As válvulas de controle são os elementos finais da grande maioria das malhas de controle existentes na indústria. Além disso, sabe-se que o atrito pode causar variabilidade na malha em questão, o que geralmente é indesejável para o desempenho do processo. Ademais, cerca de 20 a 30% das oscilações nas malhas de controle são causadas por atrito ou histerese. Outro ponto relevante é que muitas vezes não é possível realizar a manutenção da válvula que esteja apresentando uma variabilidade considerável, já que muitas vezes não é desejado e nem possível parar o processo em questão para o reparo da válvula. Dessa forma, o estudo de métodos de compensação de atrito se faz necessário como uma maneira de melhorar o desempenho da malha de controle nesta situação até que seja feita a manutenção da planta industrial. Este trabalho apresenta controladores com compensação de atrito e analisa seu desempenho comparado com outros compensadores já conhecidos e amplamente utilizados, através de ensaios na Planta Piloto de Vazão da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo. / The control valves are the final elements of most of the control loops in industry. Besides, the friction can cause variability in the process, which is an undesirable situation. Furthermore, about 20% to 30% of the oscillations in control loops are caused by friction or hysteresis. Another relevant fact is that much times it is not possible to make the maintenance of the valve that is under a considerable variability, because it is not desirable nor possible to stop the process to make the maintenance of the control valve. Thereby, studying friction compensation methods is necessary as a way to improve the control loop performance in this situation until the industrial plant maintenance is made. This dissertation presents controllers with friction compensation and analyzes its performances compared with other known and widely used compensators through experiments made at the Flow Pilot Plant of Polytechnic School of University of São Paulo.

Soft robotics are robots, manipulators, and technologies using soft/compliant materials as the key elements of the robotic bodies instead of traditional rigid materials like metals. However, they face problems in the following areas: 1. Low energy density. In many cases of soft robots, the large blocks of elastomer are barely stiff enough for self-supporting and working as end-effectors, let alone high-speed motion or high-force manipulation. 2. Inconvenient actuation methods. The most widely used actuation method of soft robots is fluidic pumping to the elastomeric bodies, which is called pneumatic networks (Pneu-Nets). However, the tube and pipe system dissipate too much energy via viscous friction, leading to a low energy efficiency, especially when the actuation frequency is high. 3. Difficulty in estimating robotic morphology or motion trajectory. The elastic body of a soft robot is usually made of an infinite number of tiny elastic cubes that deform continuously. Each of the cubes has six degrees of freedom (DOF), and they all together form an integrated constitutive equation that has a number of six times DOF coefficients, even if we only consider statics or pseudo-statics. During dynamic analysis, the comparable magnitudes of elastic energy, kinetic energy, and gravitational energy make the calculations even harder. With the inspiration from the prestressing assembly and the snapping of a steel hair clip, this work proposes that we use a prestressed bistable self-interacting kinked ribbon, which we term hair clip mechanism (HCM), made from paper, plastic, metal, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) plates, etc., as the force amplifier to increase the functionalities of soft/compliant robots and manipulators. The efforts and contributions in this research include all three aspects of theory, simulation, and applications: 1. New mathematical model and solutions (theory). The assembly and actuation of HCMs include the processes of lateral-torsional buckling, post-buckling morphing, and snap-through bucking, which are highly non-linear. To calculate and estimate the deformation of such mechanisms, a mathematical model based on elastic instability and Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is derived and used for analyses and applications. Corresponding design algorithms for HCM robots are derived based on the theory. 2. Finite-element (FE) simulation and verification. To ensure the accuracy of the theoretical solutions and the correctness of the experiments, FE software is used to replicate the processes of lateral-torsional buckling, post-buckling morphing, snap-through buckling, specific robotic applications, etc. 3. Robotic applications of HCMs. The energy-storing-and-releasing properties of HCMs make them very suitable for increasing the controllability and controllability of soft robots/manipulators. Different from both rigid materials and elastomeric soft materials, HCMs and their major materials were termed “compliant mechanisms/materials.” These materials have moduli comparable to rigid materials but are compliant and deformable thanks to their small out-of-plane bending stiffness. Because of the small deformation assumption used, the mathematical model and solutions built and derived in this work are only a first approximation with qualitative-level correctness. However, they offer an estimation error within 5% compared to the experiments and FE simulation data in the specific problem of the assembly of HCMs involving lateral-torsional buckling and post-buckling responses. To calculate the snap-through buckling, they give an error of ~10% because of the additional assumption of the snapping trajectory used. As for applications, the bistable HCMs are mounted on a soft gripper, a terrestrial galloping runner, and three different soft robotic fish. The motor-driven snapping soft gripper exploits the elastic instability of HCMs to achieve rapid closing within 46ms and reversible operation over a span of 86mm, 2.7 times and 10.9 times better than the reference gripper, respectively. The single-actuated untethered terrestrial soft crawler is capable of jumping off and can gallop at a speed of 313 mm/s or 1.56 body length per second (BL/s), faster than most previous soft crawlers in mm/s and BL/s. The pneumatic HCM fish swim at 26.54 cm/s or 1.40BL/s in a lab-condition aquarium tank, about twice as fast as its reference group. The motor-driven HCM fish has a speed of 2.03 BL/s or 42.6 cm/s, 2-3 times faster than previous untethered soft robotic fish. The newest HCM fish robot uses CFRP as its material, herein referred to as “CarbonFish.” Preliminary evaluations of CarbonFish have evidenced an undulation frequency approaching 10~13 Hz and an operating time of about 40 min, suggesting its potential to outperform other biologically inspired aquatic entities and real fish.

