Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a modality widely used to detect myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction. Objectively assessing and comparing different SPECT systems is important so that the best detectability of cardiac defects can be achieved. Whitaker, Clarkson, and Barrett's study on the scanning linear observer (SLO) shows that the SLO can be used to estimate the location and size of signals. One major advantage of the SLO is that it can be used with projection data rather than reconstruction data. Thus, this observer model assesses overall hardware performance independent by any reconstruction algorithm. In addition, we will show that the run time of image-quality studies is significantly reduced. Several systems derived from the GE CZT-based dedicated cardiac SPECT camera Discovery 530c design, which is officially named the Alcyone Technology: Discovery NM 530c, were assessed using the performance of the SLO for the task of detecting cardiac defects and estimating the properties of the defects. Clinically, hearts can be virtually segmented into three coronary artery territories: left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA). One of the most important functions of a cardiac SPECT system is to produce images from which a radiologist can correctly predict in which territory the defect exists. A good estimation of the defect extent from the images is also very helpful for determining the seriousness of the myocardial ischemia. In this dissertation, both locations and extent of defects were estimated by the SLO, and system performance was assessed using localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) / estimation receiver operating characteristic (EROC) curves. Area under LROC curve (AULC) / area under EROC curve (AUEC) and true positive fraction (TPF) at specific false positive fraction (FPF) can be treated as the figures of merit (FOMs). As the results will show, a combination of the SLO and LROC / EROC curves can determine the configuration that has the most estimation/detection information and thus is a useful method for assessing cardiac SPECT systems.

<p><p>A permanent magnet synchronous motor is traditionally controlled from measured</p><p>values of the angular velocity and position of the rotor. However, there is a wish</p><p>from SAAB Avitronics to investigate the possibility of estimating this angular</p><p>velocity and position from the current measurements. The rotating rotor will</p><p>affect the currents in the motor’s stator depending on the rotor’s angular velocity,</p><p>and the observer estimates the angular velocity and angular position from this</p><p>effect.</p><p>There are several methods proposed in the article database IEEE Xplore to</p><p>observe this angular velocity and angular position. The methods of observation</p><p>chosen for study in this thesis are the extended Kalman filter and a phase locked</p><p>loop algorithm based on the back electro motive force augmented by an injection</p><p>method at low velocities.</p><p>The extended Kalman filter was also programmed to be run on a digital signal</p><p>processor in SAAB Avitronics’ developing hardware. The extended Kalman filter</p><p>performs well in simulations and shows promise in hardware implementation. The</p><p>algorithm for hardware implementation suffers from poor resolution in calculations</p><p>involving the covariance matrices of the Kalman filter due to the use of 16-bit</p><p>integers, yielding an observer that only functions in certain conditions.</p><p>As simulations with 32-bit integer algorithm performs well it is likely that a 32-</p><p>bit implementation of the extended Kalman filter would perform well on a motor,</p><p>making sensorless control possible in a wide range of operations.</p></p>

A permanent magnet synchronous motor is traditionally controlled from measured values of the angular velocity and position of the rotor. However, there is a wish from SAAB Avitronics to investigate the possibility of estimating this angular velocity and position from the current measurements. The rotating rotor will affect the currents in the motor’s stator depending on the rotor’s angular velocity, and the observer estimates the angular velocity and angular position from this effect. There are several methods proposed in the article database IEEE Xplore to observe this angular velocity and angular position. The methods of observation chosen for study in this thesis are the extended Kalman filter and a phase locked loop algorithm based on the back electro motive force augmented by an injection method at low velocities. The extended Kalman filter was also programmed to be run on a digital signal processor in SAAB Avitronics’ developing hardware. The extended Kalman filter performs well in simulations and shows promise in hardware implementation. The algorithm for hardware implementation suffers from poor resolution in calculations involving the covariance matrices of the Kalman filter due to the use of 16-bit integers, yielding an observer that only functions in certain conditions. As simulations with 32-bit integer algorithm performs well it is likely that a 32- bit implementation of the extended Kalman filter would perform well on a motor, making sensorless control possible in a wide range of operations.

