A framework for distributed intelligent automation systems developments

This chapter proposes a simple and pragmatic framework that has been developed for classifying and analyzing developments in distributed automation and information systems - especially those that have been labelled intelligent systems for different reasons. The framework dissects the different stages in the standard feedback process and assesses distribution in terms of the level of granularity of the organization that is being considered. The framework has been found to be useful in comparing and assessing different distributed industrial control paradigms and also for examining common features of different development projects - especially those that might be sourced from different sectors or domains. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

Control limitations from distributed sensing: Theory and Extremely Large Telescope application

We investigate performance bounds for feedback control of distributed plants where the controller can be centralized (i.e. it has access to measurements from the whole plant), but sensors only measure differences between neighboring subsystem outputs. Such "distributed sensing" can be a technological necessity in applications where system size exceeds accuracy requirements by many orders of magnitude. We formulate how distributed sensing generally limits feedback performance robust to measurement noise and to model uncertainty, without assuming any controller restrictions (among others, no "distributed control" restriction). A major practical consequence is the necessity to cut down integral action on some modes. We particularize the results to spatially invariant systems and finally illustrate implications of our developments for stabilizing the segmented primary mirror of the European Extremely Large Telescope. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residual strength of GRP laminates with multiple randomly distributed fragment impacts

The residual tensile strength of glass fibre reinforced composites with randomly distributed holes and fragment impact damages have been investigated. Experiments have been performed on large scale panels and small scale specimens. A finite element model has been developed to predict the strength of multi-axial panels with randomly distributed holes. Further, an effective analytical model has been developed using percolation theory. The model gives an estimation of the residual strength as function of removed surface area caused by the holes. It is found that if 8% of the area is removed, the residual strength is approximately 50% of the un-damaged strength. © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

MIMO System capacity improvements using radio-over-fibre distributed antenna system technology

The effect of antenna separation in a 3×3 MIMO system using RoF DAS technology is investigated. Larger antenna separation is found to improve the throughput due to reduced channel correlation and improved SNR. © OSA/OFC/NFOEC 2011.

Macro - A tool to support distributed MDO

This paper addresses a new way for handling distributed design know as the Macro concept. It is based round the assumption that future design teams will become more distributed in nature as industry exploits the Internet and other integrated communication and data exchange systems. The paper notes that this concept is part of an attack on the problems associated with the total process of Distribute Multi-Disciplinary design and Optimisation. The concepts rely on the creation of distributed self-building and self-organising teams made up from members who are globally distributed. The paper describes both the approach adopted and its implementation in a prototype software system operating over the Internet. In essence the work presented is describing a novel method for implementing a distributed design process which is far from complete but which is producing challenging ideas. © 2000 by Cranfield University.

Experimental evaluation of layout designs for 3 × 3 MIMO-enabled radio-over-fiber distributed antenna systems

This paper experimentally demonstrates that, for two representative indoor distributed antenna system (DAS) scenarios, existing radio-over-fiber (RoF) DAS installations can enhance the capacity advantages of broadband 3 × 3 multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) radio services without requiring additional fibers or multiplexing schemes. This is true for both single-and multiple-user cases with a single base station and multiple base stations. First, a theoretical example is used to illustrate that there is a negligible improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when using a MIMO DAS with all N spatial streams replicated at N RAUs, compared with a MIMO DAS with only one of the N streams replicated at each RAU for N ≤ 4. It is then experimentally confirmed that a 3 × 3 MIMO DAS offers improved capacity and throughput compared with a 3 × 3 MIMO collocated antenna system (CAS) for the single-user case in two typical indoor DAS scenarios, i.e., one with significant line-of-sight (LOS) propagation and the other with entirely non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation. The improvement in capacity is 3.2% and 4.1%, respectively. Then, experimental channel measurements confirm that there is a negligible capacity increase in the 3 × 3 configuration with three spatial streams per antenna unit over the 3 × 3 configuration with a single spatial stream per antenna unit. The former layout is observed to provide an increase of ∼1% in the median channel capacity in both the single-and multiple-user scenarios. With 20 users and three base stations, a MIMO DAS using the latter layout offers median aggregate capacities of 259 and 233 bit/s/Hz for the LOS and NLOS scenarios, respectively. It is concluded that DAS installations can further enhance the capacity offered to multiple users by multiple 3 × 3 MIMO-enabled base stations. Further, designing future DAS systems to support broadband 3 × 3 MIMO systems may not require significant upgrades to existing installations for small numbers of spatial streams. © 2013 IEEE.