Giuseppe Menga

Polytechnic University of Turin | polito · DAUIN - Department of Control and Computer Engineering

Classically the walk in biped robotics was obtained controlling balance during the whole step, i.e. guaranteeing that the pressure point under the soles always stayed in the polygon of the supporting feet. However, this assumed that the feet were able to transfer torque to the ground during the whole gait cycle. In spite of the fact that the amount...

The gait and the Foot Placement Estimation (FPE) has recently been extended to 3-D spaces by adopting a specific form of a spherical inverted pendulum (SIP). The approach is very attractive, as it does not involve dynamics, but it is based solely on energies and momenta, however the authors (DeHart et al.) introduced several questionable approximat...

This paper deals with the control of the sit-to-stand transfer of a biped robotic device (either an autonomous biped robot or a haptic assistive exoskeleton for postural rehabilitation). The control has been synthesized, instead of considering the physiology, analyzing the basic laws of dynamics. The transfer of a human from sitting on a chair to a...

The zero moment point ( Z M P ) and the linearized inverted pendulum model linking the Z M P to the center of gravity ( C O G ) have an important role in the control of the postural equilibrium (balance) of biped robots and lower-limb exoskeletons. A solution for balance real time control, closing the loop from the joint actual values of the C O G...

In this work we present a lower limb haptic exoskeleton suitable for patient rehabilitation, specifically in the presence of illness on postural equilibrium. Exoskeletons have been mostly conceived to increase strength, while in this work patient compliance with postural equilibrium enhancement is embedded. This is achieved with two hierarchical fe...

A biped robot is a mechanical multichain system. The peculiar features, that distinguishes this kind of robot with respect to others, e.g., industrial robots, is its switching nature between different phases, each one is the same mechanics subject to a different constraint. Moreover, because these (unilateral) constraints, represented by the contac...

This is the second part of a three-part paper. It extends to the free walking results of a previous work on postural equilibrium of a lower limb exoskeleton for rehabilitation exercises. A classical approach has been adopted to design gait (zero moment point (ZMP), linearized inverted pendulum theory, inverse kinematics obtained through the pseudo-...

In part II of this group of papers, the control of the gait of a biped robot during rectilinear walk was considered. The modeling approach and simulation, using Kane’s method with implementation leveraged by Autolev, a symbolic computational environment that is complementary, was discussed in part I. Performing turns during the walk is technically...

Collaboration and sharing workspace between human and robots has turned into a challenge that has to be taken into account in many industrial domains, including the process industry. In this study, literature related to risk-based safety system design is reviewed as well as relevant research of control design for safety issues. The paper mainly pre...

Disclosed herein is a control system for an exoskeleton haptic device, having: a frame structure, to be coupled to the body of a subject; actuators, carried by the frame structure and operable to cause movement of a number of joints of the body; and sensors, coupled to the body to detect first signals indicative of an intention of movement of the s...

The performance of a structured light system (SLS) highly depends on its calibration especially in applications such as surface metrology and product quality control where high accuracy is required. Motivated by building a real-time highly accurate flatness measurement system, we propose a plane-based residual error compensation algorithm for impro...

The performance of a structured light system (SLS) highly depends on its calibration especially in applications such as surface met-rology and product quality control where high accuracy is required. Motivated by building a real-time highly accurate flatness measurement system, we propose a plane-based residual error compensation algorithm for impr...

The old electricity network infrastructure has proven to be inadequate, with respect to modern challenges such as alternative energy sources, electricity demand and energy saving policies. Moreover, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) seem to have reached an adequate level of reliability and flexibility in order to support a new concep...

In the area of structured light system calibration, efforts have been made in improving the performance of an open loop system, which involves data acquisition, model establishment and model parameter identification. In this paper, we introduce a closed loop design concept for structured light system calibration. In addition to the commonly used ci...

A vision based automatic pharmacy inventory is an unstructured environment in the sense that a random face of medicine box confronts the camera according to how it is put on shelf. This poses a challenge to traditional image content based object detection algorithms. In this paper we propose a shape-based medicine box localization framework. Instea...

