Velocity Information Research Articles

Model compensation control of composite vertical take-off and landing UAV

Abstract The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for composite vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) is a complex, highly coupled, and nonlinear system which is sensitive to external disturbances and model uncertainties. The composite VTOL UAV system consists of a multi-rotor section and a fixed-wing section. To improve observation accuracy, the compensation function observer (CFO) uses a new structure that includes velocity information. The CFO is utilised to estimate the uncertainty and the external disturbances of the system model, which performs superior estimation accuracy compared to the extended state observer (ESO). In the modeling process of the VTOL UAV, the aerodynamic moment is calculated by means of the cross-product operation of force and force arm, which solves the problem of over-reliance on aerodynamic parameters in the traditional modeling approach. The controlled object is refined by CFO, and model compensation control (MCC) is used to realise the velocity and attitude control of the composite VTOL. The numerical simulation of MATLAB/Simulink and hardware-in-loop simulation (HIL) of Rflysim were implemented, and which were used to compare the MCC, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC), and proportion integration differentiation (PID). The simulation results confirm the superiority of MCC in controlling composite VTOL UAVs in terms of anti-disturbance and tracking speed.

An improved particle filtering projectile trajectory estimation algorithm fusing velocity information

This study proposes an improved particle-filtering projectile trajectory estimation method that fuses velocity information to address the susceptibility to interference and large fluctuations in position and velocity measurements of a single-antenna-two-dimensional trajectory correction fuze. By considering the Doppler effect in satellite velocity measurements and the residuals between the model-derived velocity and velocity derived from the translational Doppler frequency shift, a sliding time window was established to generate velocity weight coefficients that dynamically adjust the weight of the velocity in filtering. By modifying the likelihood function, a particle-filtering algorithm was designed to achieve a fusion estimation of the projectile trajectory. Tests indicate that this method provides more accurate estimates of the position and velocity of the projectile compared to other existing methods, which can reduce the impact of velocity fluctuations to a certain extent. In addition, the computational burden is not increased and can directly replace existing mature algorithms in engineering.

Unstructured environment navigation and trajectory calibration technology based on multi-data fusion

In order to effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency of unstructured environment navigation and trajectory calibration, a multi data fusion based unstructured environment navigation and trajectory calibration method was studied. Described the basic principles of the Strapdown Inertial Navigation System and Doppler Log. After introducing DVL velocity information and relative position information of underwater robots into SINS, the Kalman filter fusion algorithm was used to obtain the system's state equation and measurement equation. The navigation parameter error and device error parameters of the system were selected as the state variables. The difference between SINS output speed and DVL measurement speed, as well as the difference between SINS output position and relative position, are used as the speed and position measurements of the measurement system. Error estimation is obtained through indirect filtering, and the accuracy of navigation and positioning is improved through output correction. The experimental results show that the proposed method has a good calibration effect and can effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency of trajectory calibration in unstructured environments.

Do anomalously dense hot Jupiters orbit stealth binary stars?

ABSTRACT The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) survey used transit photometry to discover nearly 200 gas-giant exoplanets and derive their planetary and stellar parameters. Reliable determination of the planetary density depends on accurate measurement of the planet’s radius, obtained from the transit depth and photodynamical determination of the stellar radius. The stellar density and hence the stellar radius are typically determined in a model-independent way from the star’s reflex orbital acceleration and the transit profile. Additional flux coming from the system due to a bright, undetected stellar binary companion can, however, potentially dilute the transit curve and radial velocity signal, leading to underestimation of the planet’s mass and radius, and to overestimation of the planet’s density. In this study, we cross-check the published radii of all the WASP planet-host stars, determined from their transit profiles and radial velocity curves, against radiometric measurements of stellar radii derived from their angular diameters (via the infrared flux method) and trigonometric parallaxes. We identify eight systems showing radiometric stellar radii significantly greater than their published photodynamical values: WASPs 20, 85, 86, 103, 105, 129, 144, and 171. We investigate these systems in more detail to establish plausible ranges of angular and radial velocity separations within which such ‘stealth binaries’ could evade detection, and deduce their likely orbital periods, mass ratios, and flux ratios. After accounting for the dilution of transit depth and radial velocity amplitude, we find that, on average, the planetary densities for the identified stealth binary systems should be reduced by a factor of 1.3.

