Small electric uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) represent a rapidly expanding market requiring optimization in both efficiency and weight; efficiency is critical during cruise or loiter where the vehicle operates at part power for up to 99% of the mission time. Of the four components (battery, motor, propeller, and electronic speed controller (ESC)) of the electric propulsion system used in small UAVs, the ESC has no accepted performance model and almost no published performance data. To collect performance data, instrumentation was developed to measure electrical power in and out of the ESC using the two wattmeter method and current sense resistors; data was collected with a differential simultaneous data acquisition system. Performance of the ESC was measured under different load, commanded throttle, bus voltage, and switching frequency, and it was found that ESC efficiency decreases with increasing torque and decreasing bus voltage and does not vary much with speed and switching frequency. The final instrumentation was limited to low-voltage systems and error propagation calculations indicate a great deal of error at low power measurements; despite these limitations, an understanding of ESC performance appropriate for conceptual design of these systems was obtained. MODELING AND TEST OF THE EFFICIENCY OF ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLERS FOR BRUSHLESS DC MOTORS

ABSTRACT Fabrication and Characterization of Torsional Micro-Hinge Structures Mike Marrujo There are many electronic devices that operate on the micrometer-scale such as Digital Micro-Mirror Devices (DMD). Micro actuators are a common type of DMD that employ a diaphragm supported by torsional hinges, which deform during actuation and are critical for the devices to have high stability and reliability. The stress developed within the hinge during actuation controls how the actuator will respond to the actuating force. Electrostatically driven micro actuators observe to have a fully recoverable non-linear viscoelastic response. The device consists of a micro-hinge which is suspended by two hinges that sits inside a micro machined well. To achieve a specific angle of rotation when actuated, the mechanical forces need to be characterized with a range of different forces applied to the edge of the micro-hinge. This research investigates the mechanical properties and the amount of force needed to rotate to specific angles by comparing theoretical performance to experimentally measured values. Characterizing the mechanical forces on the micro-hinge will further the understanding of how the device operates under a specific applied force. The material response to the amount of stress within the hinges will control the amount of actuation that is achieved by that force. The test devices were fabricated using common semiconductor fabrication techniques. The micro-hinge device was created on a 500µm, double-sided polished, single crystal (100) silicon wafer. In order to create this device, both wet etching and dry etching techniques were employed to produce an 8µm thick plate structure. The bulk etching of 480µm was achieved by wet etching down into the silicon (Si) to create the wells. Dry etching was used for its high precision to release the micro-hinge structure. Once fabricated, the micro-hinge actuators were tested using a Technics turntable arm with a built in micrometer that applied a constant force while measuring the displacement of the actuator. The rotation of the hinge was measured by reflecting a Helium-Neon (HeNe) laser beam off a mirror, which is attached to the pivot of the arm that’s applying the force, and any type of displacement was recorded with a Photo Sensitive Device (PSD). The test stand applied a small force which replicated the amount of electrostatic forces needed to achieve a specific degree of rotation. Results indicate that the micro-hinge achieved a repeatable amount of rotation when forces were applied to it. The micro-hinge would endure deformation when too much force would be applied and yield a maximum amount of force allowed.