In order for stroke subjects to gain functional recovery of their hemiparetic limbs, facilitation techniques such as the repetitive facilitation exercise, or RFE, have been developed. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of the neural mechanisms associated with these types of facilitation techniques. To better understand the neural mechanisms associated with the RFE a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study should be conducted. This thesis presents experimental results testing the feasibility of implementing an fMRI-compatible actuator to facilitate a myotatic reflex in synchronization with the subject’s intention to move their hemiparetic limb. Preliminary data from a healthy individual demonstrated the feasibility of overlapping the long latency component of the afferent myotatic reflex, created by electrical stimulation, with descending nerve impulses, created using transcranial magnetic stimulation, in a time window of 15ms. In addition, a pneumatic actuation time delay due to long transmission line was evaluated. The pneumatic actuator met the timing precision requirement for the rehabilitation device for varying transmission line lengths. Therefore a pneumatic actuation system was chosen for the rehabilitation device. This thesis will also presents on the design of an fMRI-compatible pneumatic actuator device to excite a stretch reflex response. Initial, experimental results with the device demonstrated that the designed pneumatic device can control the timing of the muscle response with a fixed signal within the required 15ms window required for cortical facilitation, which was found in the previous feasibility study. However, the device was unable to create a long latency reflex observable at the muscle. Finally, this thesis presents on the capability of the device in creating subthreshold long latency response with precision to overlap with a subthreshold descending nerve impulse, created using transcranial magnetic stimulation. The overlap of the two responses was evaluated by comparing the amplitude of the muscle response with and without the stretch reflex, created by the fMRI-compatible pneumatic actuator device. Varying time delays were analyzed.

Este trabalho dedica-se ao estudo de métodos para detecção e quantificação do atrito em válvulas de controle. Tais válvulas são, em geral, o elemento final em malhas de controle de processos industriais. A presença de atrito nessas válvulas pode elevar a variabilidade da malha de controle, causando perdas de qualidade do produto, aumento nas paradas para manutenção e impactos econômicos significativos. Muitos estudos foram realizados visando diagnosticar e medir o atrito. Neste trabalho, serão implementadas algumas técnicas propostas na literatura para detecção e quantificação de atrito em válvulas de controle. Para avaliar seu desempenho, serão apresentadas comparações dos resultados obtidos em simulação e ensaios em bancada com válvulas reais. / This work will study methods for detection and quantification of friction in control valves. These valves are the main final elements of control loops in industrial processes. The presence of friction can increase the variability of the control loop, causing loss of product quality, increase need of maintenance and significant economical impacts. Many studies have been presented in order to diagnose and measure the friction. In this work, some techniques proposed in the literature will be implemented. In order to evaluate its performance, it will be presented some comparisons of the results obtained from simulation and laboratory experiments.

