Passive activity enhances residual control ability in patients with complete spinal cord injury

Patients with complete spinal cord injury retain the potential for volitional muscle activity in muscles located below the spinal injury level.However,because of prolonged inactivity,initial attempts to activate these muscles may not effectively engage any of the remaining neurons in the descending pathway.A previous study unexpectedly found that a brief clinical round of passive activity significantly increased volitional muscle activation,as measured by surface electromyography.In this study,we further explored the effect of passive activity on surface electromyographic signals during volitional control tasks among individuals with complete spinal cord injury.Eleven patients with chronic complete thoracic spinal cord injury were recruited.Surface electromyography data from eight major leg muscles were acquired and compared before and after the passive activity protocol.The results indicated that the passive activity led to an increased number of activated volitional muscles and an increased frequency of activation.Although the cumulative root mean square of surface electromyography amplitude for volitional control of movement showed a slight increase after passive activity,the difference was not statistically significant.These findings suggest that brief passive activity may enhance the ability to initiate volitional muscle activity during surface electromyography tasks and underscore the potential of passive activity for improving residual motor control among patients with motor complete spinal cord injury.

Advances in Active Suspension Systems for Road Vehicles

Active suspension systems(ASSs)have been proposed and developed for a few decades,and have now once again become a thriving topic in both academia and industry,due to the high demand for driving comfort and safety and the compatibility of ASSs with vehicle electrification and autonomy.Existing review papers on ASSs mainly cover dynamics modeling and robust control;however,the gap between academic research outcomes and industrial application requirements has not yet been bridged,hindering most ASS research knowledge from being transferred to vehicle companies.This paper comprehensively reviews advances in ASSs for road vehicles,with a focus on hardware structures and control strategies.In particular,state-of-the-art ASSs that have been recently adopted in production cars are discussed in detail,including the representative solutions of Mercedes active body control(ABC)and Audi predictive active suspension;novel concepts that could become alternative candidates are also introduced,including series active variable geometry suspension,and the active wheel-alignment system.ASSs with compact structure,small mass increment,low power consumption,high-frequency response,acceptable economic costs,and high reliability are more likely to be adopted by car manufacturers.In terms of control strategies,the development of future ASSs aims not only to stabilize the chassis attitude and attenuate the chassis vibration,but also to enable ASSs to cooperate with other modules(e.g.,steering and braking)and sensors(e.g.,cameras)within a car,and even with high-level decision-making(e.g.,reference driving speed)in the overall transportation system-strategies that will be compatible with the rapidly developing electric and autonomous vehicles.

Integrated Active Suspension and Anti-Lock Braking Control for Four-Wheel-Independent-Drive Electric Vehicles

This paper presents an integrated control scheme for enhancing the ride comfort and handling performance of a four-wheel-independent-drive electric vehicle through the coordination of active suspension system(ASS)and anti-lock braking system(ABS).First,a longitudinal-vertical coupled vehicle dynamics model is established by integrating a road input model.Then the coupling mechanisms between longitudinal and vertical vehicle dynamics are analyzed.An ASS-ABS integrated control system is proposed,utilizing an H∞controller for ASS to optimize load transfer effect and a neural network sliding mode control for ABS implementation.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is evaluated through comprehensive tests conducted on a hardware-in-loop(HIL)test platform.The HIL test results demonstrate that the proposed control scheme can significantly improve the braking performance and ride comfort compared to conventional ABS control methods.

Joint Active and Passive Beamforming Design for Hybrid RIS-Aided Integrated Sensing and Communication

Integrated sensing and communication(ISAC) is considered an effective technique to solve spectrum congestion in the future. In this paper, we consider a hybrid reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-assisted downlink ISAC system that simultaneously serves multiple single-antenna communication users and senses multiple targets. Hybrid RIS differs from fully passive RIS in that it is composed of both active and passive elements, with the active elements having the effect of amplifying the signal in addition to phase-shifting. We maximize the achievable sum rate of communication users by collaboratively improving the beamforming matrix at the dual function base station(DFBS) and the phase-shifting matrix of the hybrid RIS, subject to the transmit power constraint at the DFBS, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio(SINR) constraint of the radar echo signal and the RIS constraint are satisfied at the same time. The builtin RIS-assisted ISAC design problem model is significantly non-convex due to the fractional objective function of this optimization problem and the coupling of the optimization variables in the objective function and constraints. As a result, we provide an effective alternating optimization approach based on fractional programming(FP) with block coordinate descent(BCD)to solve the optimization variables. Results from simulations show that the hybrid RIS-assisted ISAC system outperforms the other benchmark solutions.

