This thesis presents the development of a novel hybrid pneumatic-electric actuator which combines the advantages of both pneumatic and electrical actuator. The hybrid actuator consists of a pneumatic cylinder and a DC motor. They are connected in parallel using gears. The components are sized to provide the torque required to rotate a single-link robot arm vertically upwards. On/off solenoid valves are used rather than servo valves to keep the hardware cost low. A mathematical model of the nonlinear actuator dynamics is derived using a combination of physical laws and empirical curve fitting. The dynamics of the mechanical, electrical and pneumatic elements are included. Then a novel discrete-valued model-predictive control plus integral compensator algorithm is created for controlling the position of the pneumatic cylinder using the on/off valves. The control algorithm for the hybrid actuator is completed by using a conventional PD algorithm to control the electric motor. Experiments shows the hybrid actuator outperform pneumatic actuator in every aspect. Conversely, the DC motor added a faster acting and finer quantized force to the pneumatic cylinder force, which greatly improved the dynamic position control performance of the hybrid actuator. In experiments, the mean root-mean-square error and the maximum absolute error improved by 84% and 77%, respectively. / Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

With the increased use of wind turbines as sources of energy, maintenance of these devices becomes more and more important. Utility scale wind turbines can be time consuming and expensive to repair so an intelligent method of monitoring these devices is important. Commercial solutions for condition monitoring exist but are expensive and can be difficult to implement. In this project a novel condition monitoring system is developed. The priority of this system, dubbed the LifeLine, is to provide reliable condition monitoring through an easy-to-install and low-cost system. This system utilizes a microcontroller to collect acceleration data to detect imbalances on turbines blades. Two graphical user interfaces are created. One improves control with a small wind turbine while the other interfaces with the LifeLine. A custom PCB is designed for the LifeLine and additional rotor speed, current, and voltage sensors are incorporated into the LifeLine system. Future improvements to this system are also discussed.

This thesis involves the process of designing a wagon for the company Majgården AB, a company working with bakery production. The used method follows mostly Fredy Olsson´s (1995) work process using Principle Design as well as Primary Design in order to design a final concept. Initially, in the beginning of the thesis, it was analyzed how the product will be used and in what kind of environment. The analysis allowed a definition of requirements that the product needs to fulfill. Next step included extracting different product sketches that could be used as possible solutions. The solutions were compared against the requirements and a final, optimal concept was chosen to continue the work with. The final sketch was then further improved. The design of the final concept was then fully finalized with help of a 3D program.

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Vi fick som uppdrag av Besikta i Halmstad att ta fram en lösning på deras avgasproblem med parkeringsvärmare. Samtidigt som besiktningen av fordonet pågår kommer det ut giftiga avgaser från parkeringsvärmaren. Trots att det inte är någon stor mängd avgaser gör det att det blir jobbigt och obehagligt för besiktaren som under vissa sekvenser av besiktningen befinner sig under fordonet. Därav blev vårt uppdrag att ta fram ett lösningsförslag till det här problemet. Början av rapporten handlar om vilka krav och önskemål som finns för förslagen som togs fram och hur dessa styr lösningarnas utformning. När kraven samt önskemålen är vägda mot förslagen gick vi vidare med det bästa förslaget och gjorde lämpliga komponentval utefter önskemålen. Sedan skapades en 3D-modell av lösningsförslaget som vi kommit fram till.

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Is it possible to apply concept development methodology to solve a real industrial problem? This study will examine if this is possible. Saab has ordered a concept which allows launching of a sonobuoy from a pressurized aircraft cabin, this is a perfect opportunity to test this theory because it is a real system with technical demands to ensure robustness and safety. The system needs to be operated in tight areas which is the reason no launcher available will be used, they do not fulfill this demand. There are also a number of demands that the concept needs to fulfill which must be ensured during the concept process. It is not common when developing a component that a thorough and systematical concept development process is carried out at Saab. Therefor it was interesting to see how it would work with a Saab related product. The concept development process was carried out thoroughly by researching known methods within the subject. It was decided that the process would not follow a singular methodology because there where no process that suited this study perfectly. The process used was decided to be parts from different literature where methods that suited the concept at the current state would be used. This was performed differently depending on the current state of the concept. For example the product requirement process were established in a different way than the concept generation because they are different, one is mostly gathering facts while the other is mainly a creative phase. Regardless of the step in the concept development process the objective was to always use some sort help from the methodology. A combination of lacking experience with the technical area and applying concept development methodology towards a industrial problem slowed down the process. The final concept were not as developed as the plan was from the start. To perform each step required more research than what was intended and some steps became an iterative process which also took time from the actual development. However, the actual process of setting up requirements, generating ideas and evaluating concepts should also be regarded as deliverable for this study. It is material that can be used for future development and this concept where never intended to be a finished design which mean it is useful material for the future. To use concept development methodology for this kind of projects is recommended based on this study. Foremost when the experience of the system is limited, it ensures that the solution space and requirements are examined more than it would have without the process. It also helps with decision making and when discussing a concept within the group which could lead to an agreement which it might not would have without the methods.