Browsing by Subject "Automated"
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Item An automated virtual tool to compute the entire set of proportional integral derivative controllers for a continuous linear time invariant system(2009-05-15) Narasimhan, BharatThis thesis presents the very practical and novel approach of using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) to compute the entire set of Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers given the transfer function or the frequency response of the system under consideration. Though there is a wide spread usage of PID controllers in the industry, until recently no formal algorithm existed on determining a set of PID values that will stabilize the given system. The industry still relies on algorithms like the Ziegler- Nicholas or ad-hoc approaches in determining the value of PID controllers. Also when it comes to model free approaches, the use of Fuzzy logic and Neural network do not guarantee stability of the system. For a continuous Linear Time Invariant system Bhattacharyya and others have developed an algorithm that determines the entire set of PID controllers given the transfer function or just the frequency response of the system. The GUI has been developed based on this theory. The GUI also evaluates the user input performance specifications and generates a subset of stable controllers given the performance criteria for the system. This thesis presents an approach of automating the computation of entire set of stabilizing Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers given the system transfer function or the frequency response data of the system. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed bridges the gap between the developed theory and the industry.Item Automated analysis of linear array images for the detection of human papillomavirus genotypes(2011-05) Wilhelm, Matthew S.; Nutter, Brian; Mitra, SunandaPersistent infections with carcinogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are a necessary cause for cervical cancer, which is the fifth most deadly cancer for women worldwide. Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, but only a subset will develop cervical cancer. While a negative HPV test indicates a very low risk for cervical cancer, a positive test cannot discriminate between an innocuous transient infection and a prevalent cancer. Additional information such as HPV genotype and HPV viral load is thought to improve the ability to predict which women will develop cervical cancer. The visual interpretation of hybridization-strip-based HPV genotyping results, however, is heterogeneous and poorly standardized. The need for accurate and repeatable results has led to work toward the development of a robust automated image analysis package for HPV genotyping strips.Item Automated bench setup to characterize and test integrated circuits efficiently(Texas Tech University, 2006-09) Ledbetter, Christopher M.; Parten, Michael E.; Cox, Ronald H.Discusses the importance of testing of integrated circuits and different testing techniques. The creation of the automated bench test setup is shown and the process to create on discussed. A specific part is picked to demonstrate an automated bench tester. The test setup, generation of the test signals, the programs required to automate the equipment, and the results are presented. LabVIEW is used to control and automate the test setup. It is an excellent at collecting, processing, and sending data.Item Automated bench setup to characterize and test integrated circuits efficiently(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Ledbetter, Christopher Michael; Parten, Michael E.; Cox, Ronald H.Discusses the importance of testing of integrated circuits and different testing techniques. The creation of the automated bench test setup is shown and the process to create on discussed. A specific part is picked to demonstrate an automated bench tester. The test setup, generation of the test signals, the programs required to automate the equipment, and the results are presented. LabVIEW is used to control and automate the test setup. It is an excellent at collecting, processing, and sending data.Item Automated Determination of Arterial Input Function Areas in Perfusion Analysis(2013-04-04) Liu, QunPerfusion in biological system refers to capillary-level blood flow in tissues, and is a critical parameter used for detecting physiological changes. Medical imaging provides an effective way to measure tissue perfusion. Quantitative analysis of perfusion studies requires the accurate determination of the arterial input function (AIF), which describes the delivery of intravascular tracers to tissues. Automating the process of finding the AIF can save operating time, remove the inter-operator variability, and correct the errors in the presence of the dispersion of the arterial system. Even though several methods are currently developed for automatically extracting an AIF, they are specific to a single modality and particular to a certain tissue. In this thesis, we developed an algorithm to automatically determine an AIF by classifying the characteristic parameters of image pixels' dynamic evaluation curves between blood feeding areas and tissues. This automated AIF determination can be used to facilitate the generation of parametric maps for perfusion studies based on various imaging modalities and covering a variety of tissues. Automatic AIF determination was accomplished by extracting characteristic