<p>Microdroplets have large and varied areas of application ranging from document printing to complex lab-on-chip devices. Lab-on-chip systems often require precise volume control as well as high throughput operations. Microdroplets fulfill these requirements and have become a staple in these devices. The work presented in this thesis involves the design and characterization of two individual devices capable of droplet generation utilizing flow focusing and electrogeneration methods.</p> <p>The first design involved the generation of gel microdroplets utilizing the flow focusing technique. This device proved to be robust and reliable producing large volumes of uniformly mixed droplets. Long term operation of this device was analyzed and determined to be a feasible route for the manufacture of large quantities of droplets. The device was operated for over 30 hours creating gel droplets ranging from 40-200 μm in diameter with acceptable polydispersities for use in drug release studies.</p> <p>The second device involved the design and characterization of a system for the electrogeneration of microdroplets. This novel device involved the injection of droplets via high voltage and high frequency signals into a cross-flow of oil. The droplet generation was characterized and different droplet generation modes were observed. With the careful selection of parameters ideal conditions were obtained to generate monodisperse droplets of sizes ranging from under 5 to over 100 μm in a highly repeatable manner.</p> <p>To conclude, two separate microfluidic droplet generation devices operating in distinct modes were designed and analyzed. These devices are robust, reliable, and flexible with some applications being tested.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

There is an increasing interest in automated mobile equipment in the construction, agriculture and mining industries to improve productivity, efficiency and operator safety. In general, these machines belong to a class of mobile vehicles with a tool for manipulating its environment to accomplish a repetitive task. Forces and motions are inherently coupled between the tool (<em>e.g.</em> bucket or blade) and the means of vehicle propulsion (<em>e.g</em>. wheels or tracks). Furthermore, they are often operated within uncertain and unstructured environments. A particularly challenging case involves the use of a bulldozer for the removal of excavated material. Modeling and control of mobile robots that interact forcibly with their environment, such as robotic excavation machinery, is a challenging problem that has not been adequately addressed in prior research. This thesis investigates the low-level modeling and control of a 3-DOF robotic bulldozing operation. Motivated by a bulldozing process in an underground mining application, a theoretical nonlinear hybrid dynamic model was developed. The model includes discrete operation modes contained within a hybrid dynamic model framework. The dynamics of the individual modes are represented by a set of linear and nonlinear differential equations. An instrumented scaled-down bulldozer and environment were developed to emulate the full scale operation. Model parameter estimation and validation was completed using experimental data from this system. The model was refined based on a global sensitivity analysis. The refined model was found to be suitable for simulation and design of robotic bulldozing control laws. Optimal blade position control laws were designed based on the hybrid dynamic model to maximize the predicted material removal rate of the bulldozing process. A stability analysis of the underlying deterministic closed-loop process dynamics was performed using Lyapunov’s second method. Monte Carlo simulation was used for further performance and stability analysis of the closed-loop process dynamics including stochastic state disturbances and input constraints. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation were also used for tuning the blade position control laws. Experiments were conducted with the scaled-down robotic bulldozing system. The control laws were implemented with various tuning values. As a comparison, a rule-based blade control algorithm was also designed and implemented. The experimental results with the optimal control laws demonstrated a 33% increase in the average material removal rate compared to the rule-based controller. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In dieser Arbeit wird die digital-holographisch-interferometrische Zwei-Wellenlängen-Formerfassung sehr schnell bewegter Objekte behandelt und dafür unter Nutzung einer Ultrakurzpuls-Laserquelle mit der digitalen Einzelimpuls-Mehr-Wellenlängen-Holographie ein neuartigen Ansatz der digital-holographischen Aufnahme und Auswertung entwickelt. Mit der Entwicklung spezieller Methoden zur Formung der spektralen Signatur einer Ultrakurzpuls-Laserquelle hoher Leistungsdichte wurde zum ersten Mal die Voraussetzung für eine Zwei-Wellenlängen-Formerfassung hochdynamischer Objekte geschaffen. Die intrinsisch kurze Belichtungszeit unter einer Pikosekunde macht das Verfahren absolut stabil gegenüber Umwelteinflüssen. Für die simultane Aufnahme werden die spektral verschiedenen Hologramme mit einem eigens entwickelten Prinzip der Polarisationskodierung räumlich getrennt und zum ersten Mal mit zwei synchron laufenden Kameras gespeichert. Mit den in der digital-holographischen Einzelimpuls-Mehr-Wellenlängen-Interferometrie zusammengefassten numerischen Routinen zur Rekonstruktion und Phasenauswertung wird eine Zwei-Wellenlängen-Formerfassung mit mehreren Kameras möglich. In Anwendung des neuartigen Verfahrens an verschiedenen dynamischen Mikrosystemen konnte eine Genauigkeit von einem Zwanzigstel der erzeugten synthetischen Wellenlänge, bei der Auswertung der spektralen Differenzphase an Objekten in Reflexion erreicht werden. In einer digital-holographischen Hochgeschwindigkeitsformerfassung in Transmission wurden erstmals Bildfolgefrequenz von mehr als 0,4 kHz erreicht und der interferometrische Eindeutigkeitsbereich auf mehr als das 60-fache der optischen Wellenlänge ausgedehnt. Es wurden die Voraussetzungen für eine digitale Vier-Wellenlängen-Holographie geschaffen. Zukünftig wird eine Formerfassung mit einer Genauigkeit von 10nm über einen eindeutigen interferometrischen Bereich einiger 10 μm und die Untersuchungen von Prozessen auf einer Pikosekunden-Zeitskala möglich sein. / This work deals with the digital holographic interferometric two-wavelength contouring of very fast moving objects and develops with the digital single pulse multiwavelength holography a novel approach of digital holographic recording and analysis, using an ultrashort pulse laser source. The development of several methods to shape the spektral signature of an high power ultrashort pulse laser source provides the precondition for a two-wavelength contouring of highly dynamic objects for the first time. The intrinsically short exposure time shorter than a picosecond makes the system stable regarding external impacts. For the simultaneous recording the spektral different holograms are spatially separated in novel interferometric setups by the especially developed principle of polarization encoding and stored with two synchronized cameras for the first time. The digital holographic single pulse multi-wavelength interferometry combines the numeric routines of reconstruction and phase evaluation that make a two-wavelength contouring possible using more than one camera. The novel approach is successfully demonstrated on several dynamic microsystems. Evaluating the spectral phase difference for objects in reflection an accuracy of 2 μm, which corresponds to the twentieth of the realized synthetic wavelength, could be achieved. In a digital holographic high speed contouring in transmission a frame rate higher than 0,4 kHz was achieved for the first time and the interferometric range of unambiguity was extended larger than sixty times the optical wavelength. Furthermore, the developed digital holographic single pulse multi-wavelength interferometry is not limited to the evaluation of two wavelength. The principles of the method allow to perform digital four-wavelength holography. Future a contouring with an accuracy of 10nm over the unambiguous interferometric range of several 10 μm and the investigation of processes on a picosecond time scale will be possible.