The Technical Committee on software engineering for robotics (TC-SOFT) promotes dissemination activities and public relations that stimulate discussion on the way that software development is actually practiced in robotics and on the synergy between robotics and software engineering. Software engineering for robotics represents a confluence between...

In this paper, a suitable model of distributed supply-chains (DSCs) is presented with the aim of providing a tool for DSC decentralised optimisation. To cope with this challenge, in the first part of the paper, a general model for distributed supply-chain including suppliers, processing units, assemblers, and transportation systems is presented wit...

This work presents our agent-based architecture for the development of Global Automation Systems. These systems consist of software applications that manage all the processes in a network of enterprises, in distributed, decentralized and autonomous way.

In this paper, the problem of optimizing the performances of a distributed supply chain is faced by means of as decentralized architecture. In particular, a general scheme for an Lagrangian algorithm, based on Lagrangian relaxation of the precedence constraints, is presented. In this framework, the trade-off between the production cost of each node...

In this work we present an agent-based architecture for Global Automation Systems. The architecture follows a layered abstract model that allows decoupling design responsibilities, promotes high cohesion within layers and clearly emphasizes the environment. A case of study is presented in the passenger transportation domain.KeywordsMultiagent Syste...

In this work we present the main aspects of the global automation platform, our novel framework for implementing global automation systems. The framework is supported by the G++ agent platform, an agent infrastructure that we have developed to implement and integrate distributed applications.

In this paper we present a novel formulation for analysis and performance optimisation of flexible manufacturing systems. We approximately represent the dynamics of the system with a hybrid model and derive an optimum control strategy for part routing and machine scheduling. We show that the system can be described with a single formalism as a stoc...

Designing automation systems, as in most engineering endeavors, is primarily an architectural problem, involving hardware and software components. The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of software architecture and styles in designing automation systems, and to describe an object framework for the development of global automation s...

The paper presents a tool (X-LAMP) for quick design, development, and delivery of tests and interactive exercises for self-evaluation. The package allows the user to build groups of tests of various types, either as stand alone modules or linked to theory pages. The tests can be delivered through the Internet or on CD-ROMs for independent use by st...

We consider in this paper first-order hybrid Petri nets, a model that consists of continuous places holding fluid, discrete places containing a nonnegative integer number of tokens, and transitions, either discrete or continuous. We set up a linear algebraic formalism to study the first-order continuous behavior of this model and show how its contr...

The paper presents a tool (X-LAMP) for quick design, development, and delivery of tests and interactive exercises for self-evaluation. The package allows the user to build groups of tests of various types, either as standalone modules or linked to theory pages. The tests can be delivered through the Internet or on CD-ROMs for independent use by stu...

We discuss a novel formulation for the optimal control of discrete-event dynamic processes representing manufacturing systems characterized by unreliable machines, finite buffers and time-varying predictable demands. We approximately represent the dynamics of the system with a hybrid model and derive an optimum control strategy for parts routing an...

First–Order Hybrid Petri Nets are a model that consists of continuous places holding fluid, discrete places containing a non–negative integer number of tokens, and transitions, either discrete or continuous. This paper provides a framework to describe the overall hybrid net behavior that combines both time–driven and event–driven dynamics. The resu...

We present an architecture for developing applications which need to integrate legacy business enterprise information systems in a large distributed environment. In particular we address the problem of building virtual factories by interconnecting existing physical factories. The proposed architecture consists of several different frameworks each o...

We present a formulation for the optimal control of discrete event dynamic processes which represent production systems with unreliable machines and buffers of finite capacity. We derive an optimum control strategy that is critically based on the fact that the discrete event dynamic behavior of the system is approximately represented with a hybrid...

In this paper we present a new approach for the modeling and control of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) characterized by unreliable machines, buffers of finite capacity, arbitrary service time distributions and deterministic sequencing and routing policies. Our main goal is the design of the FMS configuration embedded with its optimum control...

Presents a hybrid formulation for the modeling and control of automated manufacturing systems. This approach leads to a linear time-varying discrete-time state variable model which allows fast and direct design of the system configuration. The problem is addressed by splitting the discrete event dynamical process into two hierarchical layers and de...

