Knowledge-Based Virtual Modeling and Simulation of Manufacturing Processes for Industry 4.0

Abstract

Industry 4.0 aims at providing a digital representation of a production landscape, but the challenges in building, maintaining, optimizing, and evolving digital models in inter-organizational production chains have not been identified yet in a systematic manner. In this paper, various Industry 4.0 research and technical challenges are addressed, and their present scenario is discussed. Moreover, in this article, the novel concept of developing experience-based virtual models of engineering entities, process, and the factory is presented. These models of production units, processes, and procedures are accomplished by virtual engineering object (VEO), virtual engineering process (VEP), and virtual engineering factory (VEF), using the knowledge representation technique of Decisional DNA. This blend of the virtual and physical domains permits monitoring of systems and analysis of data to foresee problems before they occur, develop new opportunities, prevent downtime, and even plan for the future by using simulations. Furthermore, the proposed virtual model concept not only has the capability of Query Processing and Data Integration for Industrial Data but also real-time visualization of data stream processing.     

Reality-based interaction affecting mental workload in virtual reality mental arithmetic training

ABSTRACT

The concept of digital game-based learning (DGBL) evolves rapidly together with technological enhancements of virtual reality (VR) and smart phones. However, the mental workload (MWL) that VR-training applications demand and motivational qualities originating from user experience (UX) should be identified in order to create effective and enjoyable training/learning challenges that fit with individual users’ capabilities. This study examined the effects of reality-based interaction (RBI) and VR on measures of student motivation and MWL, in a mental arithmetic game for secondary school pupils. In a randomised controlled trial with sixty school children, a mental arithmetic game was tested with three different interaction and two different presentation methods – VR RBI, VR head-mounted-display tapping and tablet flick-gesture. Results found a significant effect of RBI on MWL but no differences in enjoyment of training were found between VR-experience and tablet training-experience. In fact, adding the gaming-context to the mental arithmetic task created an enjoyable, motivating experience regardless of presentation or interaction-style.     

The World robot summit disaster robotics category – achievements of the 2018 preliminary competition

The World Robot Summit is a robot Olympics and aims to be held in a different country every four years from 2020. The concept of the Plant Disaster Prevention challenge is daily inspections, checks, and emergency response in industrial plants, and in this competition, robots must carry out these types of missions in a mock-up plant. The concept of the Tunnel Disaster Response and Recovery challenge is emergency response to tunnel disasters, and is a simulation competition whereby teams compete to show their ability to deal with disasters, by collecting information and removing debris. The Standard Disaster Robotics challenge assesses, in the form of a contest, the standard performance levels of a robot that are necessary for disaster prevention and emergency response. The World Robot Summit Preliminary Competition was held at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2018, and 36 teams participated in the Disaster Robotics Category. UGVs and UAVs contended the merits of new technology for solving complex problems, using core technologies such as mobility, sensing, recognition, performing operations, human interface, autonomous intelligence etc., as well as system integration and implementation of strategies for completing missions, gaining high-level results.     

LTE系统多小区上行联合功控算法

针对传统的小区内开环功率控制算法通常以提升本小区的吞吐量性能为目标，忽略了当前小区用户对邻小区用户同频干扰的问题，为提升边缘用户性能的同时兼顾系统整体性能，提出了一种LTE系统小区间上行联合功率控制（UJPC）算法。该算法采用单基站三扇区为系统模型，以最优化系统吞吐量比例公平函数为目标，首先根据最小信干噪比（SINR）约束值和用户最大发射功率这两个约束条件得到相应的数学优化模型，然后采用连续凸近似的方法求解优化问题得出各个基站所管辖的小区内所有用户的最优发射功率。仿真结果表明，与基准的开环功控方案相比，联合功控方案在保证系统平均频谱利用率的情况下能够较大幅度地提高小区边缘频谱利用率，其最佳性能增益能达到50%。     

多带OFDM-UWB系统峰均功率比降低方法研究

针对多带OFDM—UWB信号存在高峰均功率比的问题，提出了利用扩展与交织降低系统信号峰均功率比的方法。该方法通过对传输数据进行正交扩展与交织，使得进入多载波调制的数据趋于高斯分布，减小了传输数据自相关函数的旁瓣峰值，降低了OFDM-UWB信号的峰均功率比。由于采用正交矩阵进行扩展，扩展前后的数据传输速率保持不变。仿真结果表明，扩展与交织可以有效地降低信号峰均功率比2-5dB左右。同时该方法还具有抗窄带干扰的鲁棒性。     

