Process Automation Systems Research Articles

MATHEMATICAL MODEL DEPENDENCIES BAUD RATE FROM THE LENGTH OF THE SPECIALIZED DIGITAL NETWORK CANOPEN

At modern enterprises, the main increase in production occurs due to the increase in labor productivity by automating the processes of managing technological processes. Modern automation systems for the control of technological processes are, as a rule, created on the basis of microprocessor elements and specialized digital networks. Many modern process automation systems for controlling technological processes are based on a specialized CANopen digital network. The maximum length of a CANopen network segment can be 5000 m. The data transfer rate decreases as the segment length increases. However, until now there was no mathematical model of the change in data transmission speed depending on the length of the network segment. Therefore, the developers of the network and the organizations that support it experimentally determined the value of data transmission speed on network segments with a length of: 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2500, 5000 m. This fact complicated the process of analyzing computer systems at the stage their design. During the design of computer systems for control and management of industrial facilities that require a guaranteed reaction to random events in a set period of time, developers, as a rule, in cases where the length of the segment is in the intermediate sections between the specified points, perform calculations on the value of the speed for longer segment length than is real. Considering that there may be tens of thousands of nodes on complex objects, the sum results in a significant deviation from real performance indicators in the direction of increasing costs for unnecessary increase in system performance due to the impossibility of using in calculations the real values ​​of the data transmission speed for the real length of the segment between a node that transmits data and that receives data. A mathematical model of the dependence of the data transfer rate on the length of the CANopen network segment has been developed. Such a mathematical model should ensure the determination of the data transfer rate at any point of the segment of the specialized CANopen digital network. This will contribute to the improvement of the quality of design and will allow to create computer control and management systems that will meet the requirements of the consumer without excessive overspending

Bringing all clients into the system – Professional digital discretion to enhance inclusion when services are automated

The increasing use of automated systems for decision-making and decision support in public administration is forming new practices and challenging public values since public services must be impartially accessible and designed for everyone. New robotistic process automation (RPA) systems are generally designed based on back-office structures. This requires clients to submit relevant data correctly in order for these services to function. However, not all potential or intended users of these services have the competence and the capacity to submit accurate data in the correct way. Front-line case workers at public agencies play critical roles in supporting those who have problems using the services due to the aforementioned accessibility requirements and thereby work in bridging digital divides. This article analyses strategies used by front-line case workers to complement RPA and improve the inclusion of all clients in the services. It builds on qualitative case studies at two Swedish authorities, including in-depth interviews and observations. The study shows that the discretion of the front-line case workers is limited by the RPA systems, and they also have limited discretion to support clients in their use of the digital services. Instead, they develop strategies in line with more service- and socially-oriented values; duty-oriented values are integrated into the RPA. The analysis shows the importance of forming new support structures for inclusion when public services are automated to maintain the core public values of inclusion and democratic legitimacy.

Research on the Introduction of a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) System in Small Accounting Firms in Taiwan

This study explores the characteristics that influence the success factors of accounting firms in the introduction of a RPA system. The RPA system success factors used in this paper are based on the measurements of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Information System Success Model (ISS). In this paper, a questionnaire survey method was used, and a total of 140 questionnaires were distributed to 70 small accounting firms in Taiwan. The results of this study showed that three characteristic factors—male, higher familiarity with the system and high CEO support—were significantly positively correlated with the success factors of the RPA system in accounting firms. Due to resource constraints, small- and medium-sized accounting firms have gone through a more difficult journey of digital transformation than the Big Four. Therefore, research on digital transformation with small- and medium-sized firms as samples is a topic worthy of attention. The research conclusions of this paper can provide a reference for the accounting digital transformation strategies of the accounting industry and educational institutions.