In this paper we present a method for performance evaluation of hybrid stochastic Petri nets based on sensitivity analysis and parametric linear programming techniques and we show how this approach can be used for optimization. The problem is addressed by determining an optimal firing speed allocation for the continuous transitions obtained by solv...

A new approach for the modeling and control of automated manufacturing systems is presented. This formulation lends itself to a hybrid model that allows fast and direct design of the system configuration embedded with its optimal control policy. A discrete-time linear stochastic state variable model is formally derived from first and second order f...

In this paper we show how we have applied, in a current project, mobile agent technology to an industrial process in the field of textile manufacturing. The project involves several companies, each of which is a Europe-wide representative of one of the key phases of the textile production process (e.g. spinning, weaving, dyeing, finishing and ready...

We analyze discrete event dynamic processes which represent flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) characterized by unreliable machines, buffers of finite capacity, arbitrary service time distributions and deterministic sequencing and routing policies. Our main goal is the design of the FMS configuration embedded with its optimum control policy. The...

In this paper we show how w e have a pplied, in a c urrent project, mobile a gent technology to an industrial process in the field o f textile manufacturing. The project involves several companies, each of which is a Europe-wide representative of one of the key ph ases of the textile production p rocess (e.g. spinning, weaving, dyeing, finishing an...

A framework is an integrated set of domain-specific software components that can be reused to create applications. In object-oriented programming, the interpretation of "framework" ranges from structures of classes of cooperating objects that provide, through extension, reusable basic designs for a family of similar applications, to the more restri...

Agent-based systems have received much interest in the latest years, and researchers are applying them to more and more fields. However, except for some attempts of standardization at the lower levels (such as a common programming language), most of the research and development has been based on proprietary designs architectures, invented from scra...

The scope of this paper is to present a framework, a method and a formalism for Object Oriented Analysis, Design and Implementation, through a Prototyping phase, of distributed concurrent systems. The study has been motivated by Computer Integrated Manufacturing, or more generally, by applications which have highly layered control structures, and i...

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In this work we introduce a production scheduling problem encountered in COMPAL S.A., a factory located in Lisbon, Portugal, which produces perishable goods for the food market. The paper shows how to derive a scheduling model from the factory specifications and presents a two-step heuristic procedure for its solution. This research constitutes a g...

Recently several new heuristic search techniques have been used in machine scheduling. In this paper, we make some methodological and computational comparisons between such techniques as bottleneck-based algorithms (Shifting Bottleneck), deterministic neighborhood search procedures (Tabu Search), random oriented local search techniques (Simulated A...

Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the process of organizing manufacturing companies under the control of a common information system to enhance their competitiveness. To achieve this result models are needed to identify activities, data and resources of an enterprise and to create the right relationships between them. Presently several int...

Introduces a production scheduling problem encountered in COMPAL S.A., a factory located in Lisbon (Portugal) which produces perishable goods for the food market. From the factory specifications the authors show how to derive a scheduling model and a two-step heuristic procedure for its solution

The scope of this paper is twofold. Firstly we propose augmented Lagrangian-based decomposition techniques for solving scheduling problems in manufacturing systems and then we show that the resulting decomposition of the mathematical problem lends itself to control systems with a topological cellular structure, and that it can be espoused very natu...

The authors propose augmented Lagrangian-based decomposition techniques for solving complex planning and control problems in flexible manufacturing systems. It is shown that the resulting decomposition of the mathematical problem lends itself to control systems with a topological cellular structure, and can be treated very naturally with an object-...

Object-oriented programming, through the use of a library of standard classes and their inheritance relationships, offers a consistent framework to specify, design, and prototype the software architecture of complex discrete event control systems. This work applies such a framework to computer integrated manufacturing, proposing a unified view to r...

Some experiments on the integration of algorithmic techniques with knowledge-based ones are discussed. Two case studies are presented: an FMS cell and a press shop. It was found that the algorithmic procedures developed for production scheduling resulted in limiting the ability to cope with the complexity of the real manufacturing world. The schedu...

The paper presents a specification and prototyping language for manufacturing systems. The language is based on high-level Petri nets, is object oriented, is graphic with a textual part, and supports hierarchical decomposition: it is well suited for the description and simulation of complex, concurrent systems. The methodology that supports the lan...

