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The Split-pi converter can suitably interface an energy storage system (ESS) with a DC microgrid when galvanic isolation is not needed. Usually, the ESS voltage is lower than the grid-side voltage. However, limitations in terms of the ESS current make the use of a high-voltage ESS unavoidable when high power levels are required. In such cases, the ESS voltage can be higher than the microgrid voltage, especially with low microgrid voltages such as 48 V. Despite its bidirectionality and symmetry, the Split-pi exhibits a completely different dynamic behavior if its input and output ports are exchanged. Thus, the present work aims to model the Split-pi converter operating with an ESS voltage higher than the grid-side voltage in three typical microgrid scenarios where the controlled variable is the converter's output voltage. The devised state-space model considers the parasitic elements and the correct load model for each scenario. Furthermore, it is shown that the presence of the input LC filter can make the design of the loop controllers more complicated than in the case of a lower ESS voltage than the grid-side voltage. Finally, the study is validated through simulations and experimental tests on a lab prototype, and a robustness analysis is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new scheme for range-based localization is proposed. The main goal is to estimate the position of a mobile point based on distance measurements from fixed devices, called anchors, and on inertial measurements. Due to the nonlinear nature of the problem, an analytic relation to compute the position starting from these measurements does not exist, and often trilateration methods are used, generally based on least-square algorithms. The proposed scheme is based on the modeling of the localization process as a parallel robot, thereby methodologies and control algorithms used in the robotic area can be exploited. In particular, a closed-loop control system is designed for tracking the position of a mobile point based on range measurements from fixed anchors, and it is shown a peculiar structure of the tracking error dynamics, whose allows an intuitive gain tuning and ensures global exponential stability. Moreover, it is also shown a nice connection between tuning parameters and rate of convergence of the estimation error. Experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed localization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the analysis and design of a min-type strategy to control a synchronous boost converter in continuous conduction mode. The strategy uses a nonlinear switching surface to establish the change of topology in the converter and is analyzed by means of a sliding-mode control approach. Subsequently, the min-type strategy is modified by a hybrid control formulation, which introduces a hysteresis width and a dwell-time to obtain a finite switching frequency in the start-up and steady-state, respectively. The hybrid control formulation is implemented digitally by means of a microprocessor which processes the samples of inductor current and capacitor voltage to provide the control signal that activates the power switch. Experimental results in a prototype validate the proposed control strategy and show its potential in transient time and steady-state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of hybrid electric vehicles may be substantially increased if the energy of exhaust gases, which do not complete the expansion inside the cylinder of the internal combustion engine, is efficiently recovered using a properly designed turbo-generator and employed for vehicle propulsion. Previous studies, carried out by the same authors of this work, showed a potential hybrid vehicle fuel efficiency increment up to 15% employing a 20 kW turbine on a 100 HP-rated power thermal unit. The innovative thermal unit proposed here is composed of a supercharged engine endowed with a properly designed turbo-generator, which comprises two fundamental elements: an exhaust gas turbine expressly designed and optimized for the application, and a suitable electric generator necessary to convert the recovered energy into electric energy, which can be stored in the on-board energy storage system of the vehicle. In this two-part work, the realistic efficiency of the innovative thermal unit for hybrid vehicles is evaluated and compared to a traditional turbocharged engine. In Part 1, the authors presented a model for the prediction of the efficiency of a dedicated radial turbine, based on a simple but effective mean-line approach; the same paper also reports a design algorithm, which, thanks to some assumptions and approximations, allows fast determination of the right turbine geometry for a given design operating condition. It is worth pointing out that, being optimized for quasi-steady power production, the exhaust gas turbine here considered is quite different from the ones commonly employed for turbocharging applications; for this reason, and in consideration of the required power size, such a turbine is not available on the market, nor has its development been previously carried out in the scientific literature. In this paper, Part 2, a radial turbine geometry is defined for the thermal unit previously calculated, employing the design algorithm described in Part 1; the realistic energetic advantages that could be achieved by the implementation of the turbo-generator