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Volume 50,  Number 1, Feb. 2003           Access to the journal on IEEE XPLORE     IE Transactions Home Page


 

Special Sections on Soft Computing techniques for Intelligent Vehicle Systems

1.     M. Wada, Kang Sup Yoon, H. Hashimoto, "Development of advanced parking assistance system," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 4- 17, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper is the first to apply a multilevel driver assistance system in the development of a system to aid in the parking process. The development of this system is described within the iCAN (intelligent car navigation systems) project framework. A parking assistance system, parking administration system, and employed sensor system are described. The general architecture of a driver assistance system based on path planning and human-machine interface (HMI) modules is proposed. The paper follows describing the parking assistance system development using this architecture. The parking possibility region-based path-planning method proposed for implementing the proposed architecture is described, as is the design of the system's HMI. A prototype of the parking assistance system based on the proposed architecture was constructed. The adopted hardware, software, and implementation solutions in this prototype construction are described. Finally, the results of lane and row parking experiments conducted using the prototype system are shown.

2.     A. Broggi, M. Cellario, P. Lombardi, M. Porta, "An evolutionary approach to visual sensing for vehicle navigation," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 18- 29, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents an evolutionary approach able to process a digital image and detect tracks left by preceding vehicles on ice and snow in Antarctica. Biologically inspired by a colony of ants able to interact and cooperate to determine the shortest path to the food, this approach is based on autonomous agents moving along the image pixels and iteratively improving an initial coarse solution. The unfriendly Antarctic environment makes this image analysis problem extremely challenging, since light reflections, abruptly varying brightness conditions, and different terrain slopes must be considered as well. The ant-based approach is compared to a more traditional Hough-based solution and the results are discussed.

3.     Jae Weon Choi, Tae Hyun Fang, S. Kwong, Young Ho Kim, "Remote-controlled platoon merging via coder-estimator sequence algorithm for a communication network," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 30- 36, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a platoon-merging control system is considered as a remotely located system with a state represented by a stochastic process. In this system, it is common to encounter situations where a single decision maker controls a large number of subsystems, and observation and control signals are sent over a communication channel with finite capacity and significant transmission delays. Unlike a classical estimation problem where the observation is a continuous process corrupted by additive noise, there is a constraint that the observation must be coded and transmitted over a digital communication channel with finite capacity. A recursive coder-estimator sequence is a state estimation scheme based on observations transmitted with finite communication capacity constraint. In this paper, we introduce a stochastic model for the lead vehicle in a platoon of vehicles in a lane considering the angle between the road surface and a horizontal plane as a stochastic process. In order to merge two platoons, the lead vehicle of the following platoon is controlled by a remote control station. Using the coder-estimator sequence, the remote control station designs the feedback controller. The simulation results show that the inter-vehicle distance and the deviation from the desired inter-vehicle distance are well regulated.

4.     Hyeongcheol Lee, M. Tomizuka, "Adaptive vehicle traction force control for intelligent vehicle highway systems (IVHSs)," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 37- 47, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper is concerned with robust longitudinal control of vehicles in intelligent vehicle highway systems by adaptive vehicle traction force control. Two different traction force controllers, adaptive fuzzy logic control and adaptive sliding-mode control, are proposed and applied to the fastest stable acceleration/deceleration and robust vehicle platooning problems. The motivation for investigating adaptive techniques arises from the unknown time-varying nature of the tire/road surface interaction that governs vehicle traction. Synchronous application of the engine or brake torques is also proposed for more stable vehicle maneuvers. The lack of controllability during braking (only one net input torque for the two control objectives, i.e., front and rear wheel slips) is partly overcome by applying auxiliary engine torque. Simulations of the two control methods are conducted using a complex nonlinear vehicle model which fully describes the dynamic behavior of the vehicle. Both controllers result in good performance under time-varying operating conditions.

