The design and evaluation of a remote laboratory for Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) educatio... more The design and evaluation of a remote laboratory for Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) education is presented. The primary objective of the presented remote PLC laboratory is to increase the availability of the physical laboratory. A secondary objective was to develop students’ competence in designing and developing PLC programs. This specific focus on developing design skills within the PLC programming context is the originality contributed by this article. To achieve this originality, a realistic context is provided by basing the laboratory on physical PLCs and their associated industrial programming environments. This context is supported by simulated processes. These processes provide multiple examples to develop design skills and also a media-rich platform which supports problem-solving skills. The laboratory is evaluated using a pre- and post-survey based on the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory and the results benchmarked. The pre-survey clearly identifies laboratory availability as an issue while the post-survey reveals that the remote laboratory successfully addressed this issue. The post-survey also indicates that the remote laboratory had a positive impact on the overall learning environment. In particular, students perceived that the laboratory problems were more open-ended and less influenced by the instructor.
The contribution of this paper is the development of a systematic tuning technique for the GPC su... more The contribution of this paper is the development of a systematic tuning technique for the GPC such that an optimal trade-off between robustness and performance is achieved. This trade-off is achieved by selecting the GPC parameters to minimise a mixed H∞ design problem. A number of simulation studies demonstrate the usefulness of this tool.
Project- and problem-based learning are recommended instructional models that develop students ca... more Project- and problem-based learning are recommended instructional models that develop students capabilities to solve problems, work in teams and learn independently. This paper presents a course component, developed by the authors, in which the students are presented with an authentic problem and a blended project and problem based learning instructional model is used to develop these transferable skills. The component also integrates international best practice from the field of education. A number of techniques were used to evaluate the course and the results indicate that students perceived that the component developed their ability to work in teams and are very open to similar components being introduced into additional modules. However, the authors noted that students experienced considerable difficulty translating prior knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario and this prompts (as yet unanswered) questions about the effectiveness of traditional teaching models.
2009 17th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, 2009
I. INTRODUCTION Linear system identification techniques have been exten-sively researched [1] wit... more I. INTRODUCTION Linear system identification techniques have been exten-sively researched [1] with many software tools available to assist in model identification, for example the MATLAB System Identification Toolbox [2]. Virtually all real systems are nonlinear and linear ...
Proceedings of 2005 IEEE Conference on Control Applications, 2005. CCA 2005., 2005
Recently, the approximate solutions to the infinite horizon min-max model predictive control with... more Recently, the approximate solutions to the infinite horizon min-max model predictive control with a time-varying terminal cost and constraint have been explicitly characterized in the form of a piecewise affine (PWA) state feedback law defined on an orthogonal partition of the state-space [M.T. Cychowski, T. O'Mahony, 2005]. The advantage of this formulation is the reduction in online computational complexity which
In this paper an assessment strategy based on the idea that students submit a draft assignment, r... more In this paper an assessment strategy based on the idea that students submit a draft assignment, receive audio feedback (as an .MP3 file) on the assignment and subsequently submit a revised, final version is proposed. The strategy is shown to align with current recommendations for best practice. The proposal is extensively used by the author in his teaching and two engineering courses are presented as case-studies to illustrate how the approach works. These courses were evaluated using an established student questionnaire. 91% of respondents stated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with assessment and feedback as it applied to these courses. Grades awarded to final version of the assignment were, on average, 11% higher than those awarded to the draft. Clearly, students are reading, engaging with and learning from the audio feedback.
A current trend in higher education is the emphasis on developing a diversity of generic, transfe... more A current trend in higher education is the emphasis on developing a diversity of generic, transferable or professional skills. There exists a body of research and opinion on tools and pedagogies to achieve these outcomes. In engineering education, the focus traditionally has been on teamwork, problem solving and project management skills. One approach to the development of these skills has been the implementation of project-oriented curricula (Fink & Bajers, 1999). Recently some of the emphasis has shifted towards interdisciplinary skills with again project-oriented curriculum being seen as an enabler of these skills (Somerville et al., 2005; Crawley et al., 2007). A review of the discourse on project-based learning reveals resources that provide overviews for secondary schools (Markham et al., 2003) and higher-education institutions (Crawford & Tennant, 2003), that review the research base (Thomas, 2000), and contrast project based learning with some of its contemporaries e.g. enqu...
This paper examines the validity of using linear models to model an industrial falling film evapo... more This paper examines the validity of using linear models to model an industrial falling film evaporator. From an economic outlook the important operational units are the evaporator effects and the pasteurisation process. Linear models for both processes are linked together to construct an overall model of the main components of the process. The models are subjected to a number of perturbation signals. Three temperatures (evaporation temperature, pre-pasteurisation temperature and pasteurisation temperature) in the process are used to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The models are found to be accurate over a limited range. Limitations of the models are identified and a case is made for nonlinear system identification.