Die Arbeit ist der regelungstheoretischen Betrachtung von mechanischen Systemen mit mehr Freiheitsgraden als Stellgrößen gewidmet. Dabei werden Aspekte aus den Teilgebieten Modellbildung, Systemanalyse, Steuerungsentwurf und Reglerentwurf behandelt. Den Ausgangspunkt bilden die aus dem Lagrange-Formalismus resultierenden Bewegungsgleichungen, für welche neben verschiedene partiell linearisierten Zustandsdarstellungen auch eine spezielle Byrnes-Isidori-Normalform eingeführt wird. Im Unterschied zu einer früher vorgeschlagenen ähnliche Normalform existiert diese "Lagrange-Byrnes-Isidori-Normalform" immer. Weiterhin wird die bedeutende Eigenschaft der differentiellen Flachheit im Zusammenhang mit mechanischen Systemen untersucht. Die bestehende Lücke zwischen den bekannten notwendigen und hinreichenden Flachheitsbedingungen bildet die Motivation zur Anpassung der Regelflächenbedingung auf mechanische Systeme in Lagrange-Byrnes-Isidori-Normalform. Parallel dazu wird die Flachheitsanalyse auf Basis des sogenannten Variationssystems betrachtet. Dabei handelt es sich um ein System von 1-Formen, die durch Anwendung der äußeren Ableitung auf die impliziten Systemgleichungen entstehen. Äquivalent dazu können auch die in einer rechteckigen Polynommatrix bezüglich des Zeitableitungsoperators zusammengefassten Koeffizienten der Basisformen untersucht werden. Die Flachheit eines Systems ist nun gerade äquivalent zur Existenz einer unimodularen Vervollständigung dieser Matrix, welche zudem noch eine bestimmte Integrabilitätsbedingung erfüllen muss. Durch Anwendung des Satzes von Frobenius können aus diesen in der bisherigen Formulierung nur schwer überprüfbaren Bedingungen deutlich einfachere hergeleitet werden. Für den Eingrößenfall ergibt sich dadurch eine erheblich Verringerung des Rechenaufwandes im Vergleich zum Referenzansatz. Im Mehrgrößenfall ist die Situation komplizierter: Durch das Fallenlassen der Unimodularitätsforderung und die Ausnutzung der speziellen Struktur mechanischer Systeme erhält man eine neue notwendige Bedingung für Flachheit, welche sich in endlich vielen Schritten auswerten lässt. Allerdings konnte mit dieser die vermutete Nichtflachheit für die untersuchten mechanischen Beispielsysteme nicht nachgewiesen werden. Einen weiteren Untersuchungsgegenstand bildet das Konzept der Konfigurationsflachheit. Für diese Eigenschaft ist gefordert, dass ein flacher Ausgang existieren muss, der nur von den Konfigurationskoordinaten abhängt. Basierend auf theoretischen Überlungen und dem Fehlen von Gegenbeispielen wird die Hypothese aufgestellt, dass für konservative mechanische Systeme Flachheit und Konfigurationsflachheit äquivalent sind. Für lineare mechanische Systeme kann diese Hypothese mit Hilfe der Kronecker-Normalform von Matrizenscharen verifiziert werden. Bezüglich des Entwurfs von Solltrajektorien werden neben der Darstellung bekannter Verfahren für lineare und für flache Systeme zwei weitere Ansätze genauer diskutiert. Der erste basiert auf der numerischen Lösung des aus dem Steuerungsentwurf resultierenden Randwertproblems. Dazu wird ein angepasstes Kollokationsverfahren konstruiert, welches die Elimination von Systemgrößen durch die explizite Berücksichtigung von Integratorketten ermöglicht, die bei partiell linearisierten Systemen stets auftreten. Unter bestimmten Bedingungen bewirkt dies eine erhebliche Reduktion der Rechenzeit. Der zweite Ansatz betrachtet die Überführung zwischen zwei Ruhelagen und beruht auf der Zeitumkehrsymmetrie, die alle konservativen mechanischen Systeme aufweisen. Er besteht aus mehreren Schritten: Zunächst wird für beide Ruhelagen eine Rückführung mit möglichst großem Attraktivitätsgebiet entworfen. Danach wird das System simulativ ausgehend von der Zielruhelage in der Startruhelage stabilisiert. Die so erhaltene Eingangstrajektorie kann dann bezüglich der Zeit invertiert werden, um das System aus der Startruhelage in die Nähe der Zielruhelage zu überführen, wo schließlich der entsprechende Regler aktiviert wird. In praktischen Realisierungen von unteraktuierten Regelungssystemen treten auf Grund von Effekten wie trockener Reibung und Getriebespiel oft Dauerschwingungen mit schwer vorhersagbaren und beeinflussbaren Parametern auf. Als Alternative zur klassischen Stabilisierung einer (theoretischen) Ruhelage wird deshalb eine Rückführung hergeleitet, welche für ein gegebenes lineares System einen stabilen Grenzzyklus mit vorgebbarer Frequenz und Amplitude asymptotisch stabilisiert.

