In this article a fractional order sliding mode PID controller and observer for the stabilization of continuous nonlinear switched systems is proposed. The design of the controller and observer is done following the separation principle, this means that the observer and controller are designed in a separate fashion, so a hybrid controller is implemented by designing the sliding mode controller part using an integral sliding mode surface along with a PIλDμ controller part which is the fractional order PID controller that is implemented to stabilizes the system. For the observer part, an

Day after day, users' expectations of tomorrow vehicles' features are increasing. Although the industry's prime goal is users' satisfaction, many unsolved problems are still present. Amongst the major challenges are the huge interconnections and dependability within the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) used inside vehicles. Five years ago, the number of ECUs within a vehicle was about 70 ECUs. This number has doubled nowadays, and it is expected to double again in the near future. This adds challenges to both of network management and network security. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the

Meta-heuristic optimization algorithms are the new gate in solving most of the complicated nonlinear systems. So, improving their robustness, reliability, and convergence speed is the main target to meet the requirements of various optimization problems. In the current work, three different fractional-order chaos maps (FC-maps), which have been introduced recently, are incorporated with the fundamental flower pollination algorithm to tune its parameters adaptively. These maps are fractional logistic map, fractional sine map, fractional tent map, and their integer-order versions. As a result

Last decade witnessed a growth on developing of IoT architecture models to cope with various challenges and domains requirements. This leads to rapid increasing the number of the connected devices, which means large amount of data are needed to be stored and processed. Form this context, Cloud Computing is emerged as a solution to enable centrally unlimited storage of data and programs with the ability to access anytime from anywhere. The integration between IoT and cloud brings the concept of Cloud of Things (CoT) to support different types of data and multiple services with data ubiquity

This article presents performance evaluation and comparison between Voltage Oriented Control (VOC) methods for PWM-rectifiers, two levels and three levels, in order to demonstrate the great advantages of using a three-level Neutral Point Clamped (NPC). The control of the DC bus voltage is carried out using the PI controller. The effectiveness of this approach is illustrated by simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

With ageing water and sewer infrastructure in North America, assessing the condition of these assets has received increased attention in the past few years. Condition assessment is an integral component in any asset management program. Determining the condition of buried infrastructure tends to be more cumbersome, costly and error-prone compared to other surface infrastructure like roads and buildings. For sewers, CCTV is considered the industry standard for condition assessment technologies. For pressurized water pipelines, technologies tend to be more costly and uncertain (e.g

This paper presents a framework for optimizing condition assessment policies by balancing the revealed value of information with the cost of obtaining such information. The computational platform is based on augmenting the asset condition state with an expected level of accuracy. Inaccuracies due to condition assessment reliability are evaluated using the partially observable Markov decision process. The single objective genetic algorithm is used to select the most cost-effective assets to assess considering information inaccuracy under a fixed budget. The model is extended using

Understanding of deterioration mechanisms in sewers helps asset managers in developing prediction models for estimating whether or not sewer collapse is likely. Effective utilisation of deterioration prediction models along with the development and use of life cycle maintenance cost analysis contribute to reducing operation and maintenance costs in sewer systems. This article presents a model for life-cycle maintenance planning of deteriorating sewer network as a multi-objective optimisation problem that treats the sewer network condition and service life as well as life-cycle maintenance cost

Conceptual cost estimates, are prepared at the very early stages of a project, and generally before the construction drawings and specifications are available. At this stage, cost estimates are needed by the owner, contractor, designer, or funding agencies for determination of the feasibility of a project, financial evaluation of a number of alternative projects, or establishment of an initial budget. Traditional approaches rely heavily on experienced engineers. This paper presents a method using fuzzy clustering technique for pump station projects cost estimation. The proposed conceptual cost

The degree to which innovators adopt Blockchain as a tool to create relevant and useful business solutions will determine how fast and far the platform moves into our daily lives. There are limitless opportunities for technology to define and shape future innovation. In a world dominated by digital technology, IoT plays a prominent role in our lives. It has created an ecosystem that links many systems to give smart performances in every task. The proliferation of the IoT has created a new evolution of cell phones, home and other embedded applications that are all connected to the internet