parameters such as maximum slope, maximum enhancement, time to peak, time to wash-out, and wash-out slope. Multi-dimensional data containing the characteristic parameters were converted and reduced into two-dimensional (2-D) representations, which were presented as a plurality of 2-D plots. Then physiological phases were localized within the simplified representations. Automated segmentation of non-AIF tissues and determination of AIF areas were accomplished by automatically finding peaks and valleys of each physiological phase on the plurality of 2-D plots. The algorithm was tested in CT myocardial perfusion studies, in which a pig was used as a model of myocardial ischemia and perfusion. PET gastrointestinal (GI) perfusion studies were performed using this algorithm, in which GI perfusion was evaluated when cardiac outputs were controlled with four modes. This automated AIF determination study was compared with manual selection of AIF in PET imaging and microsphere studies to assess the effectiveness of this algorithm. In the CT myocardial perfusion study, the perfusion of infarcted myocardium was significantly lower than that of non-infarcted areas and lower than that when it was normal. In the PET abdominal perfusion study, PET imaging data gives lower value of standard deviation relative to the mean than that in microsphere results. In the manual AIF selection study, a slight change in selecting the AIF region caused a big influence on the result. On the contrary, the automated AIF selection remains consistent in the entire study and reduces inter-operator variation. A conclusion was made that this technique is applicable to several imaging modalities, such as PET, CT and MRI, and is effective on many tissues. In addition, this algorithm is straightforward and provides consistent results. More importantly, this automated AIF determination technique replaces the conventional spatial classification method with the functional classification method, taking more physiological considerations and explanations involved.Item Automated sleep scoring system using labview(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Deshpande, Parikshit BapusahebSleep scoring involves classification of polysomnographic data into the various sleep stages as defined by Retschaffen and Kales. This process is time-consuming and laborious as it involves experts visually scoring the data. During recent years, there has been an increasing focus on automated sleep scoring systems and professional software programs are finding increased use. However, these systems are not relied on for scoring and are often used as a tool that facilitates easy visual scoring. This thesis proposes a neural network based approach to automatic sleep scoring using LabVIEW. Effort has been made to give the sleep expert more control over key parameters such as the frequency bands, and thus come up with scores that are more in agreement with the individual scorer than being a rigid interpretation of the R&K rules. Though this thesis is limited to the development of an offline software program, given the data acquisition facilites in LabVIEW, a complete system from data acquisition to sleep hypnograms is a fair possibility.Item Creating Automated Interactive Video Playback for Studies of Animal Communications(2010-01-16) Butkowski, TrishaVideo playback is a technique used to study the visual communication and behaviors of animals. While video playback is a useful tool, most experiments lack the ability for the visual stimulus to interact with the live animal. The limited number of experiments involving interactive video playback can be attributed partially to the lack of software available to conduct instructive interactive video playback experiments. To facilitate such interactive experiments, I have created a method that combines real-time animations with video tracking software. This method may be used to conduct interactive playback experiments. To demonstrate this method, a prototype was created and used to conduct automated mating choice trials on female swordtail fish. The results of the mating choice trials show that this prototype is able to create effectively interactive visual stimulus automatically. In addition, the results show that the interactive video playback has a measurable effect on the female swordtail fish, Xiphophorus birchmanni.Item Evaluation of technologies for web-enabled chemical dynamics simulations(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Chawla, Navdeep; Anderson, Per H.; Hase, William L.; Hernandez, Hector J.In the advancing world of Science & Technology, computer simulations have become an integral part of research and development in various fields. Chemical dynamics simulations describe the atomic level motions in molecules and chemical reactions, and they lead to a greater understanding of the properties of molecules and chemical reactions. The use of current chemical dynamics simulation software involves substantial human effort and expertise to create and execute simulation models. This limits the use of the software to experts. This research project proposed a generic framework for automating chemical dynamics simulations by abstracting complexity of creating and executing simulation models. The focus is on developing tools for creating & executing simulation models, generating animations and managing a simulation model repository through a graphical interface. These tools will be available through a web service. Extensibility and Scalability are important design