on a hybrid propulsion system are evaluated through the performance prediction model under different operating conditions of the thermal unit. As an overall result, it was estimated that, compared to a reference traditional turbocharged engine, the turbo-compound system could gain vehicle efficiency improvement between 3.1% and 17.9%, according to the output power delivered, with an average efficiency increment of 10.9% evaluated on the whole operating range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) may be substantially increased if the energy of the exhaust gases, which do not complete the expansion inside the cylinder of the internal combustion engine, is efficiently recovered by means of a properly designed turbogenerator and employed for vehicle propulsion; previous studies, carried out by the same authors of this work, showed a potential hybrid vehicle fuel efficiency increment up to 15% by employing a 20 kW turbine on a 100 HP rated power thermal unit. The innovative thermal unit here proposed is composed of a supercharged engine endowed with a properly designed turbogenerator, which comprises two fundamental elements: an exhaust gas turbine expressly designed and optimized for the application, and a suitable electric generator necessary to convert the recovered energy into electric energy, which can be stored in the on-board energy storage system of the vehicle. In these two parts, the realistic efficiency of the innovative thermal unit for hybrid vehicle is evaluated and compared to a traditional turbocharged engine. In Part 1, the authors present a model for the prediction of the efficiency of a dedicated radial turbine, based on a simple but effective mean-line approach; the same paper also reports a design algorithm, which, owing to some assumptions and approximations, allows a fast determination of the proper turbine geometry for a given design operating condition. It is worth pointing out that, being optimized for quasi-steady power production, the exhaust gas turbine considered is quite different from the ones commonly employed for turbocharging application; for this reason, and in consideration of the required power size, such a turbine is not available on the market, nor has its development been previously carried out in the scientific literature. In the Part 2 paper, a radial turbine geometry is defined for the thermal unit previously calculated, employing the design algorithm described in Part 1; the realistic energetic advantage that could be achieved by the implementation of the turbogenerator on a hybrid propulsion system is evaluated through the performance prediction model under the different operating conditions of the thermal unit. As an overall result, it was estimated that, compared to a reference traditional turbocharged engine, the turbocompound system could gain vehicle efficiency improvement between 3.1% and 17.9%, depending on the output power level, while an average efficiency increment of 10.9% was determined for the whole operating range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bidirectional DC/DC converters such as the Split-pi can be used to integrate an energy storage system (ESS) into a DC microgrid providing manifold benefits. However, this integration deserves careful design because the ESS converter must behave like a stiff voltage generator, a non-stiff voltage generator, or a current generator depending on the microgrid configuration. Part I of this work presented a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the Split-pi used as an ESS converter in all the possible DC microgrid scenarios. Five typical microgrid scenarios were identified. Each of them required a specific state-space model of the Split-pi and a suitable control scheme. The present paper completes the study validating the theoretical analysis based on simulations and experimental tests. The chosen case study encompassed a 48 V, 750 W storage system interfaced with a 180 V DC microgrid using a Split-pi converter. It can represent a reduced-power prototype of terrestrial and marine microgrids. A prototypal Split-pi converter was realized in the lab, and several experimental tests were performed to assess the performance in each scenario. The results obtained from the experimental tests were coherent with the simulations and validated the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of an electrical storage system (ESS) into a DC microgrid using a bidirectional DC/DC converter provides substantial benefits but requires careful design. Among such converter topologies, the Split-pi converter presents several merits at the cost of non-isolated operation. However, the few works in the literature on the Split-pi presented only closed-loop control with a single control loop; furthermore, they neglected the reactive components' parasitic resistances and did not perform any experimental validation. This work aimed at investigating the use of the Split-pi converter as a power interface between an ESS and a DC microgrid. Five typical microgrid scenarios are presented, where each of which requires a specific state-space model and a suitable control scheme for the converter to obtain high performance. In this study, two different state-space models of the converter that consider the parasitic elements are presented, the control schemes are discussed, and criteria for designing the controllers are also given. Several simulations, as well as experimental tests on a prototype realized