Search Results (227)

To enhance the reliability of electric propulsion in electric aircraft and address power interruptions caused by current sensor failures, this study proposes a current sensorless fault-tolerant control strategy for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. First, a hierarchical architecture is constructed to fuse multi-phase electrical signals in the fault diagnosis layer (sliding mode observer). A symbolic function for the reaching law observer is designed based on Lyapunov theory, in order to generate current predictions for fault diagnosis. Second, when a fault occurs, the system switches to the LSTM reconstruction layer. Finally, gating units are used to model nonlinear dynamics to achieve direct mapping of speed/position to phase current. Verification using a physical prototype shows that the proposed method can complete mode switching within 10 ms after a sensor failure, which is 80% faster than EKF, and its speed error is less than 2.5%, fully meeting the high speed error requirements of electric aircraft propulsion systems (i.e., ≤3%). The current reconstruction RMSE is reduced by more than 50% compared with that of the EKF, which ensures continuous and reliable control while maintaining the stable operation of the motor and realizing rapid switching. The intelligent algorithm and sliding mode control fusion strategy meet the requirements of high real-time performance and provide a highly reliable fault-tolerant scheme for electric aircraft propulsion. Full article

The development of an integrated circuit faces the challenge of the physical limit of Moore’s Law. One of the most important “Beyond Moore” challenges is the scaling down of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) versus their increasing static power consumption. This is because, at room temperature, the thermal emission transportation mechanism will cause a physical limitation on subthreshold swing (SS), which is fundamentally limited to a minimum value of 60 mV/decade for MOSFETs, and accompanied by an increase in off-state leakage current with the process of scaling down. Moreover, the impacts of short-channel effects on device performance also become an increasingly severe problem with channel length scaling down. Due to the band-to-band tunneling mechanism, Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors (TFETs) can reach a far lower SS than MOSFETs. Recent research works indicated that TFETs are already becoming some of the promising candidates of conventional MOSFETs for ultra-low-power applications. This paper provides a review of some advances in materials and structures along the evolutionary process of TFETs. An in-depth discussion of both experimental works and simulation works is conducted. Furthermore, the performance of TFETs with different structures and materials is explored in detail as well, covering Si, Ge, III-V compounds and 2D materials, alongside different innovative device structures. Additionally, this work provides an outlook on the prospects of TFETs in future ultra-low-power electronics and biosensor applications. Full article

The High-Pressure Common Rail System (HPCRS) is designed based on fundamental hydrodynamic principles, after which this paper formally defines the key control challenges. The proposed continuous sliding mode control strategy is developed based on a non-singular terminal sliding mode framework, integrated with an improved power reaching law. This design effectively eliminates chattering and achieves fast dynamic response with enhanced tracking precision. Subsequently, a bidirectional adaptive mechanism is integrated into the proposed control scheme to eliminate the necessity for a priori knowledge of unknown disturbances within the HPCRS. This mechanism enables real-time evaluation of the system’s state relative to a predefined detection region. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, experimental studies are conducted under three distinct operating conditions. The experimental results indicate that, compared with conventional rail pressure controllers, the proposed method achieves superior tracking accuracy, faster dynamic response, and improved disturbance rejection. Full article

The electromechanical composite transmission technology for tracked vehicles demonstrates excellent performance in energy efficiency, mobility, and ride comfort. However, due to frequent operation under harsh conditions, the components of the electric drive system, such as drive motors, are prone to failures. This paper proposes three fault-tolerant control methods for three typical fault scenarios of the electromechanical composite transmission system (ECTS) to ensure the normal operation of tracked vehicles. Firstly, an ECTS and the electromechanical coupling dynamics model of the tracked vehicle are established. Moreover, a double-layer anti-windup PID control for motors and an instantaneous optimal control strategy for the engine are proposed in the fault-free case. Secondly, an anti-windup PID control law for motors and an engine control strategy considering the state of charge (SOC) and driving demands are developed in the case of single-side drive motor failure. Thirdly, a B4 clutch control strategy during starting and a steering brake control strategy are proposed in the case of electric drive system failure. Finally, in the straight-driving condition of the tracked vehicle, the throttle opening is set as 0.6, and the motor failure is triggered at 15 s during the acceleration process. Numerical simulations verify the fault-tolerant control strategies’ feasibility, using the tracked vehicle’s maximum speed and acceleration at 30 s as indicators for dynamic performance evaluation. The simulation results show that under single-motor fault, its straight-line driving power drops by 33.37%; with electric drive failure, the drop reaches 43.86%. The vehicle can still maintain normal straight-line driving and steering under fault conditions. Full article