O atrito em válvulas e a sintonia inadequada de controladores são duas das maiores causas de degradação no desempenho das malhas de controle que incluem tais dispositivos. Assim como modelos de atrito são necessários para diagnosticar o mau funcionamento das válvulas ou para compensar os efeitos indesejáveis causados pelo atrito, modelos de processos são de fundamental importância para o projeto de controladores. Este trabalho estende métodos existentes para estimar parâmetros de modelos de atrito e processo, de modo que uma estrutura não-linear é adotada para representar o processo. O procedimento é baseado em dados de operação em malha fechada. Os algoritmos de estimação desenvolvidos são testados com dados simulados e gerados por uma plataforma híbrida (composta por uma válvula real e por uma planta simulada de neutralização de pH), a partir da qual avaliam-se as influências de perturbações, da magnitude do sinal de teste e da sintonia do controlador nos modelos estimados. Os resultados demonstram que o nível de atrito é corretamente quantificado, assim como bons modelos para o processo são estimados em diversas situações. Além disso, a extensão proposta apresenta vantagens significativas em relação a outros métodos, como: (1) maior exatidão na quantificação do nível de atrito, principalmente para processos em que as não-lineares sejam mais severas e (2) estimativas razoáveis do comportamento estático não-linear. / The friction in control valves and inadequate controller tuning are two of the major sources of performance degradation in control loops that include such devices. As friction models are needed to diagnose abnormal valve operation or to compensate such undesirable effects, process models play an essential role in controller design. This work extends existing methods that jointly identify the friction and process model parameters, so that a nonlinear structure is adopted to represent the process model. The procedure is based on data from closed-loop experiments. The developed estimation algorithms are tested with data from simulations and generated by a hybrid setup (composed of a real valve and a simulated pH neutralization process), in which the influences of the process disturbances, of the excitation signal magnitude and of the controller tuning on estimated models are investigated. The results demonstrate that the friction is accurately quantified, as well as good process models are estimated in several situations. In addition, the proposed extension presents significant advantages in relation to other methods, such as: (1) greater accuracy for friction quantification, especially for highly nonlinear processes and (2) reasonable estimates of the nonlinear steady state characteristics.

Supplying haptic or force feedback to operators using hydraulic machinery such as excavators has the potential to increase operator capabilities. Haptic, robotic, human-machine interfaces enable several enhancing features including coordinated motion control and programmable haptic feedback. Coordinated or resolved motion control supplies a more intuitive means of specifying the equipment's motion. Haptic feedback is used to relay meaningful information back to the user in the form of force signals about digging force acting on the bucket, programmable virtual constraints and system limitations imposed by the mechanism, maximum pressure or maximum flow. In order to make this technology economically viable, the benefits must offset the additional cost associated with implementation. One way to minimize this cost is to not use high-end hydraulic components. For smaller backhoes and mini-excavators this means that the hydraulic systems are comprised of a constant displacement pump and proportional direction control valves. Hydraulic and haptic control techniques suitable for backhoes/excavators are developed and tested on a small backhoe test-bed. A virtual backhoe simulator is created for controller design and human evaluation. Not only is the virtual simulator modeled after the test-bed, but the control algorithm used in the simulator is the same as the actual backhoe test-bed. Data from human subject tests are presented that evaluate the control strategies on both the real and virtual backhoe. The end goal of this project is to incorporate coordinated haptic control algorithms that work with low-cost systems and maximize the enhancement of operator capabilities.

The medical community has expressed a need for flexible medical instruments. Hence, this work investigates the possibility to use "flexible fluidic actuators" to develop such flexible instruments. These actuators are driven by fluid, i.e. gas or liquid, and present a flexible structure, i.e. an elastically deformable and/or inflatable structure. Different aspects of the study of these actuators have been tackled in the present work:<p>• A literature review of these actuators has been established. It has allowed to identify the different types of motion that these actuators can develop as well as the design principles underlying. This review can help to develop flexible instruments based on flexible fluidic actuators.<p>• A test bench has been developed to characterize the flexible fluidic actuators.<p>• A interesting measuring concept has been implemented and experimentally validated on a specific flexible fluidic actuator (the "Pneumatic Balloon Actuator", PBA). Ac- cording to this principle, the measurements of the pressure and of the volume of fluid supplied to the actuator allow to determine the displacement of the actuator and the force it develops. This means being able to determine the displacement of a flexible fluidic actuator and the force it develops without using a displacement sensor or a force sensor. This principle is interesting for medical applications inside the human body, for which measuring the force applied by the organs to the surgical tools remains a problem.<p>The study of this principle paves the way for a lot of future works such as the implemen- tation and the testing of this principle on more complex structures or in a control loop in order to control the displacement of the actuator (or the force it develops) without using a displacement or a force sensor.<p>• A 2D-model of the PBA has been established and has helped to better understand the physics underlying the behaviour of this actuator.<p>• A miniaturization work has been performed on a particular kind of flexible fluidic actu- ator: the Pleated Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PPAM). This miniaturization study has been made on this type of actuator because, according to theoretical models, minia- turized PPAMs, whose dimensions are small enough to be inserted into MIS medical instruments, could be able to develop the forces required to allow the instruments to perform most surgical actions. The achieved miniaturized muscles have a design similar to that of the third generation PPAMs developed at the VUB and present a total length of about 90 mm and an outer diameter at rest of about 15 mm. One of the developed miniaturized PPAMs has been pressurized at p = 1 bar and it was able to develop a pulling force F = 100 N while producing a contraction of 4 %.<p>Propositions have been made regarding a further miniaturization of the muscles. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

