On the Chaotic Suppression of Both Ideal and Non-ideal Duffing Based Vibrating Systems, Using a Magnetorheological Damper

In this paper the dynamics of the ideal and non-ideal Duffing oscillator with chaotic behavior is considered. In order to suppress the chaotic behavior and to control the system, a control signal is introduced in the system dynamics. The control strategy involves the application of two control signals, a nonlinear feedforward control to maintain the controlled system in a periodic orbit, obtained by the harmonic balance method, and a state feedback control, obtained by the state dependent Riccati equation, to bring the system trajectory into the desired periodic orbit. Additionally, the control strategy includes an active magnetorheological damper to actuate on the system. The control force of the damper is a function of the electric current applied in the coil of the damper, that is based on the force given by the controller and on the velocity of the damper piston displacement. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the control strategy in leading the system from any initial condition to a desired orbit, and considering the mathematical model of the damper (MR), it was possible to control the force of the shock absorber (MR), by controlling the applied electric current in the coils of the damper. © 2012 Foundation for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.

Implementação de um controle digital para o compensador regenerativo de potência ativa

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Controle digital através de dispositivo FPGA aplicado a um retificador trifásico híbrido operando com modulação por histerese variável

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Projetos de controle discreto com modos deslizantes para sistemas sujeitos a atraso no controle

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Compactação de um cambissolo háplico causada pela extração florestal com trator Skidder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chaveamento de cargas intermitentes usando sensor de corrente

Due to concerns about rational use of energy, several alternative technologies of power generation appeared, including the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy by photovoltaic panels. In low-income households, the refrigerator represents considerable impact on the electric bill, since it requires constant power given its use in food preservation. It is possible to reduce this share, with the use of an alternative energy source. This work presents a timed switching electronic system, which allows commercial equipment that is not affected by short interruptions in the power supply to use a photovoltaic panel as a source of alternative energy, which usually do not provide energy continuously. Switching is made automatically in case of low incidence of sunlight, and without any form of energy storage. Between each switching, there is a dead time without power supply, therefore preventing the use of synchronizers circuits between the photovoltaic panel and the public power grid. A circuit containing a 80C31 microcontroller is used to control the system’s switching. The photovoltaic panel’s voltage inverter is in H bridge configuration, and is also controlled by the microcontroller through Pulse Width Modulation, which makes use of preprogrammed tables to generate the control signals of the power transistors. Through the use of software simulations, the proposed system was tested, which is capable of supplying intermittent single-phase loads. The simulations indicates that the project developed in this paper can be assembled into a prototype and be tested under real operating conditions, as long as the scaling of components, the characteristics of the photovoltaic panel to be used, and the project involved load are taken into account

Detecção da procedência de plantas psicoativas pelos isótopos estáveis do nitrogênio (15n) e oxigênio (18o)

This research examines the merits of hallucinogenic plants considered and/or psychoactive substances, such as Cannabis sativa and Ipomoea violacea, using the isotope rates of stable isotope of oxygen (18O) and nitrogen (15N), continuing projects already developed by the research group at the Center for Stable Isotope (CIE), which evaluated the isotopes carbon-13. This paper helps in creating a database that we intent to use in evaluation of each plant merit. Through the IRMS (Isotope-Ratio Mass Spectrometry) technique, it has shown that some of the 24 samples of marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) evaluated were similar to those grown in the regions of Fairbanks and Tanacross Alaska, USA. In turn, the 50 samples of Ipomoea violacea, coming from Botucatu (SP) and Três Lagoas (MS), got their differences detected, in order to clearly identify the discrepancies between their growing regions. Thus, it was possible not only to track the geographical differences between marijuana samples collected from different regions, but also evaluate the isotopic variation of leaf, flower and seed of Ipomoea violacea. With this database, it was possible to determine the origin region of the drug and/or detect where the cultivation was carried out, aiding in the search of the traffic control agencies, such as the Federal Police in Brazil

Estudo da dinâmica de populações utilizando a técnica de polinômios de colocação

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEB

On suppression of chaotic motions of a portal frame structure under non-ideal loading using a magneto-rheological damper

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Use of myoelectric signals to command mobile entertainment robot by disabled children: Design and control architecture

Severely disabled children have little chance of environmental and social exploration and discovery. This lack of interaction and independency may lead to an idea that they are unable to do anything by themselves. In an attempt to help children in this situation, educational robotics can offer and aid, once it can provide them a certain degree of independency in the exploration of environment. The system developed in this work allows the child to transmit the commands to a robot through myoelectric and movement sensors. The sensors are placed on the child's body so they can obtain information from the body inclination and muscle contraction, thus allowing commanding, through a wireless communication, the mobile entertainment robot to carry out tasks such as play with objects and draw. In this paper, the details of the robot design and control architecture are presented and discussed. With this system, disabled children get a better cognitive development and social interaction, balancing in a certain way, the negative effects of their disabilities. © 2012 IEEE.

