As the effort of today’s industries to continuously move towards lean production, pull production system has been developed as one possible solution of lean. It is popularly known in the industry world, and is indeed a proven technique to achieve substantial savings on inventory, production cost incurred by manufactures all over the world. However, a careful understanding of pull production systems is required to access its suitability to a particular production setup. It is necessary to develop a proper way to implement pull production systems.             This study is based on a real life scenario in a leading driveline manufacturing company. The production system is studied in detail as regard to its production characteristic. A theoretical review is first made as research foundation. A careful analysis study within the company is conducted with all the existing constrains to figure out improvement opportunities. Eventually, from the applicability point of view, proposals of future pull production system implementation have been developed. The objective of the proposals is to minimize the identified weaknesses of the current system, including long lead time, low flexibility and unconnected flow.

Wind generation has become one of the most popular choices of technology for adding new generation capacity to power systems worldwide. Several factors have contributed to the increased integration of wind generation, including environmental concerns and the continual increase in fossil fuel prices. As well, recent regulations have moved toward limitations on greenhouse gases, especially in the European Union (EU). Similar laws are currently under consideration in the US and other parts of the world. Other factors have also promoted the use of wind energy, such as advances in manufacturing and control technology and the attractiveness of wind as a “green” source of energy. The large-scale integration of wind power into an electricity system introduces planning and operational challenges because of the intermittent nature of wind speed and the difficulty involved in predicting it. For these reasons, wind energy is often considered an unreliable energy source. Additional problems are associated with the integration of large-scale wind farms into an electrical grid, among which wind power fluctuation is the most challenging. To maximize the penetration level of wind energy in a grid, a reliable technology must be developed in order to eliminate or at least decrease wind power fluctuation. The primary goal of this thesis was to develop methods of maximizing the penetration level of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) into a grid, which requires mitigating wind power fluctuation. A robust control technique has therefore been developed for mitigating wind power fluctuation. This control technique exploits historical environmental data collected over a number of years in order to evaluate the profile of the output power of a variety of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). The developed control technique was applied to Types A and C WECSs modifying the pitch angle controller of Type A WECS and the back-to-back converter control of Type C WECS. The Attachment of a storage device to the WECSs after the control technique is applied was investigated from both an economic and a technical point of view. The optimum sizing and siting of the wind energy conversion system equipped with the proposed control technique was also studied. This research is expected to contribute to the advancement of WECS technology by presenting a feasible solution to the problems associated with the integration of large-scale WECSs into electrical grids.

Most bridges in Taiwan are simple beam bridge , and most of them have been used more than twenty years , even some of them are used fifty years.In recent years , there are many floods in Taiwan rivers . There are often high-velocity,flow,and entrainment of a large number of sediment from happening.This situation for the bridge itself and the safety of people cause a great threat , bridge health examination become an important issue after Typhoon Morakot. In this study , we explored modern measurement technique for bridge deformation monitoring , and it can also used bridge health examination. The cross bridge measurement and modeling is focused on the vicinity area around Da-Jia Bridge of Highway 1 based on Angle-Distance monitoring survey, Leveling, close-range photogrammetry, and 3D laser scanning technologies. The 3D point cloud model of bridge is constructed for the purpose of comparing the accuracy between four technologies. Moreover, the discussion and investigation is also conducted for at least three bridges span and two-side of the bridge deformation monitoring. P29 to P25 bridge pier deflection measurements of the monitoring points for each completed total of five point and the deformation monitoring accuracy is analyzed base on four technologies. Finally, development of the technical specification draft for bridge deformation monitoring is to aim the goal of technologically advanced, economical, and safe application in the technology of deformation monitoring of bridges. At present, the draft of technical specification applies only to the measurements of structure, settlement, displacement, and tilt for simple beam-type bridge. The bridge deformation monitoring after the flood season can reflect the degree of deformation or the deformation trend.

This thesis presents the applications of a series interconnection scheme for small distributed generation (DG) systems in distribution networks. The concept uses one set of voltage source converter (VSC) to control the injected voltage magnitude and phase angle for power injection and voltage sag mitigation. Through an energy storage device and the VSC, DG outputs vary concurrently with the line loading and provide load leveling functions. Under voltage sag situations, it provides missing voltages to effectively deal with power quality problems. Due to its series connection characteristic, it is convenient in preventing islanding operation and good for fault current limiting. The concept is suitable for locations where the voltage phase shift is not a major concern. Due to the use of only one set of converter, it is economic for customer site distributed energy resource applications and its control strategy would depend on the types of load connected.

