Knowledge Center

Minimum Curvature Trajectory Planning and Control for an Autonomous Race Car

This paper shows a software stack capable of planning a minimum curvature trajectory for an autonomous race car based on an occupancy grid map. It introduces a controller design that allows following the trajectory at the handling limits. The the quadratic optimization problem is extended  for improved accuracy, the introduction of curvature constraints, and the reduction of linearization errors in corners.

Publication on tandfonline.com

Design and Experimental Characterization of a Hydrostatic Transmission for Upper Limb Exoskeletons

The authors introduce a design of a novel hydrostatic air-liquid torque transmission system for an upper limb exoskeleton. Transmission of fluid on rolling membrane cylinders guarantees leakage-free operation, no backlash, and zero stick friction. By employing a new test bench of the fluid transmission system developed, they conducted experiments to characterize the static and dynamic response for different design parameters.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Hands-On in Signal Processing Education at Technische Universität Darmstadt

This paper shares the experiences gained by conducting hands-on learning in signal processing as part of the engineering program at Technische Universität Darmstadt. It describes the variety of laboratories, projects, lectures, and seminars offered to expose students to state-of-the-art research and advanced equipment.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Real-Time Learning of Efficient Lift Generation on a Dynamically Scaled Flapping Wing

This work presents a successful application of a policy search algorithm to a real-time robotic learning problem, where the goal is to maximize the efficiency of lift generation on a dynamically scaled flapping robotic wing. Learning is performed for different prescribed stroke amplitudes to find the optimal wing pitching amplitude and the stroke-pitch phase difference that maximize lift generation's power loading (PL), a measure of aerodynamic efficiency.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Phase-Exact Adaptive Feedforward Control Modulated Gear Mesh Vibration at 4.7 kHz

This paper proposes a setup for active vibration control to suppress transmission of gear mesh vibration to the surrounding structure using piezoelectric inertial mass actuators. The proposed control algorithm uses multiple adaptive feedforward controllers. To achieve the desired sampling frequency in real-time several optimizations are introduced.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Experimental Study on a Nonlinear Observer Application for a Flexible Parallel Robot

A flexible robot in lambda configuration has been modeled and built-in hardware. The elastic deformation of the flexible bodies is designed based on the high gain observer method and experimentally tested on the lambda robot to estimate the end-effector positions. It shows high accuracy in real-time even for the highly flexible parallel robot.

Publication on springer.com

Systematic Design of Multivariable Fuel Injection Controllers for Advanced Diesel Combustion

With multiple fuel injections per combustion cycle, the advanced diesel combustion process depends on all injection pulses in a coupled way. This work describes the cycle-to-cycle fuel injection control problem. A control-oriented model is introduced and locally validated with experimental data. Finally, a systematic design approach is proposed to synthesize a multivariable fuel injection controller.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Flexible Automation Driven by Demonstration: Leveraging Strategies that Simplify Robotics

Flexible manufacturing environments can adapt to tasks daily or hourly. The classic approach to automation is less suitable here; buying a dedicated robot for each set of tasks is inefficient, and coding each task is very time-consuming. The authors introduce a framework for modular robots that determines their structure and program based on human demonstrations to solve these problems.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Validation of a Servo-Hydraulic Model Coupled with a Nonlinear System

In the study, a controllable canonical physics-based model of a servo-hydraulic actuator coupled with a nonlinear physical system form is validated for position tracking control purposes. This is done by designing and fabricating a nonlinear device to exhibit various nonlinear force-displacement profiles depending on the initial condition and the type of materials used as replaceable coupons.

Publication on sciencedirect.com

Real-Time Loudness Normalization with Combined Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Stimulation

This study features an acoustic loudness model running on a Speedgoat real-time system. Researchers tested speech perception and sound localization of bimodal listeners, both in standard loudness growth configuration and modified loudness growth configuration. The subjects have also used linear and compressive hearing aids.  

Publication on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An Open Development Platform for Auditory Real-Time Signal Processing

This paper presents an auditory real-time processing algorithm platform ("Open Development Platform", ODP) that simplifies developing novel real-time algorithms. ODP leverages MATLAB / Simulink and runs on Speedgoat real-time target machines. The authors show how they developed a fully functional hearing aid for research purposes using ODP.

Publication on sciencedirect.com

Visual Motion Tracking and Sensor Fusion for Kite Power Systems

Line-based estimation of the kite state, including position and heading, limits the achievable cycle efficiency of such airborne wind energy systems. Experimental results of a visual motion tracking estimation and an inertial sensor fusion on a ground-based kite power system in pumping operation are presented and compared to an existing estimation scheme based on line.

