Farid Golnaraghi

A Kalman/Particle Filter-Based Position and Orientation Estimation Method Using a Position Sensor/Inertial Measurement Unit Hybrid System

This paper presents a novel methodology that estimates position and orientation using one position sensor and one inertial measurement unit. The proposed method estimates orientation using a particle filter and estimates position and velocity using a Kalman filter (KF). In addition, an expert system is used to correct the angular velocity measurement errors. The experimental results show that the orientation errors using the proposed method are significantly reduced compared to the orientation errors obtained from an extended Kalman filter (EKF) approach. The improved orientation estimation using the proposed method leads to better position estimation accuracy. This paper studies the effects of the number of particles of the proposed filter and position sensor noise on the orientation accuracy. Furthermore, the experimental results show that the orientation of the proposed method converges to the correct orientation even when the initial orientation is completely unknown.

A Fastening Tool Tracking System Using an IMU and a Position Sensor With Kalman Filters and a Fuzzy Expert System

This paper utilizes an intelligent system which incorporates Kalman filters (KFs) and a fuzzy expert system to track the tip of a fastening tool and to identify the fastened bolt. This system employs one inertial measurement unit and one position sensor to determine the orientation and the center of mass location of the tool. KFs are used to estimate the orientation of the tool and the center of mass location of the tool. Although a KF is used for the orientation estimation, orientation error increases over time due to the integration of angular velocity error. Therefore, a methodology to correct the orientation error is required when the system is used for an extended period of time. This paper proposes a method to correct the tilt angle and orientation errors using a fuzzy expert system. When a tool fastens a bolt, the system identifies the fastened bolt using a fuzzy expert system. Through this bolt identification step, the 3-D orientation error of the tool is corrected by using the location and orientation of the fastened bolt and the position sensor outputs. Using the orientation correction method will, in turn, result in improved reliability in determining the tool tip location. The fastening tool tracking system was experimentally tested in a lab environment, and the results indicate that such a system can successfully identify the fastened bolts.

A Triaxial Accelerometer Calibration Method Using a Mathematical Model

This paper presents a new triaxial accelerometer calibration method using a mathematical model of six calibration parameters: three gain factors and three biases. The fundamental principle of the proposed calibration method is that the sum of the triaxial accelerometer outputs is equal to the gravity vector when the accelerometer is stationary. The proposed method requires the triaxial accelerometer to be placed in six different tilt angles to estimate the six calibration parameters. Since the mathematical model of the calibration parameters is nonlinear, an iterative method is used. The results are verified via simulations by comparing the estimated gain factors and biases with the true gain factors and biases. The simulation results confirm that the proposed method is applicable in extreme cases where the gain factor is 1000 V/(m/s2) and the bias is ±100 V, as well as the cases where the gain factor is 0.001 V/(m/s2) and the bias is 0 V. The proposed calibration method is also experimentally tested with two different triaxial accelerometers, and the results are validated using a mechanical inclinometer. The experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately estimate gain factors and biases even when the initial guesses are not close to the true values. In addition, the proposed method has a low computational cost because the calculation is simple, and the iterative method usually converges within three iteration steps. The error sources of the experiments are discussed in this paper.

Wavelet spectrum analysis for bearing fault diagnostics

A new signal processing technique, wavelet spectrum analysis, is proposed in this paper for incipient bearing fault diagnostics. This technique starts from investigating the resonance signatures over selected frequency bands to extract the representative features. A novel strategy is suggested for the deployment of the wavelet centre frequencies. A weighted Shannon function is proposed to synthesize the wavelet coefficient functions to enhance feature characteristics, whereas the applied weights are from a statistical index that quantifies the effect of different wavelet centre frequencies on feature extraction. An averaged autocorrelation spectrum is adopted to highlight the feature characteristics related to bearing health conditions. The performance of this proposed technique is examined by a series of experimental tests corresponding to different bearing conditions. Test results show that this new signal processing technique is an effective bearing fault detection method, which is especially useful for non-stationary feature extraction and analysis.

A novel neuro-fuzzy controller to enhance the performance of vehicle semi-active suspension systems

This paper proposes a neuro-fuzzy (NF) strategy to implement semi-active suspension in passenger vehicles. The proposed method is composed of two parts: a NF controller (NFC), to establish an efficient controller strategy to improve ride comfort and road handling (RCH), and an inverse mapping to estimate the semi-active suspension current. To effectively estimate the current needed to control the semi-active damper, an inverse mapping based on neural network, modified back-propagation (MBP) is presented. The inverse mapping is incorporated into the FC to enhance RCH. Given the relative velocity between the mass and the base and also the absolute acceleration of the mass, the FC computes the optimum damping coefficient. The fuzzy logic rules are extracted based on expert knowledge encapsulated in skyhook and groundhook. A quarter-car model was adopted for the purpose of simulating and experimenting with the proposed NFC. To verify the performance of the FC, two sets of results are reported. First, an experimental analysis was performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the FC in comparison with the benchmark skyhook and Rakheja–Sankar controllers. Furthermore, a random input was considered to examine the robustness of the NFC in comparison with the other adopted controllers. It was shown that the developed NFC control enhances the performance of the quarter-car system significantly, in terms of both ride comfort and handling characteristics. Second, four FCs with the same control strategies were implemented on a full-vehicle model to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in reducing the propensity to rollover. It was concluded that the developed FC enhances the RHC and also has the potential to increase the stability of vehicles.