This thesis presents the application of a series interconnection module for small distributed generation (DG) or renewable energy systems integration in the distribution network. The concept used one set of voltage source converter (VSC) with battery energy storage system to control the injected voltage magnitude and phase angle for power injection and voltage sag mitigation applications. Through an energy storage device and the VSC, the module allows storage of surplus energy during off peak period and release for use during daytime peak load period, therefore, exhibits a load leveling characteristic. Due to its series connection characteristic, it is convenient in preventing islanding operation and suitable for voltage sag mitigation. The concept is suitable for locations where the voltage phase shift is not a problem. Due to the use of only one set of VSC, it is economic for customer site distributed energy resource applications.

Wind generation has become one of the most popular choices of technology for adding new generation capacity to power systems worldwide. Several factors have contributed to the increased integration of wind generation, including environmental concerns and the continual increase in fossil fuel prices. As well, recent regulations have moved toward limitations on greenhouse gases, especially in the European Union (EU). Similar laws are currently under consideration in the US and other parts of the world. Other factors have also promoted the use of wind energy, such as advances in manufacturing and control technology and the attractiveness of wind as a “green” source of energy. The large-scale integration of wind power into an electricity system introduces planning and operational challenges because of the intermittent nature of wind speed and the difficulty involved in predicting it. For these reasons, wind energy is often considered an unreliable energy source. Additional problems are associated with the integration of large-scale wind farms into an electrical grid, among which wind power fluctuation is the most challenging. To maximize the penetration level of wind energy in a grid, a reliable technology must be developed in order to eliminate or at least decrease wind power fluctuation. The primary goal of this thesis was to develop methods of maximizing the penetration level of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) into a grid, which requires mitigating wind power fluctuation. A robust control technique has therefore been developed for mitigating wind power fluctuation. This control technique exploits historical environmental data collected over a number of years in order to evaluate the profile of the output power of a variety of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). The developed control technique was applied to Types A and C WECSs modifying the pitch angle controller of Type A WECS and the back-to-back converter control of Type C WECS. The Attachment of a storage device to the WECSs after the control technique is applied was investigated from both an economic and a technical point of view. The optimum sizing and siting of the wind energy conversion system equipped with the proposed control technique was also studied. This research is expected to contribute to the advancement of WECS technology by presenting a feasible solution to the problems associated with the integration of large-scale WECSs into electrical grids.

Η εργασία εξετάζει το μορφολογικό φαινόμενο της παραδειγματικής ομοιομορφίας στο ονοματικό κλιτικό σύστημα πλήθους νεοελληνικών διαλέκτων τόσο από συγχρονική όσο και διαχρονική σκοπιά και ερμηνεύει τους λόγους εμφάνισής του. / The paper examines the morphological phenomenon of paradigm leveling as it manifests itself within the nominal inflectional paradigm of several modern Greek dialects, both from a synchronic and diachronic perspective, and explains the reasons which lead to its appearance.

abstract: The wood-framing trade has not sufficiently been investigated to understand the work task sequencing and coordination among crew members. A new mental framework for a performing crew was developed and tested through four case studies. This framework ensured similar team performance as the one provided by task micro-scheduling in planning software. It also allowed evaluation of the effect of individual coordination within the crew on the crew's productivity. Using design information, a list of micro-activities/tasks and their predecessors was automatically generated for each piece of lumber in the four wood frames. The task precedence was generated by applying elementary geometrical and technological reasoning to each frame. Then, the duration of each task was determined based on observations from videotaped activities. Primavera's (P6) resource leveling rules were used to calculate the sequencing of tasks and the minimum duration of the whole activity for various crew sizes. The results showed quick convergence towards the minimum production time and allowed to use information from Building Information Models (BIM) to automatically establish the optimal crew sizes for frames. Late Start (LS) leveling priority rule gave the shortest duration in every case. However, the logic of LS tasks rule is too complex to be conveyed to the framing crew. Therefore, the new mental framework of a well performing framer was developed and tested to ensure high coordination. This mental framework, based on five simple rules, can be easily taught to the crew and ensures a crew productivity congruent with the one provided by the LS logic. The case studies indicate that once the worst framer in the crew surpasses the limit of 11% deviation from applying the said five rules, every additional percent of deviation reduces the productivity of the whole crew by about 4%. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Construction 2011