O atrito em válvulas e a sintonia inadequada de controladores são duas das maiores causas de degradação no desempenho das malhas de controle que incluem tais dispositivos. Assim como modelos de atrito são necessários para diagnosticar o mau funcionamento das válvulas ou para compensar os efeitos indesejáveis causados pelo atrito, modelos de processos são de fundamental importância para o projeto de controladores. Este trabalho estende métodos existentes para estimar parâmetros de modelos de atrito e processo, de modo que uma estrutura não-linear é adotada para representar o processo. O procedimento é baseado em dados de operação em malha fechada. Os algoritmos de estimação desenvolvidos são testados com dados simulados e gerados por uma plataforma híbrida (composta por uma válvula real e por uma planta simulada de neutralização de pH), a partir da qual avaliam-se as influências de perturbações, da magnitude do sinal de teste e da sintonia do controlador nos modelos estimados. Os resultados demonstram que o nível de atrito é corretamente quantificado, assim como bons modelos para o processo são estimados em diversas situações. Além disso, a extensão proposta apresenta vantagens significativas em relação a outros métodos, como: (1) maior exatidão na quantificação do nível de atrito, principalmente para processos em que as não-lineares sejam mais severas e (2) estimativas razoáveis do comportamento estático não-linear. / The friction in control valves and inadequate controller tuning are two of the major sources of performance degradation in control loops that include such devices. As friction models are needed to diagnose abnormal valve operation or to compensate such undesirable effects, process models play an essential role in controller design. This work extends existing methods that jointly identify the friction and process model parameters, so that a nonlinear structure is adopted to represent the process model. The procedure is based on data from closed-loop experiments. The developed estimation algorithms are tested with data from simulations and generated by a hybrid setup (composed of a real valve and a simulated pH neutralization process), in which the influences of the process disturbances, of the excitation signal magnitude and of the controller tuning on estimated models are investigated. The results demonstrate that the friction is accurately quantified, as well as good process models are estimated in several situations. In addition, the proposed extension presents significant advantages in relation to other methods, such as: (1) greater accuracy for friction quantification, especially for highly nonlinear processes and (2) reasonable estimates of the nonlinear steady state characteristics.

Este trabalho dedica-se ao estudo de métodos para detecção e quantificação do atrito em válvulas de controle. Tais válvulas são, em geral, o elemento final em malhas de controle de processos industriais. A presença de atrito nessas válvulas pode elevar a variabilidade da malha de controle, causando perdas de qualidade do produto, aumento nas paradas para manutenção e impactos econômicos significativos. Muitos estudos foram realizados visando diagnosticar e medir o atrito. Neste trabalho, serão implementadas algumas técnicas propostas na literatura para detecção e quantificação de atrito em válvulas de controle. Para avaliar seu desempenho, serão apresentadas comparações dos resultados obtidos em simulação e ensaios em bancada com válvulas reais. / This work will study methods for detection and quantification of friction in control valves. These valves are the main final elements of control loops in industrial processes. The presence of friction can increase the variability of the control loop, causing loss of product quality, increase need of maintenance and significant economical impacts. Many studies have been presented in order to diagnose and measure the friction. In this work, some techniques proposed in the literature will be implemented. In order to evaluate its performance, it will be presented some comparisons of the results obtained from simulation and laboratory experiments.

University of Macau / Faculty of Business Administration / Department of Management and Marketing