Slip velocity and field information of two-phase cavitating flows

In this work, laser-induced florescent particle image velocimetry was performed to measure simultaneously the liquid and vapor velocity fields at the mid-span of a small-scale Venturi type section to determine the presence of a slip velocity between the phases. Various dynamic behavior and Kelvin–Helmholtz (K-H) instability involved in the cloud cavity shedding regime are discussed at four different cavitation numbers. The velocity, vorticity, and turbulence field information of the two phases are analyzed. The liquid–vapor mixture in a cavitating flow is usually considered a homogeneous medium in currently used computational models, but it is shown in this study that the two phases have very different dynamics. The measurements of the time-averaged velocities highlight the existence of a noteworthy slippage between the liquid and the vapor phases, especially in the upstream part of the cavitation region, where the slippage between the two phases can reach about 50% of the liquid velocity. Using phase-locked average, it is shown that the slip velocity in the upstream region is mainly located at the upper liquid–vapor interface, while the slip velocity in the closure area is near the bottom wall, due to the reentrant jet. These results contradict a primary assumption of the current models, where the medium is usually considered as a homogeneous mixture with a unique velocity field, thus providing a reference for future computational model improvement.

Star angle modified with relativistic effects/StarNAV integrated navigation method for Mars exploration

The celestial navigation system based on star angle (SA) is a classical autonomous navigation method for the spacecraft, which directly provides the position information of the spacecraft relative to the near celestial body. But due to the relativistic effects, the star direction observed by spacecraft is inconsistent with that acquired from star ephemeris, which reduces navigation accuracy of SA. In addition, SA cannot directly provide the velocity information of the spacecraft. StarNAV is a novel celestial navigation method that utilizes the relativistic effects, which mostly provides the velocity information of the spacecraft. In this paper, the star angle modified with relativistic effects (SAMRE)/StarNAV integrated navigation method is proposed. The measurement model of SAMRE is established by considering relativistic effects in the measurement model of SA. Simulation results indicate that during the Mars approach phase, SAMRE has better navigation accuracy compared with SA, and the navigation accuracy of the SAMRE/StarNAV integrated navigation method is higher than that of SAMRE, StarNAV and SA/StarNAV, respectively. Furthermore, the paper analyses the impact of measurement errors on the navigation accuracy of SAMRE/StarNAV.

Local muscle pressure stimulates the principal receptors for proprioception

Proprioception plays a crucial role in motor coordination and self-perception. Muscle spindles are the principal receptors for proprioception. They are believed to encode muscle stretch and signal limb position and velocity. Here, we applied percutaneous pressure to a small area of extensor muscles at the forearm while recording spindle afferent responses, skeletal muscle activity, and hand kinematics. Three levels of sustained pressure were applied on the spindle-bearing muscle when the hand was relaxed and immobile ("isometric" condition) and when the participant's hand moved rhythmically at the wrist. As hypothesized to occur due to compression of the spindle capsule, we show that muscle pressure is an "adequate" stimulus for human spindles in isometric conditions and that pressure enhances spindle responses during stretch. Interestingly, release of sustained pressure in isometric conditions lowered spindle firing below baseline rates. Our findings urge a re-evaluation of muscle proprioception in sensorimotor function and various neuromuscular pathologies.

Safety-critical anti-disturbance control of tugs for collaborative berthing

It is a challenging task for large ships themselves berthing in port areas even for an experienced captain. This paper addresses the collaborative berthing by utilizing tugs maneuvering at low speeds for operating a ship. A safety-critical anti-disturbance control method is proposed for collaborative berthing subject to the contact force constraint, velocity constraints, ship constraints referring to constraining the tugs velocities in the body frame of the ship and the angular rate of the ship, as well as ocean disturbances. First, a finite-time kinematic control law is developed for each tug to track the desired position and heading prescribed by using the relative distance between two tugs and the heading of port shoreline. Next, an extended state observer (ESO) based on robust exact differentiator (RED) is used for each tug to estimate the model uncertainties and environment disturbances. Then, a safety-critical anti-disturbance control law is designed for each tug by employing an RED-based ESO. Finally, through converting the contact force constraint and ship constraints to velocity constraints on tugs, a quadratic programming problem is solved to obtain the collaborative velocity signals for achieving the collaborative operation of the connected tugs subject to velocity constraints. It is proven that the closed-loop control system is finite-time input-to-state stable and the safety during collaborative berthing can be guaranteed in the presence of environmental disturbances. Simulation results are given to substantiate the efficacy of the proposed safety-critical anti-disturbance control method of tugs for collaborative berthing.

