Position Control of a Flexible Manipulator Using a New Nonlinear Self-Tuning PID Controller

In this paper, a new nonlinear self-tuning PID controller(NSPIDC) is proposed to control the joint position and link deflection of a flexible-link manipulator(FLM) while it is subjected to carry different payloads. Since, payload is a critical parameter of the FLM whose variation greatly influences the controller performance. The proposed controller guarantees stability under change in payload by attenuating the non-modeled higher order dynamics using a new nonlinear autoregressive moving average with exogenous-input(NARMAX) model of the FLM. The parameters of the FLM are identified on-line using recursive least square(RLS) algorithm and using minimum variance control(MVC) laws the control parameters are updated in real-time. This proposed NSPID controller has been implemented in real-time on an experimental set-up. The joint tracking and link deflection performances of the proposed adaptive controller are compared with that of a popular direct adaptive controller(DAC). From the obtained results, it is confirmed that the proposed controller exhibits improved performance over the DAC both in terms of accurate position tracking and quick damping of link deflections when subjected to variable payloads.

Self-adapting control parameters modifieddifferential evolution for trajectoryplanning of manipulators

Control parameters of original differential evolution （DE） are kept fixed throughout the entire evolutionary process. However, it is not an easy task to properly set control parameters in DE for different optiinization problems. According to the relative position of two different individual vectors selected to generate a difference vector in the searching place, a self-adapting strategy for the scale factor F of the difference vector is proposed. In terms of the convergence status of the target vector in the current population, a self-adapting crossover probability constant CR strategy is proposed. Therefore, good target vectors have a lower CFI while worse target vectors have a large CFI. At the same time, the mutation operator is modified to improve the convergence speed. The performance of these proposed approaches are studied with the use of some benchmark problems and applied to the trajectory planning of a three-joint redundant manipulator. Finally, the experiment results show that the proposed approaches can greatly improve robustness and convergence speed.

Development of seam tracking system with ultrasonic sensor using self-tuning fuzzy control

One kind of the SAW seam tracking system with contactless ultrasonic sensor is presented in this paper. The new contactless ultrasonic sensor for seam tracking and the working principle of the seam tracking with the sensor are introduced. Based on the experiments, the optimal values of the fuzzy control parameters α and k 3 are defined by means of the off line adjusting method. Because the self tuning fuzzy control is adopted in the seam tracking system, the overshoot of the system is restrained, the steady state error is reduced, and the system's response speed is improved effectively. The results of the SAW seam tracking experiments show that this system's tracking accuracy is up to ±0.5 mm and the system can satisfy the requirements of the engineering application.

Robust Tracking Control for Self-balancing Mobile Robots Using Disturbance Observer

In this paper,a robust tracking control scheme based on nonlinear disturbance observer is developed for the self-balancing mobile robot with external unknown disturbances.A desired velocity control law is firstly designed using the Lyapunov analysis method and the arctan function.To improve the tracking control performance,a nonlinear disturbance observer is developed to estimate the unknown disturbance of the self-balancing mobile robot.Using the output of the designed disturbance observer,the robust tracking control scheme is presented employing the sliding mode method for the selfbalancing mobile robot.Numerical simulation results further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed robust tracking control scheme for the self-balancing mobile robot subject to external unknown disturbances.

New robust fault-tolerant controller for self-repairing flight control systems

A new robust fault-tolerant controller scheme integrating a main controller and a compensator for the self-repairing flight control system is discussed.The main controller is designed for high performance of the original faultless system.The compensating controller can be seen as a standalone loop added to the system to compensate the effects of fault guaranteeing the stability of the system.A design method is proposed using nonlinear dynamic inverse control as the main controller and nonlinear extended state observer-based compensator.The stability of the whole closed-loop system is analyzed.Feasibility and validity of the new controller is demonstrated with an aircraft simulation example.

Self-triggered Consensus Control for Linear Multi-agent Systems With Input Saturation

In this paper, we study the consensus problem for a class of linear multi-agent systems(MASs) with consideration of input saturation under the self-triggered mechanism. In the context of discrete-time systems, a self-triggered strategy is developed to determine the time interval between the adjacent triggers. The triggering condition is designed by using the current sampled consensus error. Furthermore, the consensus control protocol is designed by means of a state feedback approach. It is shown that the considered multi-agent systems can reach consensus with the presented algorithm. Some sufficient conditions are proposed in the form of linear matrix inequalities(LMIs) to show the positively invariant property of the domain of attraction(DOA). Moreover, some sufficient conditions of controller synthesis are provided to enlarge the volume of the DOA and obtain the control gain matrix. A numerical example is simulated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis results.

