Adaptive robust motion trajectory tracking control of pneumatic cylinders

High-accuracy motion trajectory tracking control of a pneumatic cylinder driven by a proportional directional control valve was considered. A mathematical model of the system was developed firstly. Due to the time-varying friction force in the cylinder, unmodeled dynamics, and unknown disturbances, there exist large extent of parametric uncertainties and rather severe uncertain nonlinearities in the pneumatic system. To deal with these uncertainties effectively, an adaptive robust controller was constructed in this work. The proposed controller employs on-line recursive least squares estimation （RLSE） to reduce the extent of parametric uncertainties, and utilizes the sliding mode control method to attenuate the effects of parameter estimation errors, unmodeled dynamics and disturbances. Therefore, a prescribed motion tracking transient performance and final tracking accuracy can be guaranteed. Since the system model uncertainties are unmatched, the recursive backstepping design technology was applied. In order to solve the conflicts between the sliding mode control design and the adaptive control design, the projection mapping was used to condition the RLSE algorithm so that the parameter estimates are kept within a known bounded convex set. Extensive experimental results were presented to illustrate the excellent achievable performance of the proposed controller and performance robustness to the load variation and sudden disturbance.     

Composite iterative learning controller design for gradually varying references with applications in an AFM system简

Learning control for gradually varying references in iteration domain was considered in this research, and a composite iterative learning control strategy was proposed to enable a plant to track unknown iteration-dependent trajectories. Specifically, by decoupling the current reference into the desired trajectory of the last trial and a disturbance signal with small magnitude, the learning and feedback parts were designed respectively to ensure fine tracking performance. After some theoretical analysis, the judging condition on whether the composite iterative learning control approach achieves better control results than pure feedback contro! was obtained for varying references. The convergence property of the closed-loop system was rigorously studied and the saturation problem was also addressed in the controller. The designed composite iterative learning control strategy is successfully employed in an atomic force microscope system, with both simulation and experimental results clearly demonstrating its superior performance.     

Mathematic modeling on flexible cooling system in hot strip mill简

A novel cooling system combining ultra fast cooling rigs with laminar cooling devices was investigated. Based on the different cooling mechanisms, a serial of mathematic models were established to describe the relationship between water flow and spraying pressure and the relationship between water spraying heat flux and layout of nozzles installed on the top and bottom cooling headers. Model parameters were validated by measured data. Heat transfer models including air convection model, heat radiation model and water cooling capacity model were detailedly introduced. In addition, effects on cooling capacity by water temperature and different valve patterns were also presented. Finally, the comparison results from UFC used or not have been provided with respect to temperature evolution and mechanical properties of Q235B steel grade with thickness of 7.8 mm. Since online application of the sophisticated CTC process control system based on these models, run-out table cooling control system has been running stably and reliably to produce resource-saving, low-cost steels with smaller grain size.     

Multi-rate tracking controller analysis and design for target tracking systems

As the sampling rates of the inner loop and the outer loop of the target tracking control system are different, a typical digital multi-rate control system was formed. If the traditional single-rate design method was applied, the low sampling rate loop will seriously impact the dynamical characteristic of the system. After analyzing and calculating the impact law of the low sampling rate loop to the bandwidth and the stability of the tracking system, a kind of multi-rate control system design method was introduced. Corresponding to the different sampling rates of the inner loop and the outer loop, the multi-rate control strategy was constituted by a high sampling rate sub-controller and a low sampling rate sub-controller. The two sub-controllers were designed separately and connected by means of the sampling rate converter. The low sampling rate controller determined the response rapidity of the system, while the high sampling rate controller applied additionally effective control outputs to the system during a sampling interval of the low sampling rate controller. With the introduced high and low sampling rates sub-controllers, the tracking control system can achieve the same performance as a single-rate controller with high sampling rate, yet it works under a much lower sampling rate. The simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the introduced multi-rate control design method. It reduces the settling time by 5 times and the over shoot by 4 times compared with the PID control.     