掺镱双包层高功率光纤激光器输出特性研究

对线形腔掺镱双包层高功率光纤激光器的输出特性进行了研究 ,通过求解速率方程 ,得到了激光器泵浦阈值功率、输出光功率和斜率效率的表达式。分析了光纤长度、腔镜反射率和泵浦波长等因素对激光器阈值功率、输出光功率和斜率效率的影响 ,为高功率光纤激光器的优化设计提供了理论依据     

Handover and Uplink Power Control Performance in the 3.84 Mcps TDD mode of UTRA Network

In this article we consider the performance of the 3.84 Mcpstime-division duplex (TDD) mode of UTRA (Universal TerrestrialRadio Access) network. We emphasize two of the radio resourcemanagement algorithms, handover and uplink power control, whoserole in the overall system performance is studied extensively.First, a handover algorithm used in WCDMA (Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access) standard is considered in a TDD-mode operation.This gives rise to a careful setting of different handoverparameters, and the evaluation of the effects to the systemperformance. Secondly, the specified uplink power controlalgorithm is considered. Since it is based on several user-mademeasurements which may involve both random and systematic errors acareful study about the suitability of the power control scheme iscarried out.     

移动通信系统中功率控制研究

在阐述功率控制在移动通信系统中的发展过程的基础上，着重研究了WCDMA系统的功率控制，最后对功率控制未来的研究方向做了简要的分析。     

Range Assignment for Biconnectivity and k-Edge Connectivity in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Depending on whether bidirectional links or unidirectional links are used for communications, the network topology under a given range assignment is either an undirected graph referred to as the bidirectional topology, or a directed graph referred to as the unidirectional topology. The Min-Power Bidirectional (resp., Unidirectional) k-Node Connectivity problem seeks a range assignment of minimum total power subject to the constraint that the produced bidirectional (resp. unidirectional) topology is k-vertex connected. Similarly, the Min-Power Bidirectional (resp., Unidirectional) k-Edge Connectivity problem seeks a range assignment of minimum total power subject to the constraint the produced bidirectional (resp., unidirectional) topology is k-edge connected. The Min-Power Bidirectional Biconnectivity problem and the Min-Power Bidirectional Edge-Biconnectivity problem have been studied by Lloyd et al. [23]. They show that range assignment based the approximation algorithm of Khuller and Raghavachari [18], which we refer to as Algorithm KR, has an approximation ratio of at most 2(2 – 2/n)(2 + 1/n) for Min-Power Bidirectional Biconnectivity, and range assignment based on the approximation algorithm of Khuller and Vishkin [19], which we refer to as Algorithm KV, has an approximation ratio of at most 8(1 – 1/n) for Min-Power Bidirectional Edge-Biconnectivity. In this paper, we first establish the NP-hardness of Min-Power Bidirectional (Edge-) Biconnectivity. Then we show that Algorithm KR has an approximation ratio of at most 4 for both Min-Power Bidirectional Biconnectivity and Min-Power Unidirectional Biconnectivity, and Algorithm KV has an approximation ratio of at most 2k for both Min-Power Bidirectional k-Edge Connectivity and Min-Power Unidirectional k-Edge Connectivity. We also propose a new simple constant-approximation algorithm for both Min-Power Bidirectional Biconnectivity and Min-Power Unidirectional Biconnectivity. This new algorithm applies only to Euclidean instances, but is best suited for distributed implementation. A preliminary version of this work appeared in the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on AD-HOC Network and Wireless (Adhoc-Now 2003). Research performed in part while visiting the Max-Plank-Institut fur Informatik. Gruia Calinescu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology since 2000. He held postdoc or visiting researcher positions at DIMACS, University of Waterloo, and Max-Plank Institut fur Informatik. Gruia has a Diploma from University of Bucharest and a Ph.D. from Georgia Insitute of Technology. His research interests are in the area of algorithms. Peng-Jun Wan has joined the Computer Science Department at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1997 and has been an Associate Professor since 2004. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Minnesota in 1997, M.S. in Operations Research and Control Theory from Chinese Academy of Science in 1993, and B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Tsinghua University in 1990. His research interests include optical networks and wireless networks.     

Performance of thermostatic and electronic valves controlling the compressor capacity

The performance of the energy consumption of an electronic valve and a classical thermostatic valve has been compared when these expansion valves are adopted in a vapour compression plant subjected to a cold store. The main aim is to verify experimentally which type of expansion valve would be preferable from energy point of view when a classical thermostat or a fuzzy logic algorithm are used as the control system for the refrigeration capacity. The fuzzy logic‐based control is able to modulate continuously the compressor speed through an inverter. The results show that with a fuzzy algorithm, the thermostatic expansion valve allows an energy saving of about 8% in comparison with the electronic valve. When on–off control is used, the electric energy consumption obtained both with the electronic valve and with the thermostatic valve is comparable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.