5.     W. Rattasiri, S.K. Halgamuge, "Computationally advantageous and stable hierarchical fuzzy systems for active suspension," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 48- 61, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new type of hierarchical fuzzy system (HFS), namely, hierarchical classifying-type fuzzy system (HCTFS), is developed and proposed in the paper. While the HCTFS enjoys the full benefits of a traditional HFS, one of which is to suppress the effects of the unwanted phenomenon, "the curse of dimensionality," it also offers one great advantage that all rule strengths are preserved when passing through subsystem layers. To demonstrate the potential of the HCTFS, computational complexity analysis will be conducted on the complete rule-base models of a conventional fuzzy system and the HCTFS. Furthermore, a methodology of stability analysis is proposed incorporating the use of the the HCTFS, providing the reader with another option of hierarchical fuzzy controller design upon stability concerns. To verify and conclude our proposal, a mathematical example and simulations are provided. In our simulated example, the the HCTFS controller incorporating the proposed stability analysis technique are applied to the active suspension system. The results obtained from the active suspension system are then discussed and compared with the results of the ideal and passive suspension systems.

6.     T. Bucher, C. Curio, J. Edelbrunner, C. Igel, D. Kastrup, I. Leefken, G. Lorenz, A. Steinhage, W. von Seelen, "Image processing and behavior planning for intelligent vehicles," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 62- 75, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Since the potential of soft computing for driver assistance systems has been recognized, much effort has been spent in the development of appropriate techniques for robust lane detection, object classification, tracking, and representation of task relevant objects. For such systems in order to be able to perform their tasks the environment must be sensed by one or more sensors. Usually a complex processing, fusion, and interpretation of the sensor data is required and imposes a modular architecture for the overall system. In this paper, we present specific approaches considering the main components of such systems. We concentrate on image processing as the main source of relevant object information, representation and fusion of data that might arise from different sensors, and behavior planning and generation as a basis for autonomous driving. Within our system components most paradigms of soft computing are employed; in this article we focus on Kalman filtering for sensor fusion, neural field dynamics for behavior generation, and evolutionary algorithms for optimization of parts of the system.

7.     G.G. Rigatos, "Fuzzy stochastic automata for intelligent vehicle control," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 76- 79, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Fuzzy stochastic automata (FSA) are proposed for the control of autonomous vehicles. FSA merge the concept of sliding-mode control with fuzzy logic and have interesting robustness properties. Sufficient conditions for the convergence of the FSA control are provided.


Drive Control
8.     J. Rodriguez, L. Moran, J. Pontt, P. Correa, C. Silva, "A high-performance vector control of an 11-level inverter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 80- 85, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a switching strategy for multilevel cascade inverters, based on the space-vector theory. The proposed high-performance strategy generates a voltage vector across the load with minimum error with respect to the sinusoidal reference. In addition, it generates very low harmonic distortion operating with reduced switching frequency, without the use of traditional sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation techniques or more sophisticated vector modulation methods.

9.     Y. Fujimoto, T. Sekiguchi, "Fault-tolerant configuration of distributed discrete controllers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 86- 93, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a fault-tolerant configuration for a multiple discrete control system. The distributed control nodes, such as programmable logic controllers, communicate over networks. The design methodology of an additional redundant controller using Galois field and an error-detecting code is proposed. The proposed method is implemented and tested on distributed controllers connected on a network. It is shown that the system is functional even if one of the controllers fails. From a reliability analysis, it is also shown that the proposed design method drastically improves the mean time to failure of the discrete control system.

10.     J.Y. Hung, "Feedback control with Posicast," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 94- 99, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : An alternative way to use Posicast to damp oscillations in lightly damped control systems is proposed in this paper. Specifically, it is suggested that the Posicast technique be used within a feedback system, instead of the classical feedforward configuration. There are many types of Posicast, but discussion and analysis are focused here on the classical "half-cycle" Posicast form. Theoretical analysis and a design example are used to compare classical Posicast and the proposed feedback control method. An experimental result from a power converter application is also presented.

11.     Chongming Qiao, K.M. Smedley, "Unified constant-frequency integration control of three-phase standard bridge boost rectifiers with power-factor correction," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 100- 107, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a three-phase six-switch standard boost rectifier with unity-power-factor correction is investigated. A general equation is derived that relates the input phase voltages, output DC voltage, and duty ratios of the switches in continuous conduction mode. Based on one of the solutions and using one-cycle control, a unified constant-frequency integration controller for PFC is proposed. For the standard bridge boost rectifier, a unity power factor and low total harmonic distortion can be realized in all three phases with a simple circuit that is composed of one integrator with reset along with several flips-flops, comparators, and some logic and linear components. It does not require multipliers and three-phase voltage sensors, which are required in many other control approaches. In addition, it employs constant-switching-frequency modulation that is desirable for industrial applications. The proposed control approach is simple and reliable. All findings are supported by experiments.