Oncological hyperthermia (HT) is a medical technique aimed at heating a specific region of the human body containing a tumour. The heat makes the tumour cells more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Electromagnetic (EM) HT devices radiate a single-frequency EM field that induces a temperature increase in the treated region of the body. The typical radiative HT frequencies are between 60 and 150 MHz for deep HT applications, while 434 MHz and 915 MHz are used for superficial HT. The input EM power can reach up to 2000 W in deep HT and 250 W in superficial applications, and the E-field should be linearly polarized. This study proposes the development and use of E-field sensors to measure the distribution and evaluate the polarization of the E-field radiated by HT devices inside equivalent phantoms. This information is fundamental for the validation and assessment of HT systems. The sensor is constituted by three mutually orthogonal probes. Each probe is composed of a dipole, a diode, and a high-impedance transmission line. The fundamental difference in the operability of this sensor with respect to the standard E-field square-law detectors lies in the high-power values of the considered EM sources. Numerical analyses were performed to optimize the design of the E-field sensor in the whole radiative HT frequency range and to characterize the sensor behaviour at the power levels of HT. Then the sensor was realized, and measurements were carried out to evaluate the E-field radiated by commercial HT systems. The results show the suitability of the developed sensor to measure the E-field radiated by HT applicators. Additionally, in the measured devices, the linear polarization is evidenced. Accordingly, the work shows that in these devices, a single probe can be used to completely characterize the field distribution. Full article

With the development and application of electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at high altitude, the lack of research on the aging laws and mechanisms of LIBs under a low-pressure aviation environment has become an important obstacle to their safe application. Herein, the influences and mechanisms of high-altitude and low-pressure environment (50 kPa) on the cycling performance of commercial pouch LIBs were systematically studied. The results showed that low air pressure caused a sharp decrease in battery capacity to 46.6% after 200 cycles, with a significant increase in charge transfer impedance by 70%, and the contribution rate of active lithium loss reached 74%. Low air pressure led to irreversible deformation of the battery, resulting in the expansion of the gap between the electrodes, poor electrolyte infiltration, and reduction of the effective lithium insertion area, which in turn induced multiple synergistic accelerated decay mechanisms, including obstructed lithium-ion transmission, reduced interfacial reaction efficiency, increased active lithium consumption, changes in heat generation structure, and a significant increase in heat generation. After applying external force, the deformation of the electrode was effectively suppressed, and the cycle capacity retention rate increased to 87.6%, which significantly alleviated the performance degradation of LIBs in low pressure environment. This work provides a key theoretical basis and engineering solutions for the design of power batteries in high-altitude areas. Full article

Phase stability at low radio frequencies is severely impacted by ionospheric propagation delays. Radio interferometers such as the giant metrewave radio telescope (GMRT) are capable of detecting changes in the ionosphere’s total electron content (TEC) over larger spatial scales and with greater sensitivity compared to conventional tools like the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Thanks to its unique design, featuring both a dense central array and long outer arms, and its strategic location, the GMRT is particularly well-suited for studying the sensitive ionospheric region located between the northern peak of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) and the magnetic equator. In this study, we observe the bright flux calibrator 3C48 for ten hours to characterize and study the low-latitude ionosphere with the upgraded GMRT (uGMRT). We outline the methods used for wideband data reduction and processing to accurately measure differential TEC ($\delta \mathrm{TEC}$) between antenna pairs, achieving a precision of< mTECU (1 mTECU = ${10}^{-3}$ TECU) for central square antennas and approximately mTECU for arm antennas. The measured $\delta \mathrm{TEC}$ values are used to estimate the TEC gradient across GMRT arm antennas. We measure the ionospheric phase structure function and find a power-law slope of $\beta =1.72\pm 0.07$, indicating deviations from pure Kolmogorov turbulence. The inferred diffractive scale, the spatial separation over which the phase variance reaches $1{\mathrm{rad}}^2$, is ∼6.66 km. The small diffractive scale implies high phase variability across the field of view and reduced temporal coherence, which poses challenges for calibration and imaging. Full article