There is sparse mention in the literature of the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimisati... more There is sparse mention in the literature of the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimisation techniques to the tuning of PID controllers. Where mention does exist the application tends to be confined to an illustration of the concept on a simple model, without even a comparison with conventional tuning techniques provided. In the opinion of the authors this does not exploit the full potential of the GA approach which is tailored towards locating high performance areas in complex domains. A close perusal of the PID tuning literature reveals a confusing plethora of techniques for simple systems and, conversely, a dearth of techniques for more complex processes. Furthermore it is generally accepted that the techniques applicable for simple processes are unsuited to higher-order processes and in addition that they frequently fail even for simple processes when a significant time delay exists. The GA overcomes these difficulties by offering the possibility of a general tuning tech...
IET Irish Signals and Systems Conference (ISSC 2006), 2006
A wide range of PID tuning software tools is currently available, though the relative merits of e... more A wide range of PID tuning software tools is currently available, though the relative merits of each is not always clear. In this paper, the key features of seven (mostly commercial) PID tuning programs are summarised and subsequently the performance of the software tools are compared ...
EuroSimE 2009 - 10th International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, 2009
Abstract The reliability of the electrostatically actuated MEMS contact switches is known to be s... more Abstract The reliability of the electrostatically actuated MEMS contact switches is known to be significantly undermined by the unstable dynamic behaviour of devices. High impact forces, bouncing at the contact and oscillations upon release result in substantial mechanical damage to ...
IET Irish Signals and Systems Conference (ISSC 2008), 2008
Abstract-In this paper the authors' experience in translating a traditional lecture plus... more Abstract-In this paper the authors' experience in translating a traditional lecture plus laboratory based course to an integrated dual-impact course that utilises a collaborative project to drive the learning is described. The focus of this paper is on the lessons learned through the ...
This paper focuses on the system identification of the thermal dynamics of a domestic dwelling an... more This paper focuses on the system identification of the thermal dynamics of a domestic dwelling and the aim of the modelling process is to design an efficient control scheme that minimises energy usage and, consequently, fuel bills. Existing software packages for thermal modelling of structures are based on physical models or finite element analysis and use real data for comparative purposes only. In contrast, in this study a wireless sensor network was used to measure actual temperature variations and this data was used to identify a process model. By successfully twinning wireless technology and system identification techniques, an overall model structure of the heat characteristics of a domestic residence is presented in this paper.
ABSTRACT Within Hybrid systems, piecewise affine systems are a common class to be identified from... more ABSTRACT Within Hybrid systems, piecewise affine systems are a common class to be identified from input/output data. In this paper an improved algorithm for identifying piecewise affine systems is developed. The algorithm stems from clustering-based system identification. An affine output error algorithm is used to identify final models. The performance of the new Piecewise Affine Output Error (PWA-OE) algorithm is demonstrated using experimental data from a Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanical Systems switch. Compared to the existing state-of-the-art, the PWA-OE algorithm generates a potential 62% improvement in model coefficient accuracy. Furthermore the PWA-OE algorithm is less sensitive to two additional input parameter selections.
Abstract: A falling film evaporator is the most commonly used evaporator type in the dairy indust... more Abstract: A falling film evaporator is the most commonly used evaporator type in the dairy industry for the concentration of products such as milk, skim-milk and whey. This concentration often takes place under vacuum to reduce the boiling point of water and reduce any heat damage ...
ISSC 2006, Dublin Institute of Technology, June 28-30 ... Comparison of Direct and Indirect Conti... more ISSC 2006, Dublin Institute of Technology, June 28-30 ... Comparison of Direct and Indirect Continuous-Time System ... Niel Cantyo, Tom O'Mahonyo, Barry O'Connor*, Phil Kellyt ... OAdvanced Control Group, Dept. ofElectronicEngineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, ...
A novel system to unobtrusively monitor the wellbeing of elderly people based on their activity p... more A novel system to unobtrusively monitor the wellbeing of elderly people based on their activity patterns is presented. The system uses a wireless ZigBee network to monitor the electrical usage in a subject's home and then sends this data to an Apache server via HTTP from a GPRS unit. The data is logged in a MySQL database where pattern analysis
The design and evaluation of a remote laboratory for Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) educatio... more The design and evaluation of a remote laboratory for Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) education is presented. The primary objective of the presented remote PLC laboratory is to increase the availability of the physical laboratory. A secondary objective was to develop students’ competence in designing and developing PLC programs. This specific focus on developing design skills within the PLC programming context is the originality contributed by this article. To achieve this originality, a realistic context is provided by basing the laboratory on physical PLCs and their associated industrial programming environments. This context is supported by simulated processes. These processes provide multiple examples to develop design skills and also a media-rich platform which supports problem-solving skills. The laboratory is evaluated using a pre- and post-survey based on the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory and the results benchmarked. The pre-survey clearly identifies laboratory availability as an issue while the post-survey reveals that the remote laboratory successfully addressed this issue. The post-survey also indicates that the remote laboratory had a positive impact on the overall learning environment. In particular, students perceived that the laboratory problems were more open-ended and less influenced by the instructor.
