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2014

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Articles 6541 - 6570 of 7238

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Design Of Thermal Structures Using Topology Optimization, Joshua D. Deaton Jan 2014

Design Of Thermal Structures Using Topology Optimization, Joshua D. Deaton

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The design of structures subjected to elevated temperature environments has long been an important area of study in the aerospace industry. This is especially true in the modern day, where new problems related to embedded engine aircraft and high temperature exhaust-washed structures present new structural design challenges not found in past applications. In this work, the response of a class of thermal structures whose responses are characterized by significant amounts of restrained expansion, to which exhaust-washed structures belong, are studied. To address the complex design challenges that become evident in these investigations, structural topology optimization is applied due to its …


Development Of The Academic Performance-Commitment Matrix (Apcm): Understanding The Effects Of Motivation And An Engineering Mathematics Curricular Intervention On Student Self-Efficacy And Success In Engineering, Anthony Bourne Jan 2014

Development Of The Academic Performance-Commitment Matrix (Apcm): Understanding The Effects Of Motivation And An Engineering Mathematics Curricular Intervention On Student Self-Efficacy And Success In Engineering, Anthony Bourne

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The latest push to encourage workforce growth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines has generated varying results. Overall, demand for STEM graduates is outpacing the numbers available. This has motivated a wide range of proposed solutions to increase the number of people trained to work in these fields. While a focus on college recruitment in these areas is a necessity for increasing numbers of STEM graduates, the expanding variety of students admitted to university programs in STEM disciplines creates a new series of issues in higher education. Most prominently, retention and graduation rates are low in STEM disciplines. …


An Experimental Investigation On The Micro Air Vehicle, Shih Kang Huang Jan 2014

An Experimental Investigation On The Micro Air Vehicle, Shih Kang Huang

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An experimental investigation was conducted to study the flow characteristics of the flow around the flapping wings of a four-wing flapper as well as the lift and thrust coefficient of a four-wing flapper. In the present study, a clap-and-fling type of four-wing flapper was designed and manufactured by using several flexible materials, such as PET film, latex, and aluminized Mylar. Different cross-strut patterns and dimensions of wings were manufactured and tested to optimize the wing designs. In addition to taking the lift and thrust measurements using a highly sensitive force moment sensor unit, a high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system …


Improving Motion Imagery Analysis: Investigating Detection Failures, Remembering To Perform Deferred Intentions, Michael R. Nickels Jan 2014

Improving Motion Imagery Analysis: Investigating Detection Failures, Remembering To Perform Deferred Intentions, Michael R. Nickels

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Advances in automation have led to an increased prevalence of human multitasking in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Despite advancements in computer-vision research, almost all video data collected must be processed by human analysts. Traditionally, analysts are plagued with the presence and possible overabundance of interruptions that fundamentally leads to multitasking while processing video data. It is currently unknown what factors influence decision making in completing primary tasks or handling interruptions. In this study, we investigated the performance effects and the resulting design implications of varying the number of concurrent prospective memory tasks and encoding of one large group of …


The Properties Of Property Alignment On The Semantic Web, Michelle Andreen Cheatham Jan 2014

The Properties Of Property Alignment On The Semantic Web, Michelle Andreen Cheatham

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Ontology alignment is an important step in enabling computers to query and reason across the many linked datasets on the semantic web. This is a difficult challenge because the ontologies underlying different linked datasets can vary in terms of subject area coverage, level of abstraction, ontology modeling philosophy, and even language. The alignment approach presented here centers on string similarity metrics. Nearly all ontology alignment systems use a string similarity metric in one form or another, but it seems that the choice of a particular metric is often arbitrary. We begin this dissertation with the most comprehensive survey to date …


16-Bit Digital Adder Design In 250nm And 64-Bit Digital Comparator Design In 90nm Cmos Technologies, Naga Venkata Vijaya Krishna Boppana Jan 2014

16-Bit Digital Adder Design In 250nm And 64-Bit Digital Comparator Design In 90nm Cmos Technologies, Naga Venkata Vijaya Krishna Boppana

