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Rapid prototyping, Electric vehicles, Signal processing, Artificial satellite tracking, Brake systems, Regenerative braking, and Design

The electro-mechanical brake booster (EMBB) is a kind of mechatronic actuator, which is developed to suit the brake assist requirement of electric vehicles. In this paper, we report on the design of an EMBB system consisting of a dc motor, a two-state reduction of a gear and ball screw, a servo body, and a reaction disk. Considering the inconvenience of installation and high price of the pedal force sensor, we translate the control problem of brake power assist control to position tracking control. Meanwhile, a nonlinear control method for position tracking is presented to solve the problem of power assist braking, which is formalized as three parts: the steady-state control, feed-forward control based on reference dynamics, and state-dependent feedback control. The benefit of the nonlinear control method is that it offers a concise control law and performs well in engineering implementations. In addition, a second-order filter was designed to do the signal processing and obtain a higher-order derivative. Finally, the bench tests based on rapid control prototyping environment were designed and implemented to verify the performance of the controller. Test results show that both the position tracking performance and response time of the EMBB system performed well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New product development, Rapid prototyping, Strategic planning, Econometrics, and Factories

Investments in design play a potentially significant role in new product development (NPD) although there is little unanimity on the most appropriate or effective design strategy. Previous case-study based studies have identified three alternative design strategies for NPD: design used as a functional specialism, design used as part of a multi-functional team and designer-led NPD. Using data on a sample of Irish manufacturing plants over three periods we are able to examine the effectiveness of each of these three design strategies for NPD novelty and success. Our analysis suggests that design is closely associated with success in NPD performance regardless of the type of strategy pursued. Adopting designer-led NPD, however, is associated with a much greater NPD performance than more functionally-oriented strategies. The effects of design on NPD outcomes are also strongly moderated by other plant characteristics. For example, the beneficial role of design on NPD outputs is only evident for plants which also engage in R&D. Also, while both small and larger plants do gain from using design as a functional specialism and as part of multi-functional teams, the additional benefits of design-leadership in the NPD process are only evident in larger plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social change, Rapid prototyping, Colonies, Homeostasis, and Punctuated equilibrium (Biological evolution)

Colonial systems are presented as an alternative to the mechanistic and organic systems paradigms. They are based upon the inclusion of an evolutionary social history (Ernst Mayr), species-level evolution (Eldredge and Gould), and local context (Martin Heidegger) as central premises in the definition of human systems. The colonial viewpoint of systems is differentiated from the mechanistic and organic models by ten different axioms that define how systems operate during both homeostasis (stability) and radical change. From the axiomatic descriptions of colonial systems, the method of punctuated prototyping is derived to clarify how local colonies survive and prosper by creating and adopting isolated prototypes. This change mechanism (1) requires the self-awareness to recognize the necessity for change, and (2) describes the empowerment necessary for the colonists to build and adopt successful prototypes. The colonial systems model can be applied to explanations about how information systems, organizations, and social institutions change. Further, colonies can be used as a metaphor to design new human systems that capture a greater degree of humanness than do the models of machines and organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources, Rapid prototyping, Amorphous magnetic materials, High frequency transformers, Toroidal magnetic circuits, Converters (Electronics), Three-dimensional display systems, and Magnetic circuits

Recent improvements in magnetic material characteristics and switching devices have generated a possibility to replace the electrical buses with high-frequency magnetic links in microgrids. Multiwinding transformers (MWTs) as magnetic links can effectively reduce the number of conversion stages of renewable energy system by adjusting turn ratio of windings according to the source voltage level. Other advantages are galvanic isolation, bidirectional power flow capability, and simultaneous power transfer between multiple ports. Despite the benefits, design, and characterization of MWTs are relatively complex due to their structural complexity and cross-coupling effects. This paper presents all stages of numerical design, prototyping, and characterization of an MWT for microgrid application. To design the transformer for certain value of parameters, the reluctance network method is employed. Due to the iterative nature of transformer design, it presented less computation time and reasonable accuracy. A prototype of designed transformer is implemented using amorphous magnetic materials. A set of experimental tests are conducted to measure the magnetic characteristics of the core and series coupling and open-circuit tests are applied to measure the transformer parameters. A comparison between the simulation and experimental test results under different loads within the medium-frequency range validated both design and modeling procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer-aided design, Computer-aided engineering, Rapid prototyping, Engineering, and Design

Feature modeling has simplified, improved and accelerated the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) process. However, this modeling paradigm still has some serious shortcomings. Firstly, its domain is currently restricted to regular and simple freeform shapes. Secondly, most current feature modelers do not allow new class definitions, but instead provide design with predefined classes. In this paper, we propose a method to solve these shortcomings as follows. The shape domain is extended to include more general freeform features. To achieve this, a generic freeform feature taxonomy is developed. New feature classes can then be defined by deriving from this taxonomy, at any level of abstraction per design intent, through an object-oriented approach. In particular specification of class parameters and constraints, in the new classes, is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concurrent engineering, Technology, Rapid prototyping, Manufacturing processes, Design, Structural analysis (Engineering), Structural engineering, and Lattice theory

Concurrent engineering technologies have been broadly used in the field of design, testing and manufacturing to reduce product development cycle time and costs. Virtual engineering technologies regard as a key technology to integrate the computer-aided technologies and to build collaborating environment. In this research, we developed an integrated design environment for the K-AGT(Korea Automated Guideway Transit) as a basic study for building a concurrent engineering environment of rolling stock. For this purpose, knowledge from structural analyses results on the body of trailer car was parameterized to develop an automatic design module. An empirical dynamic model corresponds to the physical test equipment was developed to analyze dynamic behavior of a bogie. A driving simulator was developed based on physical test line built in Kyungsan to generate immersive driving environment. It is expected to give better understand to customers on the driving scenery of the K-AGT. We expect to reduce the time and costs of newly developed rolling stock using the integrated design environment developed in the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical optimization, Manufacturing cells, CAD/CAM systems, Computer-aided design, Rapid prototyping, Finite element method, Lattice theory, and Strength of materials

Mesoscale lattice structures are a type of cellular structure with support element lengths on the order of magnitude of centimetres. These types of structures are engineered for high performance and are used particularly in industries where low weight and high strength are desired. However, designing these structures can be difficult because they can contain thousands of individual elements. To design mesoscale lattice structures, current synthesis methods generally require some form of rigorous, multi-variable optimisation that can slow or halt the design process. In this article, we present an alternative method for the design of mesoscale lattice structures: the size matching and scaling method. This method eliminates the need for time-consuming optimisation by using a combination of a solid-body finite element analysis and a library of pre-defined lattice configurations to generate a structure's lattice topology. In addition, we explore several methods for determining the best lattice diameter values for the lattice topology. Various 2D and 3D examples will be used to test and validate the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product management, Engineering design, Commercial products, Rapid prototyping, New product development, Inventions, Industrial research, and Design

Structuring past designs and storing them in computer archives for future use with ease are two essential components of a Design Reuse System. This paper presents a methodology that structures and stores mechanical designs at their conceptual, embodiment and detailed stages for reuse. Its computer implementation is then described to illustrate the power of the system. Each Stage of the Design Process can be searched for and retrieved. The designs can then be identified to be strong or weak. This will subsequently enable a designer whether or not to reuse a design within a new product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]