Robust Speed Control of a Low Damped Electromechanical System Based on CRONE Control: Application to a Four Mass Experimental Test Bench

Robust speed control of a low damped electromechanical system with backlash is studied, controlled load angular speed being not measured. The proposed control strategy combines a Luenberger observer (load angular speed and load torque disturbance estimations) and a robust CRONE controller. The observer provides estimation of the load angular speed and of the disturbance torque applied on the load. Through the computation of only three independent parameters (as many as a PID controller), the CRONE controller permits to ensure the robust speed control of the load in spite of plant parametric variations and speed observation errors. The proposed control strategy is applied to a four mass experimental test bench.     

Structure analytical methods for quantitative reference applications

The analytical methods mass spectrometry, UV/Vis, IR, Raman, Fluorometry, XRD, Mössbauer, and NMR used to elucidate chemical structure are evaluated regarding their capabilities to be used as primary analytical techniques in quantitative measurements, considering the criteria in the CCQM definition of primary methods. This includes a review of the respective measurement equations, the evaluation of the measurement uncertainty, and a discussion of evidence for the “highest metrological level”, as obtained from intercomparisons in contest with other methods. It is shown that only few methods fulfill the CCQM criteria. Quantitative NMR spectroscopy is one of them and may be considered as a potential primary method as recommended by CCQM because of being free of empirical factors in the uncertainty budget.     

The application of the measurement uncertainty concept to in-process control in pharmaceutical development

 Any analytical data is used to provide information about a sample. The "possible error" of the measurement can be of extreme importance in order to have complete information. The measurement uncertainty concept is a way to achieve quantitative information about this "possible error" using an estimation procedure. On the basis of the analytical result, the chemist makes a decision on the next step of the development process. If the uncertainty is unknown, the information is not complete; therefore this decision might be impossible. The major problem for the in-process control (IPC) procedure is that not only the repeatability but also the intermediate precision (which expresses the variations within laboratories related to different days, different analysts, different equipment, etc.) has to be good enough to make a decision. Unfortunately, the statistical information achieved from one single analytical run only gives information about the repeatability. This paper shows that the estimation of the measurement uncertainty for IPC is a way to solve the problem and gives the necessary information about the quality of the procedure. An example demonstrates that an estimate of uncertainty based on the standard deviations of an analytical method gives a value similar to one based on the standard deviations obtained from a control chart. Therefore, the estimation is both a very useful and also a very cost-effective tool. Though measurement uncertainty cannot replace validation in general, it is a viable alternative to validation for all methods that will never be used routinely. Received: 24 May 1996 Accepted: 10 August 1996     

New approach to calibrating conductivity meters in the low conductivity range

There is currently a major issue with the calibration of conductivity meters used for high purity water: the lack of availability of a reference material or reference methods for low conductivity ranges (conductivity below 1 S cm^–1 at 25.0 °C, resistivity >1 M cm at 25.0 °C). This paper describes the current status of conductivity measurements in high purity water. A new and improved approach, currently being investigated, should allow us to make the calibration of conductivity meters used for low conductivity ranges traceable to the SI.Milipore, Milli-Q and Elix are registered trademarks of Millipore Corporation.     

IMEP in support of the comparability of measurement results across the Romanian chemical metrology infrastructure

On the basis of quantitative chemical measurements many important decisions are made in support of legislation or in industrial processes or social aspects. For this reason it is important to improve the quality of chemical measurement results and thus make them comparable and acceptable everywhere. The measurement quality is important to enable an equivalent implementation of the European Union regulations and directives across an enlarged EU. In this context, the European Commission–Joint Research Centre–Institute for Reference Materials and Measurement (EC-JRC-IRMM) set up a programme to improve the scientific basis for metrology in chemistry (MiC) in EU candidate countries in the framework of EU enlargement. Several activities were initiated, such as training, fellowships, sponsoring of seminars, conferences and participation in interlaboratory comparisons. To disseminate measurement traceability, IRMM provides through its International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) an interlaboratory tool to enable the benchmarking of laboratory performance. IMEP emphasizes the metrological aspects of measurement results, such as traceability and measurement uncertainty. In this way it has become a publicly available European tool for MiC. The Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology – National Institute of Metrology (BRML-INM) actively supports the participation of Romanian authorized and field laboratories in IMEP interlaboratory comparisons. This paper describes the interest of Romanian laboratories participating in this programme, the analytical and metrological problems that became relevant during these exercises and some actions for improvement. The results from Romanian laboratories participating in IMEP-12 (water), IMEP-16 (wine), IMEP-17 (human serum) and IMEP-20 (tuna fish) are presented. To conclude, the educational and training activities at national level organized jointly by the Romanian National Institute of Metrology (INM) and IRMM are also mentioned.     

