This thesis contributes to the research on optimization algorithms for nonlinear programming, and to the application of such algorithms to nonlinear model predictive control. Regarding the contribution to research on algorithms for nonlinear programming, a novel algorithm is put forward with a complete theory for global and local convergence. This is the main contribution of the thesis. The algorithm, named rFSQP, is a reduced Hessian Feasible Sequential Quadratic Programming method. It remains feasible with respect to nonlinear inequalities at all SQP iterations, but nonlinear equality constraints are treated as in general reduced Hessian SQP methods. The rFSQP algorithm is implemented in MATLAB and tested on a number of small scale problems with encouraging results. However, the algorithm is designed for large scale problems with few degrees of freedom. Some preliminary testing of the algorithm on large scale problems are investigated. The thesis also contributes to the understanding of the relation between sequential and simultaneous reduced gradient methods, and to the understanding of the relation between discretization methods for dynamical systems and the choice of optimization algorithms. The thesis also contributes to model based control approaches of grate sintering. Grate sintering is a complex metallurgical process, where melting of solids and fast gas dynamics give rise to stiff process models, i.e. the "time constants" of the system differ by many decades in magnitude. Hence, application of real-time optimization methods like nonlinear model predictive control to the grate sintering process is challenging. The thesis gives a framework for implementing nonlinear model based control of grate sintering by giving a control objective, a nonlinear model and choosing an appropriate discretization scheme. The thesis gives a reduced order model which is less computationally demanding. Data from industrial experiments are used to adapt the model and to assess the control objective.

Increased programmability for concurrent applications in distributed systems requires automatic support for some of the concurrent computing aspects. These are: the decomposition of a program into parallel threads, the mapping of threads to processors, the communication between threads, and synchronization among threads. Thus, a highly usable programming environment for data parallel applications strives to conceal data decomposition, data mapping, data communication, and data access synchronization. This work investigates the problem of programmability and effectiveness for scientific, data parallel applications with irregular data layout. The complicating factor for such applications is the recursive, or indirection data structure representation. That is, an efficient parallel execution requires a data distribution and mapping that ensure data locality. However, the recursive and indirect representations yield poor physical data locality. We examine the techniques for efficient, load-balanced data partitioning and mapping for irregular data layouts. Moreover, in the presence of non-trivial parallelism and data dependences, a general data partitioning procedure complicates arbitrary locating distributed data across address spaces. We formulate the general data partitioning and mapping problems and show how a general data layout can be used to access data across address spaces in a location transparent manner. Traditional data parallel models promote instruction level, or loop-level parallelism. Compiler transformations and optimizations for discovering and/or increasing parallelism for Fortran programs apply to regular applications. However, many data intensive applications are irregular (sparse matrix problems, applications that use general meshes, etc.). Discovering and exploiting fine-grain parallelism for applications that use indirection structures (e.g. indirection arrays, pointers) is very hard, or even impossible. The work in this thesis explores a concurrent programming model that enables coarse-grain parallelism in a highly usable, efficient manner. Hence, it explores the issues of implicit parallelism in the context of objects as a means for encapsulating distributed data. The computation model results in a trivial SPMD (Single Program Multiple Data), where the non-trivial parallelism aspects are solved automatically. This thesis makes the following contributions: - It formulates the general data partitioning and mapping problems for data parallel applications. Based on these formulations, it describes an efficient distributed data consistency algorithm. - It describes a data parallel object model suitable for regular and irregular data parallel applications. Moreover, it describes an original technique to map data to processors such as to preserve locality. It also presents an inter-object consistency scheme that tries to minimize communication. - It brings evidence on the efficiency of the data partitioning and consistency schemes. It describes a prototype implementation of a system supporting implicit data parallelism through distributed objects. Finally, it presents results showing that the approach is scalable on various architectures (e.g. Linux clusters, SGI Origin 3800).