in the lab, were performed to validate the study. Both the simulation and experimental results will be presented in part II of this work. The proposed approach has general validity and can also be followed when other bidirectional DC/DC converter topologies are employed to interface an ESS with a DC microgrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sampled-data observer is proposed for linear continuous-time systems whose outputs are sequentially sampled via non-uniform sampling intervals repeating a prescribed Round-Robin sequence. With constant sampling intervals (jitter-free case) we provide constructive necessary and sufficient conditions for the design of an asymptotic continuous–discrete observer whose estimation error is input-to-state stable (ISS) from process disturbances and measurement noise. We use a time-varying gain depending on the elapsed time since the last measurement. With non-constant sampling intervals (jitter-tolerant case), our design conditions are only sufficient. A suspension system example shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a control strategy for a DC–DC quadratic boost converter. In particular, a hybrid control scheme is proposed to encompass a control law and an observer for the estimation of the system states, based only on the measurements of the input and output voltages. Differently from classical control methods, where the controller is designed from a small-signal model, here the real model of the system is examined without considering the average values of the discrete variables. Using hybrid dynamical system theory, asymptotic stability of a neighborhood of the equilibrium point is established, ensuring practical stability of the origin, which contains estimation and tracking errors. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with motion control systems with induction motor, subject to severe requirements on both dynamics and steady-state behavior. The proposed control methodology could be viewed as an advancement of the standard field oriented control. It consists of two control loops, i.e., the rotor flux and the speed control loops, designed using the active disturbance rejection control method, with the aim to cope with both exogenous and endogenous disturbances, which are estimated by means of two linear extended state observers and then compensated. Moreover, with the aim of achieving total robustness, a sliding-mode based component is designed, in order to take into account disturbance estimation errors and uncertainties in the knowledge of the control gains. The effectiveness of this approach is shown by means of numerical simulations, and experiments carried out on a suitably developed test set-up. Finally, experimental comparisons between the proposed robust active disturbance rejection control, and the basic active disturbance rejection control are given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this work, a novel scheme for velocity and position estimation in a UWB range-based localization system is proposed. The suggested estimation strategy allows to overcome two main problems typically encountered in the localization systems. The first one is that it can be suitable for use in environments where the GPS signal is not present or where it might fail. The second one is that no accelerometer measurements are needed for the localization task. Moreover, to deal with the velocity estimation problem, a suitable Kalman–Bucy filter is designed and it is compared, experimentally, with a particle filter by showing the features of the two algorithms in order to be used in a localization context. Additionally, further experimental tests are carried out on a suitable developed test setup in order to confirm the goodness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new input–output feedback linearization control (FLC) technique of linear induction motors (LIMs), taking into consideration both the dynamic end-effects and the iron losses. Starting from a previously conceived dynamic model, including the dynamic end-effects and the iron losses, all the theoretical framework of the FLC has been developed. The proposed FLC improves a previous version of FLC in accounting also the iron losses, which in LIMs with fixed-secondary sheet play a pivotal role more than in rotating induction motors (RIMs). The proposed FLC has been experimentally tested on a suitably developed test setup, and experimental comparisons between the proposed FLC, the classic field-oriented control and a previously developed FLC, not accounting for the iron losses, have been shown in variable flux working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a nonlinear controller based on feedback linearization (FL) for synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drives which takes into consideration the magnetic saturation. The proposed nonlinear FL control based control technique has been developed starting from the theoretical definition of an original dynamic model of the SynRM taking into consideration both the self- and the cross-saturation effects. Such a control technique permits the dynamics of both the speed and axis flux loops to be maintained constant independently from the load and the saturation of the iron core in both constant flux and variable direct axis flux operating conditions. Finally, sensitivity of the performance of the proposed FL control versus the variation of the main motor parameters has been verified. The proposed