Stochastic sampled-data multi-objective control of active suspension systems for in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles

This paper addresses the sampled-data multi-objective active suspension control problem for an in-wheel motor driven electric vehicle subject to stochastic sampling periods and asynchronous premise variables.The focus is placed on the scenario that the dynamical state of the half-vehicle active suspension system is transmitted over an in-vehicle controller area network that only permits the transmission of sampled data packets.For this purpose,a stochastic sampling mechanism is developed such that the sampling periods can randomly switch among different values with certain mathematical probabilities.Then,an asynchronous fuzzy sampled-data controller,featuring distinct premise variables from the active suspension system,is constructed to eliminate the stringent requirement that the sampled-data controller has to share the same grades of membership.Furthermore,novel criteria for both stability analysis and controller design are derived in order to guarantee that the resultant closed-loop active suspension system is stochastically stable with simultaneous𝐻2 and𝐻∞performance requirements.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed stochastic sampled-data multi-objective control method is verified via several numerical cases studies in both time domain and frequency domain under various road disturbance profiles.

Two Adaptive Control Algorithms in Semi-Active Suspension System

To reduce the vibration in the suspension, semi active suspension system was employed. And its CARMA model was built. Two adaptive control schemes, the minimum variance self tuning control algorithm and the pole configuration self tuning control algorithm, were proposed. The former can make the variance of the output minimum while the latter can make dynamic behavior satisfying. The stability of the two schemes was analyzed. Simulations of them show that the acceleration in the vertical direction has been reduced greatly. The purpose of reducing vibration is realized. The two schemes can reduce the vibration in the suspension and have some practicability.

Fuzzy Chaos Control for Vehicle Lateral Dynamics Based on Active Suspension System

The existing research of the active suspension system（ASS） mainly focuses on the different evaluation indexes and control strategies. Among the different components, the nonlinear characteristics of practical systems and control are usually not considered for vehicle lateral dynamics. But the vehicle model has some shortages on tyre model with side-slip angle, road adhesion coefficient, vertical load and velocity. In this paper, the nonlinear dynamic model of lateral system is considered and also the adaptive neural network of tire is introduced. By nonlinear analysis methods, such as the bifurcation diagram and Lyapunov exponent, it has shown that the lateral dynamics exhibits complicated motions with the forward speed. Then, a fuzzy control method is applied to the lateral system aiming to convert chaos into periodic motion using the linear-state feedback of an available lateral force with changing tire load. Finally, the rapid control prototyping is built to conduct the real vehicle test. By comparison of time response diagram, phase portraits and Lyapunov exponents at different work conditions, the results on step input and S-shaped road indicate that the slip angle and yaw velocity of lateral dynamics enter into stable domain and the results of test are consistent to the simulation and verified the correctness of simulation. And the Lyapunov exponents of the closed-loop system are becoming from positive to negative. This research proposes a fuzzy control method which has sufficient suppress chaotic motions as an effective active suspension system.

OPTIMAL CONTROL OF AN ACTIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEMEMPLOYING HIGH SPEED ON/OFF SOLENOID VALVE

Previous studies have confirmed that an active suspension system with high speed ON/OFF solenoid valves could provide the same vibration isolation efficiency as that of system with pressure proportional valve. In this study, by using Linear-quadratic optimization technique and Kalman filter method, an optimal regulator controller with a state observer was designed for the proposed system. Simulation and experimental research was conducted on a quarter car model. The simulation analysis of the system frequency characteristic suggested that the peak value of magnitude response curve in the case of system with an optimal controller would be lowered significantly, and the experiment results also showed that an improvement in the vibration isolation effect was obtained in using the designed optimal controller over the sky hook damper controller.