I dagsläget finns inget system som övervakar en tullstation utan att man måste vara på plats på kontoret eller stationen. Denna rapport handlar om utvecklingen av en övervaknings applikation i Windows 8 store app miljö på uppdrag av Combitech AB mot kunden Kapsch TrafficCom. Applikationen utvecklades mot en Windows 8 surfplatta för att kunna övervaka en tullstation. Användargränssnitt är utvecklat i XAML och dess logik i C#. Onion Architecture har används för att bygga upp arkitekturen i applikationen. Resultatet av examensarbetet blev en fungerande prototyp av en övervaknings applikationen till en Windows 8 surfplatta, där innehållet genereras av en simulator. Applikationen visar användaren information om en specifik tullstation, exempelvis passager och event. / Today is there no system that monitors a tolling station without the need to be at the office or the tolling station. This report concerns the development of a monitoring application to Windows 8 store app environment on behalf of Combitech AB towards the customer Kapsch TrafficCom. The application was developed for a Windows 8 tablet to monitor a tolling station. The user interface was developed in XAML and its logic in C#. Onion Architecture has been used to build the architecture for the application. The result of this thesis was a working prototype of a monitoring application for Windows 8 tablet, where the content is generated by a simulator. The application displays information for the user about a specific tolling station, for example passages and events.

This thesis work resulted in a template for how the thermal spray process can be controlled through robot programs. The robots today and their programs need to be replaced, therefore a new structure which can be matched with the new robot systems is needed. The work is limited to only concern structured programming on the new robots on Thermal Spray Centre (TC) with the programming language Rapid. The basic data for the program was retrieved from interviews with concerned personnel at TC, from studies on process parameters for thermal spray and from existing specifications at Volvo Aero Corporation (VAC). The thesis work briefly describes the process thermal spray and the four methods used at VAC. A literature survey on Jackson Structured Programming, Human Machine Interface and structured programming was made and used to compare, evaluate and suggest improvements for the thermal spray work cell. A functional suggestion for a menu system in a robot program for the thermal spray robot was presented. This will be in the robot permanently for uploading of detail programs from a network connected computer. An example of such a detail program was made but without robot movement and communication with the process computer. Testing of the programs has therefore only been made on a robot not suited for thermal spraying. The new detail program shows its parameters directly on the screen so they can be controlled against the operation papers. A programmer\2019s guide to the detail program has been made which is presented in the report.