12.     Qi Hao, Ruifeng Chen, Guoxiao Guo, Shixin Chen, Teck Seng Low, "A gradient-based track-following controller optimization for hard disk drive," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 108- 115, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a gradient-based parameter optimization method to find the optimal compensator that minimizes the standard deviation (/spl sigma//sub PES/) of the position error signal (PES) in a hard disk drive servo system. By using the plant response data and the PES gradient information based on the nominal plant model, optimal digital controllers that minimized the 3/spl sigma//sub PES/ of a plant with uncertainty were selected within a pre-found robust stable region. As a result, an optimal track-following controller that minimized the standard deviation of the measured PES (/spl sigma//sub PESm/) was able to be obtained without the prior knowledge of the disturbance and noise model. Furthermore, we proved that if the measurement noise is white, an optimal controller that minimizes the 3/spl sigma//sub PESm/ also minimizes the 3/spl sigma//sub PES/. Both simulation and implementation results suggest that such a gradient-based search process is faster than nongradient optimization methods such as random neighborhood search and genetic algorithms.

13.     Yeong-Chau Kuo, Tsorng-Juu Liang, Jiann-Fuh Chen, "A high-efficiency single-phase three-wire photovoltaic energy conversion system," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 116- 122, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A single-phase three-wire photovoltaic energy conversion system with single-stage structure using a novel maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is presented. An equivalent model of the proposed system is derived to analyze the characteristics of the system and to design the controller. Owing to the linear relation of the PV array parameters versus insolation, the model is easy to analyze. The proposed system employs a three-leg inverter to control the MPPT process, the line current, and neutral line current. A current-controlled MPPT algorithm controls the MPPT. A neutral line-mode controller maintains a utility neutral line current of zero. A line-mode controller controls the line current so as to provide power to the utility with a unity power factor. The proposed system acts as a solar generator on sunny days and functions as an active power filter on rainy days. Computer simulation and experimental results demonstrate the accuracy and the superior performance of the proposed technique.

14.     S.Z. Jiang, K.T. Chau, C.C. Chan, "Spectral analysis of a new six-phase pole-changing induction motor drive for electric vehicles," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 123- 131, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a new six-phase pole-changing induction motor drive is proposed to extend the constant-power operating range for electric vehicle application. The double Fourier series is newly employed to analyze the spectra of the motor phase voltage and current. Consequently, the harmonic expression of the inverter DC-link current can be derived. In order to reduce the DC-link harmonics, a new sinusoidal pulsewidth-modulation strategy is developed for the proposed six-phase inverter. Experimental results, particularly the spectra of the phase current and the DC-link current, are given to verify the theoretical analysis.

15.     Youhao Xi, P.K. Jain, "A forward converter topology employing a resonant auxiliary circuit to achieve soft switching and power transformer resetting," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 132- 140, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a forward converter topology that employs a small resonant auxiliary circuit. The advantages of the proposed topology include soft switching in both the main and auxiliary switches, recovery of the leakage inductance energy, simplified power transformer achieving self-reset without using the conventional reset winding, simple gate drive and control circuit, etc. Steady-state analysis is performed herein, and a design procedure is presented for general applications. A 35-75-Vdc to 5 Vdc 100-W prototype converter switched at a frequency of 200 kHz is built to verify the design, and 90% overall efficiency has been obtained experimentally at full load.
 

Power Electronics



16.     O. Dranga, B. Buti, I. Nagy, "Stability analysis of a feedback-controlled resonant DC-DC converter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 141- 152, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper reports on the stability analysis of one member of a dual-channel resonant DC-DC converter family. The study is confined to the buck configuration in symmetrical operation. The output voltage of the converter is controlled by a closed loop applying constant-frequency pulsewidth modulation. The dynamic analysis reveals that a bifurcation cascade develops as a result of increasing the loop gain. The trajectory of the variable-structure piecewise-linear nonlinear system pierces through the Poincare plane at the fixed point in state space when the loop gain is small. For stability criterion the positions of the characteristic multipliers of the Jacobian matrix belonging to the Poincare map function defined around the fixed point located in the Poincare plane is applied. In addition to the stability analysis, a bifurcation diagram is developed showing the four possible states of the feedback loop: the periodic, the quasi-periodic, the subharmonic, and the chaotic states. Simulation and test results verify the theory.