HPR1000： Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor with Active and Passive Safety

HPR1000 is an advanced nuclear power plant(NPP)with the significant feature of an active and passive safety design philosophy,developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation.On one hand,it is an evolutionary design based on proven technology of the existing pressurized water reactor NPP;on the other hand,it incorporates advanced design features including a 177-fuel-assembly core loaded with CF3 fuel assemblies,active and passive safety systems,comprehensive severe accident prevention and mitigation measures,enhanced protection against external events,and improved emergency response capability.Extensive verification experiments and tests have been performed for critical innovative improvements on passive systems,the reactor core,and the main equipment.The design of HPR1000fulfills the international utility requirements for advanced light water reactors and the latest nuclear safety requirements,and addresses the safety issues relevant to the Fukushima accident.Along with its outstanding safety and economy,HPR1000 provides an excellent and practicable solution for both domestic and international nuclear power markets.

Finite Frequency Fuzzy H∞Control for Uncertain Active Suspension Systems With Sensor Failure

This paper investigates the problem of finite frequency fuzzy H_∞ control for uncertain active vehicle suspension systems, in which sensor failure is taken into account. TakagiSugeno(T-S) fuzzy model is established for considered suspension systems. In order to describe the sensor fault effectively, a corresponding model is introduced. A vital performance index,H_∞ performance, is utilized to measure the drive comfort. In the framework of Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov theory, the H_∞ norm from external perturbation to controlled output is optimized effectively in the frequency domain of 4 Hz-8 Hz to enhance ride comfort level. Meanwhile, three suspension constrained requirements, i.e., ride comfort level, manipulation stability,suspension deflection are also guaranteed. Furthermore, sufficient conditions are developed to design a fuzzy controller to guarantee the desired performance of active suspension systems. Finally, the proposed control scheme is applied to a quarter-vehicle active suspension, and simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

A Novel Energy-regenerative Active Suspension for Vehicles

In order to regenerate electric power from the vibration excited by road unevenness,a novel energy- regenerative active suspension for vehicles was proposed with the description of its structure and its working principle with two modes switched in different operating conditions.Then,the novel active system was modeled and simulated to show the performance improvement in ride comfort in its electrical motor mode.Finally,the performance tests of the actuator prototype were carried out,which proves its capability for damping in its regenerative braking mode.The research results can provide useful guidance for the similar electrical active suspension design and development.

Decentralized Dynamic Event-Triggered Communication and Active Suspension Control of In-Wheel Motor Driven Electric Vehicles with Dynamic Damping

This paper addresses the co-design problem of decentralized dynamic event-triggered communication and active suspension control for an in-wheel motor driven electric vehicle equipped with a dynamic damper. The main objective is to simultaneously improve the desired suspension performance caused by various road disturbances and alleviate the network resource utilization for the concerned in-vehicle networked suspension system. First, a T-S fuzzy active suspension model of an electric vehicle under dynamic damping is established. Second,a novel decentralized dynamic event-triggered communication mechanism is developed to regulate each sensor's data transmissions such that sampled data packets on each sensor are scheduled in an independent manner. In contrast to the traditional static triggering mechanisms, a key feature of the proposed mechanism is that the threshold parameter in the event trigger is adjusted adaptively over time to reduce the network resources occupancy. Third, co-design criteria for the desired event-triggered fuzzy controller and dynamic triggering mechanisms are derived. Finally, comprehensive comparative simulation studies of a 3-degrees-of-freedom quarter suspension model are provided under both bump road disturbance and ISO-2631 classified random road disturbance to validate the effectiveness of the proposed co-design approach. It is shown that ride comfort can be greatly improved in either road disturbance case and the suspension deflection, dynamic tyre load and actuator control input are all kept below the prescribed maximum allowable limits, while simultaneously maintaining desirable communication efficiency.