Cette thèse porte sur la conception de commandes robustes pour les systèmes non linéaires, mettant l'accent sur les systèmes mécaniques. Des résultats concluants sont présentés pour résoudre deux situations très abordées dans la théorie du contrôle : 1) La stabilité des systèmes non linéaires perturbés ; 2) Le suivi global de trajectoire dans les systèmes mécaniques en ayant seulement connaissance de la position. Nous avons commencé par donner une méthode de conception des commandes robustes pour assurer une régulation de sortie non passive. En outre, si le système est perturbé (pas appariés), des preuves rigoureuses pour les rejeter sont fournies. Ce résultat est principalement inspiré d'un changement de coordonnées et de l'action intégrale dynamique. Si le scénario à traiter concerne des systèmes mécaniques avec des perturbations variant dans le temps, nous dotons le système de propriétés comme IISS (Integral Input- State Stable) et ISS (Input-State Stable). Ce résultat est obtenu en modifiant la procédure de conception de manière à rejeter les perturbations constantes (pas appariés). Cependant, en raison de la non-linéarité du système, les commandes qui en résultent ont une grande complexité. Pour le même problème, un deuxième et élégant résultat est donné au cas où un changement préalable de variable (impulsions) est réalisé. Finalement, une réponse convaincante au problème de suivi de trajectoire pour les systèmes mécaniques est donnée en tenant compte uniquement des informations de position. Nous résolvons ce problème en deux étapes. Premièrement, quelques modifications sont apportées à la preuve de stabilité d'un observateur de vitesse basée sur la théorie de l'invariance et l’Immersion récemment publié. Notez que ceci est un observateur satisfaisant la convergence exponentielle de vitesse dans les systèmes mécaniques. Deuxièmement et sur la base du changement de coordonnées (impulsions), un contrôleur de suivi avec stabilité exponentielle, tenant compte de la position et de la vitesse, est proposé. De telle sorte qu'avec la combinaison des deux résultats, le suivi de trajectoire exponentielle avec retour de position est donné. / This thesis focuses on the design of robust control for nonlinear systems, mainly on mechanical systems. The results presented are to two situations widely discussed in control theory: 1) The stability of nonlinear systems disturbed; 2) The global tracking trajectory in mechanical systems having only knowledge of the position. We started giving a design method of robust controls to ensure regulation on non-passive output. In addition, if the system is perturbed (constant unmatched), rigorous proof to its rejection is provided. This result is based mainly on change of coordinates and integral dynamic control. When the scenario to deal are mechanical systems with time-varying matched and unmatched, disturbance, the system is endowed with strong properties as IISS (Integral Input-State Stable) and ISS (Input-State Stable). This is achieved based on the design method to rejection of constant disturbances (unmatched). However, due to the nonlinearity of the system, the controllers have a high complexity. For the same problem, a second and elegant result is given making a initial change of coordinate on the momenta variable, such that the controller significantly simplifies, preserving the aforementioned robustness properties. Finally, a convincing answer to the problem of global exponential tracking of mechanical systems is given taking into account only the position information. We solve this problem in two steps. First, some slight variation is presented to the proof of stability of a speed observer based on Immersion and Invariance theory recently published. Note that this is a speed observer satisfying the exponential convergence speed in mechanical systems. Secondly, and based on the change of coordinates (momenta), a globally exponentially stable tracking controller with position and velocity known is proposed. The combination of both results give the first global exponential tracking controller of mechanical systems without velocity measurements.