Currently, the layout planning of power exchange facilities in urban areas is not perfect, which cannot effectively meet the power exchange demand of urban operating vehicles and restricts the operation of urban operating vehicles. The article proposes a vehicle power exchange demand-oriented power exchange station siting planning scheme to meet the rapid replenishment demand of operating vehicles in urban areas. The spatial and temporal distribution of power exchange demand is predicted by considering the operation law, driving law, and charging decision of drivers; the candidate sites of power exchange stations are determined based on the data of power exchange demand; the optimization model of the site selection of power exchange stations with the lowest loss time of vehicle power exchange and the lowest cost of the planning and construction of power exchange stations is established and solved by using the joint algorithm of MLP-NSGA-II; and the optimization model is compared with the traditional genetic algorithm (GA) and the Density Peak. The results show that the MLP-NSGA-II joint algorithm has the lowest cost of optimizing the location of switching stations. The results show that the MLP-NSGA-II algorithm improves the convergence efficiency by about 30.23%, and the service coverage of the optimal solution reaches 94.30%; the service utilization rate is 85.35%, which is 6.25% and 19.69% higher than that of the GA and DPC, respectively. The research content of the article can provide a design basis for the future configuration of the number and location of power exchange stations in urban areas. Full article

This study reports a gate-tunable three-terminal optoelectronic synaptic device based on an Al/ZnO nanoparticles (NPs)/SiO₂/Si structure for neuromorphic in-sensor memory applications. The ZnO NP film, fabricated via spin coating, exhibited strong UV-induced excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC) responses that were modulated by gate voltage through charge injection across the SiO₂ dielectric rather than by conventional field effect. Optical stimulation enabled short-term synaptic plasticity, with paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) values reaching 185% at a gate voltage of −5.0 V and decreasing to 180% at +5.0 V, confirming gate-dependent modulation of synaptic weight. Repeated stimulation enhanced learning efficiency and memory retention, as demonstrated by reduced pulse numbers for relearning and slower EPSC decay. Wickelgren’s power law analysis further revealed a decrease in the forgetting rate under negative gate bias, indicating improved long-term memory characteristics. A 3 × 3 synaptic device array visualized visual memory formation through EPSC-based color mapping, with darker intensities and slower fading observed under −5.0 V bias. These results highlight the critical role of gate-voltage-induced charge injection through the SiO₂ dielectric in controlling optical potentiation and electrical depression, establishing ZnO NP-based optoelectronic synaptic devices as promising platforms for energy-efficient, light-driven neuromorphic computing. Full article

Hydraulically driven flexible robotic arms (HDFRAs) play an indispensable role in industrial precision operations such as aerospace assembly and nuclear waste handling, owing to their high power density and adaptability to complex environments. However, inherent mechanical flexibility-induced vibrations, hydraulic nonlinear dynamics, and electromechanical coupling effects lead to multi-timescale control challenges, severely limiting high-precision trajectory tracking performance. The present study introduces a novel hierarchical control framework employing dual-timescale perturbation analysis, which effectively addresses the constraints inherent in conventional single-timescale control approaches. First, the system is decoupled into three subsystems via dual perturbation parameters: a second-order rigid-body motion subsystem (SRS), a second-order flexible vibration subsystem (SFS), and a first-order hydraulic dynamic subsystem (FHS). For SRS/SFS, an adaptive fast terminal sliding mode active disturbance rejection controller (AFTSM-ADRC) is designed, featuring a dual-bandwidth extended state observer (BESO) to estimate parameter perturbations and unmodeled dynamics in real time. A novel reaching law with power-rate hybrid characteristics is developed to suppress sliding mode chattering while ensuring rapid convergence. For FHS, a sliding mode observer-integrated sliding mode coordinated controller (SMO-ISMCC) is proposed, achieving high-precision suppression of hydraulic pressure fluctuations through feedforward compensation of disturbance estimation and feedback integration of tracking errors. The globally asymptotically stable property of the composite system has been formally verified through systematic Lyapunov-based analysis. Through comprehensive simulations, the developed methodology demonstrates significant improvements over conventional ADRC and PID controllers, including (1) joint tracking precision reaching ${10}^{-4}$ rad level under nominal conditions and (2) over 40% attenuation of current oscillations when subjected to stochastic disturbances. These results validate its superiority in dynamic decoupling and strong disturbance rejection. Full article