An Experimental Study of Odometer as a Navigation aid for Land Vehicle Application

Strap-down inertial navigation system (SINS) shall provide position, velocity, and orientation information with reference to a pre-defined reference frame. The SINS shall have excellent accuracy over a short duration and is highly self-contained. However, the errors in navigation solutions build up exponentially with time and make the system output very unstable. In order to mitigate these errors, there is a need for a damping mechanism through external aiding sensors. In this article, one such approach is proposed to improve navigation accuracy for land vehicles in the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) denied environment. The design and implementation of an odometer are carried out with the use of inductive proximity sensors and a mounting assembly to attach the odometer to one of the non-steering wheels of a vehicle. The odometer gives the pulse-high and pulse-low output with reference to the rotation of the wheel to which it is attached. Vehicle ground velocity is derived through sensed output pulses processed through quadrature decoder circuitry. Odometer measurements along with non-holonomic constraints (NHC) are used for minimizing velocity and position errors in SINS using an extended Kalman Filter (EKF) technique. Field trials are carried out to validate the proposed scheme of hybrid navigation with odometer design and experimental results are presented with a positioning accuracy of 0.05 % of distance travelled (DT).

Temporal characteristics of turbulent flow and moth orientation behaviour patterns with fluent simulation and moth-based moving model simulation

ObjectivePrevious research has explored the pheromone release patterns of female moths, revealing species-specific release frequencies and the transmission of temporal information through odourant plumes in turbulent flows. Varying the release frequency during the orientation process results in distinct orientation behaviours. Studies on moth movement patterns have determined that encounters and deviations from odour plumes elicit distinct reactions; the time interval between each movement pattern is measured as the “reaction time,” and the interval between each detection and loss of odourant plume is measured as the “gap length.” MethodsWe simulated turbulent flow at various release frequencies. Our efforts focused on establishing a model that could simulate the joint orientation movement under turbulent flow and intermittent plumes. We built an agent moving mechanism, including wind velocity information, with particular reference to the temporal parameter and orientation success efficiency. ResultsWe calculated the time threshold of each burst in different simulations under different wind velocities and release frequencies. The time structure characteristics of the plume along the turbulent flow vary depending on the distance from the source. We simulated walking agents in a turbulent environment and recorded their behaviour processes. The reaction time, release interval, and time threshold were related to the orientation results. ConclusionOn the basis of previous experimental results and our simulations, we conclude that the designated interval time likely enhances search efficiency. The complex and dynamic natural environment presents various opportunities for using this unique odour-source searching capability in different scenarios, potentially improving the control systems of odour-searching robots.

Reference 1D Seismic Velocity Models for Volcano Monitoring and Imaging: Methods, Models, and Applications

Abstract Seismic velocity models of the crust are an integral part of earthquake monitoring systems at volcanoes. 1D models that vary only in depth are typically used for real-time hypocenter determination and serve as critical reference models for detailed 3D imaging studies and geomechanical modeling. Such models are usually computed using seismic tomographic methods that rely on P- and S-wave arrival-time picks from numerous earthquakes recorded at receivers around the volcano. Traditional linearized tomographic methods that jointly invert for source locations, velocity structure, and station corrections depend critically on having reasonable starting values for the unknown parameters, are susceptible to local misfit minima and divergence, and often do not provide adequate uncertainty information. These issues are often exacerbated by sparse seismic networks, inadequate distributions of seismicity, and/or poor data quality common at volcanoes. In contrast, modern probabilistic global search methods avoid these issues only at the cost of increased computation time. In this article, we review both approaches and present example applications and comparisons at several volcanoes in the United States, including Mount Hood (Oregon), Mount St. Helens (Washington), the Island of Hawai’i, and Mount Cleveland (Alaska). We provide guidance on the proper usage of these methods as relevant to challenges specific to volcano monitoring and imaging. Finally, we survey-published 1D P-wave velocity models from around the world and use them to derive a generic stratovolcano velocity model, which serves as a useful reference model for comparison and when local velocity information is sparse.

Complex Laplacian approach for formation tracking without velocity measurements

This paper is focused on formation tracking control of multi-agent systems in a leader–follower setting. The objective is to introduce control algorithms to steer a team of mobile agents into a desired, moving geometrical pattern while the agents are unaware of their own and other agents' velocity information during the entire process. We introduce a formation control law under which the agents asymptotically shape a desired geometrical pattern and track a constant reference velocity. Another control law is then introduced to address the case where the reference velocity is time-varying. Both control laws are based on the complex Laplacian approach and do not require agents' velocity information. The convergence of these algorithms are proved and their performance are examined via numerical examples. Simulation results verify the outperformance of the proposed control laws compared to the rival control schemes in the literature.