considerations. In order to improve the accessibility of the system to non-experts, a web interface is developed which makes application easily and globally accessible by a web browser. Different High Performance Computing technologies are evaluated for interfacing with the simulation software to perform the simulations results and then animate the results with visualization tools. The proposed framework is implemented and tested using the chemical dynamics simulation software VENUS. This implementation provides a graphical-user interface for customizing simulation models and automats the process of job submission to different execution environments. Usability tests of the implementation have been conducted with a diverse group of users. Results of the usability tests are analyzed and recommendations are made for improvements in the proposed framework and implementation.Item Evaluation of technologies for web-enabled chemical dynamics simulations(2005-12) Chawla, Navdeep; Anderson, Per H.; Hase, William L.; Hernandez, Hector J.In the advancing world of Science & Technology, computer simulations have become an integral part of research and development in various fields. Chemical dynamics simulations describe the atomic level motions in molecules and chemical reactions, and they lead to a greater understanding of the properties of molecules and chemical reactions. The use of current chemical dynamics simulation software involves substantial human effort and expertise to create and execute simulation models. This limits the use of the software to experts. This research project proposed a generic framework for automating chemical dynamics simulations by abstracting complexity of creating and executing simulation models. The focus is on developing tools for creating & executing simulation models, generating animations and managing a simulation model repository through a graphical interface. These tools will be available through a web service. Extensibility and Scalability are important design considerations. In order to improve the accessibility of the system to non-experts, a web interface is developed which makes application easily and globally accessible by a web browser. Different High Performance Computing technologies are evaluated for interfacing with the simulation software to perform the simulations results and then animate the results with visualization tools. The proposed framework is implemented and tested using the chemical dynamics simulation software VENUS. This implementation provides a graphical-user interface for customizing simulation models and automats the process of job submission to different execution environments. Usability tests of the implementation have been conducted with a diverse group of users. Results of the usability tests are analyzed and recommendations are made for improvements in the proposed framework and implementation.Item Low cost alternating current automated characterization system for operational amplifiers(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Gulas, Scott Matthew; Parten, Michael E.; Cox, RonaldThe purpose of this thesis project was to develop a low-cost automated bench test solution capable of measuring AC (alternating-current) parameters on single and dual packaged voltage-feedback operational amplifiers (op-amps). Electrical properties of the device under test (DUT) are described, along with the methodology used to test these parameters. The design and implementation of the test hardware is covered. A detailed explanation of the test software developed is also included. Finally, a statistical analysis is used to verify that the system is repeatable and accurate in relationship to data taken manually in a bench setup.Item Low cost alternating current automated characterization system for operational amplifiers(2005-05) Gulas, Scott M.; Parten, Michael E.; Cox, Ronald H.The purpose of this thesis project was to develop a low-cost automated bench test solution capable of measuring AC (alternating-current) parameters on single and dual packaged voltage-feedback operational amplifiers (op-amps). Electrical properties of the device under test (DUT) are described, along with the methodology used to test these parameters. The design and implementation of the test hardware is covered. A detailed explanation of the test software developed is also included. Finally, a statistical analysis is used to verify that the system is repeatable and accurate in relationship to data taken manually in a bench setup.Item Standardization for intelligent detection and autonomous operation of non-structured hardware, and its application on railcar brake release operation(2015-05) Hammel, Christopher Scott; Tesar, Delbert; Ashok, PradeepkumarThis thesis introduces a standard framework for evaluating and planning for desired autonomous (or semi-autonomous) operations, then applies the framework, in detail, to the task of automating emergency brake release before rail-car decoupling. A significant hurdle to be accounted for is the lack of standardization of much of the hardware of interest in industry. Non-standardized rail car components must be formally structured as fully as possible to improve the reliability of the robotic automation. This brake release task requires either pushing or pulling a “bleed rod” that protrudes from the side of each rail car. The requirements for each step of the evaluation and planning process will be laid out in this thesis, as an example of how it should be applied to future automation tasks.