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High speed, low power, and area efficient adders and comparators continue to play a key role in hardware implementation of digital signal processing applications. Adders based on Complimentary Pass Transistor Logic (CPL) are power and area efficient, but are slower compared to Square Root Carry Select (SQRT-CS) based adders. This thesis demonstrates a unique custom designed 16-bit adder in 250-nm CMOS technology to obtain fast and power/area efficient features by combining CPL and CS logic. Comparing the results obtained for proposed 16-bit Linear CPL/CS adder with the BEC (Binary Excess-1 Code) based low power SQRT-CS adder, the delay is reduced …


Pixel Qualification Methods In Attributed Scattering Center Extraction, Justin Tyler Farmer Jan 2014

Pixel Qualification Methods In Attributed Scattering Center Extraction, Justin Tyler Farmer

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Recent work with the spectrum-parted linked image test (SPLIT) uses polarization with Fourier-based peak detection to qualify pixels for attributed scattering center (ASC) extraction from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) phase history data. SPLIT is a two-stage, non-linear technique to extract ASCs. The first stage qualifies pixels for ASC attribution, but suffers from imaging sidelobe energy. Error in pixel qualification propagates to stage two: pixel attribution. In this work, a new ASC extraction method is proposed. It is based on 2-D Prony method and motivated by SPLIT. Position estimation performance of SPLITs local peak detection is compared to the 2-D Prony …


Experimental Assessment Of Photovoltaic Irrigation System, Khalil Raza Jan 2014

Experimental Assessment Of Photovoltaic Irrigation System, Khalil Raza

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Agriculture is a significant measure of an economy for a number of countries in the world. Currently, the agriculture sector relies heavily on conventional sources of energy for irrigation and other purposes. When, considering factors such as increasing costs of fossil fuels and extending new power lines, especially to remote locations where grid electricity is either inaccessible or expensive, a solar PV (photovoltaic) irrigation system can be an effective choice for irrigating farmland. Solar power eliminates the need to run electrical power lines to remote agriculture locations, which quickly turns the monetary equation in favor of solar irrigation over grid-powered …


Dynamic Cache Partitioning For Multi-Core Systems, Yang Zhang Jan 2014

Dynamic Cache Partitioning For Multi-Core Systems, Yang Zhang

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As the power consumption (power wall) is limiting the clock frequency increase, multi-core and many-core processors become the major-trend of the new generation of processors. One of the biggest challenges to achieve high performance in multi-core systems is the growing disparity between processor and memory speeds. The "memory wall"' problem, i.e., the growing disparity of speed between the processor and the memory, becomes even more serious in the multi-core systems. Caches have been highly successful in bridging the processor-memory performance gap by providing fast access to frequently used data. Caches also save power by limiting expensive off-chip memory accesses. In …


Hysteretic Controlled Dc-Dc Converters, Shweta Chauhan Jan 2014

Hysteretic Controlled Dc-Dc Converters, Shweta Chauhan

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Switched-mode DC-DC converters are widely used in applications requiring step-up and step-down of DC voltages or currents. These converters find their use in portable applications such as laptops and smart phones, radio-frequency power amplifiers, as light emitting diode (LED) drivers, etc. The power converters consist of a switching network, energy storage elements such as inductors and capacitors, and a load resistor. Transformers are used in converters, which require isolation. The switching network comprises of MOSFETs and diodes. With improvement in the VLSI technology, smaller MOSFETs with increased power handling capability are pushing the speed of operation of these power converters …


6 Ghz Rf Cmos Active Inductor Band Pass Filter Design And Process Variation Detection, Shuo Li Jan 2014

6 Ghz Rf Cmos Active Inductor Band Pass Filter Design And Process Variation Detection, Shuo Li

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A 90nm CMOS active inductor band pass filter with automatic peak detection is demonstrated in this thesis. The active inductor band pass filter has a better performance than the passive band pass filter in on-chip circuit design, due to small area, larger gain and tunable frequency. However, process variation makes the active inductor band pass filter hard to be used widely in many applications. To settle this issue, an automatic voltage peak detector is introduced to detect the process variation direction and hope to be used to control the active inductor band pass filter center frequency and gain. The designed …