Recent developments on applications of sequential loop closing and diagonal dominance control schemes to industrial multivariable system

With a focus on an industrial multivariable system, two subsystems including the flow and the level outputs are analysed and controlled, which have applicability in both real and academic environments. In such a case, at first, each subsystem is distinctively represented by its model, since the outcomes point out that the chosen models have the same behavior as corresponding ones. Then, the industrial multivariable system and its presentation are achieved in line with the integration of these subsystems, since the interaction between them can not actually be ignored. To analyze the interaction presented, the Gershgorin bands need to be acquired, where the results are used to modify the system parameters to appropriate values. Subsequently, in the view of modeling results, the control concept in two different techniques including sequential loop closing control （SLCC） scheme and diagonal dominance control （DDC） schemes is proposed to implement on the system through the Profibus network, as long as the OPC （OLE for process control） server is utilized to communicate between the control schemes presented and the multivariable system. The real test scenarios are carried out and the corresponding outcomes in their present forms are acquired. In the same way, the proposed control schemes results are compared with each other, where the real consequences verify the validity of them in the field of the presented industrial multivariable system control.     

Guaranteed cost control of networked control systems under limited communication capacity and variable sampling简

The problem of guaranteed cost control for the networked control systems （NCSs） with time-varying delays, time-varying sampling intervals and signals quantization was investigated, wherein the physical plant was continuous-time one, and the control input was discrete-time one. By using an input delay approach and a sector bound method, the network induced delays, quantization parameter and sampling intervals were presented in one framework in the case of the state and the control input by quantized in a logarithmic form. A novel Lyapunov function with discontinuity, which took full advantages of the NCS characteristic information, was exploited. In addition, it was shown that Lyapunov function decreased at the jump instants. Furthermore, the Leibniz-Newton formula and free-weighting matrix methods were used to obtain the guaranteed cost controller design conditions which were dependent on the NCS characteristic information. A numerical example was used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.     

Decoupling control and zero dynamics stabilization for shunt hybrid active power filter

An inverse system method based optimal control strategy was proposed for the shunt hybrid active power filter （SHAPF） to enhance its harmonic elimination performance. Based on the inverse system method, the d-axis and q-axis current dynamics of the SHAPF system were decoupled and linearized into two pseudolinear subsystems. Then, an optimal feedback controUer was designed for the pseudolinear system, and the stability condition of the resulting zero dynamics was presented. Under the control strategy, the current dynamics can asymptotically converge to their reference states and the zero dynamics can be bounded. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy is robust against load variations and system parameter mismatches, its steady-state performance is better than that of the traditional linear control strategy.     

Hyperchaos behaviors and chaos synchronization of two unidirectional coupled simplified Lorenz systems简

To design a hyperchaotic generator and apply chaos into secure communication, a linear unidirectional coupling control is applied to two identical simplified Lorenz systems. The dynamical evolution process of the coupled system is investigated with variations of the system parameter and coupling coefficients. Particularly, the influence of coupling strength on dynamics of the coupled system is analyzed in detail. The range of the coupling strength in which the coupled system can generate hyperchaos or realize synchronization is determined, including phase portraits, Lyapunov exponents, and Poincare section. And the critical value of the system parameter between hyperchaos and synchronization is also found with fixed coupled strength. In addition, abundant dynamical behaviors such as four-wing hyperchaotic, two-wing chaotic, single-wing coexisting attractors and periodic orbits are observed and chaos synchronization error curves are also drawn by varying system parameter c. Numerical simulations are implemented to verify the results of these investigations.     

Robust tracking control design for a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle简

A nonlinear robust controller was presented to improve the tracking control performance of a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle （AHV） which is subjected to system parametric uncertainties and unknown additive time-varying disturbances. The longitudinal dynamic model for the flexible AHV was used for the control development. High-gain observers were designed to compensate for the system uncertainties and additive disturbances. Small gain theorem and Lyapunov based stability analysis were utilized to prove the stability of the closed loop system. Locally uniformly ultimately bounded tracking of the vehicle＇s velocity, altitude and attack angle were achieved under aeroelastic effects, system parametric uncertainties and unknown additive disturbances. Matlab/Simulink simulation results were provided to validate the robustness of the proposed control design. The simulation results demonstrate that the tracking errors stay in a small region around zero.     

Dynamic estimation and reliability control of quality assurance for bored piles简

A systematic method was proposed to estimate the occurrence probability of defective piles （OPDP） from a site according to quality assurance inspection. The OPDP was firstly suggested as the criterion to weight the performance of a pile foundation. Its prior distribution and updating distribution were deduced to follow Beta distributions. To calibrate the OPDP, a dynamic estimation model was established according to the relationships between prior mean and variance and updating mean and variance. Finally, a reliability-control method dealing with uncertainties arising from quality assurance inspection was formalized to judge whether all the bored piles from a site can be accepted. It is exemplified that the OPDP can be substantially improved when more definite prior information and sampling formation become available. For the example studied herein, the Bayesian estimator of updating variance for OPDP is reduced from 0.0037 to 0.0014 for the first inspection, from 0.0014 to 0.0009 for the second inspection, and with less uncertainty by incorporating experience information.     