Determination of the polarization of Xe nuclear spin using transverse and longitudinal Rb in-situ magnetometers in NMR co-magnetometers

NMR co-magnetometers, as novel atomic sensors, can measure the angular velocity information in inertial measurements by detecting the spin precession of Xe nuclei. The Xe polarization plays a crucial role in the sensing unit of co-magnetometers, as it enhances the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sensitivity of NMR sensors. Here we elucidated the Rabi dynamics of Xe nuclear spin and demonstrated two methods to determine the Xe polarization based on the classical Bloch equations. By detecting the optical rotation angle signal, we acquired the amplitude and the phase variations information in two methods, respectively. The transverse magnetometer relies on the amplitude of the free induction decay (FID) signal and applies a short pulse to flip the Xe fields into the transverse plane, enabling precise measurements. On the other hand, the longitudinal magnetometer offers an intuitive approach to measuring the demodulated phase variations by capturing the repetitive flips of longitudinal Xe fields. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both proposed methods, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and authenticity of nuclear spin polarization measurements for noble gas atoms in atomic sensors.

The enigma of Li-rich giants and its relation with temporal variations observed in radial velocity and stellar activity signals

Context. Despite the large number of studies focused on the characterisation of Li-rich stars and understanding the mechanisms leading to such enrichment, their origin remains a mystery. Aims. Magnetic activity, particularly the phenomena usually associated with it (e.g. spots and plages), and the Li abundance (A(Li)) of stars, are in general thought to be connected. As of today, however, just how they are connected is unclear. In this work, we study a sample of young but evolved intermediate-mass red giants that are inhabitants of open clusters where planets have been searched for. Our aim is to use radial velocity (RV) and stellar activity indicator signals to look for relations between Li abundances and stellar activity or variability. Methods. We explored how the standard deviation (STD), peak-to-peak amplitude (PTP), mean, and median of typical stellar activity indicators (BIS, FWHM, Teff, and Hα index) change as a function of the Li content of 82 red giants. Furthermore, we computed weighted Pearson correlation coefficients (ρw) between time series of RV measurements and the stellar activity indicators for the stars in our sample. To aid our results, we also studied generalized Lomb–Scargle periodograms (GLSP) to capture possible significant periodic temporal variations in our data. Results. Our analysis indicates that the STD and PTP of BIS and FWHM, the mean and median of the Hα index, and υ sin(i) increase exponentially with A(Li) in our sample of red giants. Significant temporal variations and correlations between RVs and activity indicators also tend to be found preferentially for stars where high A(Li) is observed. Most of the Li-rich stars in our sample either show strong correlations of RV with at least one of the stellar activity indicators or reveal significant periodic temporal variations in their GLSPs of stellar activity indicators that are consistent with those found for RV.

Large-eddy simulation of vortex-induced vibration of a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 10 000

The canonical scenario of cross-flow vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a circular cylinder in the turbulent regime, which has been studied by several physical experiments in the literature, is reexamined in this study through high-fidelity large-eddy simulations (LES) at a Reynolds number 104. The VIV response (including vibration amplitude and frequency) and hydrodynamic coefficients predicted by the present LES agree with the experimental results better than previous numerical attempts. In addition, several phenomena reported by previous experimental studies are confirmed numerically for the first time. After validating against the experiments, new VIV characteristics and physical mechanisms are explored with confidence. First, a collective analysis on the frequency spectra of the displacement, lift, and velocity signals provides a complete picture of the frequency response of the system. In contrast, the use of a single signal may miss certain aspects of the frequency response, so that caution should be exercised. Second, spanwise correlation of primary vortex shedding is examined, where relatively low correlations in the upper and lower branches are likely because the vortex shedding patterns involve complex vortex generation and interaction. Third, the effect of mass ratio (m*) of the cylinder on the VIV response is analyzed with a range of m* (=1.4–3.4) relevant to cylindrical structures used in offshore engineering (such as subsea pipelines). The variations in the amplitude response, frequency response, and hydrodynamic coefficients with m* and reduced velocity are examined in detail. The present results suggest that a lighter pipeline is more susceptible to the onset of VIV.

Neural Network-Based Fixed-Time Tracking and Containment Control of Second-Order Heterogeneous Nonlinear Multiagent Systems.

This study concentrates on the fixed-time tracking consensus and containment control of second-order heterogeneous nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) with and without measurable velocity under directed topology. By defining a time-varying scaling function and approximating the unknown nonlinear dynamics with radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs), a novel distributed protocol for solving the fixed-time tracking consensus and containment control problems of second-order heterogeneous nonlinear MASs with full states available is proposed based on a nonsingular sliding-mode control method constructed by designing a prescribed-time convergent sliding surface. For the scenario of immeasurable velocity, a fixed-time convergent states' observer is designed to reveal the velocity information when the unknown linearity is bounded. Subsequently, a distributed fixed-time consensus protocol based on observed velocity information is proposed for the extended results. Ultimately, the acquired results are verified by three simulation examples.