This paper presents the outline of an environment for the specification and prototyping of manufacturing systems software, which is under development in the framework of a research project sponsored by Italian National Research Council.

The planning problem in batch and repetitive manufacturing environments is approached from the Large Scale Systems point of view. The optimal production schedule, according to a given cost function, is sought for a sequence of workshops constituting a multistage production process. The workshops themselves may be Flexible Manufacturing Systems able...

The evolution of Computer Integrated Manufacturing calls for the organizatlon of complex production processes, obtained by the composition of automated job shops. The larye-scale event-driven nature of such systems requires a revision of the techniques for designing production planning and control architectures. Two manufacturing environments are h...

The hardware-software architecture of the MODIAC system is described. MODIAC is a process control computer which represents the result of a joint research carried out by many Italian industries and university institutions within the framework of the Computer Science Program supported by the National Research Council (CNR). The system is based on a...

The performances of a Flexible Manufacturing System with multiple part classes are evaluated by closed queueing network analysis. The problem considered here refers specifically to the presence into the system of a real time intelligent router. It is well known that this condition sharply contrasts with the classical hypothesis needed for an exact...

The present paper is devoted to the mathematical formalization of the production planning and control problem in manufacturing systems. A hierarchical decentralized approach to the production planning in a sequence of workshops is proposed and contrasted with respect to the well-known MRP and OPT techniques.

The problem of scheduling concurrent lots of different components on a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) structured with a closed transportation network is approached. The production model and hence the decision/control process is seen here decomposed in two hierarchical levels. 1) At the lowest (microscopic) level, with a heuristic closed queuin...

The problem of adaptively controlling a linear multivariable plant according to a quadratic cost functional defined over a control horizon of arbitrary length is discussed. In this context, the proposed algorithm, referred to by the acronym MUSMAR, is shown to be a natural generalization of standard self-tuning controllers. By increasing the contro...

The best fitting problem, i.e. the problem of transferring a rigid body in the Euclidean space as close as possible to a given target is approached and solved in this paper.

What is a flexible manufacturing system (FMS)? Briefly an FMS is an “automated job-shop”, or more diffusely an FMS is a set of machines connected by a transport network, capable of producing a variety of related parts with a minimum of manual intervention.

In the paper the Hankel-norm approximation of linear dynamic operators, developed by several authors after the works of Adamjan et al., is analyzed using both the classical concepts of aggregation and disaggregation (Aoki) and geometric techniques developed in the context of linear algebra (Golub, Davis and Kahan).

A new approach has been proposed for the design of approximate, lower order discrete time realizations of stochastic processes from the output covariance matrix over a finite time interval. No restrictive assumptions are imposed on the process, that is, it can be nonstationary and also can lead to higher dimension realization. Classes of fixed orde...

The paper is addressed to the approximation in norm of stochastic processes of arbitrary dimension by reduced order models. After a systematic review of the basic geometry of stationary process representation in Hilbert space, the approximation problem is developed along the following items:

The identifiability (structure detectability and consistent parameter estimation) of linear multivariable stochastic system from the "joint process" statistics for general closed-loop characteristics is considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the identifiability of classes of systems are proven. Experimental tests to verify the identifi...

In the identification of linear invariant systems the optimum choice of order and structure of a state variable model representation is strictly dependent on the level of uncertainty present in the system and on the identification experiment. This concept is formalized here by applying re cent results found in numerical analysis literature.

This paper presents a package for modeling and identification of linear multivariable systems from only the knowledge of input - output data. The method, that is original, belongs to the least squares family and applies new efficient factorization algorithms drawn from the numerical linear algebra literature. Performances of the package and compari...

A generalization of the O.L.F.O. technique is proposed for the design of feedback controls of discrete linear systems with random input and state dependent noise. The control strategy is optimized at any time by assuming for the future, instead of an open loop, a feedback structure with given state estimator. The choice of the optimum estimator and...