Dynamic formation control for autonomous underwater vehicles简

Path planning and formation structure forming are two of the most important problems for autonomous underwater vehicles （AUVs） to collaborate with each other. In this work, a dynamic formation model was proposed, in which several algorithms were developed for the complex underwater environment. Dimension changeable particle swarm algorithm was used to find an optimized path by dynamically adjusting the number and the distribution of the path nodes. Position relationship based obstacle avoidance algorithm was designed to detour along the edges of obstacles. Virtual potential point based formation-keeping algorithm was employed by incorporating dynamic strategies which were decided by the current states of the formation. The virtual potential point was used to keep the formation structure when the AUV or the formation was deviated. Simulation results show that an optimal path can be dynamically planned with fewer path nodes and smaller fitness, even with a concave obstacle. It has been also proven that different formation-keeping strategies can be adaptively selected and the formation can change its structure in a narrow area and restore back after passing the obstacle.     

Dynamic inverse control of feedback linearization in ballistic correction based on nose cone swinging

It is a complicated nonlinear controlling problem to conduct a two-dimensional trajectory correction of rockets.By establishing the aerodynamic correction force mathematical model of rockets on nose cone swinging,the linear control is realized by the dynamic inverse nonlinear controlling theory and the three-time-scale separation method.The control ability and the simulation results are also tested and verified.The results show that the output responses of system track the expected curve well and the error is controlled in a given margin.The maximum correction is about ±314 m in the lengthwise direction and ±1 212 m in the crosswise direction from the moment of 5 s to the drop-point time when the angle of fire is 55°.Thus,based on the dynamic inverse control of feedback linearization,the trajectory correction capability of nose cone swinging can satisfy the requirements of two-dimensional ballistic correction,and the validity and effectiveness of the method are proved.     

Virtual reconfigurable architecture for evolving combinational logic circuits

A virtual reconfigurable architecture （VRA）-based evolvable hardware is proposed for automatic synthesis of combinational logic circuits at gate-level.The proposed VRA is implemented by a Celoxica RC1000 peripheral component interconnect （PCI） board with an Xilinx Virtex xcv2000E field programmable gate array （FPGA）.To improve the quality of the evolved circuits,the VRA works through a two-stage evolution：finding a functional circuit and minimizing the number of logic gates used in a feasible circuit.To optimize the algorithm performance in the two-stage evolutionary process and set free the user from the time-consuming process of mutation parameter tuning,a self-adaptive mutation rate control （SAMRC） scheme is introduced.In the evolutionary process,the mutation rate control parameters are encoded as additional genes in the chromosome and also undergo evolutionary operations.The efficiency of the proposed methodology is tested with the evolutions of a 4-bit even parity function,a 2-bit multiplier,and a 3-bit multiplier.The obtained results demonstrate that our scheme improves the evolutionary design of combinational logic circuits in terms of quality of the evolved circuit as well as the computational effort,when compared to the existing evolvable hardware approaches.     

Algorithm design and application of novel GM-AGC based on mill stretch characteristic curve简

As the spring equation is limited to the accuracy of mill stiffness and the linearity of the mill spring curve, the traditional gaugemeter automatic gauge control （GM-AGC） system based on spring equation cannot meet the requirements of practical production. In allusion to this problem, a kind of novel GM-AGC system based on mill stretch characteristic curve was proposed. The error existing in calculating strip thickness by spring equation were analyzed first. And then the mill stretch characteristic curve which could effectively eliminate the influence of mill stiffness was described. The novel GM-AGC system has been applied successfully in a hot strip mill, the application results show that the thickness control precision is improved significantly, with the novel GM-AGC system, over 98.6% of the strip thickness deviation of 3.0 mm class can be controlled within the target tolerances of ±20 μm.     