17.     L. Harnefors, M. Jansson, R. Ottersten, K. Pietilainen, "Unified sensorless vector control of synchronous and induction motors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 153- 160, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a unified theory for sensorless flux estimation and vector control of induction motors and nonsalient permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) is developed. It is shown that an estimator and vector controller for one of the motor types can also be applied to the other, with only minor modifications necessary. Two candidate estimators are considered: a variant of the well-known "voltage model" (VM) and a phase-locked-loop-type speed and position estimator. These are applied to both motor types, and evaluated experimentally. For the nonsalient PMSM, an important result is that synchronization can be guaranteed from any initial rotor position.

18.     D. Rivas, L. Moran, J.W. Dixon, J.R. Espinoza, "Improving passive filter compensation performance with active techniques," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 161- 170, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents the performance analysis of a hybrid filter composed of passive and active filters connected in series. The analysis is done by evaluating the influence of passive filter parameters variations and the effects that different active power filter's gain have in the compensation performance of the hybrid scheme. The compensation performance is quantified by evaluating the attenuation factor in a power distribution system energizing high-power nonlinear loads compensated with passive filters and then improved with the connection of a series active power filter. Finally, compensation characteristics of the hybrid topology are tested on a 10-kVA experimental setup.

19.     K.K. Tse, R.W.-M. Ng, H.S.-H. Chung, S.Y.R. Hui, "An evaluation of the spectral characteristics of switching converters with chaotic carrier-frequency modulation," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 171- 182, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents an evaluation of the spectral characteristics of switching converters with a chaotic carrier-frequency modulation scheme (CCFMS). By incorporating a Chua's circuit (CC) into the pulsewidth modulator for driving the switches, three modulation schemes, including the standard pulsewidth modulation scheme, periodic carrier-frequency modulation scheme, and CCFMS, can be realized with the CC in equilibrium, limit cycle, and chaos, respectively. The property of frequency spreading in CCFMS is studied by using a statistical analysis method. The developed model is applied to formulate the power spectral densities of the input current and the output voltage of the three basic DC/DC converters under CCFMS. Theoretical predictions are verified with experimental measurements.

20.     R. Prieto, J.A. Cobos, O. Garcia, P. Alou, J. Uceda, "Study of 3-D magnetic components by means of "double 2-D" methodology," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 183- 192, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The magnetic field in many magnetic components, namely toroids and EE cores, has a three-dimensional (3-D) distribution. Energy and losses calculation in these particular structures makes necessary the use of 3-D techniques that accounts for all 3-D effects. The calculation of the energy and losses is needed in order to obtain any transformer model. This paper presents a procedure that allows the calculation of energy and losses in 3-D structures using two-dimensional (2-D) approaches. This procedure accounts for 3-D effects, solving each magnetic component by means of two different analyses but using 2-D finite-element analysis (FEA) solvers instead of 3-D. The main advantages of this procedure are that all geometrical and frequency effects are taken into account using 2-D FEA solvers. 3-D FEA solvers are not applicable to analyze most practical cases because of the complexity in the geometry. Therefore, the use of this method is not only advantageous from the point of view of time reduction, but also it is a solution for many cases where 3-D solvers are not a feasible solution. Some experimental results illustrate the application of the methodology, which is especially useful to study the influence of the winding strategy in toroidal structures and to design integrated magnetics in order to adjust the coupling coefficient between each pair of windings before the component construction.


Emerging Technology
21.     O. Kuljaca, N. Swamy, F.L. Lewis, C.M. Kwan, "Design and implementation of industrial neural network controller using backstepping," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 193- 201, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a novel neural network (NN) backstepping controller is modified for application to an industrial motor drive system. A control system structure and NN tuning algorithms are presented that are shown to guarantee stability and performance of the closed-loop system. The NN backstepping controller is implemented on an actual motor drive system using a two-PC control system developed at The University of Texas at Arlington. The implementation results show that the NN backstepping controller is highly effective in controlling the industrial motor drive system. It is also shown that the NN controller gives better results on actual systems than a standard backstepping controller developed assuming full knowledge of the dynamics. Moreover, the NN controller does not require the linear-in-the-parameters assumption or the computation of regression matrices required by standard backstepping.