Given the Covariance function R(i, j), 1¿i, j¿N, of a discrete time vector valued random process y(i), we consider the problem of approximating the process realization with a fixed (lower) order model. The approximate model is chosen so that statistical bounds are guaranteed in the estimation of the process. A sequential design procedure as N grows...

This paper considers the design of output regulators with the use of approximate models. The measure of the approximation between process and model outputs is represented by a bound in norm of the output error signals and it requires the computation of two numbers. The design is achieved with a rain-max approach where control and error signals are...

A procedure has been developed for constructing a statistical model of the altitude-dependent mean wind profile from the historical record of wind measurements at particular locations. The model is constructed by fitting a Markov process, with altitude as the stage variable, to the historical wind data. The wind model, together with the aircraft dy...

In this study feedback design procedures are developed for linear multivariable systems with uncertain parameters and inaccessible states. An observer is used in the feedback loop. The basic design parameters are the observer gain matrix and the state-estimate feed-back matrix. Two models of uncertainty are considered. One is a "deterministic" mode...

A design procedure is presented for linear systems with inaccessible states and large parameter variations. A nominal observer structure is used in the feedback loop. The design parameters are the observer gain matrix and the estimated-state feedback matrix. The prime design objectives are an asymptotically stable closed-loop system and a minimal u...

The purpose of this paper is to present analytical techniques for evaluating the dynamic riding behaviour of a vehicle. These techniques have been applied to a fairly sophisticated model of a bus, where a three-dimensional structure, elastic frame and non-linear shock-absorbers have been considered.

This paper solves a particular min-max problem where the minimizing variables not only influence the performance index but also constrain the domain of action of the maximizing variables. The problem is approached as minimization of a supremal value function. It is shown here that if a weaker form of the classical sensitivity theorem of non-linear...

The problem of recursive state estimation for approximated systems is considered. Two possible measures of the distance between model and system are presented, which take into account the uncertainty in initial states. It is shown that from these definitions of uncertainty bounded tubes can be derived, in which all the possible state trajectories f...

A linear dynamic system described by an approximated model is studied. The approximation leads to an uncertainty which cannot be modeled by additive noise nor by a parameter bounded variation. A definition of ″uncertainty in norm″ is given. The problem of driving the output in a specified region is investigated. Necessary and sufficient conditions...

In this paper we adopt the fluid approximation theory to describe the dynamic behavior of Flexible Manufacturing Systems that we model with Hybrid Stochastic Petri Nets, a class of nets in which some places may hold fluid rather than discrete tokens. The continuous transitions of the net are fired with speeds that are piecewise constants over the e...

This paper describes the design of a humanoid robot built in Politecnico di Torino by a group of students. Mechanical architecture and control algorithms are based on a preliminary research on human biped locomotion, adapted and tested using computer simulation; the result is an unusual design that should maximize performances. We designed dedicate...

This paper describes the design of a humanoid robot built in Politecnico di Torino by a group of students. Mechanical architecture and control algorithms are based on a preliminary research on human biped locomotion, adapted and tested using computer simulation; the result is an unusual design that should maximize performances. We designed dedicate...

I n t h i s p a p e r w e s ho w

Frameworks are sets of reusable and customizable software components for specific application domains. The development of a framework usually follows a process, the framework life span, where the basic architectural elements, which are specific application independent, are designed first. These basic elements represent the stable parts of the frame...

Development of control software for reactive, event-driven systems is complex. It usually requires extensive prototyping before final implementation and installation. Since the evolution from prototype to real system should be as seamless as possible, it would seem natural to structure the prototype following the principles of event-driven programm...

In this paper we present a novel formulation for analysis and performance optimization of flexible manufac- turing systems. We approximately represent the dynamics of the system with a hybrid model and derive an optimum control strategy for part routing and machine scheduling. The problem is addressed using first and second order fluid approximatio...

Following is a continuation of the list of titles and authors. Mathematical Model of Rotary Kiln and Comparison of Continuous and Discrete Algorithms. By A. Manitius, W. Kawecki and J. Szymanowski. Simulation of Transitional Regimes in Fixed Bed Reactors. By Yu. Sh. Matros, V. A. Kirillov and M. G. Slinko. Finite Difference Model of a Fluidized Bed...