The contribution of this paper is the development of a systematic tuning technique for the GPC su... more The contribution of this paper is the development of a systematic tuning technique for the GPC such that an optimal trade-off between robustness and performance is achieved. This trade-off is achieved by selecting the GPC parameters to minimise a mixed H∞ design problem. A number of simulation studies demonstrate the usefulness of this tool.
Project- and problem-based learning are recommended instructional models that develop students ca... more Project- and problem-based learning are recommended instructional models that develop students capabilities to solve problems, work in teams and learn independently. This paper presents a course component, developed by the authors, in which the students are presented with an authentic problem and a blended project and problem based learning instructional model is used to develop these transferable skills. The component also integrates international best practice from the field of education. A number of techniques were used to evaluate the course and the results indicate that students perceived that the component developed their ability to work in teams and are very open to similar components being introduced into additional modules. However, the authors noted that students experienced considerable difficulty translating prior knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario and this prompts (as yet unanswered) questions about the effectiveness of traditional teaching models.
2009 17th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, 2009
I. INTRODUCTION Linear system identification techniques have been exten-sively researched [1] wit... more I. INTRODUCTION Linear system identification techniques have been exten-sively researched [1] with many software tools available to assist in model identification, for example the MATLAB System Identification Toolbox [2]. Virtually all real systems are nonlinear and linear ...
Proceedings of 2005 IEEE Conference on Control Applications, 2005. CCA 2005., 2005
Recently, the approximate solutions to the infinite horizon min-max model predictive control with... more Recently, the approximate solutions to the infinite horizon min-max model predictive control with a time-varying terminal cost and constraint have been explicitly characterized in the form of a piecewise affine (PWA) state feedback law defined on an orthogonal partition of the state-space [M.T. Cychowski, T. O'Mahony, 2005]. The advantage of this formulation is the reduction in online computational complexity which
In this paper an assessment strategy based on the idea that students submit a draft assignment, r... more In this paper an assessment strategy based on the idea that students submit a draft assignment, receive audio feedback (as an .MP3 file) on the assignment and subsequently submit a revised, final version is proposed. The strategy is shown to align with current recommendations for best practice. The proposal is extensively used by the author in his teaching and two engineering courses are presented as case-studies to illustrate how the approach works. These courses were evaluated using an established student questionnaire. 91% of respondents stated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with assessment and feedback as it applied to these courses. Grades awarded to final version of the assignment were, on average, 11% higher than those awarded to the draft. Clearly, students are reading, engaging with and learning from the audio feedback.
A current trend in higher education is the emphasis on developing a diversity of generic, transfe... more A current trend in higher education is the emphasis on developing a diversity of generic, transferable or professional skills. There exists a body of research and opinion on tools and pedagogies to achieve these outcomes. In engineering education, the focus traditionally has been on teamwork, problem solving and project management skills. One approach to the development of these skills has been the implementation of project-oriented curricula (Fink & Bajers, 1999). Recently some of the emphasis has shifted towards interdisciplinary skills with again project-oriented curriculum being seen as an enabler of these skills (Somerville et al., 2005; Crawley et al., 2007). A review of the discourse on project-based learning reveals resources that provide overviews for secondary schools (Markham et al., 2003) and higher-education institutions (Crawford & Tennant, 2003), that review the research base (Thomas, 2000), and contrast project based learning with some of its contemporaries e.g. enqu...
This paper examines the validity of using linear models to model an industrial falling film evapo... more This paper examines the validity of using linear models to model an industrial falling film evaporator. From an economic outlook the important operational units are the evaporator effects and the pasteurisation process. Linear models for both processes are linked together to construct an overall model of the main components of the process. The models are subjected to a number of perturbation signals. Three temperatures (evaporation temperature, pre-pasteurisation temperature and pasteurisation temperature) in the process are used to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The models are found to be accurate over a limited range. Limitations of the models are identified and a case is made for nonlinear system identification.