Towards a new edition of the “Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement”

The “Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement” (GUM) is an extremely important document. It unifies methods for calculating measurement uncertainty and enables the consistent interpretation and comparison of measurement results, regardless of who obtained these measurements and where they were obtained. Since the document was published in 1995, it has been realised that its recommendations do not properly address an important class of measurements, namely, non-linear indirect measurements. This drawback prompted the initiation of the revision of the GUM in the Working Group 1 of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology, which commenced in October 2006. The upcoming revision of the GUM provides the metrological community with an opportunity to improve this important document, in particular, to reflect developments in metrology that have occurred since the first GUM publication in 1995. Thus, a discussion of the directions for this revision is important and timely. By identifying several shortcomings of the GUM and proposing directions for its improvement, we hope this article will contribute to this discussion. Papers published in this section do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors, the Editorial Board and the Publisher.     

Traceability of (values carried by) reference materials

 Traceability is a property of the result of a measurement. Since values carried by (reference) materials must also have been obtained, of necessity, by measurement, the definition of traceability also applies to reference materials. It is extremely helpful to give the traceability (of the origin) of a reference material a separate name, i.e. 'trackability'. An analysis of the function of values carried by reference materials, shows that they can fulfill different functions, depending on the intended use. One of the functions located outside the traceability chain – and hence not very relevant for establishing traceability – is evaluating the approximate size of the uncertainty of the measurement of an unknown sample by performing a similar measurement on a reference material, used as a 'simulated sample'. Another function is located inside the traceability chain, where the reference material is used as an added 'internal standard'. Then, the value carried by the reference material is essential for establishing the traceability of the measured value of an unknown sample. In the latter application, the reference material acts as an 'amount standard' (the certified value for amount is used). Received: 11 November 1999 / Accepted: 24 February 2000     

Open-Source Browser-Based Tools for Structure-Based Computer-Aided Drug Discovery

We here outline the importance of open-source, accessible tools for computer-aided drug discovery (CADD). We begin with a discussion of drug discovery in general to provide context for a subsequent discussion of structure-based CADD applied to small-molecule ligand discovery. Next, we identify usability challenges common to many open-source CADD tools. To address these challenges, we propose a browser-based approach to CADD tool deployment in which CADD calculations run in modern web browsers on users’ local computers. The browser app approach eliminates the need for user-initiated download and installation, ensures broad operating system compatibility, enables easy updates, and provides a user-friendly graphical user interface. Unlike server apps—which run calculations “in the cloud” rather than on users’ local computers—browser apps do not require users to upload proprietary information to a third-party (remote) server. They also eliminate the need for the difficult-to-maintain computer infrastructure required to run user-initiated calculations remotely. We conclude by describing some CADD browser apps developed in our lab, which illustrate the utility of this approach. Aside from introducing readers to these specific tools, we are hopeful that this review highlights the need for additional browser-compatible, user-friendly CADD software.     

超光滑加工的后置处理算法研究

为了精确控制超光滑加工过程中磨头的运动轨迹,从而实现光学元件材料去除的均匀稳定,研究了超光滑加工的后置处理算法。分析了超光滑加工工艺的特点和相应的超光滑机床的机械结构,建立了机床的坐标系统,构造了机床的运动学模型。对于光学元件母线为任意平面曲线的情况,研究了磨头运动轨迹的等误差直线逼近算法。在曲率半径为290mm,相对口径为1∶2.9的凹球面上进行了超光滑加工实验。结果表明,利用所述算法可以精确地控制磨头的运动轨迹,从而保证材料去除的稳定性。     

方位远探测声波测井仪数据采集控制软件设计*

方位远探测声波测井技术在近年来得到了快速发展,数据采集控制软件是测井仪器系统的重要功能模块,其主要功能是完成地面采集控制平台与井下仪器的实时命令控制与数据传输。方位远探测声波测井仪数据采集控制软件模块以仪器库的形式挂接到成像测井系统,软件主要由仪器初始化、数据采集、数据分析及处理、仪器参数设置、下发命令封装、文件操作、实时波形绘图显示、实时波形处理、数据回放、帮助系统等部分组成。在程序设计中采用了多线程编程技术,提高与测井主控平台进行交互的时效性以及程序的响应速度。实验室及现场测试表明,方位远探测声波测井仪数据采集控制软件的总体及各个功能模块运行稳定,能够完成现场应用过程中对仪器的控制、数据读取、数据分析及处理、文件记录以及与现场测井采集控制平台的数据接口等需求,为仪器的进一步功能优化升级和现场应用提供了基础。