Controllable fabrication of self-organized nano-multilayers in copper–carbon films

In order to clarify the influence of methane concentration and deposition time on self-organized nano-multilayers,three serial copper-carbon films have been prepared at various methane concentrations with different deposition times using a facile magnetron sputtering deposition system. The ratios of methane concentration(CH4/Ar+CH4) used in the experiments are 20%, 40%, and 60%, and the deposition times are 5 minutes, 20 minutes, and 40 minutes, respectively.Despite the difference in the growth conditions, self-organizing multilayered copper-carbon films are prepared at different deposition times by changing methane concentration. The film composition and microstructure are investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), x-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). By comparing the composition and microstructure of three serial films, the optimal growth conditions and compositions for self-organizing nano-multilayers in copper-carbon film are acquired. The results demonstrate that the self-organized nano-multilayered structure prefers to form in two conditions during the deposition process. One is that the methane should be curbed at low concentration for long deposition time,and the other condition is that the methane should be controlled at high concentration for short deposition time. In particular, nano-multilayered structure is self-organized in the copper-carbon film with copper concentration of 10-25 at.%.Furthermore, an interesting microstructure transition phenomenon is observed in copper-carbon films, that is, the nanomultilayered structure is gradually replaced by a nano-composite structure with deposition time and finally covered by amorphous carbon.

Fuzzy self-tuning PID control of the operation temperatures in a two-staged membrane separation process

A two-staged membrane separation process for hydrogen recovery from refinery gases is introduced. The principle of the gas membrane separation process and the influence of the operation temperatures are analyzed. As the conventional PID controller is difficult to make the operation temperatures steady, a fuzzy self-tuning PID control algorithm is proposed. The application shows that the algorithm is effective, the operation temperatures of both stages can be controlled steadily, and the operation flexibility and adaptability of the hydrogen recovery unit are enhanced with safety. This study lays a foundation to optimize the control of the membrane separation process and thus ensure the membrane performance.

The Relationship between College Students’ Online Game Addiction, Family Function and Self-Control

Objective: To study the status of online game addiction, self-control ability and family function, analyze the influence factors and the relationship between them. Methods: The questionnaire of online game addiction, family function and self-control ability was used to investigate some college students. Results: 1) The detection rate of college students’ online game addiction is 40%. There are significant differences in sex, grade and only child in online game addiction. 2) There are significant differences in self-control ability and family function between online game addicts and non-addicts. 3) Self-control ability and family function have a significant predictive effect on online game addiction. Conclusion: College students’ online game addiction is affected by their self-control ability and family function, and it can be alleviated by improving their self-control ability and family function.

Mechanical design and locomotion control of a homogenous lattice modular self-reconfigurable robot

In this paper, we propose a novel, 3D, like cubic shape, modular self-reconfigurable (MSR) robot named M-Cubes. Its key mechanical components are analyzed in detail. By communicating with the neighboring modules, each unit employs its automatic lock device composed of a pin and a hole on each connection plane which can connect or disconnect with neighboring modules. The M-Cubes system consisting of many identical modules cooperates to change their connection, and then the whole structure transforms into arbitrary structure. Furthermore, we describe its locomotion control based on the driving function and the adjacency matrix which is effective for solving the computationally difficult problem and optimizing the system motion path during the self-reconfiguration process. Finally, a simulation experiment using java 3D technology, proved the new method for controlling modular robot is robust and useful.

Variable Parameter Self-Adaptive Control Strategy Based on Driving Condition Identification for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Bus

A variable parameter self-adaptive control strategy based on driving condition identification is proposed to take full advantage of the fuel saving potential of the plug-in hybrid electric bus(PHEB).Firstly,the principal component analysis(PCA)and the fuzzy c-means clustering(FCM)algorithm is used to construct the comprehensive driving cycle,congestion driving cycle,urban driving cycle and suburban driving cycle of Chinese urban buses.Secondly,an improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)algorithm is proposed,and is used to optimize the control parameters of PHEB under different driving cycles,respectively.Then,the variable parameter self-adaptive control strategy based on driving condition identification is given.Finally,for an actual running vehicle,the driving condition is identified by relevance vector machine(RVM),and the corresponding control parameters are selected to control the vehicle.The simulation results show that the fuel consumption of using the variable parameter self-adaptive control strategy is reduced by 4.2% compared with that of the fixed parameter control strategy,and the feasibility of the variable parameter self-adaptive control strategy is verified.