Non-Contact, Antenna-Free Probes For Characterization Of Thz Integrated-Devices And Components, Prasanna Kumar Daram Jan 2014

Non-Contact, Antenna-Free Probes For Characterization Of Thz Integrated-Devices And Components, Prasanna Kumar Daram

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The most common technology for electrical characterization of THz devices is DC-coupled contact probes. In this Masters thesis, a non-contact, antenna-free probe is analyzed for characterizing THz devices and integrated circuits. The probe consists of on-chip receiving or transmitting THz photomixers in a co-planar waveguide environment. Our probes are coupled to a CPW-embedded DUT by polarization current rather than conduction current and then down converted in frequency to baseband by an optically pumped photomixer. We investigated probe performance through numerical simulations using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) carried up to 1 THz and yielded a broadband design with DUT to …


A Theoretical Adaptive Autonomy Model: Real-Time Physiological Assessment Of Cognitive Workload, Dakota C. Evans Jan 2014

A Theoretical Adaptive Autonomy Model: Real-Time Physiological Assessment Of Cognitive Workload, Dakota C. Evans

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Increases in modern-day system complexity, has led for a need to improve human performance and the interaction between the two. Three objectives: (1) to investigate physiological measures as indicators of cognitive workload, (2) to assess cognitive workload during human interaction with different autonomy levels, and (3) to develop a theoretical model for an adaptive autonomous system that changes with real-time cognitive workload measures were addressed. This effort seeks to improve human computer interaction by providing the human with the acceptable level of computer automation based on real-time cognitive state. Two experiments involved collection of measures of subject physiology, subjective survey …


End-To-End Classification Process For The Exploitation Of Vibrometry Data, Ashley Nicole Smith Jan 2014

End-To-End Classification Process For The Exploitation Of Vibrometry Data, Ashley Nicole Smith

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Laser vibrometry provides a method to identify running vehicles' unique signatures using non-contact measurements. A vehicle's engine, size, materials, shape, and other attributes affect its vibration signature. To develop the capability to classify and identify these signatures, a robust aided target recognition (AiTR) end-to-end process is evaluated and expanded. The main challenge in classifying a vehicle's vibration signatures is presented by the operating conditions and parameters that vary as a function of sensor, environment, and collection locations on the target, among others. Some of the parameters affecting the vibration signatures include weather, terrain, sensor location, sensor type, and engine speed. …


Large-Signal Analysis Of Buck And Interleaved Buck Dc-Ac Converters, Sourav Dey Jan 2014

Large-Signal Analysis Of Buck And Interleaved Buck Dc-Ac Converters, Sourav Dey

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With the improvement in the present day technology, power electronic engineers are more focused on systems which are fast and have better performance. Closed-loop systems with a fast response and better performance have been a priority these days. PWM converters are self-regulating voltage regulators with high efficiency. Depending upon the voltage level and the type of power conversion, different converters are used to meet the necessary demands. One such PWM converter is the, buck DC-AC converter which plays an important role in the applications related to high-frequency and low-power. Large-signal analysis of buck and buck-derived converters for both open-loop and …


The Role Of Subunit Iii In The Functional And Structural Regulation Of Cytochrome C Oxidase In Rhodobacter Spheroids, Khadijeh Salim Alnajjar Jan 2014

The Role Of Subunit Iii In The Functional And Structural Regulation Of Cytochrome C Oxidase In Rhodobacter Spheroids, Khadijeh Salim Alnajjar

