Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Edge Based Multi-Agent Auto Communication Method For Traffic Light Control, Qiang Wu, Jianqing Wu, Jun Shen, Binbin Yong, Qingguo Zhou

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

With smart city infrastructures growing, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been widely used in the intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The traditional adaptive traffic signal control method based on reinforcement learning (RL) has expanded from one intersection to multiple intersections. In this paper, we propose a multi-agent auto communication (MAAC) algorithm, which is an innovative adaptive global traffic light control method based on multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) and an auto communication protocol in edge computing architecture. The MAAC algorithm combines multi-agent auto communication protocol with MARL, allowing an agent to communicate the learned strategies with others for achieving global optimization …

Coupled Modelling And Advanced Control For Smooth Operation Of A Grid Connected Linear Electric Generator Based Wave-To-Wire System, Safdar Rasool, Md Rabiul Islam, Kashem M. Muttaqi, Danny Sutanto

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The perpetual oscillations of ocean waves produce potential energy, which can be converted to electrical energy with the help of direct drive linear generators. The fluctuating generated power poses a major challenge when it is supplied to the power grid. In this paper, a supercapacitor provides the short-term energy storage to buffer and smooth out the power fluctuations. A new coupled model of a wave energy converter and a linear generator is proposed for its response characterization under varying system conditions. The developed model and an advanced control strategy is used to exhibit a smooth and stable operation of the …

Robust Extended H∞ Control Strategy Using Linear Matrix Inequality Approach For Islanded Microgrid, Maniza Armin, Mizanur Rahman, Md Mukidur Rahman, Subrata K. Sarker, Sajal Das, Md Rabiul Islam, Abbas Z. Kouzani, M. A Parvez Mahmud

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper presents the design of an extended parameterisations of H∞ controller for off grid operation of a microgrid. The microgrid consists of distributed generation units, filters and local loads. The filters are used to achieve accurate sinusoidal output voltage. However, loads which are connected to the microgrid are parametrically uncertain. Hence, it undergoes with unknown loads uncertainties. These unknown loads may create unknown loads harmonics, non-linearities which may reduce the voltage and current profile of the microgrid. As a result, the sudden rise and fall of voltage current profile damages the domestic and commercial loads. The proposed controller provides …

Model Predictive Control For A New Magnetic Linked Multilevel Inverter To Integrate Solar Photovoltaic Systems With The Power Grids, A M. Mahfuz-Ur-Rahman, Md Rabiul Islam, Kashem M. Muttaqi, Danny Sutanto

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The multilevel inverters are becoming increasingly popular for use in the grid integration of wind and photovoltaic (PV) power plants due to their higher voltage handling capability and the better output power quality. There are several types of multilevel inverters that have been proposed in the literature; among them the active neutral point clamp (ANPC) multilevel inverters have been drawing significant attention specially for solving the problems with other multilevel inverters. However, with the increase of number of levels, the ANPC requires more electronic switches and flying capacitors, by which the complexity and the cost increases. In this paper, an …

Selective Atomic-Level Etching On Short S-Glass Fibres To Control Interfacial Properties For Restorative Dental Composites, Kiho Cho, Guannan Wang, Raju Raju, Jian Fang, Ginu Rajan, Martina Stenzel, Paul Farrar, Gangadhara B. Prusty

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Interfacial bonding between fibre and matrix is most critical to obtain enhanced mechanical properties of the resulting composites. Here we present a new surface tailoring method of selective wet etching and organosilicon monomers (3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate, TMSPMA) deposition process on the short S-Glass fibre as a reinforcing material, resulting in increased mechanical retention and strong chemical bonding between glass fibres and polymer resin (a mixture of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) monomers). The effect of surface modification on fibre matrix interfacial strength was investigated through microdroplet tests. An S-Glass fibre treated with piranha solution (a mixture of …

Persulfate Oxidation-Assisted Membrane Distillation Process For Micropollutant Degradation And Membrane Fouling Control, Muhammad Bilal Asif, Zulqarnain Fida, Arbab Tufail, Jason Van Der Merwe, Frederic Leusch, Biplob K. Pramanik, William E. Price, Faisal I. Hai

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In this study, long-term performance of a persulfate (PS)-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process was examined for the treatment of secondary treated effluent spiked with a mixture of micropollutants including three pesticides and nine pharmaceuticals. A stand-alone DCMD ('control') was also operated under identical operating conditions for comparison. Depending on the micropollutant, the stand-alone DCMD achieved 86 to >99% removal. In comparison, removal by the PS-assisted DCMD was >99% for all investigated micropollutants. This was attributed to the fact that sulfate radicals (SO4-) formed following the activation of PS at the DCMD operating temperature (i.e., 40 °C) achieved micropollutant-specific …

