Electrical and Electronic Engineering - Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collection

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 253
  • Item
    Analysis and design optimization of a compliant robotic gripper mechanism with inverted flexure joints
    (Elsevier B.V., 2024-09-02) Kuresangsai, Pongsiri; Cole, Matthew O. T.; Hao, Guangbo; Chiang Mai University
    Flexure-jointed grippers provide compliant grasping capability, have low-cost and flexible manufacturing, and are insusceptible to joint friction and wear. However, their grasp stiffness can be limited by flexure compliance such that loss-of-grasp is prone to occur for high object loads. This paper examines the application of inverted-flexure joints in a cable-driven gripper that can avoid flexure buckling and greatly enhance grasp stiffness and stability. To analyze behavior, an energy-based kinetostatic model is developed for a benchmark grasping problem and validated by hardware experiments. A multi-objective design optimization study is conducted, considering key metrics of peak flexure stress, grasp stiffness, and cable actuation force. Results show that the inverted-flexure design has significantly higher grasp stiffness (63% higher in a targeted design optimization) and requires lower actuation forces (¿20% lower in all optimization cases), compared with equivalent direct-flexure designs. An application study is conducted to validate the predicted operating performance under gravity loading of the grasped object. The results demonstrate that stable and high stiffness grasping can be achieved, even under overload conditions that lead to loss-of-grasp for conventional direct-flexure designs.
  • Item
    The role of FPGAs in Modern Option Pricing techniques: A survey
    (MDPI, 2024-08-12) O'Mahony, Aidan; Hanzon, Bernard; Popovici, Emanuel; Science Foundation Ireland; Intel Corporation; Dell Technologies
    In financial computation, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have emerged as a transformative technology, particularly in the domain of option pricing. This study presents the impact of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) on computational methods in finance, with an emphasis on option pricing. Our review examined 99 selected studies from an initial pool of 131, revealing how FPGAs substantially enhance both the speed and energy efficiency of various financial models, particularly Black–Scholes and Monte Carlo simulations. Notably, the performance gains—ranging from 270- to 5400-times faster than conventional CPU implementations—are highly dependent on the specific option pricing model employed. These findings illustrate FPGAs’ capability to efficiently process complex financial computations while consuming less energy. Despite these benefits, this paper highlights persistent challenges in FPGA design optimization and programming complexity. This study not only emphasises the potential of FPGAs to further innovate financial computing but also outlines the critical areas for future research to overcome existing barriers and fully leverage FPGA technology in future financial applications.
  • Item
    DeltaFlex—An additively manufactured Delta robot with compliant joints: Virtual prototyping and experimental evaluation
    (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024-07-22) Parmiggiani, Alberto; Ottonello, Emilio; Kargar, Seyyed Masoud; Baggetta, Mario; Hao, Guangbo; Berselli, Giovanni
    The current study presents the development and validation of a compliant Delta robot with a monolithic structure, which has been fabricated using additive manufacturing (AM). The monolithic design and the use of AM accelerate the robot development cycle by enabling rapid prototyping and deployment while also facilitating experimentation with novel or different robot kinematics. The use of flexible joints for robots presents a challenge in achieving sufficient workspaces. However, parallel architectures are well suited for incorporating compliant joints, as they require lower ranges of motion for individual joints compared to serial architectures. Therefore, the Delta configuration has been chosen for this study. Multibody flexible dynamics (MfBD) simulations have been used as a means to guide design choices and simulate the structural behaviour of the robot. A design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) technique has been adopted to minimize the need for support structures and maximize mechanical strength. The quantitative evaluation of the Delta’s overall performance has been conducted in terms of stiffness and precision. The stiffness test aimed to gauge the robot’s ability to withstand applied loads, whereas the repeatability test assessed its precision and accuracy. This approach offers a promising path for robot design with significant potential for future advancements and practical applications while highlighting the trade-offs that designers should consider when adopting this methodology.
  • Item
    An advanced retail electricity market for active distribution systems and home microgrid interoperability based on game theory
    (Elsevier B.V., 2018-01-04) Marzband, Mousa; Javadi, Masoumeh; Pourmousavi, S. Ali; Lightbody, Gordon; Horizon 2020; Science Foundation Ireland; National Science Foundation
    The concept of active distribution network has emerged by the application of new generation and storage technologies, demand flexibility, and communication infrastructure. The main goal is to create infrastructure and algorithms to facilitate an increased penetration of distributed energy resources, application of demand response and storage technologies, and encourage local generation and consumption within the distribution network. However, managing thousands of prosumers with different requirements and objectives is a challenging task. To do so, market mechanisms are found to be necessary to fully exploit the potential of customers, known as Prosumers in this new era. This paper offers an advanced retail electricity market based on game theory for the optimal operation of home microgrids (H-MGs) and their interoperability within active distribution networks. The proposed market accommodates any number of retailers and prosumers incorporating different generation sources, storage devices, retailers, and demand response resources. It is formulated considering three different types of players, namely generator, consumer, and retailer. The optimal solution is achieved using the Nikaido-Isoda Relaxation Algorithm (NIRA) in a non-cooperative gaming structure. The uncertainty of the generation and demand are also taken into account using appropriate statistical models. A comprehensive simulation study is carried out to reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method in lowering the market clearing price (MCP) for about 4%, increasing H-MG responsive load consumption by a factor of two, and promoting local generation by a factor of three. The numerical results also show the capability of the proposed algorithm to encourage market participation and improve profit for all participants.
  • Item
    Smart transactive energy framework in grid-connected multiple home microgrids under independent and coalition operations
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2018-03-21) Marzband, Mousa; Azarinejadian, Fatemeh; Savaghebi, Mehdi; Pouresmaeil, Edris; Guerrero, Josep M.; Lightbody, Gordon; Horizon 2020; Science Foundation Ireland; Energiteknologisk udviklings- og demonstrationsprogram; Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
    This paper presents a smart Transactive energy (TE) framework in which home microgrids (H-MGs) can collaborate with each other in a multiple H-MG system by forming coalitions for gaining competitiveness in the market. Profit allocation due to coalition between H-MGs is an important issue for ensuring the optimal use of installed resources in the whole multiple H-MG system. In addition, considering demand fluctuations, energy production based on renewable resources in the multiple H-MG can be accomplished by demand-side management strategies that try to establish mechanisms to allow for a flatter demand curve. In this regard, demand shifting potential can be tapped through shifting certain amounts of energy demand from some time periods to others with lower expected demand, typically to match price values and to ensure that existing generation will be economically sufficient. It is also possible to obtain the maximum profit with the coalition formation. In essence the impact of the consumption shifting in the multiple H-MG schedule can be considered while conducting both individual and coalition operations. A comprehensive simulation study is carried out to reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method in lowering the market clearing price (MCP) for about 15% of the time intervals, increasing H-MG responsive load consumption by a factor of 30%, and promoting local generation by a factor of three. The numerical results also show the capability of the proposed algorithm to encourage market participation and improve profit for all participants.