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Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) catalyzes the oxidation of ferrocytochrome c and the reduction of oxygen to water while concomitantly translocating protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The catalytic core of COX consists of three subunits that are conserved from the bacterial to the mitochondrial forms of the enzyme. Subunits I and II (SUI and SUII) contain the metal centers where electrons are transferred and oxygen binds for reduction. Subunit III (SUIII) does not contain any metals and has an unknown function. It contains three conserved histidine residues (3, 7 and 10) that are surface exposed and are in close proximity …


Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase (Mcra) Gene Abundance Correlates With Activity Measurements Of Methanogenic H2/Co2-Enriched Anaerobic Biomass, Rachel Morris, Anne Schauer-Gimenez, Ujwal H. Bhattad, Colleen Kearney, Craig Struble, Daniel Zitomer, James Maki Jan 2014

Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase (Mcra) Gene Abundance Correlates With Activity Measurements Of Methanogenic H2/Co2-Enriched Anaerobic Biomass, Rachel Morris, Anne Schauer-Gimenez, Ujwal H. Bhattad, Colleen Kearney, Craig Struble, Daniel Zitomer, James Maki

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Biologically produced methane (CH4) from anaerobic digesters is a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, but digester failure can be a serious problem. Monitoring the microbial community within the digester could provide valuable information about process stability because this technology is dependent upon the metabolic processes of microorganisms. A healthy methanogenic community is critical for digester function and CH4 production. Methanogens can be surveyed and monitored using genes and transcripts of mcrA, which encodes the α subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase – the enzyme that catalyses the final step in methanogenesis. Using clone libraries and quantitative …


Development Of Analytical Models Of T- And U-Shaped Cantilever-Based Mems Devices For Sensing And Energy Harvesting Applications, Stephen M. Heinrich, M. T. Boudjiet, D. Thuau, P. Poulin, C. Ayela, Isabelle Dufour Jan 2014

Development Of Analytical Models Of T- And U-Shaped Cantilever-Based Mems Devices For Sensing And Energy Harvesting Applications, Stephen M. Heinrich, M. T. Boudjiet, D. Thuau, P. Poulin, C. Ayela, Isabelle Dufour

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Dynamic-mode cantilever-based structures supporting end masses are frequently used as MEMS/NEMS devices in application areas as diverse as chemical/biosensing, atomic force microscopy, and energy harvesting. This paper presents a new analytical solution for the free vibration of a cantilever with a rigid end mass of finite size. The effects of both translational and rotational inertia as well as horizontal eccentricity of the end mass are incorporated into the model. This model is general regarding the end-mass distribution/geometry and is validated here for the commonly encountered geometries of T- and U-shaped cantilevers. Comparisons with 3D FEA simulations and experiments on silicon …


Lateral-Mode Vibration Of Microcantilever-Based Sensors In Viscous Fluids Using Timoshenko Beam Theory, Joshua Schultz, Stephen M. Heinrich, Fabien Josse, Isabelle Dufour, Nicholas J. Nigro, Luke A. Beardslee, Oliver Brand Jan 2014

Lateral-Mode Vibration Of Microcantilever-Based Sensors In Viscous Fluids Using Timoshenko Beam Theory, Joshua Schultz, Stephen M. Heinrich, Fabien Josse, Isabelle Dufour, Nicholas J. Nigro, Luke A. Beardslee, Oliver Brand

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

To more accurately model microcantilever resonant behavior in liquids and to improve lateral-mode sensor performance, a new model is developed to incorporate viscous fluid effects and Timoshenko beam effects (shear deformation, rotatory inertia). The model is motivated by studies showing that the most promising geometries for lateral-mode sensing are those for which Timoshenko effects are most pronounced. Analytical solutions for beam response due to harmonic tip force and electrothermal loadings are expressed in terms of total and bending displacements, which correspond to laser and piezoresistive readouts, respectively. The influence of shear deformation, rotatory inertia, fluid properties, and actuation/detection schemes on …


A Decision Framework For Optimal Pairing Of Wind And Demand Response Resources, C. Lindsay Anderson, Judith Cardell Jan 2014

A Decision Framework For Optimal Pairing Of Wind And Demand Response Resources, C. Lindsay Anderson, Judith Cardell