Microdispositivos piezelétricos tem uma vasta aplicação em mecânica de precisão, como, por exemplo, manipulação de células, microcirurgias, equipamentos de nanotecnologia e principalmente em microeletromecanismos (MEMS). Os microdispositivos piezelétricos considerados nesta tese essencialmente consistem de uma estrutura multi-flexível atuada por duas ou mais piezocerâmicas, que geram deslocamentos e forças em direções e regiões pré-determinadas do domínio, ou seja, a estrutura multi-flexível atua como um transformador mecânico amplificando e alterando os deslocamentos gerados pelas piezocerâmicas nos movimentos de atuação. O desenvolvimento destes microdispositivos piezelétricos em sua grande maioria não utiliza ferramentas sistemáticas e genéricas. A complexidade dos movimentos de atuação torna o desenvolvimento dos microdispositivos piezelétricos complexo, principalmente devido ao surgimento de movimentos indesejados ou acoplados durante a sua atuação. Portanto, é necessário um método sistemático e eficiente como o método de otimização topológica (MOT), que incorpore na sua formulação as principais exigências de projeto dos microdispositivos, como apresentado nesse trabalho. O MOT implementado é baseado na abordagem CAMD (Distribuição Contínua da Distribuição de Material), onde as pseudo-densidades são interpoladas nos nós de cada elemento finito, resultando numa distribuição contínua de material no domínio. Um método adjunto foi implementado para o cálculo das sensibilidades. São consideradas três formulações. A primeira denominada de MAPs (Multi-Atuadores Piezelétricos) considera as regiões piezocerâmicas fixas, otimizando apenas a estrutura multi-flexível no domínio de projeto. Nesta formulação materiais não-piezelétricos (como, por exemplo, Alumínio) e vazio são distribuídos no domínio de projeto, mantendo as regiões piezocerâmicas fixas e homogêneas. Para validar os resultados obtidos com essa formulação foram fabricados protótipos de nanoposicionadores $XY$, que foram caracterizados experimentalmente utilizando técnicas de interferometria laser, considerando excitação quasi-estática. No entanto, essa primeira formulação impõe restrições no problema, limitando a optimalidade da solução obtida pela otimização topológica. Assim, surgiu a necessidade de desenvolver uma segunda formulação, que permite distribuir simultaneamente material não-piezelétrico, piezelétrico e vazio no domínio de projeto, denominada de LOMPs (Localização Ótima do Material Piezelétrico). A formulação dos LOMPs obtém simultaneamente a localização do material piezelétrico na estrutura flexível otimizada pela OT, e inclui também uma variável de projeto para determinar o ângulo ótimo entre as direções de polarização e do campo elétrico. Nesta formulação como as posições dos eletrodos não são conhecidas, ``a priori\'\', é utilizado como abordagem aplicar um campo elétrico constante para determinar a localização do material piezelétrico e conseqüentemente dos eletrodos. Finalmente, foi explorado o conceito de materiais com gradação funcional (MGFs) no projeto dos MAPs. Os MGFs apresentam uma distribuição contínua de materiais na sua microestrutura, não possuindo interface entre os materiais distribuídos, o que possibilita aumentar a vida útil do dispositivo piezelétrico. Assim, foi implementado uma terceira formulação denominada de MAPs MGFs, que permite obter a gradação ótima de materiais piezelétricos e não-piezelétricos no domínio piezocerâmico dos MAPs, conjuntamente com a topologia da estrutura multi-flexível. Essa formulação foi estendida para projetar atuadores bilaminares MGFs. Todas as formulações desenvolvidas utilizam uma função multi-objetivo, que permite controlar a rigidez e a flexibilidade minimizando o movimento acoplado, de cada movimento de atuação. Os exemplos numéricos são limitados a modelos bi-dimensionais, utilizando o estado plano de tensões e deformações mecânicas e elétricas, uma vez que a grande maioria das aplicações dos microdispositivos piezelétricos são bi-dimensionais. / Microtools offer significant promise in a wide range of applications such as cell manipulation, microsurgery, nanotechnology processes, and many other fields. The microtools considered in this doctoral thesis essentially consist of a multi-flexible structure actuated by two or more piezoceramic devices that when each piezoceramic is actuated, it generates an output displacement and force at a specified point of the domain and direction. The multi-flexible structure acts as a mechanical transformer by amplifying and changing the direction of the piezoceramic output displacements. Thus, the development of microtools requires the design of actuated flexible structures that can perform complex movements. The development of these microtools is still in the beginning and it can be strongly enhanced by using design tools. In addition, when multiple piezoceramic devices are involved, coupling effects in their movements become critical, especially the appearance of