There is sparse mention in the literature of the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimisati... more There is sparse mention in the literature of the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimisation techniques to the tuning of PID controllers. Where mention does exist the application tends to be confined to an illustration of the concept on a simple model, without even a comparison with conventional tuning techniques provided. In the opinion of the authors this does not exploit the full potential of the GA approach which is tailored towards locating high performance areas in complex domains. A close perusal of the PID tuning literature reveals a confusing plethora of techniques for simple systems and, conversely, a dearth of techniques for more complex processes. Furthermore it is generally accepted that the techniques applicable for simple processes are unsuited to higher-order processes and in addition that they frequently fail even for simple processes when a significant time delay exists. The GA overcomes these difficulties by offering the possibility of a general tuning tech...
IET Irish Signals and Systems Conference (ISSC 2006), 2006
A wide range of PID tuning software tools is currently available, though the relative merits of e... more A wide range of PID tuning software tools is currently available, though the relative merits of each is not always clear. In this paper, the key features of seven (mostly commercial) PID tuning programs are summarised and subsequently the performance of the software tools are compared ...
EuroSimE 2009 - 10th International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, 2009
Abstract The reliability of the electrostatically actuated MEMS contact switches is known to be s... more Abstract The reliability of the electrostatically actuated MEMS contact switches is known to be significantly undermined by the unstable dynamic behaviour of devices. High impact forces, bouncing at the contact and oscillations upon release result in substantial mechanical damage to ...
IET Irish Signals and Systems Conference (ISSC 2008), 2008
Abstract-In this paper the authors' experience in translating a traditional lecture plus... more Abstract-In this paper the authors' experience in translating a traditional lecture plus laboratory based course to an integrated dual-impact course that utilises a collaborative project to drive the learning is described. The focus of this paper is on the lessons learned through the ...
This paper focuses on the system identification of the thermal dynamics of a domestic dwelling an... more This paper focuses on the system identification of the thermal dynamics of a domestic dwelling and the aim of the modelling process is to design an efficient control scheme that minimises energy usage and, consequently, fuel bills. Existing software packages for thermal modelling of structures are based on physical models or finite element analysis and use real data for comparative purposes only. In contrast, in this study a wireless sensor network was used to measure actual temperature variations and this data was used to identify a process model. By successfully twinning wireless technology and system identification techniques, an overall model structure of the heat characteristics of a domestic residence is presented in this paper.
ABSTRACT Within Hybrid systems, piecewise affine systems are a common class to be identified from... more ABSTRACT Within Hybrid systems, piecewise affine systems are a common class to be identified from input/output data. In this paper an improved algorithm for identifying piecewise affine systems is developed. The algorithm stems from clustering-based system identification. An affine output error algorithm is used to identify final models. The performance of the new Piecewise Affine Output Error (PWA-OE) algorithm is demonstrated using experimental data from a Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanical Systems switch. Compared to the existing state-of-the-art, the PWA-OE algorithm generates a potential 62% improvement in model coefficient accuracy. Furthermore the PWA-OE algorithm is less sensitive to two additional input parameter selections.
Abstract: A falling film evaporator is the most commonly used evaporator type in the dairy indust... more Abstract: A falling film evaporator is the most commonly used evaporator type in the dairy industry for the concentration of products such as milk, skim-milk and whey. This concentration often takes place under vacuum to reduce the boiling point of water and reduce any heat damage ...
ISSC 2006, Dublin Institute of Technology, June 28-30 ... Comparison of Direct and Indirect Conti... more ISSC 2006, Dublin Institute of Technology, June 28-30 ... Comparison of Direct and Indirect Continuous-Time System ... Niel Cantyo, Tom O'Mahonyo, Barry O'Connor*, Phil Kellyt ... OAdvanced Control Group, Dept. ofElectronicEngineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, ...
A novel system to unobtrusively monitor the wellbeing of elderly people based on their activity p... more A novel system to unobtrusively monitor the wellbeing of elderly people based on their activity patterns is presented. The system uses a wireless ZigBee network to monitor the electrical usage in a subject's home and then sends this data to an Apache server via HTTP from a GPRS unit. The data is logged in a MySQL database where pattern analysis
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Papers by Tom O'Mahony
trade-off between robustness and performance is achieved. This trade-off is achieved by selecting the GPC
parameters to minimise a mixed H∞ design problem. A number of simulation studies demonstrate the usefulness of
this tool.
perceived that the component developed their ability to work in teams and are very open to similar components being introduced into additional modules. However, the authors
noted that students experienced considerable difficulty translating prior knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario and this prompts (as yet unanswered) questions about the effectiveness of traditional teaching models.
trade-off between robustness and performance is achieved. This trade-off is achieved by selecting the GPC
parameters to minimise a mixed H∞ design problem. A number of simulation studies demonstrate the usefulness of
this tool.
perceived that the component developed their ability to work in teams and are very open to similar components being introduced into additional modules. However, the authors
noted that students experienced considerable difficulty translating prior knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario and this prompts (as yet unanswered) questions about the effectiveness of traditional teaching models.