In the Wake of Algorithmic Decision Making: Mapping AI-related Advancements in the Hungarian Public Sector

Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) is among the most substantial challenges of our time, raising numerous issues concerning work organization, technology implementation, legal and ethical issues. This is especially true in public administration when it comes to the systems that support the operation of public services. The paper begins with a review of the various uses of artificial intelligence in public administration (starting from the observation that in many cases the different issues of process automation and predictive algorithms-backed decision support systems are not clearly separated), followed by a discussion of the dilemmas and problems which must be dealt with. After drawing a theoretical framework, the research reviews the systems currently employed by the Hungarian public administration and those planned to be introduced in the near future. Finally, the authors evaluate different aspects of the widespread use of algorithmic decision making in the Hungarian public administration in the future, with special emphasis on the integration of AI-developments in public administration development policy documents, the organizational and legal components, and the potential general acceptance of such AI-based public services.

DISINFECTION OF SOIL AND SUBSTRATE BY INFRARED RADIATION WITH AN AUTONOMOUS POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Thermal energy occupies a special place in human life. In most cases, the waste heat is irretrievably lost. This lost resource is no longer worth anything, so its reuse will contribute to both reducing the energy crisis and protecting the environment. For this reason, new ways of converting thermal energy into electrical energy are more relevant today than ever. The use of electric energy and power supply of installations are important in the agro-industrial complex, especially the use of an autonomous power supply system for process automation. (Research purpose) The research purpose is to develop the devices for disinfection of soil and substrate by infrared radiation in protected soil with the utilization of heat from the infrared emitters using Peltier thermoelectric generators. (Materials and methods) The article presents the operation of the developed device. (Results and discussion) During the operation of the installation, the cases of the infrared emitters are heated to a temperature of 500 degrees Celsius, and this thermal energy is released into the atmosphere. To increase the energy efficiency of this installation, infrared radiators are covered with a sealed steam jacket from above, water is poured inside, is heating up, evaporates and settles on the dome, thereby transferring heat from the covers of infrared radiators to the dome. Peltier thermoelectric generators are installed on the dome, which are designed to convert thermal energy into electrical energy, Peltier elements are connected in series and in parallel. The electricity received from the Peltier elements enters the battery, accumulates and is spent on the operation of devices for automatic control of soil and substrate disinfection, which makes it possible for the installation to operate autonomously. (Conclusions) For the functioning of the device is used the utilization of heat losses from the operation of infrared emitters using Peltier thermoelectric generators.

ПРОБЛЕМЫ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ СЛАБОСТРУКТУРИРОВАННЫХ И НЕСТРУКТУРИРОВАННЫХ ДАННЫХ В СИСТЕМАХ БИЗНЕС-АНАЛИТИКИ

At the current stage of development of management systems and information technologies, in the context of the widespread use of business process automation systems of companies and the standardization of basic analytics, unstructured and semistructured data are a valuable asset of the company. This is a resource that contains the potential to improve the efficiency of enterprise business process management. In particular, the analysis and interpretation of unstructured data can make it possible to increase the attractiveness of a company in a highly competitive personnel market and improve internal interaction through the use of not only standard reporting data, but also data obtained as a result of processing unstructured data when making management decisions. However, the effectiveness of using unstructured data directly depends on the ability to classify and systematize such data. These problems are analyzed by the author in the article on the example of working with poorly structured data of internal group voice conversations of a commercial enterprise.

Sheet metal technology and production – a look at ambitions and trends

In the 21st century, sheet metal production is developing on the basis of improving existing technologies and introducing innovations in the production of thick and thin sheet of the III and IV metallurgical processing. And this is accompanied by an increase in requirements for quality indicators and an increase in production costs. This prompted the research and development of developments in the production process, as well as in the automated control system and automated control system systems, aimed at improving the quality of metal products, increasing the productivity of equipment and reducing energy consumption. Large funds were allocated to solve problems related to reducing the harm caused to the environment. The introduction of modern process automation systems and the growing possibilities of using digital technologies for the production and technological processes of metallurgical production significantly help to solve the problems posed to the distributors. Modern trends in the development of technology and production, construction of mills for the production of sheet metal are considered.