Eddy current damper feasibility in automobile suspension: modeling, simulation and testing

This paper presents the modeling, simulation and testing of a novel eddy current damper (ECD) to be used in vehicle suspension systems. The conceived ECD utilizes permanent magnets (PMs), separated by iron poles that are screwed to an iron rod, and a conductive hollow cylinder to generate damping. Eddy currents develop in the conductor due to its relative motion with respect to the magnets. Since the eddy currents produce a repulsive force that is proportional to the velocity of the conductor, the moving magnet and conductor behave as a viscous damper. The structure of the new passive ECD is straightforward and does not require an external power supply or any other electronic devices. An accurate, analytical model of the system is obtained by applying electromagnetic theory to estimate the electromagnetic forces induced in the system. To optimize the design, simulations are conducted and the design parameters are evaluated. After a prototype ECD is fabricated, experiments are carried out to verify the accuracy of the theoretical model. The heat transfer analysis is established to ensure that the damper does not overheat, and the demagnetization effect is studied to confirm the ECD reliability. The eddy current model has 1.4?N RMS error in the damping force estimation, and a damping coefficient as high as 53?N?s?m?1 is achievable with the fabricated, scaled-down prototype. Finally, a full-size ECD is designed and its predicted performance is compared with that of commercial dampers, proving the applicability of the ECD in vehicle suspension systems.

A hybrid electromagnetic shock absorber for active vehicle suspension systems

The use of electromagnetic dampers (ED) in vehicle active suspension systems has drawn considerable attention in the past few years, attributed to the fact that active suspension systems have shown superior performance in improving ride comfort and road handling of terrain vehicles, compared with their passive and semi-active counterparts. Although demonstrating superb performance, active suspensions still have some shortcomings that must be overcome. They have high energy consumption, weight, and cost and are not fail-safe in case of a power breakdown. The novel hybrid ED, which is proposed in this paper, is a potential solution to the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional active suspension systems. The proposed hybrid ED is designed to inherit the high-performance characteristics of an active ED with the reliability of a passive damper in a single package. The eddy current damping effect is utilised as a source of the passive damping. First, a prototype ED is designed and fabricated. The prototype ED is then utilised to experimentally establish the design requirements for a real-size active ED. This is accomplished by comparing its vibration isolation performance in a 1-DOF quarter-car test rig with that of a same-class semi-active damper. Then, after a real-size active ED is designed, the concept of hybrid damper is introduced to the damper design to address the drawbacks of the active ED. Finally, the finite-element method is used to accurately model and analyse the designed hybrid damper. It is demonstrated that by introducing the eddy current damping effect to the active part, a passive damping of approximately 1570 Ns/m is achieved. This amount of passive damping guarantees that the damper is fail-safe and reduces the power consumption more than 70%, compared with an active ED in an automotive active suspension system.

A novel eddy current damper: theory and experiment

A novel eddy current damper is developed and its damping characteristics are studied analytically and experimentally. The proposed eddy current damper consists of a conductor as an outer tube, and an array of axially magnetized ring-shaped permanent magnets separated by iron pole pieces as a mover. The relative movement of the magnets and the conductor causes the conductor to undergo motional eddy currents. Since the eddy currents produce a repulsive force that is proportional to the velocity of the conductor, the moving magnet and the conductor behave as a viscous damper. The eddy current generation causes the vibration to dissipate through the Joule heating generated in the conductor part.An accurate, analytical model of the system is obtained by applying electromagnetic theory to estimate the damping properties of the proposed eddy current damper. A prototype eddy current damper is fabricated, and experiments are carried out to verify the accuracy of the theoretical model. The experimental test bed consists of a one-degree-of-freedom vibration isolation system and is used for the frequency and transient time response analysis of the system. The eddy current damper model has a 0.1 m s−2 (4.8%) RMS error in the estimation of the mass acceleration. A damping coefficient as high as 53 Ns m−1 is achievable with the fabricated prototype.This novel eddy current damper is an oil-free, inexpensive damper that is applicable in various vibration isolation systems such as precision machinery, micro-mechanical suspension systems and structure vibration isolation.

Intelligent Control of Vehicle Semi-Active Suspension Systems for improved Ride Comfort and Road Handling

In this paper we propose a neuro-fuzzy (NF) control strategy to enhance desired suspension performance. The proposed method consists of two parts: a fuzzy control strategy to establish an efficient controller to improve ride comfort and road handling (RCH) and an inverse mapping model to estimate the current needed for a semi-active damper. The fuzzy logic rules are extracted based on Skyhook and Groundhook. The inverse mapping model is based on an artificial neural network and incorporated into the fuzzy controller to enhance RCH. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed NF controller, a quarter car model is adopted and numerical analysis is presented. To verify the performance of the NF controller (NFC), comparisons with existing semiactive techniques are made and two sets of results are reported. First, a sinusoidal road input is considered and time domain results are presented. Second, for the same sinusoidal input, frequency response of the developed controllers is obtained. It is shown that the developed NFC enhances RCH considerably and outperforms other existing controllers in terms of both ride comfort and handling

Condition monitoring of multistage printing presses

The main concern in printing quality in multistage presses is doubling. Doubling is caused by imperfections either within stages (units) or in links connecting different stages, mainly resulting from machine vibration, gear damage, and excessive run-out. In this paper, we propose new means for printing quality control via geared system health condition monitoring. The diagnosis is based on the signals acquired from inexpensive magnetic pickups. A new technique is developed to monitor the gear rotation synchronization among different stages in order to isolate possible sources of the doubling problem. A new approach is proposed to determine the gear run-out. Moreover, gear tooth damage detection is conducted using the beta kurtosis and the continuous wavelet transform based on the overall residual signal. The beta kurtosis of original signal average is also shown here to be useful in detecting excessive gear run-out. Test results from printing presses demonstrated the viability of the proposed methods.