Development of an innovative non rule-based energy management strategy for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle, structured for predictive driving controls based on external information knowledge

Recently, the interest of the automotive market for hybrid vehicles has increased due to the more restrictive pollutants emissions legislation and to the necessity of decreasing the fossil fuel consumption, since such solution allows a consistent improvement of the vehicle global efficiency. The term hybridization regards the energy flow in the powertrain of a vehicle: a standard vehicle has, usually, only one energy source and one energy tank; instead, a hybrid vehicle has at least two energy sources. In most cases, the prime mover is an internal combustion engine (ICE) while the auxiliary energy source can be mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic. It is expected from the control unit of a hybrid vehicle the use of the ICE in high efficiency working zones and to shut it down when it is more convenient, while using the EMG at partial loads and as a fast torque response during transients. However, the battery state of charge may represent a limitation for such a strategy. That’s the reason why, in most cases, energy management strategies are based on the State Of Charge, or SOC, control. Several studies have been conducted on this topic and many different approaches have been illustrated. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop an online (usable on-board) control strategy in which the operating modes are defined using an instantaneous optimization method that minimizes the equivalent fuel consumption of a hybrid electric vehicle. The equivalent fuel consumption is calculated by taking into account the total energy used by the hybrid powertrain during the propulsion phases. The first section presents the hybrid vehicles characteristics. The second chapter describes the global model, with a particular focus on the energy management strategies usable for the supervisory control of such a powertrain. The third chapter shows the performance of the implemented controller on a NEDC cycle compared with the one obtained with the original control strategy.

Avaliação da atividade muscular do vasto medial oblíquo em diferentes exercícios

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em Fisioterapia

Analysis of the aerobic-anaerobic transition in elite cyclists during incremental exercise with the use of electromyography

To investigate the validity and reliability of surface electromyography (EMG) as a new non-invasive determinant of the metabolic response to incremental exercise in elite cyclists. The relation between EMG activity and other more conventional methods for analysing the aerobic-anaerobic transition such as blood lactate measurements (lactate threshold (LT) and onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA)) and ventilatory parameters (ventilatory thresholds 1 and 2 (VT1 and VT2)) was studied.Twenty eight elite road cyclists (age 24 (4) years; VO2MAX 69.9 (6.4) ml/kg/min; values mean (SD)) were selected as subjects. Each of them performed a ramp protocol (starting at 0 W, with increases of 5 W every 12 seconds) on a cycle ergometer (validity study). In addition, 15 of them performed the same test twice (reliability study). During the tests, data on gas exchange and blood lactate levels were collected to determine VT1, VT2, LT, and OBLA. The root mean squares of EMG signals (rms-EMG) were recorded from both the vastus lateralis and the rectus femoris at each intensity using surface electrodes. Results - A two threshold response was detected in the rms-EMG recordings from both muscles in 90% of subjects, with two breakpoints, EMG(T1) and EMG(T2), at around 60-70% and 80-90% of VO2MAX respectively. The results of the reliability study showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) between mean values of EMG(T1) and EMG(T2) obtained in both tests. Furthermore, no significant differences (p > 0.05) existed between mean values of EMG(T1), in the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris, and VT1 and LT (62.8 (14.5) and 69.0 (6.2) and 64.6 (6.4) and 68.7 (8.2)% of VO2MAX respectively), or between mean values of EMG(T2), in the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris, and VT2 and OBLA (86.9 (9.0) and 88.0 (6.2) and 84.6 (6.5) and 87.7 (6.4)% of VO2MAX respectively). Rms-EMG may be a useful complementary non-invasive method for analysing the aerobic-anaerobic transition (ventilatory and lactate thresholds) in elite cyclists.

Performance of a vertical slot fish pass for the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus L. and habitat recolonization.

In 2011, a vertical-slot fish pass was built at the Coimbra Açude-Ponte dam (Mondego River, Portugal), approximately 45 km upstream from the river mouth. The performance of this infrastructure for sea lamprey passage was evaluated between 2011 and 2015 using several complementary methodologies, namely radio telemetry [conventional and electromyogram (EMG)], passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry and electrofishing surveys. During the study period, the electrofishing revealed a 29-fold increase in the abundance of larval sea lamprey upstream of the fish pass. Of the 20 radio-tagged individuals released downstream from the dam, 33% managed to find and successfully surpass the obstacle in less than 2 weeks, reaching the spawning areas located in the upstream stretch of the main river and in one important tributary. Fish pass efficiency was assessed with a PIT antenna installed in the last upstream pool and revealed a 31% efficiency, with differences between and within migratory seasons. Time of day and river flow significantly influenced the attraction efficiency of the fish pass, with lampreys negotiating it mainly during the night period and when discharge was below 50m3 s_1. Sea lampreys tagged with EMG transmitters took 3 h to negotiate the fish pass, during which high muscular effort was only registered during passage, or passage attempts, of the vertical slots. The use of complementary methodologies provided a comprehensive passage evaluation for sea lamprey, a species for which there is a considerable paucity of valuable data concerning behavioural, physiological and environmental influences on obstacle negotiation.