Maintaining or even improving image quality while lowering patient dose is always the desire in clinical computed tomography (CT) imaging. Iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms have been designed to allow for a reduced dose while maintaining or even improving an image. However, we have previously shown that the dose-saving capabilities allowed with IR are different for different clinical tasks. The channelized scanning linear observer (CSLO) was applied to study clinical tasks that combine detection and estimation when assessing CT image data. The purpose of this work is to illustrate the importance of task complexity when assessing dose savings and to move toward more realistic tasks when performing these types of studies. Human-observer validation of these methods will take place in a future publication. Low-contrast objects embedded in body-size phantoms were imaged multiple times and reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP) and an IR algorithm. The task was to detect, localize, and estimate the size and contrast of low-contrast objects in the phantom. Independent signal-present and signal-absent regions of interest cropped from images were channelized by the dense-difference of Gauss channels for CSLO training and testing. Estimation receiver operating characteristic (EROC) curves and the areas under EROC curves (EAUC) were calculated by CSLO as the figure of merit. The one-shot method was used to compute the variance of the EAUC values. Results suggest that the IR algorithm studied in this work could efficiently reduce the dose by similar to 50% while maintaining an image quality comparable to conventional FBP reconstruction warranting further investigation using real patient data. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T17:38:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo Sergio Dainez - resumo.pdf: 31972 bytes, checksum: 94a24928564b90b196513e814cfe09a3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-06-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In the resonant linear compressor the piston is drive by a linear actuator and a resonant mechanical spring directly in the reciprocating motion, this is a mass spring resonant system, eliminating bearing and crank of the conventional reciprocating compressors, and the friction loss has a significant reduction. The maximum displacement of the piston is regulating by the equilibration between the power supply by the actuator and the power transfer to the gas compression process. This type of the compressor is design to work at the resonant frequency of the mass spring system, in this condition the efficiency is maximum. Then the control must drive the linear actuator in the maximum displacement of the piston and adjust the drive frequency at the system resonant frequency. For enable of this process is necessary that piston position is known with precision, however the installation of a sensor have same difficulty, since the refrigeration compressor is hermetic system, and it have high pressure and temperature, with wide range of variation. This work develop the implementation of a full order linear observer to estimate the displacement and the velocity of the piston of the resonant linear compressor, and a control system able to drive the compressor in the maximum piston displacement and in the resonant frequency, and only measured a current of the linear actuator, without sensor inside de compressor. For this a nonlinear model of the compressor and a linear model with variable coefficients for the observer are develop, also a simulator of the system is develop, where the compressor model is controlled by the displacement and the velocity signals calculate by observer, demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed technique in the present work. / Nos compressores lineares ressonantes o pistão é acionado por um atuador linear e molas diretamente no sentido do seu movimento alternativo, formando um sistema massa-mola ressonante, eliminando assim os mancais mecânicos e o sistema biela e manivela dos compressores convencionais, reduzindo de forma significativa as perdas por atrito. A amplitude do deslocamento do pistão é regulada pelo equilíbrio da potência fornecida pelo atuador e a potência transferida para o processo de compressão do gás. Estes compressores são projetados para funcionar na frequência de ressonância do sistema massa-mola, nesta condição a eficiência do sistema é máxima. Assim, o controle deve acionar o atuador linear na máxima amplitude de deslocamento do pistão e ajustar a frequência de acionamento na frequência de ressonância do sistema. Para viabilizar este processo é necessário que o curso do pistão seja conhecido com precisão, porém a instalação de um sensor apresenta dificuldades, pois os compressores de refrigeração são herméticos e estão sujeitos a pressões e temperaturas elevadas e com grande faixa de variação. Este trabalho propõe a implementação de um observador de estados de ordem plena, para estimar o deslocamento e a velocidade do pistão do compressor linear ressonante, e um sistema de controle capaz de acionar o compressor no deslocamento máximo e na frequência de ressonância, medindo somente a corrente no atuador linear, sem a necessidade de sensores instalados dentro do compressor. Para isto desenvolve-se um modelo não linear do compressor e um modelo linear equivalente de coeficientes variáveis para o projeto do observador, também é desenvolvido um simulador do sistema, onde o modelo do compressor é controlado pelos sinais de deslocamento e velocidade calculados pelo observador, demonstrando a viabilidade da técnica proposta no presente trabalho.

Recently, a lot of research work has been dedicated toward enhancing performance, reliability and integrity of distributed energy resources that are integrated into distribution networks. The problem of islanding detection and islanding prevention (i.e. anti-islanding) has stimulated a lot of research due to its role in severely compromising the safety of working personnel and resulting in equipment damages. Various Islanding Detection Methods (IDMs) have been developed within the last ten years in anticipation of the tremendous increase in the penetration of Distributed Generation (DG) in distribution system. This work proposes new IDMs that rely on transient and distributed behaviors to improve integrity and performance of DGs while maintaining multi-DG islanding detection capability. In this thesis, the following questions have been addressed: How to utilize the transient behavior arising from an islanding condition to improve detectability and robust performance of IDMs in a distributive manner? How to reduce the negative stability impact of the well-known Sandia Frequency Shift (SFS) IDM while maintaining its islanding detection capability? How to incorporate the perturbations provided by each of DGs in such a way that the negative interference of different IDMs is minimized without the need of any type of communication among the different DGs? It is shown that the proposed techniques are local, scalable and robust against different loading conditions and topology changes. Also, the proposed techniques can successfully distinguish an islanding condition from other disturbances that may occur in power system networks. This work improves the efficiency, reliability and safety of integrated DGs, which presents a necessary advance toward making electric power grids a smart grid.