Publication on springer.com

Sound-Quality Evaluation of Adaptive Feedback Cancellation Algorithms

This paper presents a subjective and objective perceptual sound-quality evaluation of different algorithms for adaptive feedback cancellation (AFC) with both speech and music signals. Three different algorithms are compared. The subjective evaluation results are then compared with the results obtained by several objective measurements.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Rapid Control Prototyping Tool for the Sirius High-Dynamic DCM Control System

The monochromator is known to be one of the most critical optical elements of a synchrotron beamline. A Simulink implementation running on a Speedgoat Performance real-time target machine identifies and ensures controlling the dynamic behavior of all subcomponents in the prototype. In addition, this approach enables rapid prototyping by allowing a shared environment for system modeling and testing.

Publication on inspirehep.net

Mechatronic Architecture Development of UX-1

This paper presents a novel design of an underwater robot for exploring abandoned mines. Rapid prototyping of controllers during the development phase of the robot is described, and the mechatronic development of the main controller unit, propulsion system, and ballast is investigated. The robot's mechatronic architecture and the low-level control algorithms demonstrate its potential for performing real-time operations.

Publication on ieeexplore.ieee.org

Real-Time Force Control for a Servo-Hydraulic Actuator Systems

Servo-hydraulic actuators have been widely used but existing control algorithms face some issues. This paper introduces a new real-time force control method utilizing the adaptive time series (ATS) compensator and compliance springs. Unlike existing approaches, the proposed force control methods do not require the structural modeling of a test structure, making it easy to be implemented primarily for nonlinear systems.

Publication on wiley.com

Drag Reduction in Turbulent Boundary Layer via Real-Time Control

This paper demonstrates an approach to real-time control of large-scale structures. Real-time controls reduce the streamwise turbulence intensity as well as skin-friction drag.

Publication on sciencedirect.com

Control for a Supercapacitor Hybrid Energy Storage System Used in Electric Vehicles

This paper proposes the control strategy of a fully active hybrid energy storage system, which uses two bi-directional DC/DC converters to decouple supercapacitors and the battery pack from the DC bus. A Lyapunov-function-based controller regulates DC bus voltage, and a sliding mode controller, controlling the battery and supercapacitor currents, is designed. Their performance is validated by simulation and experimental data. 

Publication on sciencedirect.com

Design and Implementation of Bi-Directional DC-DC Converter for Wind Energy System

This paper features designing and implementing a bi-directional DC-DC converter with a Speedgoat controller for wind energy conversion systems. An energy storage device is used to compensate for the fluctuations and to maintain a smooth and continuous power flow in all operating modes to load. The complete system is implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK and verified with hardware.

Publication on scirp.org

Fault Diagnosis of Star-Connected Auto-Transformer-Based 24-Pulse Rectifier

The authors propose a fault diagnosis method for star-connected auto-transformer-based 24-pulse rectifier unit (ATRU) by integrating artificial neural networks (ANN) with wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) and principal component analysis (PCA). First, the fault features are extracted and simulated in a real-time simulation platform. The obtained data is then analyzed with MATLAB toolboxes and verified with a digital signal processor.

Publication on sciencedirect.com

Rapid Control Prototyping for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) Control

Power Electronics and Motor Control Prototyping on CPU/FPGA Target Hardware with Simulink Real-Time^TM.

Active Magnetic Bearing for Ultra-Precision Flexible Electronics Production System

Roll-to-roll printing of flexible electronics on continuous plastic films could enable the production of flexible electronics at high speed and low cost. However, rolling element bearings cannot be deployed because of the precision requirements. Instead, active magnetic bearings (AMB) with optical positioning encoder feedback are used.

Publication on lib.cranfield.ac.uk

Transient Engine Emulation within a Laboratory Testbed for Aircraft Power Systems

This paper presents an engine emulation system utilized within a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environment for aircraft power systems. It focuses on the software and hardware interfaces that enable the coupling of the rotor dynamics model that provides the critical link between the modeled dynamics of the engine and the measured dynamics of the generator.

Publication on dx.doi.org

Speech Intelligibility with Binaurally linked Hearing Aids

This study investigates whether using spatial cues benefits speech intelligibility for binaurally linked hearing aids. The control algorithms and signal processing models were tested on a Speedgoat target machine to quickly switch between different versions of the algorithms and test them in real-time.

Publication on proceedings.isaar.eu