Inertial and magnetic sensors for upper limb kinematics: modeling, calibration, sensor fusion and clinical applications

The primary aim of the research activity presented in this PhD thesis was the development of an innovative hardware and software solution for creating a unique tool for kinematics and electromyographic analysis of the human body in an ecological setting. For this purpose, innovative algorithms have been proposed regarding different aspects of inertial and magnetic data elaboration: magnetometer calibration and magnetic field mapping (Chapter 2), data calibration (Chapter 3) and sensor-fusion algorithm. Topics that may conflict with the confidentiality agreement between University of Bologna and NCS Lab will not be covered in this thesis. After developing and testing the wireless platform, research activities were focused on its clinical validation. The first clinical study aimed to evaluate the intra and interobserver reproducibility in order to evaluate three-dimensional humero-scapulo-thoracic kinematics in an outpatient setting (Chapter 4). A second study aimed to evaluate the effect of Latissimus Dorsi Tendon Transfer on shoulder kinematics and Latissimus Dorsi activation in humerus intra - extra rotations (Chapter 5). Results from both clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of the developed platform to enter into daily clinical practice, providing useful information for patients' rehabilitation.

Analisi della co-contrazione e delle sinergie muscolari in ambito sportivo

Con l’aumentare del livello delle manifestazioni sportive d’élite, la biomeccanica dello sport è diventata uno strumento fondamentale per permettere agli atleti di tenere il passo con le difficoltà legate alla competizione. Per riuscire in questo compito, vengono integrate tecnologie sempre più avanzate e fra queste spicca l’elettromiografia di superficie. L’obbiettivo di questo lavoro consiste in una revisione della letteratura per vedere come l’EMG permetta di studiare l’attivazione coordinata di più muscoli ad un’articolazione o ad un intero arto, valutandone le sinergie muscolari, e capire quali vantaggi questo possa portare alla ricerca sportiva. Lo studio è stato limitato all’ambito del ciclismo e della corsa in quanto discipline in cui questa tecnologia è più utilizzata. I risultati hanno mostrato come lo studio delle sinergie muscolari permetta di raggiungere una comprensione più profonda del movimento e come le tecniche di allenamento possano sfruttare questa conoscenza per monitorare gli atleti e raggiungere strategie motorie sempre più efficienti.

Predicting corticospinal excitability from pre-TMS EEG using convolutional neural networks

The amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex (M1) shows a large variability from trial to trial, although MEPs are evoked by the same repeated stimulus. A multitude of factors is believed to influence MEP amplitudes, such as cortical, spinal and motor excitability state. The goal of this work is to explore to which degree the variation in MEP amplitudes can be explained by the cortical state right before the stimulation. Specifically, we analyzed a dataset acquired on eleven healthy subjects comprising, for each subject, 840 single TMS pulses applied to the left M1 during acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG). An interpretable convolutional neural network, named SincEEGNet, was utilized to discriminate between low- and high-corticospinal excitability trials, defined according to the MEP amplitude, using in input the pre-TMS EEG. This data-driven approach enabled considering multiple brain locations and frequency bands without any a priori selection. Post-hoc interpretation techniques were adopted to enhance interpretation by identifying the more relevant EEG features for the classification. Results show that individualized classifiers successfully discriminated between low and high M1 excitability states in all participants. Outcomes of the interpretation methods suggest the importance of the electrodes situated over the TMS stimulation site, as well as the relevance of the temporal samples of the input EEG closer to the stimulation time. This novel decoding method allows causal investigation of the cortical excitability state, which may be relevant for personalizing and increasing the efficacy of therapeutic brain-state dependent brain stimulation (for example in patients affected by Parkinson’s disease).

Analisi dell'attività muscolare del deltoide nel movimento di reaching tramite elettromiografia ad alta densità e monopoli simulati

La seguente tesi è stata sviluppata all’interno del progetto Neurograsp il cui obiettivo è individuare una correlazione tra l’attività muscolare e l’attivazione delle diverse aree corticali. Sono state impiegate diverse tecniche per acquisire segnali dal soggetto durante il task motorio da lui eseguito e questa tesi è incentrata sull’analisi dei dati acquisiti tramite Elettromiografia ad alta densità. I segnali elaborati sono quelli relativi all’attività muscolare di deltoide anteriore e posteriore, muscoli essenziali per il movimento di reaching. Il seguente lavoro è incentrato sull’elaborazione dei dati grezzi dall’HD-EMG e sulla loro rappresentazione con lo scopo di trarre conclusioni riguardo i pattern dell’attività muscolare e l’apprendimento motorio. In definitiva l’analisi qui descritta mira a descrivere nel contesto del progetto Neurograsp come si comportano i deltoidi riportando in dettaglio esempi dei risultati più significativi.