Dynamics of Digital Transformation of Organizations in the Russian Federation

Analysis of the use of information and communication technologies in organizations makes it possible to determine the speed and intensity of the digital transformation of the economy. In previous studies, specialists evaluated the dynamics of ICT use in organizations using a small range of indicators in the short term. In this study, the analysis of the dynamics of the use of ICT in organizations was carried out for a wide range of indicators in the long term. Based on this approach, I have identified the patterns of digital transformation and the stage of digital maturity of the economy.Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in the digital transformation of the Russian economy. To achieve this goal, I calculated the indicators of the speed and intensity of the level of ICT use in the activities of organizations for certain types of technologies.Materials and methods. I analyzed the dynamics of indicators that characterize: the use of Internet access, business process automation systems, websites and EDI systems, and e-commerce. To analyze the dynamics, I used information from surveys of the Federal State Statistics Service. Indicators are presented in annual frequency for 2005-2019 for the Russian Federation.Results. I found that the peculiarity of the current stage of digital maturity of organizations lies in reaching the limits of the spread of the Internet. For 2010-2019 the average annual growth rate of the share of organizations using the Internet was 1.1%. One of the main directions of digital transformation is the automation of the organization’s business processes. However, the potential for automation has been unevenly realized in a number of areas. The share of organizations using CRM, ERP, SCM - systems increased 2.7 times in 2010-2019, to 20.5%. At the same time, the share of organizations using electronic document management increased by 13% over the same period, to 70% in 2019. At the current stage of digital maturity, organizations are showing a high level of participation in e-commerce. The increase in the share of organizations placing orders for goods and services was 23.7%, and the increase in the share of organizations that make settlements with suppliers of ordered goods and services - up to 93%. Also digital economic activity has expanded, the value of data has increased, and this has been reflected in the use of the Internet for the exchange of electronic products.Conclusion. The results of the analysis can be used in studies on modeling and forecasting trends in digital transformation. The findings of the study on trends in the use of ICT in organizations can be useful for a deeper and more comprehensive study of the nature of the dynamics and patterns of development of digital transformation.

Comparison of current state of control valve stiction detection and quantification techniques

The process control and automation system is one of the significant features in any process plant. The control valve is considered a fundamental part of the process control system. It regulates the fluid flow by changing the size of the flow passage as directed by the controller. If properly maintained, the control valves can help to reduce process variability and improve product quality, which in turn increases the overall efficiency of the plant. But control valve stiction is an enduring concern within process industries which eventually affects the efficiency of plant operation. Hence, it is extremely essential to detect and quantify stiction at the earliest opportunity, to determine the correct maintenance measures. Numerous methods related to stiction detection and estimation have been carried out so far by researchers. A literature study of the latest publications in stiction detection and quantification discloses that research in the conventional methods of stiction detection and quantification such as limit cycle pattern-based, waveform shape-based, nonlinearity-based, and model-based methods is gradually declining. At the same time, most stiction detection/quantification methods reported in the recent literature are based on artificial neural network and convolutional neural network. This implies that future stiction detection and quantification research will be focused towards machine learning (ML) algorithms. Taking this into consideration, this paper aims to provide a literature review of stiction detection and quantification methods by focusing on the latest research ideas and innovative approaches. This review also aims to compare recent techniques based on ML algorithms with conventional methods by pointing out the relationship among different methods, differences, and possible points of weakness.

Data-driven order correlation pattern and storage location assignment in robotic mobile fulfillment and process automation system

With the rapid development and implementation of ICT, academics and industrial practitioners are widely applying robotic process automation (RPA) to enhance their business processes and operational efficiencies. This paper intends to address the value creation of utilizing RPA under the cloud-based Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) in Robotic Mobile Fulfillment System (RMFS). By providing a TO-BE analysis of RPA and cloud-based CPS framework, a data-driven approach is proposed for zone clustering and storage location assignment classification in RMFS. The purpose of the paper is to gain better operational efficiency in RMFS. A modified A* algorithm is adopted for calculating the total traveling cost of each moveable rack in the case company layout. Nine common clustering algorithms are applied for the RMFS’s zone clustering. The results from the zone clustering are considered as nine scenarios for data-driven order classification to solve the storage location assignment problem. Six common classification algorithms are applied for a detailed comparison which has been conducted with thousands of orders. The results reveal that K-means, Gaussian Mixture Models, and Bayesian Gaussian Mixture Model are worked well with six supervised classification algorithms which yield an average of 95% accuracy rate and a higher customers’ expectation can be achieved under the customer-driven e-commerce economy.