Det finns flera fördelar med robotiserad bågsvetsning jämfört med manuell bågsvetsning. När det gäller produktivitet och repeterbarhet är robot överlägsen människa, vilket gör att produkterna håller jämnare kvalitet. I slutet av 80-talet började offline-programmering att tillämpas. Att programmera en robot offline innebär att utföra programmeringen med dator utan direkt tillgång till roboten. Genom simulering visualiseras ett robotprogram i en grafisk modell av den fysiska robotcellen utan att den fysiska roboten behöver tas ur produktion. För att systemet för offline-programmering (OLP) ska vara effektivt, måste dess modellers kinematik överensstämma med dess fysiska motsvarigheter. En virtuell modell av en cell skiljer sig dock alltid något från verkligheten. Därför krävs kalibrering När simuleringsprogrammet är färdigt och kalibreringen är utförd, ska programmet översättas till ett för roboten specifikt programspråk. Detta görs genom en så kallad translator. Denna rapport har skrivits på uppdrag av Delfoi. Delfoi har i flera år använt sig av DELMIA IGRIP för offline-programmering av bågsvetsningsrobotar. DELMIA har nu gett ut en ny generation program i den gemensamma plattformen V5. Plattformen innehåller bland annat DELMIA V5 Robotics och CATIA V5. Området för bågsvetsning har varit relativt outforskat. Därför vill företaget undersöka hur långt V5 Robotics har utvecklats inom detta område. Syftet är att undersöka om utvecklingen av V5 Robotics kommit tillräckligt långt för att kunna säljas till kund för offline-programmering av bågsvetsning. Arbetet påbörjades genom att kartlägga den arbetsmetodik som Delfoi använder sig av vid bågsvetsning i IGRIP. Detta har skett i programvaran UltraArc, som innehåller IGRIP’s applikation för bågsvetsning. Dessutom gjordes en kartläggning av användandet av AMP, Arc weld Macro Programming, vid offline-programmering av bågsvetsning. Nästa del var att ta fram en metodik för bågsvetsning i V5 Robotics. De båda programmen och dess metodik har sedan jämförts, för att ta reda på om V5 Robotics är tillräckligt utvecklat för att migrera från IGRIP till V5 Robotics. Demonstrationer av arbetssättet i V5 Robotics har genomförts på Delfoi samt hos en av Delfois kunder, BT Industries i Mjölby. Författarnas slutsats är att V5 Robotics är redo att användas för OLP av bågsvetsning. För de företag som använder sig av CATIA V5 finns det stora fördelar med att starta migrationen från IGRIP till V5 Robotics. Metodiken mellan de båda mjukvarorna har stora likheter, men vissa delar har utvecklats till det bättre i V5 Robotics. Dock kan den nya programvaran behöva testas i verkliga projekt för att säkerställa att hela programmeringsprocessen fungerar tillfredsställande innan bytet genomförs. / There are several advantages in robotic arc welding, compared to manual arc welding. When it comes to productivity and repeatability, robot is superior to man, which generates more even quality in products. In the end of the 1980’s, offline programming was put into practice. To program a robot offline means to perform the programming on a computer with no direct access to the robot. Through simulation, the robot program is visualized as a graphic model of the actual workcell, without having to take the actual robot out of production. For the offline programming system (OLP) to be efficient, the kinematics of the models need to correspond to its physical counterpart. A virtual model is always slightly different from the reality. That is why calibration is necessary. When the simulation program is complete and the calibration is done, the program needs to be translated to the language of the target robot. This is done through a post processor. This thesis was written as an assignment from the company Delfoi. Delfoi has been using DELMIA IGRIP for offline programming of robotic arc welding for several years. DELMIA now has released a new generation of programs in the common platform V5. The platform includes for example DELMIA V5 Robotics and CATIA V5. The area of arc welding has been relatively unexplored. That is why the company wants to investigate how far V5 Robotics has developed in this area. The purpose is to investigate if the development of V5 Robotics has come far enough for V5 Robotics to be taken to customers for OLP of arc welding. The work was begun by surveying the methodology used by Delfoi in arc welding in IGRIP. This has been done in the software UltraArc, which consists of the arc welding application from IGRIP. There was also a surveillance of the application of AMP, Arc weld Macro Programming, in offline programming of arc welding. The next step was to evolve a methodology for arc welding in V5 Robotics. The two softwares and their methodologies were then compared to find out whether or not V5 is enough developed for migration from IGRIP to V5 Robotics. Demonstrations of the method of working in V5 Robotics were held on Delfoi and on BT Industries in Mjölby, which is one of Deloi’s clients. The conclusion of the writers is that V5 Robotics is ready to be used in OLP of arc welding. For companies using CATIA V5, there are great advantages in migrating from IGRIP to V5 Robotics. The methodoldgies of the softwares show great similarities, but some parts have been developed to the better in V5 Robotics. Though, the new software needs to be tested in real projects to assure that the entire process of programming functions satisfying before the change is completed.

Development and construction of an electronic Breakout box is the main work for this thesis. The box is a part of a test system for the component Fuel Flow Transmitter and should convert signals to be suitable for a frequency counter. A previously constructed Breakoutbox for this purpose is being old and needed to be recreated. So SAAB Aerotech, Aircraft services, the company for the thesis work wanted to construct a new, more sustainable Breakoutbox adapted to a more modern technology. The signals to the box comes from the transmitter and should be converted to suitable signals for a frequency counter so it can show pulse and time difference between the signals. Both a digital and an analog approach for this purpose have been examined in the work. The result was that the analog solution worked better because the conversion could be performed with OP-amplifier instead of algorithms in a microprocessor. Many problems occured in this thesis work that wasn’t included in the beginning so the most important property proved to be the ability to solve this problems. The Breakout box finally met the requirements from the specification and will in the future be used instead of the old Breakout box as a component in the test system for the Fuel Flow Transmitter. / Det här arbetet handlar om att utveckla och konstruera en elektronisk Breakoutbox som används vid tester av bränslekomponenten Fuel Flow Transmitter. En tidigare konstruerad Breakoutbox för detta ändamål började bli gammal och behövde förnyas. SAAB Aerotech avdelning Aircraft Services, som examensarbetet utfördes åt, ville därför konstruera en ny, mer hållbar Breakoutbox som är anpassad till en modernare teknologi. Insignalerna till boxen kommer från transmittern och ska omvandlas så att en frekvensräknare kan visa pulstid samt tidsdifferens mellan dem. Både ett digitalt och ett analogt tillvägagångssätt för att omvandla signalerna har undersökts under arbetets gång. Resultatet blev att den analoga lösningen fungerade bättre för detta ändamål då omvandlingen kunde utföras med OP-förstärkare istället för algoritmer i en mikroprocessor. Den viktigaste egenskapen i arbetet visade sig vara problemlösning då många problem dök upp under arbetets gång som inte var medräknade från början. Breakoutboxen uppfyllde till slut de krav som fastställdes från början. Boxen kommer i fortsättningen att användas istället för den gamla Breakoutboxen som en komponent i bränsletestkedjan för Fuel Flow Transmittern.