technique has been tested experimentally on a suitably developed test setup. The proposed FL control has been further compared with the classic field-oriented control (FOC) in both constant flux and variable flux working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This survey addresses stability analysis for stochastic hybrid systems (SHS), which are dynamical systems that combine continuous change and instantaneous change and that also include random effects. We re-emphasize the common features found in most of the models that have appeared in the literature, which include stochastic switched systems, Markov jump systems, impulsive stochastic systems, switching diffusions, stochastic impulsive systems driven by renewal processes, diffusions driven by Lévy processes, piecewise-deterministic Markov processes, general stochastic hybrid systems, and stochastic hybrid inclusions. Then we review many of the stability concepts that have been studied, including Lyapunov stability, Lagrange stability, asymptotic stability, and recurrence. Next, we detail Lyapunov-based sufficient conditions for these properties, and additional relaxations of Lyapunov conditions. Many other aspects of stability theory for SHS, like converse Lyapunov theorems and robustness theory, are not fully developed; hence, we also formulate some open problems to serve as a partial roadmap for the development of the underdeveloped pieces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with robust estimation of rotor flux and speed for sensorless control of motion control systems with an induction motor. Instead of using sixth-order extended Kalman filters (EKFs), rotor flux is estimated by means of a fourth-order descriptor-type robust KF, which explicitly takes into account motor parameter uncertainties, whereas the speed is estimated using a recursive least squares algorithm starting from the knowledge of the rotor flux itself. It is shown that the descriptor-type structure allows for a direct translation of parameter uncertainties into variations of the coefficients appearing in the model, and this improves the degree of robustness of the estimates. Experimental findings, carried out on a closed-loop system consisting of a low-power induction-motor-load system, a proportional–integral-type controller, and the proposed estimator, are shown with the aim of verifying the goodness of the whole closed-loop control system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study proposes a state formulation of the space‐vector dynamic model of the Synchronous Reluctance Motor (SynRM) considering both saturation and cross‐saturation effects. The proposed model adopts the stator currents as state variables and has been theoretically developed in both the rotor and stator reference frames. The proposed magnetic model is based on a flux versus current approach and relies on the knowledge of 11 parameters. Starting from the definition of a suitable co‐energy variation function, new flux versus current functions have been initially developed, based on the hyperbolic functions and, consequently, the static and dynamic inductance versus current functions have been deduced. The dynamic inductance functions have been derived so to fulfill the reciprocity conditions. This study presents also a technique for the estimation of the parameters of the proposed magnetic model, which is based on stand‐still tests without the need to lock the rotor. The identification process has been performed based on the minimization of a suitably defined error function including the difference between the measured and estimated stator fluxes. The proposed parameter estimation technique has been tested in both numerical simulation and experimentally on a suitably developed test set‐up, permitting the experimental validation of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first part of the article, divided into two parts, dealing with the definition of a space-vector dynamic model of the linear induction motor (LIM) taking into consideration both the dynamic end-effects and the iron losses and its offline identification. This first part specifically treats the theoretical formulation of this model, which has been expressed in a state form, so to be, in perspective, suitably adopted for developing novel nonlinear control techniques, nonlinear observers as well as electrical losses minimization techniques. Besides the formulation of the dynamic model in space-vector state form, a steady-state analysis is proposed, highlighting the combined effects of the dynamic end-effects and the iron losses on the main electrical quantities of the LIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second part of an article, divided into two parts, dealing with the definition of a space-vector dynamic model of the linear induction motor (LIM) taking into consideration both the dynamic end-effects and the iron losses as well as the offline identification of its parameters. This second part is devoted to the description of an identification technique that has been suitably developed for the estimation of the electrical parameters of the LIM dynamic model accounting for both the dynamic end-effects and iron losses. Such an identification technique is strictly related to the state formulation of the proposed model and exploits genetic algorithms for minimizing a suitable cost function based on the processing of both the primary current and speed estimation errors. The proposed