PFI-TT: Novel Non-Contacting Position Estimation System for Long-Stroke Actuators

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力包括：满足重大市场需求的新型传感器的技术商业化，有可能导致未来产生大量收入和就业的大公司的潜力，博士后研究员的教育，向他们提供技术开发和技术商业化经验的博士后研究员的教育，通过ME大使计划接触K-12学校的学生，以及接触大量可能成为所开发传感器技术的潜在客户的工业公司。该项目将开发一种原型位置测量传感器，适用于各种活塞-气缸执行器。该项目将建立在以前NSF研究的基础上，该研究开发了一种适用于小行程有色金属执行器的位置传感器。虽然之前的发明已经成功地授权给了一家工业合作伙伴，但它只适用于小行程(最多15厘米)的应用。这项建议中描述的基础研究将使传感技术得以增强，从而在长行程长度上提供准确的测量。这将为传感器打开一个巨大的市场，包括用于农业和工程车辆的长冲程铁质液压执行器。拟议的项目将进行研究，以开发技术，使非接触式传感器能够工作在铁质执行器的长冲程应用。这需要解决几个基本挑战，包括以前基于扩展卡尔曼滤波的估计算法缺乏准确性和稳健性，该算法依赖于非线性磁场模型的线性化。其他技术挑战包括：由于铁质圆柱体由软钢制成，从内部磁铁的振荡运动中实时获得磁化和退磁，磁场模型中存在显著的滞后；对于多输出非线性系统，需要采用菊花链形式的多个传感器，在该系统中，只能在传感器系统的分段操作区域中使用传感器的子集。该项目将制定应对这些挑战的解决方案。建议的解决方案包括严格开发基于非线性观测器的估计算法，提供全局渐近稳定性以及抑制干扰和噪声，开发具有传统Preisach模型显著优势的新滞后分析模型，以及解决传感器切换和传感器菊花链的系统设计方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project includes technology commercialization of a novel sensor that addresses a significant market need, potential to lead to a future large company that generates significant revenues and employment, education of a postdoctoral fellow providing them experience in both technology development and technology commercialization, outreach to K-12 school students through the ME Ambassadors Program, and outreach to a large number of industrial companies who can be potential customers for the developed sensor technology. This project will develop a prototype position measurement sensor useful for a wide variety of piston-cylinder actuators. The project will build on previous NSF research in which a position sensor suitable for small-stroke non-ferrous actuators was developed. While the previous invention has been successfully licensed to an industrial partner, it works well only for small stroke (up to 15 cm) applications. The fundamental research described in this proposal will enable enhancement of the sensing technology so as to provide accurate measurements over long stroke lengths. This will open up a large market for the sensor, including the long-stroke ferrous hydraulic actuators utilized on agricultural and construction vehicles.The proposed project will conduct research to develop technology that enables the non-contacting sensor to work for long-stroke applications in ferrous actuators. This requires addressing several fundamental challenges, including the lack of accuracy and lack of robustness of previous estimation algorithms based on the extended Kalman filter which relied on linearization of nonlinear magnetic field models. Other technical challenges include the presence of significant hysteresis in the magnetic field model due to the ferrous cylinder being made of soft steel which gets magnetized and demagnetized in real time from the oscillatory motion of the internal magnet, and the requirement to daisy-chain multiple sensors for a multi-output nonlinear system in which only subsets of the sensors can be utilized in piecewise regions of operation of the sensor system. Solutions to address these challenges will be developed in the project. The proposed solutions include rigorous development of nonlinear-observer-based estimation algorithms that provide both global asymptotic stability as well as rejection of disturbances and noise, development of a new analytical model for hysteresis that has significant advantages over the traditional Preisach model, and a systematic design methodology to address sensor switching and daisy chaining of sensors.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.