avionics Based Integrity Augmentation (ABIA) system architecture suitable for civil and military air platforms, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Taking the move from previous research on high-accuracy Differential GNSS (DGNSS) systems design, integration and experimental flight test activities conducted at the Italian Air Force Flight Test Centre (CSVRSV), our research focused on the development of a novel approach to the problem of GNSS ABIA for mission- and safety-critical air vehicle applications and for multi-sensor avionics architectures based on GNSS. Detailed mathematical models were developed to describe the main causes of GNSS signal outages and degradation in flight, namely: antenna obscuration, multipath, fading due to adverse geometry and Doppler shift. Adopting these models in association with suitable integrity thresholds and guidance algorithms, the ABIA system is able to generate integrity cautions (predictive flags) and warnings (reactive flags), as well as providing steering information to the pilot and electronic commands to the aircraft/UAS flight control systems. These features allow real-time avoidance of safety-critical flight conditions and fast recovery of the required navigation performance in case of GNSS data losses. In other words, this novel ABIA system addresses all three cornerstones of GNSS integrity augmentation in mission- and safety-critical applications: prediction (caution flags), reaction (warning flags) and correction (alternate flight path computation).

A New Avionics-Based GNSS Integrity Augmentation System: Part 1 – Fundamentals

The aviation community has very stringent navigation integrity requirements that apply to a variety of manned and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operational tasks. This paper presents the results of the research activities carried out by the Italian Air Force Flight Test Centre (CSV-RSV) in collaboration with the Nottingham Geospatial Institute (NGI) and Cranfield University (CU) in the area of Avionics-Based Integrity Augmentation (ABIA) for mission- and safety-critical Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications. Based on these activities, suitable models were developed to describe the main causes of GNSS signal outage and degradation in flight, namely: antenna obscuration, multipath, fading due to adverse geometry and Doppler shift. Adopting these models in association with suitable integrity thresholds and guidance algorithms, the ABIA system delivers integrity caution (predictive) and warning (reactive) flags, as well as steering information to the pilot and electronic commands to the aircraft/UAV flight control system. These features allow real-time avoidance of safety-critical flight conditions and fast recovery of the required navigation performance in case of GNSS data losses. This paper presents the key ABIA concepts, architecture and mathematical models. A successive paper will address the ABIA integrity thresholds criteria and detailed results of a TORNADO simulation case-study.

Design of a LabVIEW System Applied to Predictive Maintenance

The implementation of vibration analysis techniques based on virtual instrumentation has spread increasingly in the academic and industrial branch, since the use of any software for this type of analysis brings good results at low cost. Among the existing software for programming and creation of virtual instruments, the LabVIEW was chosen for this project. This software has good interface with the method of graphical programming. In this project, it was developed a system of rotating machine condition monitoring. This monitoring system is applied in a test stand, simulating large scale applications, such as in hydroelectric, nuclear and oil exploration companies. It was initially used a test stand, where an instrumentation for data acquisition was inserted, composed of accelerometers and inductive proximity sensors. The data collection system was structured on the basis of an NI 6008 A/D converter of National Instruments. An electronic circuit command was developed through the A/D converter for a remote firing of the test stand. The equipment monitoring is performed through the data collected from the sensors. The vibration signals collected by accelerometers are processed in the time domain and frequency. Also, proximity probes were used for the axis orbit evaluation and an inductive sensor for the rotation and trigger measurement.

The Design of Multi-Signature Certification Algorithm Protocol in Emergency Response System

The safe exchange of information is one of the key issues in electronic emergency command system; in view of this, the needs of information exchange in the emergency system were introduced; the transfer process and encryption of information exchange business and the problem of multi-digital signature to be solved in the emergency system was analyzed; the information exchange model and its affairs which must be achieved in the emergency system was given; the multi-linear sequence single sign model with comments, branch-free sequence mode, the linear additive signature model of the Information Signature Algorithm Protocol was designed in detail. The algorithm program of multi-linear additive signature with comments based on DSS Signature Algorithm was given. The secure transmission problem of information exchange in the emergency system is resolved; the efficiency and reliability of emergency command system is improved.

Calculating germination measurements and organizing spreadsheets

With the objective to minimize difficulties for beginners we are proposing the use of a conventional spreadsheet for the calculations of the main germination (or emergence) measurements, the organization of the final data for the statistical analysis and some electronic commands involved in these steps.