Pessoas com deficiência motora têm poucas opções na seleção de cadeiras de rodas que atendam suas necessidades de deslocamento, comodidade e segurança para a realização das tarefas da vida diária, principalmente com as tecnologias assistivas disponíveis no Brasil. Com o intuito de auxiliar os cadeirantes, facilitando seus deslocamentos em vias públicas, foi desenvolvido um sistema de simulação numérica e um protótipo para teste de controle de suspensão autonivelante para aplicar em cadeiras de rodas. Baseado nos resultados numéricos obtidos por meio da simulação, a planta de teste de controle foi montada visando ao estudo do desempenho da dinâmica vertical. O sistema de inclinação lateral e frontal é apresentado com o uso de atuadores para controlar os movimentos de arfagem e rolagem de uma cadeira de rodas motorizada. Os sistemas foram expostos a diversas perturbações e os resultados mostram que o controle pode melhorar o conforto e a segurança de cadeirantes em percursos em vias públicas, dependendo da velocidade de aplicação da perturbação. / People with disabilities have little choice go select a wheelchairs which meets most of the displacement, comfort and safety requirements to perform their daily life tasks, particularly amid assistive technologies available in Brazil. In order to aid disabled persons, facilitating wheelchairs displacements on public roads courses, it was designed and developed a numeric simulation model and a prototype for the test of a wheelchair self-leveling suspension control system. Based upon the numeric results obtained from the model simulation, the control test platform was created aiming to ascertain the vertical dynamics performance. The lateral and frontal tilting system is presented, using actuators to control the leveling and rolling movements of a motorized wheelchair. The system underwent a variety of perturbations and the results demonstrate the control may improve comfort and safety for the wheelchairs displacements on public roads courses, depending on the velocity of application of the perturbation.

Submitted by DANIEL ARANA null (daniel_arana1@hotmail.com) on 2016-03-27T18:29:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DEFESA - Daniel Arana - V8.pdf: 41186649 bytes, checksum: c8969b31497d1612d3bd90d0759d6524 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-03-28T17:35:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 arana_d_me_prud.pdf: 41186649 bytes, checksum: c8969b31497d1612d3bd90d0759d6524 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-28T17:35:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arana_d_me_prud.pdf: 41186649 bytes, checksum: c8969b31497d1612d3bd90d0759d6524 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A determinação da componente altimétrica por meio do GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) vem ganhando destaque e tem sido utilizada para fins de nivelamento com auxílio de modelos geoidais. Todavia, a desvantagem desse método está na qualidade dos modelos geoidais utilizados, que degradam as altitudes e limitam as aplicações do método. Com intuito de proporcionar ao nivelamento/GNSS uma melhor qualidade na transformação de altitudes, essa pesquisa objetiva o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de hibridização dos modelos geoidais gravimétricos EGM08, MAPGEO2015 e GEOIDSP2014 para o Estado de São Paulo, proporcionando modelos mais consistentes com a tecnologia GNSS. As redes neurais RBF (Radial Based Function) foram utilizadas na obtenção das superfícies de distorção, baseadas nas diferenças entre as ondulações geoidais dos modelos e as ondulações obtidas por rastreamento em referencias de nível. Para geração dos modelos híbridos foram considerados somente os pontos da Rede Altimétrica Fundamental Brasileira. A partir das distorções obtidas foi realizada uma filtragem, com objetivo de minimizar as inconsistências altimétricas. Os modelos geoidais híbridos HYDEGM, HYDMAPEO e HYDGEOIDSP foram gerados utilizando 319, 317 e 315 pontos, respectivamente. Os experimentos permitiram concluir que o interpolador mais indicado para modelagem das distorções é o RBF linear. Para validação dos modelos foi utilizado 10% dos pontos altimétricos, enquanto 90% dos dados foram utilizados na geração das superfícies de distorção. Os pontos de verificação indicam que os modelos geoidais híbridos apresentam RMS de ± 0,107, ± 0,104 e ± 0,098 m, respectivamente. Os resultados dos modelos são promissores, uma vez que representam uma melhora das consistências de 30 à 40% em comparação com os geoides gravimétricos, proporcionando aos usuários uma melhor qualidade na transformação de altitudes geométricas para ortométricas. / Determination of the altimetric component using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is becoming better known and used for purposes of leveling with the aid of geoid models. However, the disadvantage of this method is the quality of the geoid models, which degrade heights and limit the application of the method. In order to provide better quality in transforming height using GNSS/leveling, this research aims to develop a hybridization methodology of gravimetric geoid models EGM08, MAPGEO2015 and GEOIDSP2014 for the State of São Paulo, providing more consistent models with GNSS technology. RBF (Radial Basis Function) neural networks were used to obtain the surface distortion, based on differences between geoid model undulations and the undulations obtained by GNSS tracking in benchmarks. Only points from the Altimetric Fundamental Brazilian Network were considered for the generation of hybrid geoids. Filtering was carried out from the offsets obtained in order to minimize altimetric inconsistencies. The hybrid geoid models HYDEGM, HYDMAPGEO and HYDGEOIDSP were generated using, respectively, 319, 317 and 315 points. The experiments showed that the most suitable interpolation for modeling distortions is the linear RBF. 10% of the altimetric points were used for validation of the models, while 90% of the data was used in offset surface generation. Checkpoints indicate that the geoid hybrid models feature RMS ± 0,107, 0,104 and ± 0,098 m, respectively. The results are promising since they represent an improvement of 30 to 40% in consistencies compared with the gravimetric geoids, providing users better quality transformation of geometric to orthometric heights.