Active suspension control of a one-wheel car model using single input rule modules fuzzy reasoning and a disturbance observer

This paper presents the construction of an active suspension control of a one-wheel car model using fuzzy reasoning and a disturbance observer. The one-wheel car model to be treated here can be approximately described as a nonlinear two degrees of freedom system subject to excitation from a road profile. The active control is designed as the fuzzy control inferred by using single input rule modules fuzzy reasoning, and the active control force is released by actuating a pneumatic actuator. The excitation from the road profile is estimated by using a disturbance observer, and the estimate is denoted as one of the variables in the precondition part of the fuzzy control rules. A compensator is inserted to counter the performance degradation due to the delay of the pneumatic actuator. The experimental result indicates that the proposed active suspension system improves much the vibration suppression of the car model. Key words One-wheel car model - Active suspension system - Single input rule modules fuzzy reasoning - Pneumatic actuator - Disturbance observer Document code A CLC number TH16

Active suspension in railway vehicles:a literature survey

Since the concept of active suspensions appeared,its large possible benefits has attracted continuous exploration in the field of railway engineering.With new demands of higher speed,better ride comfort and lower maintenance cost for railway vehicles,active suspensions are very promising technologies.Being the starting point of commercial application of active suspensions in rail vehicles,tilting trains have become a great success in some countries.With increased technical maturity of sensors and actuators,active suspension has unprecedented development opportunities.In this work,the basic concepts are summarized with new theories and solutions that have appeared over the last decade.Experimental studies and the implementation status of different active suspension technologies are described as well.Firstly,tilting trains are briefly described.Thereafter,an indepth study for active secondary and primary suspensions is performed.For both topics,after an introductory section an explanation of possible solutions existing in the literature is given.The implementation status is reported.Active secondary suspensions are categorized into active and semi-active suspensions.Primary suspensions are instead divided between acting on solid-axle wheelsets and independently rotating wheels.Lastly,a brief summary and outlook is presented in terms of benefits,research status and challenges.The potential for active suspensions in railway applications is outlined.

Sampled-Data Asynchronous Fuzzy Output Feedback Control for Active Suspension Systems in Restricted Frequency Domain

This paper proposes a novel sampled-data asynchronous fuzzy output feedback control approach for active suspension systems in restricted frequency domain.In order to better investigate uncertain suspension dynamics,the sampleddata Takagi-Sugeno(T-S)fuzzy half-car active suspension(HCAS)system is considered,which is further modelled as a continuous system with an input delay.Firstly,considering that the fuzzy system and the fuzzy controller cannot share the identical premises due to the existence of input delay,a reconstructed method is employed to synchronize the time scales of membership functions between the fuzzy controller and the fuzzy system.Secondly,since external disturbances often belong to a restricted frequency range,a finite frequency control criterion is presented for control synthesis to reduce conservatism.Thirdly,given a full information of state variables is hardly available in practical suspension systems,a two-stage method is proposed to calculate the static output feedback control gains.Moreover,an iterative algorithm is proposed to compute the optimum solution.Finally,numerical simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.

Signal frequency based self－tuning fuzzy controller for semi－active suspension system

A new kind of fuzzy control scheme, based on the identification of the signal' s main frequency and the behavior of the ER damper, is proposed to control the semi-active suspension system. This method ad-justs the fuzzy controller to achieve the best isolation effect by analyzing the main frequency' s characters and inspecting the change of system parameters. The input of the fuzzy controller is the main frequency and the op-timal damping ratio is the output. Simulation results indicated that the proposed control method is very effec-tive in isolating the vibration.

Pneumatic active suspension system for a one-wheel car model using fuzzy reasoning and a disturbance observer

This paper presents the construction of a pneumatic active suspension system for a one-wheel car model using fuzzy reasoning and a disturbance observer. The one-wheel car model can be approximately described as a nonlinear two degrees of freedom system subject to excitation from a road profile. The active control is composed of fuzzy and disturbance controls, and the active control force is constructed by actuating a pneumatic actuator. A phase lead-lag compensator is inserted to counter the performance degradation due to the delay of the pneumatic actuator. The experimental result indicates that the proposed active suspension improves much the vibration suppression of the car model.