Regarding the high susceptibility problem of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) to various uncertain factors, including load variations, parameter perturbations, and external interferences in the ship’s electric propulsion system, this paper presents a non-singular fast terminal composite sliding mode control (NFTCSMC) strategy based on the improved exponential reaching law. This strategy integrates the system’s state variables and the power function of the sliding mode surface into the traditional exponential reaching law, not only enhancing the sliding mode reaching rate but also effectively mitigating system chattering. Additionally, a sliding mode disturbance observer is developed to compensate for both internal and external disturbances in real time, further enhancing the system’s robustness. Finally, the proposed control strategy is experimentally validated using the rapid control prototyping (RCP) technology applied on a semi-physical experimental platform for ship electric propulsion. Experimental results indicate that, compared to traditional proportional–integral (PI), sliding mode control (SMC), and fast terminal sliding mode control (FTSMC) strategies, the NFTCSMC strategy enhances the propulsion and anti-interference capabilities of the propulsion motor, thereby improving the dynamic performance of the ship’s electric propulsion system. Full article

An analytical study is conducted on unsteady, one-directional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows of electrically conducting, incompressible, and viscous fluids, where the viscosity varies with pressure following a power-law relationship. The flow takes place within a planar channel and is driven by the lower plate, which moves along its own plane with an arbitrary, time-dependent speed. The effects of gravitational acceleration are also considered. General exact formulas are derived for both the dimensionless velocity of the fluid and the resulting non-zero shear stress. Moreover, these are the only general solutions for the MHD motions of the fluids considered, and they can produce precise solutions for any motion of this type for respective fluids. The proposed analytical method leads to simple forms of analytical solutions and can be useful in the study of other cases of fluids with viscosity depending on pressure. As an example, solutions related to the modified Stokes’ second problem are presented and confirmed through graphical validation. These solutions also help highlight the impact of the magnetic field on fluid dynamics and determine the time needed for the system to achieve a steady state. Graphical representations indicate that a steady state is reached more quickly and the fluid moves more slowly when a magnetic field is applied. Full article

The design of a country’s nuclear energy development policy and legal system is crucial to the development of its nuclear energy industry, and thus also affects international issues such as climate change and energy green and low-carbon transformation. Under such a “Nuclear Relaunch” era that the world is experiencing, China’s nuclear power installed capacity has reached second in the world, and China’s nuclear energy policies and laws will have a significant impact on the development of civil nuclear energy worldwide. Therefore, it is crucial to reflect on the problems existing in China’s nuclear legal system and theoretical research and propose corresponding amendments based on the review of China’s existing nuclear energy policy and law and the comparison with the relevant system design of other countries. This paper first extracts the common clues of nuclear power development in the world through historical and comparative studies on the development of nuclear energy policies and laws in China and other countries in the world. Secondly, combined with relevant data such as the scale of China’s nuclear power industry, the number and focus of policies and laws, this paper comprehensively analyzes and points out the current practical difficulties faced by China’s nuclear energy policies and laws from an empirical perspective. Finally, in response to these practical difficulties, this paper will propose amendments such as promoting atomic energy legislation, improving the nuclear safety legal standard system and independent supervision system, and strengthening information disclosure in the field of nuclear energy. Full article