Fuzzy robust path tracking strategy of an active pelagic trawl system with coordinated ship and winch regulation简

A fuzzy robust path tracking strategy of an active pelagic trawl system with ship and winch regulation is proposed. First, nonlinear mathematic model of the pelagic trawl system was derived using Lagrange equation and further simplified as a low order model for the convenience of controller design. Then, an active path tracking strategy of pelagic trawl system was investigated to improve the catching efficiency of the target fish near the sea bottom. By means of the active tracking control, the pelagic trawl net can be positioned dynamically to follow a specified trajectory via the coordinated winch and ship regulation. In addition, considering the system nonlinearities, modeling uncertainties and the unknown exogenous disturbance of the trawl system model, a nonlinear robust H2/H~ controller based on Takagi-Sugeno （T-S） fuzzy model was presented, and the simulation comparison with linear robust H2/H∞ controller and PID method was conducted for the validation of the nonlinear fuzzy robust controller. The nonlinear simulation results show that the average tracking error is 0.4 m for the fuzzy robust H2/H∞ control and 125.8 m for the vertical and horizontal displacement, respectively, which is much smaller than linear H2/H∞ controller and the PID controller. The investigation results illustrate that the fuzzy robust controller is effective for the active path tracking control of the pelagic trawl system.     

Nonlinear adaptive optimal control for vehicle handling improvement through steer-by-wire system简

A control algorithm for improving vehicle handling was proposed by applying right angle to the steering wheel, based on the nonlinear adaptive optimal control （NAOC）. A nonlinear 4-DOF model was initially developed, then it was simplified to a 2-DOF model with reasonable assumptions to design observer and optimal controllers. Then a simplified model was developed for steering system. The numerical simulations were carried out using vehicle parameters for standard maneuvers in dry and wet road conditions. Moreover, the hardware in the loop method was implemented to prove the controller ability in realistic conditions. Simulation results obviously show the effectiveness of NAOC on vehicle handling and reveal that the proposed controller can significantly improve vehicle handling during severe maneuvers.     

Preparation and visible-light photocatalytic property of nanostructu- red Fe-doped TiO2 from titanium containing electric furnace molten slag

Nanostructured Fe-doped titanium dioxide was synthesized from titanium containing electric furnace molten slag （TCEFMS） by using an alkali fusion, followed by a hydrolyzation-acidolysis-cMcination route. The effects of Mkali/slag mass ratio, calcinating temperature, calcinating time, and water/slag mass ratio on the extraction efficiency and purity of products were systematically studied in this paper. It is indicated that the best extraction efficiency of nanostructured Fe- doped titanium dioxide is 99.35%, when the molten slag is calcinated at 700℃ for 1 h with the mass ratio of alkali/molten slag of 1.5：1. The influence of alkali/slag mass ratio on the photocatalytic activity of final products was evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl blue under visible light irradiation. A maximum photodegradation efficiency of 88.12% over 30 min was achieved under the optimum conditions.     

Martensitic transformation and magnetic properties of aged Ni-Fe-Ga-Ti shape memory alloy

This article reports the effect of ageing on the microstructure, martensitic transformation, magnetic properties, and mechanical properties of Ni51FelsGa27Ti4 shape memory alloy. There are five specimens of this alloy aged at 573 up to 973 K for 3 h per each. This range of ageing temperature greatly affects the microstructure of the alloy. As the ageing temperature increased from 573 up to 973 K, the microstructure of Ni51FelsGa27Ti4 alloy gradually changed from the entirely martensitic matrix at 573 K to the fully austenitic microstructure at 973 K. The volume fraction of precipi- tated Ni3Ti particles increased with the ageing temperature increasing from 573 to 773 K. Further increasing the ageing temperature to 973 K decreased the content of Ni3Ti in the microstructure. The martensitic transformation tempera- ture was decreased steadily by increasing the ageing temperature. The magnetization saturation, remnant magnetization, and coercivity increased with the ageing temperature increasing up to 773 K. A further increase in ageing temperature decreased these raagnetic properties. Moreover, the hardness values were gradually increased at first by increasing the ageing temperature to 773 K, and then dramatically decreased to the lowest value at 973 K.     

Two types of coaxial self-balancing robots

Two types of coaxial self-balancing robots （CSBR） were proposed, one can be used as a mobile robot platform for parts transporting in unmanned factory or as an inspector in dangerous areas, and the other can be used as a personal transporter ridden in cities. Mechanical designing and control structures as well as control strategies were described and compared in order to get a general way to develop such robots. A state feedback controller and a fuzzy controller were designed for the robot using DC servo motors and the robot using torque motors, respectively. The experiments indicate that the robots can realize various desired operations smoothly and agilely at the velocity of 0.6 m/s with an operator of 65 kg. Furthermore, the robustness of the controllers is revealed since these controllers can stabilize the robot even with unknown external disturbances.