Periodic and chaotic regimes of liquid dielectric convection in a horizontal capacitor

Electroconvective oscillations in nonuniformly heated dielectric liquid occurring in an alternating electric field between plates of a horizontal plane capacitor have been studied within the framework of a low-mode model. The general case of arbitrary frequencies and amplitudes of the electric field is considered and nonlinear dynamics of the convective structures arising as a result of the parametric instability is determined. Two classes of synchronous electroconvective oscillations in the system are found, and the competition and hysteresis of these regimes are analyzed. The average heat flux via the plane capacitor in one of these regimes is greater by a factor of 2.5 than the heat flux in the other regime. The transition to chaotic oscillations proceeds either via a quasi-periodic regime or directly from equilibrium. The boundaries of domains corresponding to various types of behavior of the dielectric liquid are determined in the space of parameters.     

A fast path planning by path graph optimization

A fast path planning method by optimization of a path graph for both efficiency and accuracy is proposed. A conventional quadtree-based path planning approach is simple, robust, and efficient. However, it has two limitations. We propose a path graph optimization technique employing a compact mesh representation. A world space is triangulated into a base mesh and the base mesh is simplified to a compact mesh. The compact mesh representation is object-dependent; the positions of vertexes of the mesh are optimized according to the curvatures of the obstacles. The compact mesh represents the obstacles as accurately as the quadtree even though using much fewer vertexes than the quadtree. The compact mesh distributes vertexes in a free space in a balanced way by ensuring that the lengths of edges are below an edge length threshold. An optimized path graph is extracted from the compact mesh. An iterative vertex pushing method is proposed to include important obstacle boundary edges in the path graph. Dijkstra's shortest path searching algorithm is used to search the shortest path in the path graph. Experimental results show that the path planning using the optimized path graph is an order of magnitude faster than the quadtree approach while the length of the path generated by the proposed method is almost the same as that of the path generated by the quadtree.     

Online adaptive fuzzy neural identification and control of a class of MIMO nonlinear systems

This paper presents a robust adaptive fuzzy neural controller (AFNC) suitable for identification and control of a class of uncertain multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems. The proposed controller has the following salient features: 1) self-organizing fuzzy neural structure, i.e., fuzzy control rules can be generated or deleted automatically; 2) online learning ability of uncertain MIMO nonlinear systems; 3) fast learning speed; 4) fast convergence of tracking errors; 5) adaptive control, where structure and parameters of the AFNC can be self-adaptive in the presence of disturbances to maintain high control performance; 6) robust control, where global stability of the system is established using the Lyapunov approach. Simulation studies on an inverted pendulum and a two-link robot manipulator show that the performance of the proposed controller is superior.     

An approximation by neural networkswith a fixed weight

Neural networks are widely used in many applications including astronomical physics,image processing, recognition, robotics, and automated target tracking, etc. Their ability to approximate arbitrary functions is the main reason for this popularity. In this paper, we discuss the constructive approximation on the whole real line by a neural networks with a sigmoidal activation function and a fixed weight. Using the convolution method, we show neural network approximation with a fixed weight to a continuous function on a compact interval. Also, we demonstrate a computational work that shows good agreement with theory.     

An agent for selecting optimal order set in EC marketplace

For most small manufacturing companies, the selection and completion of orders placed by buyers are closely linked to the load status of their production lines. The decision to accept an order, or the selection of optimal order set, critically depends on the production schedule when orders exceed production capacity. However, production scheduling is mainly performed by human experts, and small companies lack resources to implement such a task. As a result, most small manufacturers suffer from the difficulty to meet due dates or to make proper decision in accepting new orders. To address this problem, this paper develops an automatic agent that selects an optimal set of orders using commonly available Internet technology. The main engine of the selection agent is based on a typical job shop scheduling model, formulating and implementing it as an Integer Program (IP) model. We also translate IP into Genetic Algorithm (GA) to address its NP-hard problem. We conclude with a suggestion for an agent architecture that tackles Web-based order selection problems.     

A practical approach to EMC education at the undergraduate level

In view of the importance of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), universities worldwide are paying more attention to training electronic engineers with good EMC design knowledge. As part of the EMC training, a practical printed circuit board (PCB) layout project has been offered as an elective to the undergraduates in the authors' universities. The project requires the students to design the PCB layout of a standard digital circuit twice, the first time with no EMC consideration at all, and the second time with careful EMC consideration. The significant difference in the levels of radiated emissions of the two layouts allows the students to appreciate the importance of EMC design at an early stage of product development.     

Carbon nanotube field emitters for planar emission vacuum micro-and nanoelectronics

The design and manufacturing technology of carbon nanotube field emitters for novel devices of planar emission vacuum micro-and nanoelectronics are described. Prototypes of diode structures with such emitters are obtained in which the threshold field strength amounts to ～2 V/μm and the direct to reverse current ratio exceeds 10⁵. The obtained small scatter of characteristics points to the possibility of creating integrated circuits possessing high operation speed and a working temperature range expanded from ?60 to +30°C.     

Preparation of AZ91D Slurries for Semi-Solid Forming Using Al8 ( Mn, Fe) 5 Precipitates

During the solidification of the AZ91D-alloys, the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 phase is generally precipitated in the melt in advance of the precipitation of the primary α-Mg. The basic principle for manufacturing AZ91D-alloy slurries for semi solid forming is to use the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitates as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for primary α-Mg phases. Microscopic analysis for the location of the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitate explains that the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitate is the effective heterogeneous nucleation site for the primary α-Mg phase. It was also observed that increase of the Mn content in the melt and the cooling rate below to the solid/liquid two-phase region resulted in smaller and more globular primary α-Mg due to the increase of heterogeneous nucleation sites. It was found that the average α-Mg diameter grew as a function of t0.278, where t is the holding time at the solid/liquid two-phase region. This would be attributed to the Ostwald type ripening and coalescence between primary α-Mg phases. The cooling rate below to the solid/liquid two-phase region, Mn content in AZ91D alloy, and the holding time and temperature affected on the quality of slurry.     

Data‐Driven Kinematic Control for Robotic Spatial Augmented Reality System with Loose Kinematic Specifications

We propose a data‐driven kinematic control method for a robotic spatial augmented reality (RSAR) system. We assume a scenario where a robotic device and a projector‐camera unit (PCU) are assembled in an ad hoc manner with loose kinematic specifications, which hinders the application of a conventional kinematic control method based on the exact link and joint specifications. In the proposed method, the kinematic relation between a PCU and joints is represented as a set of B‐spline surfaces based on sample data rather than analytic or differential equations. The sampling process, which automatically records the values of joint angles and the corresponding external parameters of a PCU, is performed as an off‐line process when an RSAR system is installed. In an on‐line process, an external parameter of a PCU at a certain joint configuration, which is directly readable from motors, can be computed by evaluating the pre‐built B‐spline surfaces. We provide details of the proposed method and validate the model through a comparison with an analytic RSAR model with synthetic noises to simulate assembly errors.