Moxonidine into the lateral parabrachial nucleus modifies postingestive signals involved in sodium intake control

The activation of a2-adrenoceptors with bilateral injections of moxonidine (a2-adrenoceptor and imidazoline receptor agonist) into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) increases 1.8% NaCl intake induced by treatment with furosemide (FURO) + captopril (CAP) subcutaneously. In the present study, we analyzed licking microstructure during water and 1.8% NaCl intake to investigate the changes in orosensory and postingestive signals produced by moxonidine injected into the LPBN. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with FURO + CAP combined with bilateral injections of vehicle or moxonidine (0.5 nmol/0.2 ll) into the LPBN. Bilateral injections of moxonidine into the LPBN increased FURO + CAP-induced 1.8% NaCl intake, without changing water intake. Microstructural analysis of licking behavior found that this increase in NaCl intake was a function of increased number of licking bursts from 15 to 75 min of the test (maximum of 49 ± 9 bursts/bin, vs. vehicle: 2 ± 2 bursts/bin). Analysis of the first 15 min of the test, when most of the licking behavior occurred, found no effect of moxonidine on the number of licks/burst for sodium intake (24 ± 5 licks/burst, vs. vehicle: 27 ± 8 licks/burst). This finding suggests that activation of a2-adrenoceptors in the LPBN affects postingestive signals that are important to inhibit and limit sodium intake by FURO + CAP-treated rats.

Power performance evaluation of an electric home fan with triac-based automatic speed control system

In order to provide a low cost system of thermal comfort, a common model of home fan, 40 cm diameter size, had its manual four-button control system replaced by an automatic speed control. The new control system has a temperature sensor feeding a microcontroller that, by using an optic coupling, DIAC or TRIAC-based circuit, varies the RMS value of the fan motor input voltage and its speed, according to the room temperature. Over a wide range of velocity, the fan net power and the motor fan input power were measured working under both control system. The temperature of the motor stator and the voltage waveforms were observed too. Measured values analysis showed that the TRIAC-based control system makes the fan motor work at a very low power factor and efficiency values. The worst case is at low velocity range where the higher fan motor stator temperatures were registered. The poor power factor and efficiency and the harmonics signals inserted in the motor input voltage wave by the TRIAC commutation procedure are correlated.

Bivariate control charts with double sampling

In this article, we consider the T(2) chart with double sampling to control bivariate processes (BDS chart). During the first stage of the sampling, n(1) items of the sample are inspected and two quality characteristics (x; y) are measured. If the Hotelling statistic T(1)(2) for the mean vector of (x; y) is less than w, the sampling is interrupted. If the Hotelling statistic T(1)(2) is greater than CL(1), where CL(1) > w, the control chart signals an out-of-control condition. If w < T(1)(2) <= CL(1), the sampling goes on to the second stage, where the remaining n(2) items of the sample are inspected and T(2)(2) for the mean vector of the whole sample is computed. During the second stage of the sampling, the control chart signals an out-of-control condition when the statistic T(2)(2) is larger than CL(2). A comparative study shows that the BDS chart detects process disturbances faster than the standard bivariate T(2) chart and the adaptive bivariate T(2) charts with variable sample size and/or variable sampling interval.

H-2 and H-infinity-optimal control for the tracking problem with zero variation

The problem of signal tracking, in the presence of a disturbance signal in the plant, is solved using a zero-variation methodology. A state feedback controller is designed in order to minimise the H-2-norm of the closed-loop system, such that the effect of the disturbance is attenuated. Then, a state estimator is designed and the modification of the zeros is used to minimise the H-infinity-norm from the reference input signal to the error signal. The error is taken to be the difference between the reference and the output signals, thereby making it a tracking problem. The design is formulated in a linear matrix inequality framework, such that the optimal solution of the stated control problem is obtained. Practical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions for state-derivative feedback control in polytopic linear systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)