Cooperative Secondary Voltage Control Of Static Converters In A Microgrid Using Model-Free Reinforcement Learning, Edward Smith, Duane A. Robinson, Ashish P. Agalgaonkar

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Agent-based secondary voltage regulation in an islanded MicroGrid is complicated by non-linear system dynamics, state couplings and uncertain communication network topology information. This paper proposes an off-policy learning algorithm for cooperative secondary voltage control which can synthesize an optimal feedback controller in real-time without knowledge of the system model. A simulation model has been developed using MATLAB/Simulink, which demonstrates a working controller. Results from the simulations are included, and practical considerations regarding implementation on a real system discussed.

Formulation Of A Model Predictive Control Algorithm To Enhance The Performance Of A Latent Heat Solar Thermal System, Gianluca Serale, Massimo Fiorentini, Alfonso Capozzoli, Paul Cooper, Marco Perino

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Model predictive control has proved to be a promising control strategy for improving the operational performance of multi-source thermal energy generation systems with the aim of maximising the exploitation of on-site renewable resources. This paper presents the formulation and implementation of a model predictive control strategy for the management of a latent heat thermal energy storage unit coupled with a solar thermal collector and a backup electric heater. The system uses an innovative Phase Change Material slurry for both the heat transfer fluid and storage media. The formulation of a model predictive controller of such a closed-loop solar system is …

Predicting The Influence Of Hip And Lumbar Flexibility On Lifting Motions Using Optimal Control, Manish Sreenivasa, Matthew Millard, Idsart Kingma, Jaap H. Van Dieen, Katja Mombaur

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Computational models of the human body coupled with optimization can be used to predict the influence of variables that cannot be experimentally manipulated. Here, we present a study that predicts the motion of the human body while lifting a box, as a function of flexibility of the hip and lumbar joints in the sagittal plane. We modeled the human body in the sagittal plane with joints actuated by pairs of agonist-antagonist muscle torque generators, and a passive hamstring muscle. The characteristics of a stiff, average and flexible person were represented by co-varying the lumbar range-of-motion, lumbar passive extensor-torque and the …

Joint Transmission Power Control And Relay Cooperation For Wban Systems, Hongyun Zhang, Farzad Safaei, Le Chung Tran

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Improving transmission reliability is a crucial challenge for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) because of the instability of channel conditions and the stringent Packet Loss Ratio (PLR) requirement for many WBANs applications. On the other hand, limited by the size of WBAN nodes, the energy consumption of WBAN nodes should be minimized. In this paper, we jointly consider transmission power control, dynamic slot scheduling and two-hop cooperative mechanism and propose an Autocorrelation-based Adaptive Transmission (AAT) scheme that achieves a better trade-off between transmission reliability and energy consumption for WBAN systems. The new scheme is designed to be compatible with IEEE …

Autocorrelation Based Transmission Power Control In Wbans, Hongyun Zhang, Farzad Safaei, Le Chung Tran

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In this paper, we propose an autocorrelation-based transmission power control (A-TPC) method to increase the transmission reliability and reduce the energy consumption. In A-TPC, data packets from multiple sensor nodes are scheduled in the TDMA-fashion. The transmission power level and the slot scheduling are jointly optimized based on a temporal autocorrelation model. The channel datasets collected from real WBAN daily scenarios are imported into our simulation model to evaluate the performance of A-TPC. Simulation results demonstrate that A-TPC significantly improves the transmission reliability and reduces the energy consumption.

Model Predictive Control (Mpc) For Enhancing Building And Hvac System Energy Efficiency: Problem Formulation, Applications And Opportunities, Gianluca Serale, Massimo Fiorentini, Alfonso Capozzoli, Daniele Bernardini, Alberto Bemporad

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In the last few years, the application of Model Predictive Control (MPC) for energy management in buildings has received significant attention from the research community. MPC is becoming more and more viable because of the increase in computational power of building automation systems and the availability of a significant amount of monitored building data. MPC has found successful implementation in building thermal regulation, fully exploiting the potential of building thermal mass. Moreover, MPC has been positively applied to active energy storage systems, as well as to the optimal management of on-site renewable energy sources. MPC also opens up several opportunities …

Optimal Control Based Stiffness Identification Of An Ankle-Foot Orthosis Using A Predictive Walking Model, Manish Sreenivasa, Matthew Millard, Martin Felis, Katja Mombaur, Sebastian I. Wolf