Engineering: Faculty Publications

Day-ahead electricity markets do not readily accommodate power from intermittent resources such as wind because of the scheduling difficulties presented by the uncertainty and variability in these resources. Numerous entities have developed methods to improve wind forecasting and thereby reduce the uncertainty in a day-ahead schedule for wind power generation. This paper introduces a decision framework for addressing the inevitable remaining variability resulting from imperfect forecasts. The framework uses a paired resource, such as demand response, gas turbine, or storage, to mitigate the generation scheduling errors due to wind forecast error. The methodology determines the cost-effective percentage, or adjustment factor, …


Hybrid Power System Options For Off-Grid Rural Electrification In Northern Kenya, June M. Lukuyu, Judith Cardell Jan 2014

Hybrid Power System Options For Off-Grid Rural Electrification In Northern Kenya, June M. Lukuyu, Judith Cardell

Engineering: Faculty Publications

For domestic consumers in the rural areas of northern Kenya, as in other developing countries, the typical source of electrical supply is diesel generators. However, diesel generators are associated with both CO2 emissions, which adversely affect the environment and increase diesel fuel prices, which inflate the prices of consumer goods. The Kenya government has taken steps towards addressing this issue by proposing The Hybrid Mini-Grid Project, which involves the installation of 3 MW of wind and solar energy systems in facilities with existing diesel generators. However, this project has not yet been implemented. As a contribution to this effort, this …


Developing A Learner-Centered Classroom Through Collaborative Knowledge Building, Glenn W. Ellis, Halimat A. Ipesa-Balogun, Yanning Yu, Yezhezi Zhang, Xi Jiang Jan 2014

Developing A Learner-Centered Classroom Through Collaborative Knowledge Building, Glenn W. Ellis, Halimat A. Ipesa-Balogun, Yanning Yu, Yezhezi Zhang, Xi Jiang

Engineering: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Comparison Of Student Misconceptions In Rotational And Rectilinear Motion, Warren A. Turner, Glenn W. Ellis, Robert J. Beichner Jan 2014

A Comparison Of Student Misconceptions In Rotational And Rectilinear Motion, Warren A. Turner, Glenn W. Ellis, Robert J. Beichner

Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Test of Understanding Graphics in Kinematics (TUG-K) has been modified to produce a Test of Understanding Graphics in Rotational Kinematics (TUG-R) to probe student understanding of rotational kinematics. The seven objectives of the TUG-K were modified with three questions to explore each objective resulting in a 21 question TUG-R which closely parallels the original. For many questions the modification was a simple substitution of the equivalent rotational quantity for its linear counterpart in the question stem, answers and graph- Axis labels. For the remainder of the questions the modification was straightforward. For instance, references to objects moving in a …


Transient Stability Enhancement Of Wind Farms Using Power Electronics And Facts Controllers, Hossein A. Mohammadpour Jan 2014

Transient Stability Enhancement Of Wind Farms Using Power Electronics And Facts Controllers, Hossein A. Mohammadpour

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, it is well-understood that the burning of fossil fuels in electric power station has a significant influence on the global climate due to greenhouse gases. In many countries, the use of cost-effective and reliable low-carbon electricity energy sources is becoming an important energy policy. Among different kinds of clean energy resources- such as solar power, hydro-power, ocean wave power and so on, wind power is the fastest-growing form of renewable energy at the present time. Moreover, adjustable speed generator wind turbines (ASGWT) has key advantages over the fixed-speed generator wind turbines (FSGWT) in terms of less mechanical stress, improved …


Modeling And Validation Of A Synchronous-Machine/Controlled-Rectifier System, Kyle A. Hord Jan 2014

Modeling And Validation Of A Synchronous-Machine/Controlled-Rectifier System, Kyle A. Hord