parameters’ estimation technique has been validated experimentally on a suitably developed test set-up. It has been further validated by a finite element analysis model of the LIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a robust input–output feedback linearization control technique for induction motors. Indeed, classic feedback linearization presents two main disadvantages: 1) the accuracy of the dynamic model; and 2) the corresponding correct knowledge of the model parameters. To address this issue, the linear controller has been substituted with a suitably controller designed to be robust to the variations of the main parameters of the induction motor, like stator and rotor resistances, and the three-phase magnetizing inductance. The proposed controller has been tested both in numerical simulation and experimentally on a suitably designed test setup. Moreover, it has been compared with the classical feedback linearization based on linear controllers, highlighting the improvements in terms of dynamic performance, when parameter variations occur. Results confirm a significant increase of the robustness of the controller against parameter variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a microsimulation-based approach for roundabout safety performance evaluation. Based on a sample of Slovenian roundabouts, the vehicle trajectories exported from AIMSUN and VISSIM were used to estimate traffic conflicts using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). AIMSUN and VISSIM were calibrated for single-lane, double-lane and turbo roundabouts using the corresponding empirical capacity function which included critical and follow-up headways estimated through meta-analysis. Based on calibration of the microsimulation models, a crash prediction model from simulated peak hour conflicts for a sample of Slovenian roundabouts was developed. A generalized linear model framework was used to estimate the prediction model based on field collected crash data for 26 existing roundabouts across the country. Peak hour traffic distribution was simulated with AIMSUN, and peak hour conflicts were then estimated with the SSAM applying the filters identified by calibrating AIMSUN and VISSIM. The crash prediction model was based on the assumption that the crashes per year are a function of peak hour conflicts, the ratio of peak hour traffic volume to average daily traffic volume and the roundabout outer diameter. Goodness-of-fit criteria highlighted how well the model fitted the set of observations also better than the SSAM predictive model. The results highlighted that the safety assessment of any road unit may rely on surrogate safety measures, but it strongly depends on microscopic traffic simulation model used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces a methodological approach based on genetic algorithms to calibrate microscopic traffic simulation models. The specific objective is to test an automated procedure utilizing genetic algorithms for assigning the most appropriate values to driver and vehicle parameters in AIMSUN. The genetic algorithm tool in MATLAB® and AIMSUN micro-simulation software were used. A subroutine in Python implemented the automatic interaction of AIMSUN with MATLAB®. Focus was made on two roundabouts selected as case studies. Empirical capacity functions based on summary random-effects estimates of critical headway and follow up headway derived from meta-analysis were used as reference for calibration purposes. Objective functions were defined and the difference between the empirical capacity functions and simulated data were minimized. Some model parameters in AIMSUN, which can significantly affect the simulation outputs, were selected. A better match to the empirical capacity functions was reached with the genetic algorithm-based approach compared with that obtained using the default parameters of AIMSUN. Overall, GA performs well and can be recommended for calibrating microscopic simulation models and solving further traffic management applications that practioners usually face using traffic microsimulation in their professional activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calculation of passenger car equivalents for heavy vehicles represents the starting point for the operational analysis of road facilities and other traffic management applications. This paper introduces a criterion to find the passenger car equivalents that reflect traffic conditions at double-lane roundabouts, where the capacity is typically estimated for each entry lane. Based on the equivalence defined by the proportion of capacity used by vehicles of different classes, the criterion implies a comparison between the capacity that would occur with a traffic demand of passenger cars only and the capacity reached beginning from a demand with a certain percentage of heavy vehicles. A preliminary activity consisted of the comparison of the empirical capacity functions based on a meta-analytical estimation of critical and follow up headways, and simulation output data derived for a double-lane roundabout built in AIMSUN. The formulation of the calibration process as an optimisation problem enabled to minimize an objective function using the genetic algorithm tool in MATLAB®. A subroutine in Python implemented the automatic interaction with AIMSUN. Differently from methods that propose constant values for the passenger car equivalents, the results highlighted that the passenger car equivalents