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Predicting the movements, ground reaction forces and neuromuscular activity during gait can be a valuable asset to the clinical rehabilitation community, both to understand pathology, as well as to plan effective intervention. In this work we use an optimal control method to generate predictive simulations of pathological gait in the sagittal plane. We construct a patient-specific model corresponding to a 7-year old child with gait abnormalities and identify the optimal spring characteristics of an ankle-foot orthosis that minimizes muscle effort. Our simulations include the computation of foot-ground reaction forces, as well as the neuromuscular dynamics using computationally efficient muscle torque …

Gas Reservoir And Emission Modelling To Evaluate Gas Drainage To Control Tailgate Gas Concentrations And Fugitive Emissions, Dennis J. Black

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The process of longwall coal extraction coal causes fractures in the overlying and underlying strata and these fractures become pathways for gas released from adjacent coal seams to flow into the mine workings and contaminate the ventilation air. If the rate of gas emission exceeds the diluting capacity of the ventilation air, the gas concentration will increase and exceed the statutory limit resulting in production delays.All potential gas sources within the planned mining area, including coal seams located above and below the working seam, should be identified and sufficient gas data collected and used to determine the specific gas emission …

Ventilative Cooling Through Automated Window Opening Control Systems To Address Thermal Discomfort Risk During The Summer Period: Framework, Simulation And Parametric Analysis, Theofanis Psomas, Massimo Fiorentini, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Per K. Heiselberg

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Automated window opening control systems with integrated ventilative cooling strategies may significantly diminish the thermal discomfort and overheating risk of dwellings during cooling periods in temperate climates. One of the challenges with demonstrating the benefits of the systems is the lack of building performance simulation (BPS) tools which may represent precisely how actual algorithms are applied.

The study supported herein aims to present a framework of how to simulate an advanced ventilative cooling algorithm of a window system on coupled BPS environments (ESP-r and BCVTB tools). Parametric analysis has been conducted to verify specific operational functions of the system. The …

Review On Design And Control Aspects Of Robotic Shoulder Rehabilitation Orthoses, Aibek Niyetkaliyev, Shahid Hussain, Mergen Hmcgill University, Ghayesh, Gursel Alici

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Robotic rehabilitation devices are more frequently used for the physical therapy of people with upper limb weakness, which is the most common type of stroke-induced disability. Rehabilitation robots can provide customized, prolonged, intensive, and repetitive training sessions for patients with neurological impairments. In most cases, the robotic exoskeletons have to be aligned with the human joints and provide natural arm movements. This is a challenging task to achieve for one of the most biomechanically complex joints of human body, i.e., the shoulder. Therefore, specific considerations have been made in the development of various existing robotic shoulder rehabilitation orthoses. Different types …

Predicting The Motions And Forces Of Wearable Robotic Systems Using Optimal Control, Matthew Millard, Manish Sreenivasa, Katja Mombaur

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Wearable robotic systems are being developed to prevent injury to the low back. Designing a wearable robotic system is challenging because it is difficult to predict how the exoskeleton will affect the movement of the wearer. To aid the design of exoskeletons, we formulate and numerically solve an optimal control problem (OCP) to predict the movements and forces of a person as they lift a 15 kg box from the ground both without (human-only OCP) and with (with-exo OCP) the aid of an exoskeleton. We model the human body as a sagittal-plane multibody system that is actuated by agonist and …

Optimizing Wearable Assistive Devices With Neuromuscular Models And Optimal Control, Manish Sreenivasa, Matthew Millard, Paul Manns, Katja Mombaur

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The coupling of human movement dynamics with the function and design of wearable assistive devices is vital to better understand the interaction between the two. Advanced neuromuscular models and optimal control formulations provide the possibility to study and improve this interaction. In addition, optimal control can also be used to generate predictive simulations that generate novel movements for the human model under varying optimization criterion.

Modelling And Control Of A Novel Walker Robot For Post-Stroke Gait Rehabilitation, Emre Sariyildiz, Hsiao-Ju Cheng, Gokhan M. Yagli, Haoyong Yu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

In this paper, a novel walker robot is proposed for post-stroke gait rehabilitation. It consists of an omni-directional mobile platform which provides high mobility in horizontal motion, a linear motor that moves in vertical direction to support the body weight of a patient and a 6-axis force/torque sensor to measure interaction force/torque between the robot and patient. The proposed novel walker robot improves the mobility of pelvis so it can provide more natural gait patterns in rehabilitation. This paper analytically derives the kinematic and dynamic models of the novel walker robot. Simulation results are given to validate the proposed kinematic …