Intelligent CBR system for automation of the search process for efficient methods for cleaning exhaust gases

In this study, the objective is to develop an intelligent system for making decisions on the choice of methods for cleaning exhaust gases from sulfur and nitrogen oxides using the Case-Based Reasoning- (CBR). The task of automating the selection of effective methods for cleaning waste gases is urgent and meets the paradigm of sustainable development. 
 A database on methods for cleaning exhaust gases from nitrogen and sulfur oxides was created. The potential use of intelligent inference on precedents from the database to select the most appropriate cleaning method for new emission stream data is considered. The work of the CBR method is represented as a life cycle, which has four main stages: Retrieving, Reusing, Revising and Retaining.
 The following characteristics of precedents were considered: degree of purification, initial concentration, temperature, presence of impurities, obtained product, material consumption, and energy consumption. All of these characteristics (in CBR attributes), except for the fourth and fifth, are given by numerical values with respective units of measurement and can be easily normalized. The presence of impurities and the product are categorical attributes with a certain set of values (classes).
 One of the main problems in CBR was solved: the problem of choosing the type of indexes. A set of all input characteristics of the precedent as indices is suggested to be used for the proposed decision support system (DSS) for methods of cleaning gas emissions.
 The first two phases of the CBR lifecycle use the k-nearest neighbor method to Retrieving and Reusing. The Euclidean metric is used to estimate the distances between precedents in the developed system. During the third and fourth phases of CBR, the intervention of the decision maker is provided. The process finishes with the adoption of the found solution and the possible storage of this solution in the base of use cases.
 An intelligent decision-making system has been developed for the selection of methods for cleaning exhaust gases from sulfur and nitrogen oxides based on the method of inference by precedents (CBR), which has been done for the first time for such tasks of chemical technology.

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM BY MEANS OF ASP.NET

For most state institutions and enterprises, there is a problem of automation of the business process, which is distributed among branches throughout the republic. The article discusses the problem of designing a system for managing geographically distributed branches. The process of development of the business process management and automation system for the branch network management information system and minimization of the total operating cost of the system is described. An example of designing an information system for managing payments for administrative violations of traffic rules in branches of the Kyrgyz Post State Enterprise is given.

Conceptual model of information process automation system of the department

Conceptual model of information process automation system of the department

The use of artificial intelligence and information technology for measurements in mechanical engineering and in process automation systems in Industry 4.0

The article provides a critical review of the research topic under consideration in the context of the principles laid down in the concept of the fourth industrial revolution. Attention is paid to “value chains”. Value chain is a new form of justifying the processes of product development, production and structuring of measurement operations. The formalization of a hybrid control measuring system of a new generation, combining the principles of integration of information security, information technologies and the mathematical apparatus of graph theory and set theory is given. The importance of artificial intelligence methods in the control, commissioning and operational monitoring of dynamic measurements in automation systems and mechanical engineering in the framework of Industry 4.0 is substantiated.

Development of LiDAR Based Navigation System for Automation of Tree Harvesting Process

Development of LiDAR Based Navigation System for Automation of Tree Harvesting Process

Production Process Automation for Construction of Monolithic Buildings and Structures