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The hardware validation of a novel average-value model (AVM) for the simulation of a synchronous-generator/controlled rectifier system is presented herein. The generator is characterized using genetic algorithm techniques to fit standstill frequency response (SSFR) measurements to q and d-axis equivalent circuits representing the generator in the rotor reference frame. The generator parameters form the basis of a detailed model of the system, from which algebraic functions defining the parametric AVM are derived. The average-value model is compared to the physical system for a variety of loading and operating conditions including step load change, change in delay angle, and external closed-loop …


Model Analysis And Predictive Control Of Double Electrode Submerged Arc Welding Process For Fillet Joints With Root Opening, Yi Lu Jan 2014

Model Analysis And Predictive Control Of Double Electrode Submerged Arc Welding Process For Fillet Joints With Root Opening, Yi Lu

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) for fillet joints is one of the major applications in the shipbuilding industry. Due to the requirement for the weld size, a sufficient amount of metal must be deposited. In conventional SAW process, the heat input is proportional to the amount of metal melted and is thus determined by the required weld size. To meet this requirement, an excessive amount of heat is applied causing large distortions on the welded structures whose follow-up straightening is highly costly. In order to reduce the needed heat input, Double-Electrode (DE) technology has been practiced creating the Double-Electrode SAW (DE-SAW) …


A Universal Background Subtraction System, Hasan Sajid Jan 2014

A Universal Background Subtraction System, Hasan Sajid

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Background Subtraction is one of the fundamental pre-processing steps in video processing. It helps to distinguish between foreground and background for any given image and thus has numerous applications including security, privacy, surveillance and traffic monitoring to name a few. Unfortunately, no single algorithm exists that can handle various challenges associated with background subtraction such as illumination changes, dynamic background, camera jitter etc. In this work, we propose a Multiple Background Model based Background Subtraction (MB2S) system, which is universal in nature and is robust against real life challenges associated with background subtraction. It creates multiple background models …


Machine-Human Cooperative Control Of Welding Process, Weijie Zhang Jan 2014

Machine-Human Cooperative Control Of Welding Process, Weijie Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

An innovative auxiliary control system is developed to cooperate with an unskilled welder in a manual GTAW in order to obtain a consistent welding performance. In the proposed system, a novel mobile sensing system is developed to non-intrusively monitor a manual GTAW by measuring three-dimensional (3D) weld pool surface. Specifically, a miniature structured-light laser amounted on torch projects a dot matrix pattern on weld pool surface during the process; Reflected by the weld pool surface, the laser pattern is intercepted by and imaged on the helmet glass, and recorded by a compact camera on it. Deformed reflection pattern contains the …


Development Of Northrop-Grumman Mark Viie Training Unit And Wireless Video System For Use In Immersive Environments, Randall Lee Lewis Jan 2014

Development Of Northrop-Grumman Mark Viie Training Unit And Wireless Video System For Use In Immersive Environments, Randall Lee Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

A training unit has been developed that allows NVESD researchers to develop training simulations within virtual environments to enhance infantry skill and awareness. A ground station was developed to house a computer, power system, and video transmission system. This station will allow for a remote operator to wirelessly send a video/audio stream to the handset. The ground station also allows the use of external video and audio inputs to be sent using onboard converters. Different wireless frequencies were evaluated to determine the best for long-range transmission of content. A handset was developed from a carbon fiber prototype shell. The handset …


Multi-Domain, Multi-Objective-Optimization-Based Approach To The Design Of Controllers For Power Electronics, Jing Shang Jan 2014

Multi-Domain, Multi-Objective-Optimization-Based Approach To The Design Of Controllers For Power Electronics, Jing Shang

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Power converter has played a very important role in modern electric power systems. The control of power converters is necessary to achieve high performance. In this study, a dc-dc buck converter is studied. The parameters of a notional proportional-integral controller are to be selected. Genetic algorithms (GAs), which have been widely used to solve multi-objective optimization problems, is used in order to locate appropriate controller design. The control metrics are specified as phase margin in frequency domain and voltage error in time-domain. GAs presented the optimal tradeoffs between these two objectives. Three candidate control designs are studied in simulation and …