Observer-Based Load Frequency Control For Island Microgrid With Photovoltaic Power, Chaoxu Mu, Weiqiang Liu, Wei Xu, Md Rabiul Islam

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

As renewable energy is widely integrated into the power system, the stochastic and intermittent power generation from renewable energy may cause system frequency deviating from the prescribed level, especially for a microgrid. In this paper, the load frequency control (LFC) of an island microgrid with photovoltaic (PV) power and electric vehicles (EVs) is investigated, where the EVs can be treated as distributed energy storages. Considering the disturbances from load change and PV power, an observer-based integral sliding mode (OISM) controller is designed to regulate the frequency back to the prescribed value, where the neural network observer is used to online …

Investigations Into The Identification And Control Of Outburst In Australian Underground Coal Mines, Dennis J. Black

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Australian coal mines currently use gas content to assess outburst risk. The gas content threshold values for each mine are indirectly determined from measurement of gas volume liberated from 150 g coal samples during Q3 residual gas content testing. It has been more than twenty (20) years since this method, known as DRI900, was presented to the Australian coal industry, and in that time there have been significant changes in mining conditions and the outburst threshold limits used at the benchmark Bulli seam mines.Current coal mining legislation in both Queensland [7] and New South Wales [6] provide little guidance in …

A Novel Fuzzy Sliding-Mode Control For Discrete-Time Uncertain System, T H. Yan, B Wu, B He, Weihua Li, R B. Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper considers the sliding-mode control problem for discrete-time uncertain systems. It begins by presenting a discrete variable speed reaching law and a discrete-time sliding-mode controller (DSMC) designed using the proposed reaching law, followed by an analysis of their stability and dynamic performance. A sliding-mode controller with simple fuzzy logic is then proposed to further strengthen the dynamic performance of the proposed sliding-mode controller. Finally, the presented DSMC and the DSMC with fuzzy control for adjusting the parameters in this paper are compared with one of the previous proposed classic DSMC systems. The results of this simulation show that the …

Robust Position Control Of A Novel Series Elastic Actuator Via Disturbance Observer, Emre Sariyildiz, Gong Chen, Haoyong Yu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper proposes a new robust position control method for a novel series elastic actuator (SEA). It is a wellknown fact that SEAs provide many benefits in force control, e.g., lower reflected inertia and impedance, greater shock tolerance, safety, and so on. However, current SEA designs have a common performance limitation due to the compromise on the selection of spring stiffness. The performance of an SEA can be significantly improved by changing the stiffness of the spring; however, designing a variable-stiffness SEA is a quite challenging task. In this paper, a novel variable-stiffness SEA, which can relax the fundamental performance …

Humanoid Human-Like Reaching Control Based On Movement Primitives, Minh Tuan Tran, Philippe Souères, Michel Taix, Manish Sreenivasa, Christophe Halgand

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper deals with the problem of generating realistic human-like reaching movements from a small set of movement primitives. Two kinds of movement databases are used as reference. The first one is obtained numerically, by applying biological principles of motor control on the dynamic model of the robot arm. The second one is obtained by recording reaching movements of human subjects. From these databases, primitives are extracted and analyzed by using Principal Component Analysis. An original generalization method is then proposed for generating movements that did not belong to the initial database. We show that twenty primitives allow to produce …

Hrp-2 Plays The Yoyo: From Human To Humanoid Yoyo Playing Using Optimal Control, Katja Mombaur, Manish Sreenivasa

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Yoyo playing may seem easy for a human, but it is a challenging problem for a humanoid robot. This paper presents an approach to generate yoyo motions for the humanoid robot, HRP-2, based on motion recorded from human yoyo playing, dynamical models and numerical optimal control techniques. We recorded vertical yoyo playing of 4 subjects measuring yoyo height and rotation angle as well as the corresponding hand motions. A detailed multi-phase yoyo model with impact collisions and control patterns of human yoyo playing were identified from these measurements. Based on this knowledge, reliable yoyo motions within the feasibility ranges of …

Inverse Optimal Control As A Tool To Understand Human Yoyo Playing, Katja Mombaur, Manish Sreenivasa

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper presents an inverse optimal control approach to identify objective functions of human motion from motion capture measurements. We apply it to analyze human yoyo playing. Yoyo playing may seem easy to us to learn but it is a challenging problem from a mechanical point of view involving a hybrid dynamics model. We recorded vertical yoyo playing of humans measuring yoyo height and rotation angle as well as the corresponding hand motions. Results of inverse optimal control are presented showing a mixed criterion of cycle time and terms depending on yoyo and hand acceleration and velocity.