Effects of active and passive training apparatus combined with rehabilitation training on lower limb function of stroke patients during recovery period

Stroke patients always spontaneously do some learning and training of motor functions; however, learning and training are not prompt and right, while patients do not have enough activity amounts. Active and passive motor training apparatus is aimed directly at lower limb training so as to stimulate nerve function through stimulating muscular movement. Based on motor mileage, motor time, various power supplies and velocity of active and passive training apparatus, we can understand the training condition and adjust training program. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of grade-III rehabilitation training combining with active and passive training apparatus on lower limb function, muscle strength and activity of daily living （ADL） in stroke patients during recovery period. DESIGN： Contrast observation. SETTING： Department of Rehabilitation, Jilin Academic Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 80 patients with stroke-induced hemiplegia after stabilizing vital signs for 2 weeks were selected from Department of Rehabilitation, Jilin Academic Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January to June 2007. There were 47 males and 33 females, and their ages ranged from 41 to 75 years. All patients met the diagnostic criteria of the Fourth National Cerebrovascular Disease Academic Meeting in 1995 and were diagnosed as cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction through CT or MRI examinations in clinic. Patients and their parents provided the confirmed consent. Based on therapeutic orders of hospitalization, patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group with 40 patients in each group. METHODS： Patients in the control group received physical therapy and occupational therapy combining with rehabilitative treatment based on grade-III rehabilitative treatment program, which was set by the National Cerebrovascular Disease Topic Group. In addition, patients in the treatment group were trained with active and passive motor training apparatus based on therapeutic procedures in the control group. The active and passive motor training apparatus was designed as the therapeutic style of nervous system; otherwise, the treatment was performed once a day, 30 minutes once and 6 times per week. Four weeks were regarded as a course. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Before treatment, at 2 weeks after treatment and after the first course, bare-handed muscle strength examination was used to check muscle strength and muscular tension; in addition, simple Fugl-Meyer assessment （FMA） and diagnostic criteria which were set by the Fourth National Cerebrovascular Disease Academic Meeting were used to evaluate motor function of limbs and total ADL. RESULTS： All 80 stroke patients were involved in the final analysis. ① Muscle strength of lower limbs was improved in both treatment group and control group. After the first course, muscle strength in the treatment group was obviously superior to that in the control group （ x^2=6.64, P 〈 0.05）. ② After the first course, Fugl-Meyer scores in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group, and there was significant difference （t =2.82, P 〈 0.05）. ③ Muscular tension of lower limbs was not changed in both treatment group and control group after treatment （P 〉 0.05）. ④ After the first course, ADL in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group （P 〈 0.05）. Among patients in the treatment group, 24 cases （60%） had obvious progress, 16 （40%） had progress, and 0 （0%） did not have any changes. On the other hand, among patients in the control group, 13 cases （32.5%） had obvious progress, 26 （65%） had progress, and 1 （2.5%） did not have any changes. CONCLUSION： Rehabilitation training combining with active and passive motor training apparatus can promote the recovery of lower limb disorder, increase muscle strength, control spasm, improve ADL and cause satisfactorily clinical effects in stroke patients during recovery period.

Detection efficiency characteristics of free-running InGaAs/InP single photon detector using passive quenching active reset IC

InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes （APD） are rarely used in a free-running regime for near-infrared single photon detection. In order to overcome the detrimental afterpulsing, we demonstrate a passive quenching active reset integrated circuit. Taking advantage of the inherent fast passive quenching process and active reset to reduce reset time, the integrated circuit is useful for reducing afterpulses and is also area-efficient. We investigate the free-running single photon detector＇s afterpulsing effect, de-trapping time, dark count rate, and photon detection efficiency, and also compare with gated regime operation. After correction for deadtime and afterpulse, we find that the passive quenching active reset free-running single photon detector＇s performance is consistent with gated operation.

Automobile active suspension system with fuzzy control

A quarter-automobile active suspension model was proposed. High speed on/off solenoid valves were used as control valves and fuzzy control was chosen as control method . Based on force analyses of system parts, a mathematical model of the active suspension system was established and simplified by linearization method. Simulation study was conducted with Matlab and three scale coefficients of fuzzy controller (ke, kec, ku) were acquired. And an experimental device was designed and produced. The results indicate that the active suspension system can achieve better vibration isolation performance than passive suspension system, the displacement amplitude of automobile body can be reduced to 55%. Fuzzy control is an effective control method for active suspension system.