at double-lane roundabouts increased when the circulating flow increased, while a higher effect was expected when the traffic streams included a higher number of heavy vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a nonlinear observer for induction machine drives based on space-vector dynamic model of induction machine, expressed in state form, which presents the peculiarity of taking into consideration the magnetic saturation of the iron core. This observer is particularly suitable in order to obtain high accuracy in rotor flux estimation, in both amplitude and phase position, during working conditions characterized by varying flux, among which the most important are those during electrical losses minimization. A Lyapunov-based convergence analysis is proposed in order to suitably compute the numerical observer gain guaranteeing the convergence of the estimation error. The proposed nonlinear observer has been tested by means of simulations and experiments carried out on a suitably developed test setup. Its behavior has been compared with that obtained with a standard full-order Luenberger observer that assumes the linearity of the magnetization characteristic. The paper shows the capability of the proposed nonlinear observer to correctly estimate amplitude and phase of the rotor flux under flux varying conditions. Moreover, the proposed observer exhibits a higher accuracy than that obtained with the standard observer, which does not consider the estimated magnetization characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes the theoretical framework and the experimental application of the active disturbance rejection control to linear induction motors. Such a nonlinear control (ADRC) technique can be viewed as a particular kind of input–output linearization control, where the nonlinear transformation of the state is not computed by means of the model, but it is estimated online. Such an approach permits to cope with unmodeling dynamics, as well as uncertainty in the knowledge of the model parameters and exogenous disturbances. The effectiveness of the proposed ADRC control law has been verified both by numerical simulations and experimentally on a suitably developed test setup. Moreover, the results have been compared with those achievable with the model-based feedback linearization control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passenger car equivalents for heavy vehicles are required to carry out capacity calculations and perform operational analysis of any road entity (roadway segments or intersections). At single-lane roundabouts, the constraints to the vehicular trajectories imposed by the curvilinear geometric design and the driver's gap acceptance behaviour are expected to produce an impact of the heavy vehicles on the quality of traffic flow different from that produced on freeways and two-lane highways or other at-grade intersections. This is also because entering flow is opposed by the circulating flow which has priority and travels in an anticlockwise direction on a single-lane path around the central island. This paper addresses the question of how to estimate the passenger car equivalents for heavy vehicles on single-lane roundabouts. First, a comparison was performed between the empirical capacity functions based on a meta-analytic estimation of the critical and the follow up headways and the simulation outputs manually obtained for a single-lane roundabout built in Aimsun microscopic simulator. A genetic algorithm-based calibration procedure, therefore, was used to reach a better convergence between the simulation outputs and the empirical capacities. Based on the calibrated model, the passenger car equivalents were determined by comparing the capacity functions built for a fleet of passenger cars with the capacity functions calculated for different percentages of heavy vehicles. Differently from HCM 2010 which assumes a heavy vehicle to be equivalent to two passenger cars and sets as 2.0 the passenger car equivalents for heavy vehicles for roundabouts, a higher PCE effect would be expected on the quality of traffic conditions when the traffic stream contains a high number of heavy vehicles; this effect should be accounted for when calculating capacity and level-of-services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an input–output feedback linearization (FL) control technique for rotating induction motors, which takes into consideration the magnetic saturation of the iron core. Starting from a new formulation of the dynamic model taking into consideration the magnetic saturation expressed in a space-state form in the rotor-flux-oriented reference frame, the corresponding FL technique has been developed. To this aim, a particular care has been given to the choice of nonlinear functions interpolating the magnetic parameters versus the rotor magnetizing current and the corresponding magnetic characteristic. The proposed FL technique has been tested experimentally on a suitably developed test setup and compared, under the same bandwidths of the speed and flux closed loops, with both the FL technique not taking into consideration the magnetic saturation and with the industrial standard in terms of high performance control of the induction motor: field-oriented control. A further comparison with the unique example present in the scientific literature of the FL control technique including the magnetic saturation has been shown, highlighting consistent improvements