Self-adaptive PID controller of microwave drying rotary device tuning on-line by genetic algorithms

The control design, based on self-adaptive PID with genetic algorithms(GA) tuning on-line was investigated, for the temperature control of industrial microwave drying rotary device with the multi-layer(IMDRDWM) and with multivariable nonlinear interaction of microwave and materials. The conventional PID control strategy incorporated with optimization GA was put forward to maintain the optimum drying temperature in order to keep the moisture content below 1%, whose adaptation ability included the cost function of optimization GA according to the output change. Simulations on five different industrial process models and practical temperature process control system for selenium-enriched slag drying intensively by using IMDRDWM were carried out systematically, indicating the reliability and effectiveness of control design. The parameters of proposed control design are all on-line implemented without iterative predictive calculations, and the closed-loop system stability is guaranteed, which makes the developed scheme simpler in its synthesis and application, providing the practical guidelines for the control implementation and the parameter design.

Controlled crystallization of hydroxyapatite under hexadecylamine self-assembled monolayer

The role of self assembled monolayer in inducing the crystal growth was investigated by X ray diffractions (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results show that crystallization in the absence of monolayer results in a mixture of poorly crystallized calcium phosphates, including hydroxyapatite (HAP) and octacalcium phosphate (OCP), while the presence of self assembled monolayer gives rise to oriented and well crystallized HAP crystals. Moreover, the HAP crystal grows very quickly under the self assembled monolayer, whereas very little calcium phosphate crystals grow without the monolayer. It is rationalized that the hexadecylamine monolayer with high polarity and charged density leads to increase supersaturation and lower the interfacial energy, which attributes to the HAP crystals nucleation. On the other hand, the positive headgroups construct the ordered "recognized site" with distinct size and topology, which results in the oriented HAP crystals deposit.

The Development of Self-Balancing Controller for One-Wheeled Vehicles

The purpose of this study is to develop a self-balancing controller (SBC) for one-wheeled vehicles (OWVs). The composition of the OWV system includes: a DSP motion card, a wheel motor, and its driver. In addition, a tilt and a gyro, for sensing the angle and angular velocity of the body slope, are used to realize self-balancing controls. OWV, a kind of unicycle robot, can be dealt with as a mobile-inverted-pendulum system for its instability. However, for its possible applications in mobile carriers or robots, it is worth being further developed. In this study, first, the OWV system model will be derived. Next, through the simulations based on the mathematical model, the analysis of system stability and controllability can be evaluated. Last, a concise and realizable method, through system pole-placement and linear quadratic regulator (LQR), will be proposed to design the SBC. The effectiveness, reliability, and feasibility of the proposal will be con- firmed through simulation studies and experimenting on a physical OWV.

Parameter Self - Learning of Generalized Predictive Control Using BP Neural Network

This paper describes the self—adjustment of some tuning-knobs of the generalized predictive controller(GPC).A three feedforward neural network was utilized to on line learn two key tuning-knobs of GPC,and BP algorithm was used for the training of the linking-weights of the neural network.Hence it gets rid of the difficulty of choosing these tuning-knobs manually and provides easier condition for the wide applications of GPC on industrial plants.Simulation results illustrated the effectiveness of the method.

Multiple mediation effects of health locusof control and hope on the relationshipbetween stroke patients’ social supportand self-management

Objective:This study aimed to identify the mediation effects of health locus of control(HLC)and hope between stroke patients’social support and self-management.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.A total of 300 Chinese stroke patients were recruited by convenient sampling from the acupuncture department of two Chinese Traditional Medical Hospitals in Tianjin Province from June to September 2018.The self-report questionnaires include Social Support Assessment Scale,Herth Hope Index,Mental Health Locus of Control Scale,Stroke Self-management Behavior Scale,and personal information questionnaires.All the survey data were entered in Excel and analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 program.Mediation was tested with Bootstrapping in AMOS 23.0 program.Results:The result showed that internal health locus of control(IHLC),chance health locus of control(CHLC)and hope were the mediators between social support and self-management.The direct,indirect,and total effects of social support on self-management behavior were 0.306 (P<0.01),0.109(P<0.01),and 0.415(P<0.01),respectively.Conclusions:Social support can directly influence self-management,and it can also indirectly influence self-management through IHLC,CHLC,and hope.

LINGUISTIC SELF-ORGANIZING PROCESS CONTROLLER USING GENETIC ALGORITHM

A linguistic self-organizing controller using genetic algorithm is presented, whose control policy is able to generate, develop and improve. The scaling factors can be chosen automatically.Optimizing the scaling factors by genetic algorithm instead of trial or experimental method which is often used in conventional linguistic self-organizing controller eliminates the drawback of an exhausive search of the GE*GC*GU space by human operator, and also produces the better system response and a set of better control rules. A number of simulations on linear dynamic systems as well as non-linear systems such as second order process with a random disturbance, third order process with time lags and the cart-pole balancing problem etc. are described in this paper, which shows that the controller has strong adaptive properties and gives better performance than that of the conventional linguistic self-organizing controller.