Study on intelligent anti-occlusion tracking algorithm for infrared ground targets

In response to the issue of infrared ground target tracking failure caused by background occlusion, a novel anti-occlusion tracker for infrared ground targets is proposed based on an enhanced trajectory prediction network. Initially, an occlusion assessment criterion is proposed to accurately assess the occlusion status of infrared ground targets. Subsequently, enhancements are made to the BiTrap trajectory prediction network. On one hand, velocity information is introduced through a Siamese network structure, adopting a unidirectional prediction method, building the SiamTrap trajectory prediction network that improves trajectory prediction accuracy. On the other hand, refining both the training and application methods enables more precise predictions of ground target trajectories. For short-term occlusion, the SiamTrap network uses temporal context information to predict the occluded position of the target. For long-term occlusion, a search expansion strategy is introduced to address prediction errors accumulated due to a lack of real target information. Finally, a "second verification" criterion is introduced, realizing accurate target capture and normal tracking. Comparative tests are conducted on infrared target tracking sequences with occlusion. Compared to baseline trackers, the proposed algorithm shows a 5.2% improvement in success rate and a 5.9% improvement in accuracy under the OPE evaluation metric. This indicates the robustness of the proposed algorithm in handling occlusion scenarios for infrared ground targets.

Visual inertial localization method assisted by pedestrian motion features

Visual-inertial SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is a reliable and effective positioning method in indoor and outdoor environments. However, low-cost sensors and extreme environments (such as low light and weak textures) severely impact the nonlinear optimization within the sliding window, loop closure detection, and graph optimization. To address this, the Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) algorithm, capable of providing robust pose estimation over a certain time period, is introduced as an auxiliary to enhance overall performance. However, its heading is susceptible to inaccurate readings due to variations in magnetic field anomalies.The paper proposes integrating the velocity, attitude, and stride information provided by PDR into the visual-inertial SLAM optimization, which can improve the localization accuracy by 60%. In extreme scenarios, incorporating the PDR pose information into loop closure detection and graph optimization can improve the localization accuracy by over 30%. Furthermore, utilizing the heading information from visual-inertial SLAM to correct the PDR heading offset caused by magnetic anomalies can improve the localization accuracy by over 20%.

Adaptive event-triggered security control for networked teleoperation systems.

An adaptive event-triggered security control method is proposed for networked robotic teleoperation systems subject to time-varying delays and false data injection (FDI) attacks. An event-triggered scheme is designed via the position and velocity signals of the master and slave robots, where the triggering thresholds can change adaptively with the system states. The position and velocity triggered signals and the feedback error between the operator and the environment forces are utilized to detect whether the transmitted signals suffered from FDI attacks. Then, a switching controller is designed, which is able to adopt the corresponding control strategy according to the corresponding detection result. The stability of the system and the convergence of the tracking errors are proved through Lyapunov functions, and the proposed method is validated through practical experiments. The proposed method is able to adaptively adjust the triggering frequency and effectively reduce the transmitted data, thus saving the network resources. Meanwhile, it can ensure the stability of networked teleoperation systems under time-varying delays and FDI attacks, as well as the position and force tracking performance.

Improved Design Method for Hypersonic Intakes Using Pressure-Corrected Osculating Axisymmetric Flows Method

The efficient design of air intake is crucial for high-speed airbreathing propulsion systems. This paper presents a novel design method that integrates the recently introduced internal conical flow M (ICFM) basic flowfield (Musa et al., “New Parent Flowfield for Streamline-Traced Intakes,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 61, No. 7, 2023, pp. 2906–2921) with the pressure-corrected osculating axisymmetric flows and streamline tracing techniques. The new design method takes into account the effects of lateral pressure gradients by incorporating pressure corrections into the original design method using crossflow velocity information from the ICFM flowfield. Additionally, new entrance and throat profiles are introduced for designing two hypersonic internal waverider intakes with shape transition. One intake is designed using the new method, and the other using the original method. Viscous simulations have been performed at design (i.e., Mach 6.0) and off-design (i.e., Mach 4.0 and 3.5) conditions. The results indicate that the pressure-corrected intake exhibits superior performance in terms of total pressure recovery and reduced flow distortion. This reveals that the new design method can achieve a smooth shape and efficient aerodynamic transitions between the intake entrance and throat. The new entrance and throat profiles realized better performance than the typical ones. The startability analysis reveals that the Van Wie curve controls the considered intakes. Thus, combining the pressure-corrected osculating axisymmetric flows with the ICFM flowfield enhances the performance of hypersonic intakes, making this approach a promising avenue for future hypersonic vehicles.