22.     Yaow-Ming Chen, "Passive filter design using genetic algorithms," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 202- 207, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The objective of this paper is to propose a new approach for designing a passive LC filter of the full-bridge rectifier by using genetic algorithms (GAs). The performance of the cost-effective passive LC filter for a constant load depends on the appropriate inductor and capacitor selection. Several design methods are reviewed and a novel design methodology using GAs is proposed in this paper. By using the proposed GA program, designer can quickly find appropriate parameter values to meet the desired circuit performance. Experimental results show that an appropriate combination of the inductor and capacitor selected by the proposed GA program can meet the desired power quality requirement. Different cases of design examples are shown in this paper to verify the performance of the proposed design methodology.

23.     Chin-Der Wey, Tai-Lang Jong, Ching-Tsai Pan, "Design and analysis of an SLPT-based CCFL driver," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 208- 217, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a single-layer piezoelectric-transformer (SLPT)-based driver is realized for driving a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). First, a half-bridge resonant inverter is adopted for driving the SLPT and the CCFL to achieve zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) effect. In addition, a PQ-plane-design-oriented approach is presented for determining the power circuit parameters. Second, a feedback controller is proposed to match the power circuit control requirement. The feedback controller provides the proper switching frequency for the drive to be operated at the most efficient frequency. In addition, functions of dimming control and no-load protection are also available from the controller. Third, a small-signal model is derived and the closed-loop stability analysis is made to guarantee the stable tracking of the command signal of the controller. Finally, a hardware prototype is also constructed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed driver.

24.     Rong-Jong Wai, "Development of intelligent position control system using optimal design technique," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 218- 231, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper addresses the application of an intelligent optimal control system (IOCS) to control an indirect field-oriented induction servo motor drive for tracking periodic commands via a wavelet neural network. With the field orientation mechanism, the dynamic behavior of an induction motor is rather similar to a linear system. However, the uncertainties, such as mechanical parametric variation, external load disturbance and unmodeled dynamics in practical applications, influence the designed control performance seriously. Therefore, an IOCS is proposed to confront these uncertainties existing in the control of the induction servo motor drive. The control laws for the IOCS are derived in the sense of the optimal control technique and Lyapunov stability theorem, so that system-tracking stability can be guaranteed in the closed-loop system. With the proposed IOCS, the controlled induction servo motor drive possesses the advantages of good tracking control performance and robustness to uncertainties under wide operating ranges. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified by both simulated and experimental results. Moreover, the advantages of the proposed control system are indicated in comparison with the sliding-mode control system.

25.     P. Baranyi, Yeung Yam, A.R. Varkonyi-Koczy, R.J. Patton, "SVD-based reduction to MISO TS models," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 232- 242, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The main objective of this paper is to expound the singular-value-decomposition (SVD)-based reduction technique proposed to single-input-single-output Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy models to multivariable cases. The use of higher order singular value decomposition is proposed in this paper for the complexity reduction of multiple-input-single-output TS fuzzy model approximation. A detailed illustrative example of a nonlinear dynamic model is also discussed.

26.     Yen Ju Wang, R.M. O'Connell, "Experimental evaluation of a novel switch control scheme for an active power line conditioner," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 243- 246, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Measurements on an experimental active power line conditioner with a novel switch control scheme for the neural network controller, called "fixed-frequency with variable slope" control, are described. The results agree with simulations and show that the new system is a simple yet effective approach to line current harmonic compensation.

Letter to the Editor



27.     Chung-Ming Young, Chao-Cheng Wu, Chih-Hua Lu, "Constant-switching-frequency control of three-phase/switch/level boost-type rectifiers without current sensors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 246- 248, Feb. 2003.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new control scheme for a three-phase/switch/level boost-type rectifier is proposed. The digital-signal-processor-based controller decouples the rectifier into a cascade-connected dual-boost topology within each 60/spl deg/ interval of the line cycle. By taking advantage of the simple structure and that no current sensors are required, it provides an effective solution to applications where high power/low -cost are concerned.