Gears play an important role in modern machinery and are indispensable transmission components, particularly at high speeds, where lubrication is essential for the reliability and efficiency of the gear unit. In order to study the oil coverage law and heat dissipation mechanism of high-speed rotating meshing gears by injection angle, this paper adopts the moving particle semi-implicit method to establish a high-speed rotating gear lubrication model, study the intrinsic effect of different jet angles on gear lubrication, and build a gear lubrication bench for experimental verification. Numerical simulation found that with an increase in spray angle, the gear surface coverage and heat transfer coefficient of the high-speed rotating transmission gears initially increase and then decrease. They reflect the same lubrication law characteristics. When the injection angle was 90°, the surface coverage and heat transfer coefficient values were at their greatest, resulting in the best spray lubricating effect. According to the experimental results, under the conditions of 0.5 MPa injection pressure and high-speed rotation of the transmission gear with vertical injection, the lubricant covers the largest surface area of the gear and the least power loss. Simultaneously, in our previous study, we experimentally obtained the optimal parameter conditions on the basis of which we derived. The effect of nozzle diameter on jet lubrication was investigated in a previous study, and in this article, the effect of nozzle angle and distance on gear lubrication is investigated; the optimal conditions for high-speed lubrication of gears are the incident distance of 3.5 cm, incident angle of 90°, incident diameter of 1.5 mm, and gear speed of 2000 r/min, and the lubrication effect reaches the best ideal state; reduction in oil loss due to oil injection lubrication and power loss due to different parameters of the lubrication system. Lubrication design provides a theoretical foundation for the transmission system. Full article

Channel modeling of seawater is essential for understanding the transmission process of underwater laser light and optimizing the system design of underwater wireless laser communication. This study systematically examined the transmission characteristics of underwater blue-green laser communication, such as the angle of arrival, beam spreading, and channel loss, based on the Monte Carlo ray tracing method, across three different waters. The statistical analysis has led to the following definitive conclusions: (a) The differences in average AOA are profound in clear water and at short attenuation lengths in coastal and turbid harbor waters and are small at long attenuation lengths. The differences in average AOA between the offsets of 0 m and 10 m are about 62.3° and 12.9° at the attenuation lengths of 1 and 25 in clear water. The differences between offsets of 0 m and 10 m in average AOAs are about 74.4° and 5.8° in coastal water and 67.2° and 12.2° in turbid harbor water at the attenuation lengths of 1, 20, and 35, respectively. (b) The beam diameters are 0.1 m at the attenuation length of 25 in clear water and 83.8 m and 25.3 m when the attenuation length is 35 in coastal and turbid harbor waters. It manifests that the beam spreading is indistinctive in clear water while prominent in coastal and turbid harbor waters. (c) The difference in the received power at the various offsets decreases with increasing attenuation length but with distinct patterns. Take the offsets of 0 m and 10 m as examples. The absolute difference in the power loss reduces from 88.0 dB·m⁻² to 46.8 dB·m⁻² when the attenuation length reaches 25 in clear water. At the attenuation lengths of 1 and 35, the power losses are 94.9 dB·m⁻² and 4.3 dB·m⁻² in coastal water and 117.4 dB·m⁻² and 12.6 dB·m⁻² in turbid harbor water. Moreover, the minimum underestimation of power loss by applying Beer’s Law could be almost 2 dB·m⁻² in turbid harbor waters. To achieve a high receiving gain, the weighted average angles of arrival at different offsets indicate that a small field of view is advantageous in clear water and at short transmission distances in coastal and turbid harbor waters. In contrast, a larger field of view is effective at long transmission distances in coastal and turbid harbor waters. Additionally, the absolute differences in channel losses at various offsets suggest that alignment between the transmitter and the receiver is crucial in clear water and at short transmission distances in coastal and turbid harbor waters. In contrast, misalignment may not lead to significant channel loss at longer transmission distances in turbid harbor water. The results of this study underscore the importance of considering water type, transmission distance, and offsets relative to the beam center when selecting receiver parameters. Full article