undesired movements, which makes the design task very complex. One way to avoid such undesirable effects is the use of a systematic design method, such as topology optimization, with appropriate formulation of the optimization problem. The topology optimization method implemented is based on the CAMD (Continuous Approximation of Material Distribution) approach where fictitious densities are interpolated at each finite element, providing a continuum material distribution in the domain. The corresponding sensitivity analysis is presented using the adjoint method. Three formulations are considered. The first formulation, called Piezoelectric Multi-Actuators (PMAs), keeps fixed piezoceramic positions in the design domain and only the flexible structure is designed by distributing some non-piezoelectric material (Aluminum, for example). $XY$ Piezoelectric Nanopositioner are manufactured and experimentally analyzed to validate the results of the topology optimization obtained using this formulation. Experimental analyses are conducted using laser interferometry to measure displacement, while considering a quasi-static excitation. However, this first formulation imposes a constraint to the position of piezoelectric material in the optimization problem limiting the optimality of the solution. Thus, the second formulation presented, called LOMPs, allows the simultaneous distribution of non-piezoelectric and piezoelectric material in the design domain, to achieve certain specified actuation movements. The optimization problem is posed as the simultaneous search for an optimal topology of a flexible structure as well as the optimal position of piezoceramics in the design domain and optimal rotation angle of piezoceramic material axes that maximize output displacements or output forces at a specified point of the domain and direction. When the distribution of a non-piezoelectric conductor material and a piezoceramic material is considered in the design domain, the electrode positions are not known ``a priori\'\'. To circumvent this problem, an electric field is applied as electrical excitation. Finally, the concept of functionally graded materials (FGM) is applied to PMAs design. FGMs are special materials that possess continuously graded properties without interfaces which can increase lifetime of piezoelectric devices. Thus, a third formulation is implemented to find the optimum gradation and polarization sign variation of piezoceramic FGMs, while simultaneously optimizing the multi-flexible structural configuration. This formulation is extended to design bimorph type FGM actuators. For all developed formulations, a multi-objective function is defined that controls the stiffness and flexibility, minimizing the coupling movement of each actuated movement. The present examples are limited to two-dimensional models because most part of the applications for such micro-tools are planar devices.

This thesis presents a real-time autonomous guidance and control method for a quadrotor in a GPS-denied environment. The quadrotor autonomously seeks a destination while it avoids obstacles whose shape and position are initially unknown. We implement the obstacle avoidance and destination seeking methods using off-the-shelf sensors, including a vision-sensing camera. The vision-sensing camera detects the positions of points on the surface of obstacles. We use this obstacle position data and a potential-field method to generate velocity commands. We present a backstepping controller that uses the velocity commands to generate the quadrotor's control inputs. In indoor experiments, we demonstrate that the guidance and control methods provide the quadrotor with sufficient autonomy to fly point to point, while avoiding obstacles.

The effects of system pressure on the performance stability of flow-through capacitive deionization (CDI) cells was investigated. Initial data showed that the highly porous carbon electrodes possessed air/oxygen in the micropores, and the increased system pressure boosts the gases solubility in saline solution and carries them out of the cell in the effluent. Upon applying a potential difference to the electrodes, capacitive-based ion adsorption occurs in competition with faradaic reactions that consume oxygen. Through the addition of backpressure, the rate of degradation decreases, allowing the cell to maintain its salt adsorption capacity (SAC) longer. The removal of oxygen from the pore space of the electrodes makes it no longer immediately accessible to faradaic reactions, thus hindering the rate of reactions and giving the competing ion adsorption an advantage that is progressively seen throughout the life of the cell. A quick calculation shows that the energy penalty to power the pump is fairly insignificant, especially in comparison to the cost of replacing the electrodes in the cell. Thus, operating at elevated pressures is shown to be cost effective for continuous operation through the reduced electrode replenishment costs.