Leonids Ribickis

Energy efficient use of robotics in the automobile industry

This paper summarizes various methods of the energy efficient use of medium and high payload industrial robots. Approaches and according savings potential are evaluated for methods like intelligent brake management — release time and power reduction, the temporal storage of the robots kinetic energy with capacitive energy buffer of controllers DC-Bus, the energy exchange among robot controllers is proposed. Strategic usage alternatives like robot choice, shutdown during the production-free time and setting into a particular standby mode are compared. The energy saving potentials per each method are estimated according to real body-shop production characteristics.

Recuperated energy savings potential and approaches in industrial robotics

This paper presents the experimental and simulation results of industrial robots recuperated energy saving approaches. Two complementary alternatives- a capacitive energy buffer on the robots DC-bus is evaluated and a novel approach, the robot EnergyTeam has been proposed. The principle of robot EnergyTeam is the DC-bus merging among various number of industrial robot power controllers thus enabling a controlled energy flow among the robots that decelerate and, therefore, recuperate the energy and those that simultaneously require a peak power supply for the acceleration. Cost efficiency is estimated considering the characteristics in robotics of real production in the automobile industry.

Intelligent Electric Vehicle Motion and Crossroad Control

The purpose of this work is to organize coordination between intelligent trams and intelligent traffic lights. The main idea is to realize electric transport movement without stops excepting stops for taking passengers. The supposition is the effective decrease of electric energy charges causing with acceleration and breaking cycles. Following methods of control are proposed: intelligent agent system, and negotiations between these agents with the superagent as coordinator to solve possible conflicts. Intelligent agents are created using Web-technologies: a database and the appropriate programming languages that allow to realize negotiation easy and effectively

A Different Approach to Electrical Energy Consumption Monitoring

A different approach to electrical energy/power calculation by means of summing of non-even time current samples over short time periods are described in to the article.

Power converter for DC bus sharing to increase the energy efficiency in drive systems

It is state of the art for many drive systems like those used in industrial robotics, conveyor systems or diverse numerical control machinery to have a common DC bus power system architecture. Due to regenerative braking, the DC bus voltage increases until a certain limit, which is limited means of a balancing resistor (brake chopper). Systems that require rapid cyclic starts and stops are subject to significant energy waste due to extensive use of the brake chopper. In this article, a novel power converter for drive systems is proposed that allows the brake chopper to be omitted and enables the exchange of regenerative energy among multiple drive systems within an independent DC subgrid with one centralized energy storage element. The solution does not require identical hardware or exact synchronization between the drive rectifiers, therefore it is applicable to both existing and new production equipment alike. Experimental results in industrial robot drives show savings of up to 20%.

Research-based approach application for electrical engineering education of bachelor program students in Riga Technical University

Research based approach in education is important for engineering specialties. The implementation of this approach is interesting for students also. The research possibilities involve all level of education process: pupils interest is higher, average mark of students is increasing; the number of graduate students is increasing with introduction of research-based approach.

Analysis of high frequency effects in three phase EMI filters

In this paper, the three phase EMI filter, characterized by S-parameters to extract mutual couplings, is first time analyzed to evaluate mutual coupling impact on filter insertion loss. The most important mutual couplings that distort insertion loss of three phase filter are discovered and analyzed.

Comparative analysis of boost and quasi-Z-Source Converters as Maximum Power Point Trackers for PV panel integrated converters

This paper analyzes two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) converter topologies that are part of an interface converter for the integration of photovoltaics (PV) in the grid. Two different MPPT converter topologies (boost converter and quasi-Z-Source (qZS) converter) were selected and compared. Theoretical comparison includes an analysis of regulations for obtaining continuous source current and comparison of necessary parameters of the reactive elements of the systems. 270 W experimental prototypes of both converters were built and experimentally compared. Theoretical and experimental efficiency estimation is proposed and discussed. Also, the losses in diodes and MOSFETS are evaluated taking into account technical data from datasheets .

Towards smart street LED lighting systems and preliminary energy saving results

The article gives an overview of various researches dealing with smart or intelligent street lighting systems, and what is meant with this term in different countries. Several available architectures of smart street lighting systems as well as those for future are described and discussed. Further some researches and developments of such systems in Riga Technical University are explained with the examples, also showing preliminary practical energy saving results of tests in real conditions of Riga city infrastructure. This is the first part of articles series about this research.

Intelligent power management device for street lighting control incorporating long range static and non-static hybrid infrared detection system

Intelligent “street lighting”, along with its immense energy saving potential, relies upon many factors, not least, the importance of maintaining useable levels of light for both vehicles and pedestrian traffic. One element in the establishment of such a regime is the development of sensory equipment capable of vehicle and human detection with a negligible degree of error. The paper proposes a hybrid long range passive sensory system based on both static (IR Photodiode) and non-static (PIR) sensors.