achievable by the proposed FL in terms of reduced computational demand and better dynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an input–output feedback linearization techniques for linear induction motors, taking into consideration the dynamic end-effects. As a main original content, this work proposes a new control law based on the on-line estimation of the induced-part time constant. The estimation law is obtained thanks to a Lyapunov based analysis and thus the stability of the entire control system, including the estimation algorithm, is intrinsically guaranteed. Moreover, with such an approach even the on-line variation of the induced-part time constant with the speed is retrieved, thus improving the behavior of previously developed approaches where such a variation vs. speed is considered a priori known. The proposed control technique, integrating the on-line induced-part time constant estimation, is tested by means of simulations and experiments carried out on a suitably developed test set-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first results of a research which applied a genetic algorithm to calibrate a microscopic traffic simulation model based on speed–density relationships. A large set of traffic data collected from the A22 Freeway, Italy, was used and a comparison was performed between the field measurements and the simulation outputs obtained for a test freeway segment by using the Aimsun microscopic simulator. The calibration was formulated as an optimization problem to be solved based on a genetic algorithm; the objective function was defined in order to minimize the differences between the simulated and real data sets in the speed–density graphs. For this purpose, the genetic algorithm tool in MATLAB ® was applied. Keeping in mind the objective to automatize this process, the optimization technique was attached to Aimsun via a subroutine, so that the data transfer between the two programs could automatically happen. An external script written in Python allowed the MATLAB ® software to interact with Aimsun software. A better match to the field data was reached with the optimization parameters set with the genetic algorithm. In order to check to what extent the model replicated reality, model validation was also addressed. Results showed that a genetic algorithm is usefully applicable in the calibration process of the microscopic traffic simulation model. Beneficial effects are expected by applying the suggested optimization technique since it searches for an optimum set of parameters through an efficient search method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the theoretical framework and the consequent application of the input–output feedback linearization (FL) control technique to linear induction motors (LIMs). LIM, additionally to rotating induction motor, presents other strong nonlinearities caused by the dynamic end effects, leading to a space-vector dynamic model with time-varying inductance and resistance terms and a braking force term. This paper, starting from a recently developed dynamic model of the LIM taking into consideration its end effects, defines a FL technique suited for LIMs, since it inherently considers its dynamic end effects. Additionally, it proposes a technique for the on-line estimation of the inductor resistance, based on model reference adaptive system (MRAS) on-line estimator; it has been exploited for adapting on-line the FL control action versus inductor resistance variations leading to undesirable steady-state tracking errors. The stability of the proposed MRAS on-line estimator has been proven theoretically, adopting the Popov's criterion for hyperstability. The proposed approach has been validated experimentally on a suitably developed test setup, under both no load and loaded conditions. It has been compared firstly with the simplest control structure, which is the scalar $V/f$ control, secondly under the same closed-loop bandwidths of the flux and speed systems, with the industrial standard in terms of high-performance control technique, i.e., field-oriented control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with convergence analysis of the extended Kalman filters (EKFs) for sensorless motion control systems with induction motor (IM). An EKF is tuned according to a six-order discrete-time model of the IM, affected by system and measurement noises, obtained by applying a first-order Euler discretization to a six-order continuous-time model. Some properties of the discrete-time model have been explored. Among these properties, the observability property is relevant, which leads to conditions that can be directly linked with the working conditions of the machine. Starting from these properties, the convergence of the stochastic state estimation process, in mean square sense, has been shown. The convergence is also explored with reference to the difference between the samples of the state of the continuous-time model and that estimated by the EKF. The results theoretically achieved have been also validated by means of experimental tests carried out on an IM prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This first part of a paper, divided into two parts, deals with the theoretical formulation of the input–output feedback linearization (FL) control technique as to be applied to linear induction motors (LIMs). Linear induction motors, differently from rotating induction motors (RIMs), present other strong