This report describes the development of a sample loader for my diploma work at Q-linea AB in Uppsala. The sample loader will replace the process of loading fluid samples into Q-linea’s instrument for biomolecule analysis. The earlier process was done by hand and was a time consuming and inefficient task. The work was initiated with a design phase where an overview of the system was created. The sample loader will be receiving text commands from a PC that coordinates all the subsystems like pumps and lasers on the analysis instrument. The commands will be translated by a microcontroller into the correct movement of the samples needed to load them. Most of the work was put down into developing the software responsible for handling communications and actuation of a couple of stepper motors. Lastly a circuit board was designed and manufactured, ready to be mounted into the existing instrument. The result was a working prototype which now is used in the daily work at Q-linea. It is subject for further development and in the future it will be shipped as a part of the finished biomolecular analysis instrument from Q-linea.

In this report, I examine a part of the teaching of computer programming in a Swedish ”gymnasium”, carried out through the course ”Programmering A”. In this beginner course, students, often in heterogeneous groups, are taught the basics of using a programming language. However, quite a few pupils are facing problems in completing the course. Especially, the construction and use of ”for-loops” (in the programming language C++) seems to be hard to master. The report focus on the making and practising of a student-oriented excercise, which uses both visual and problem-oriented means to teach ”for-looping” in a way that makes learning easier, and also stimulates the students' creativity. Pros and cons with this excercise are discussed in the report, within the theoretical framework of the mathematician Papert and his ”constructionism”, as well as with some Swedish constructionist studies. The report is based on a qualitative study of three small student groups performing the excercise, at a ”gymnasium” in Sweden.

<p>Detta är ett projekt som diskuterar och framställer en arkitektur för dynamisk dialog i dataspel. Den är skapad för att kunna ge mer spelarinteraktion i datarollspel i form av större frihet när det gäller hur en spelare vill spela sin karaktär samtidigt som den även ska ge bättre respons från NPC:er, just i ämnet dialoger. Beroende på vad och, framför allt, hur du som spelare säger något ska du få olika känslomässiga respons från dem. De ska kunna bli irriterade, hata, gilla och älska dig, med mera, samtidigt som de även ska kunna bli rädda för dig. Utöver detta har de även försetts med individuella minnen som tillåter dem att komma ihåg vad du har sagt och hur många gånger du har sagt det, vilket i sin tur tillåter att du får olika respons ju fler gånger du säger samma sak.</p>

<p>I dagens samhälle finns det en mängd olika maskiner för att underlätta ardagssysslorna, såsom batteridrivna dammsugare och gräsklippare. Gräsklippardomänen används i detta projekt, för att undersöka vilken av monolitisk och hierarkisk kontrollarkitektur i en batteridriven gräsklippare som har bäst generaliseringsförmåga. Gräsklippardomänen används som testdomän därför att det finns en oändlig mängd olika yt-fromer. Med generalisering menas hur bra gräsklipparen klipper på ytor som den nyligen eller aldrig tränats på. Experiment har utförs på båda kontrollarkitekturerna i en simulator. Val av kontrollarkitektur spelar inte någon större roll för gräsklipparen. Bidraget med detta arbete är att undersöka hur bra de olika arkitekturerna generaliserar.</p>