Article presents a scientific approach to creating a complex production process automation system for construction of monolithic buildings and structures (MBS). Specific features of systems with complex structure which present themselves in the way they function and by the interaction of local control systems within integrated system for production process automation were discovered. Justification is given to the structure of creation of local systems for automation of MBS construction processes and their functioning within interconnected complex control system. Model for optimal transportation of concrete mixture to the pouring site with sliding thermo-active formwork with hydraulic actuators is presented in the article. The model is integrated by parameters of physical and mechanical processes. Concept of production process automation for construction of MBS was outlined. The concept is implemented in accordance with specific operational and technological and IT support of integrated system for automated control. The greatest potential for increasing the rate of housing construction is possessed by the technology of monolithic housing construction. However, traditional methods of erecting monolithic structures are associated with increased labor intensity, a significant share of manual operations, and the lack of objective instrumental control of the quality of concrete work, which significantly affects the increase in the time and cost of construction. A radical solution to the problem of increasing the efficiency of monolithic housing construction technology is possible only through the integrated use of automation, robotization and microprocessor technology. A method and means have been developed for automating the processes of feeding, distributing, laying and compacting concrete mixture, which make it possible to fundamentally change not only the nature of the work of construction workers, but also its organization, productivity, quality and intellectual saturation. The technical requirements for the automated structures of switchgears are formulated, based on taking into account the specific technological conditions for the production of concrete works. A criterion is proposed and a methodology for choosing the optimal kinematic structure of an automated switchgear for the production of concrete works is developed. The problem of determining the geometric characteristics (the length of the links, the angles of rotation of the joints), the distribution booms for the given constructive and technological conditions of concreting has been solved.

Criteria Evaluation of the Results of the Implementation of the Business Process Automation System

Approaches and methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of business processes are analyzed, their advantages and disadvantages at application in an estimation of business processes of the enterprises and the organizations of various spheres of activity are defined. A method for determining the economic efficiency of the implementation of an automated design system, as well as indicators and criteria for assessing the economic efficiency of the implementation of an information system in the reengineering of business processes. The main examples of quantitative indicators are considered, in particular: process indicators, product (service) indicators and consumer and stakeholder satisfaction indicators. In the course of the research, recommendations were developed for the creation of a generalized system of indicators for assessing the business processes of enterprises and organizations, regardless of their field of activity.

A journey of wastewater to clean hydrogen: A perspective

A journey of wastewater to clean hydrogen: A perspective

Model of process control system in greenhouse agro-industrial complex

The model of an automated control system for microclimatic indicators and energy consumption of greenhouses has been developed. To design intelligent components and on their basis to synthesize adaptive computer systems for managing the microclimate and energy efficiency of greenhouses is an urgent problem. The purpose of the work is to analyze greenhouse management modes, to make comparative characteristic of the process automation systems, to develop an information scheme of greenhouse-environment interaction, as well as, a structural scheme of greenhouse microclimate control, to select modern technologies to implement automatic climate control systems and to analyze the capabilities of the developed control model of a technological process. The research methods are based on the basic principles of the theory of heat and mass transfer using modern elements of computerized control. The structure of the greenhouse microclimate control system with a variable composition of equipment that provides rapid adaptation to the management requirements of a particular greenhouse has been developed. It has been proposed to develop the components and the structure of a greenhouse microclimate control system with implementation of the comprehensive approach, which includes communication and information management systems and technologies, a modern element base, the Android software, decision support tools. This approach is based on the following principles: consistency, variability of the equipment composition, openness, modularity, and usage of a set of basic design solutions. The microcontroller is the central control device of the entire control system. An availability graph of the client-server communication for the greenhouse microclimate control system, which has two final states, has been developed.

Robust Pre-Processing Module for Leaf Image Analysis

Flora on earth is natural reserve for medicines. It has great healing power if encashed and conserved with great faith and devotion. Knowledge about flora empowers the methods for nurturing the medicines. Digital database creation, automation of plant recognition and identification of plant maturity can play a vital role in medicine extraction. The system for automation of process should be robust to handle on-site data so as to make the process less destructive. Pre-processing algorithms can equip the system with accuracy and robustness. The paper proposes the algorithms used for pre-processing the raw image which would aid the feature extraction and classification methods. Adaptive enhancement method for non-uniform illumination equalizes the underexposed and over exposed part in an image. Also methods like deblurring, orientation correction, size normalization in prescribed sequence improves the image quality for the later stages. The case study undertaken considers 38000 images and accuracy achived is of about 98%.