non-linearities caused by the so-called dynamic end effects, leading to a space-vector model with time-varying inductance and resistance terms and an additional braking force term. This paper, starting from a dynamic model of the LIM taking into consideration its dynamic end effects, previously developed by the same authors, defines a feedback linearization (FL) technique suited for LIMs, since it inherently considers its end effects. It further emphasizes the role of the LIM dynamic end effects in the LIM control formulation, highlighting the differences with respect to the corresponding technique for RIMs. It describes the control design criteria, taking also into consideration the constraints on the control and controlled variables, arising from the application of such control technique in a real scenario. The second part of this paper describes the set of tests, both in numerical simulations and experiments, performed to assess the correctness of the proposed control technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second part of a paper, divided in two parts, dealing with the application of the input–output feedback linearization (FL) control technique to linear induction motors (LIMs). The first part has treated the theoretical formulation of the input–output feedback linearization control technique as to be applied to linear induction motors. This second part describes the set of tests, both in numerical simulations and experiments, performed to assess the validity of the control technique. In particular, it addresses the issues of the sensitivity of the FL control versus the LIM electrical parameters’ variations and the improvements achievable by considering the LIM dynamic end effects in the control formulation. The proposed FL technique has been further compared, under the same closed-loop bandwidths of the flux and speed systems, with the industrial standard in terms of high performance control technique: field oriented control (FOC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a speed observer for linear induction motors (LIMs), which is composed of two parts: 1) a linear Kalman filter (KF) for the online estimation of the inductor currents and induced part flux linkage components; and 2) a speed estimator based on the total least squares (TLS) EXIN neuron. The TLS estimator receives as inputs the state variables, estimated by the KF, and provides as output the LIM linear speed, which is fed back to the KF and the control system. The KF is based on the classic space-vector model of the rotating induction machine. The end effects of the LIMs have been considered an uncertainty treated by the KF. The TLS EXIN neuron has been used to compute, in recursive form, the machine linear speed online since it is the only neural network able to solve online, in a recursive form, a TLS problem. The proposed KF TLS speed estimator has been tested experimentally on a suitably developed test setup, and it has been compared with the classic extended KF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper deals with the design of an extended complex Kalman filter (ECKF) for estimating the state of an induction motor (IM) model, and for sensorless control of systems employing this type of motor as an actuator. A complex-valued model is adopted that simultaneously allows a simpler observability analysis of the system and a more effective state estimation. The observability analysis of this model is first performed by assuming that a third order ECKF has to be designed, by neglecting the mechanical equation of the IM model, which is a valid hypothesis when the motor is operated at constant rotor speed. It is shown that this analysis is more effective and easier than the one performed on the corresponding real-valued model, as it allows the observability conditions to be directly obtained in terms of stator current and rotor flux complex-valued vectors. Necessary observability conditions are also obtained along with the well-known sufficient ones. It is also shown that the complex-valued implementation allows a reduction of 35% in the computation time w.r.t. the standard real-valued one, which is obtained thanks to the lower dimensions of the matrices of the ECKF w.r.t. the ones of the real-valued implementation and the fact that no matrix inversion is required. The effectiveness of the proposed ECKF is shown by means of simulation in Matlab/Simulink environment and through experiments on a real low-power drive. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper proposes a technique for the off-line estimation of the electrical parameters of the equivalent circuit of linear induction machines (LIM), taking into consideration the end effects, and focuses on the application of an algorithm based on the minimization of a suitable cost function involving the differences of measured and computed by simulation inductor current components. This method exploits an entire start-up transient of the LIM to estimate all the 4 electrical parameters of the machine (Rs, Ls, \sigma Ls, Tr). It proposes also a set of tests to be made to estimate the variation of the magnetic parameters of the LIM versus the magnetizing current as well as the magnetizing curve of the machine. Moreover, a methodology for the estimation of the mechanical parameters of the model is proposed as well. The proposed methodology has been verified experimentally on suitably developed test set-up. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]