An improved α-cut approach to transforming fuzzy membership function into basic belief assignment

In practical applications, pieces of evidence originated from different sources might be modeled by different uncertainty theories. To implement the evidence combination under the Dempster–Shafer evidence theory(DST) framework, transformations from the other type of uncertainty representation into the basic belief assignment are needed. a-Cut is an important approach to transforming a fuzzy membership function into a basic belief assignment, which provides a bridge between the fuzzy set theory and the DST. Some drawbacks of the traditional a-cut approach caused by its normalization step are pointed out in this paper. An improved a-cut approach is proposed, which can counteract the drawbacks of the traditional a-cut approach and has good properties. Illustrative examples, experiments and related analyses are provided to show the rationality of the improved a-cut approach.     

Design for aircraft engine multi-objective controllers with switching characteristics

The aircraft engine multi-loop control system is described and the switching control theory is introduced to solve the regulating and protecting control problems in this paper. The aircraft engine multi-loop control system is firstly described and the control problems are formulated. Secondly, the theory of the smooth switching control is devoted and a new extended scheme for the smooth switching of a switched control system is introduced. Then, for the key technologies of aero-engines switching control, a design algorithm is presented which can determine which candidate controller should be put in feedback with the plant to achieve a desired performance and the procedure to design the aircraft engine multi-loop control system is detailed. The switching performance objectives and the switching scheme are given and a family of PID controllers and compensators is designed. The simulation shows that using the switching control design method can not only improve the dynamic performance of the aircraft engine control system and reduce the switching times, but also guarantee the stability in some peculiar occasions.     

A SYNTHETIC RESEARCH FOR AIRCRAFT ACTIVE FLUTTER SUPPRESSION

In this paper a new idea, based on discussing the essence of flutter, to investigate flutter problems is proposed that we only study a few modes of an aeroelastic system instead of studying the whole. In the light of this, an approach to analysing flutter characteristics which combines the merit of graphic and analytic methods, is presented. Also an optimal cost function with clear physical meaning which can overcome some inherent drawbacks of linear quadratic technique, is developed. The paper has shown a numerical example of an elastic wing, in which some comparisons between the approach and "V-G" method for calculating the critical point (Vf,wf ) are carried out as well.     

Bernoulli particle flter with observer altitude for maritime radiation source tracking in the presence of measurement uncertainty

For maritime radiation source target tracking in particular electronic counter measures（ECM）environment,there exists two main problems which can deteriorate the tracking performance of traditional approaches.The frst problem is the poor observability of the radiation source.The second one is the measurement uncertainty which includes the uncertainty of the target appearing/disappearing and the detection uncertainty（false and missed detections）.A novel approach is proposed in this paper for tracking maritime radiation source in the presence of measurement uncertainty.To solve the poor observability of maritime radiation source target,using the radiation source motion restriction,the observer altitude information is incorporated into the bearings-only tracking（BOT）method to obtain the unique target localization.Then the two uncertainties in the ECM environment are modeled by the random fnite set（RFS）theory and the Bernoulli fltering method with the observer altitude is adopted to solve the tracking problem of maritime radiation source in such context.Simulation experiments verify the validity of the proposed approach for tracking maritime radiation source,and also demonstrate the superiority of the method compared with the traditional integrated probabilistic data association（IPDA）method.The tracking performance under different conditions,particularly those involving different duration of radiation source opening and switching-off,indicates that the method to solve our problem is robust and effective.     

Optimal terminal guidance for exoatmospheric interception

In this study, two optimal terminal guidance (OTG) laws, one of which takes into account the final velocity vector constraint, are developed for exoatmospheric interception using optimal control theory. In exoatmospheric interception, because the proposed guidance laws give full consideration to the effect of gravity, they consume much less fuel than the traditional guidance laws while requiring a light computational load. In the development of the guidance laws, a unified optimal guidance problem is put forward, where the final velocity vector constraint can be consid-ered or neglected by properly adjusting a parameter in the cost function. To make this problem ana-lytically solvable, a linear model is used to approximate the gravity difference, the difference of the gravitational accelerations of the target and interceptor. Additionally, an example is provided to show that some achievements of this study can be used to significantly improve the fuel efficiency of the pulsed guidance employed by the interceptor whose divert thrust level is fixed.     

A FUNDAMENTAL STUDY OF CH-202M POLYMER QUENCHANT IN THE QUENCHING OF STEEL PARTS

When the 45 and 40 Cr Steel parts are quenched in a medium with different concentrations, an isolating polymer film can form on the metal surface during the cooling cycle, resulting in deeper hardening depth and less distortion than when quenched in water or oil. Quenching crack can also be prevented. In addition, normal microstructure and satisfactory mechanical properties can be reached. Test results show that these quenchants are particularly effective for the quenching of steel parts. This paper finally elucidates some of the managing problems of CH-202M quenchant in practical use.     

A NEW TWO-DIMENSIONAL "MAN-WCV" MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE HUMAN THERMOREGULATION

In the paper a new two-dimensional "man-WCV"(water cooling vest) mathematical model is developed. This model is of practical use: it can predict transient temperature responses and body temperature distribution for a person in a nonuniform hot environment, doing various jobs and dressed in different clothes. In addition, the results calculated from the model can be used to optimize the distribution of the tube-net lined on the WCV and to evaluate an individual thermal conditioning system with cooling water. The results obtained from the model agree well with the author's experimental data.     

Fuzzy norm method for evaluating random vibration of airborne platform from limited PSD data

For random vibration of airborne platform, the accurate evaluation is a key indicator to ensure normal operation of airborne equipment in flight. However, only limited power spectral density（PSD） data can be obtained at the stage of flight test. Thus, those conventional evaluation methods cannot be employed when the distribution characteristics and priori information are unknown. In this paper, the fuzzy norm method（FNM） is proposed which combines the advantages of fuzzy theory and norm theory. The proposed method can deeply dig system information from limited data, which probability distribution is not taken into account. Firstly, the FNM is employed to evaluate variable interval and expanded uncertainty from limited PSD data, and the performance of FNM is demonstrated by confidence level, reliability and computing accuracy of expanded uncertainty. In addition, the optimal fuzzy parameters are discussed to meet the requirements of aviation standards and metrological practice. Finally, computer simulation is used to prove the adaptability of FNM. Compared with statistical methods, FNM has superiority for evaluating expanded uncertainty from limited data. The results show that the reliability of calculation and evaluation is superior to 95%.     

Hazard Prevention in Mission Plans for Aerial Vehicles Based on Soft Institutions

Hazard prevention in mission plans requires careful analysis and appropriate tools to support the design of preventive and/or corrective measures. It is most challenging in systems with large sets of states and complex state relations. In the case of sociotechnical systems, hazard prevention becomes even more dicult given that the behaviour of human centric components can at best be partially predictable. In the present article we focus on a specic class of sociotechnical systems namely air spaces containing pilot controlled as well as autonomous aircrafts and introduce the notion of relevant hazards. We also introduce soft institutions as an appropriate basis for analysis, with the aim of addressing relevant hazards. The concept of soft institutions is drawn from specication languages for interaction between agents in multi agent systems but, in our case, is adapted for use in systems that combine human and automated actors.     

An IPC-based Prolog design pattern for integrating backward chaining inference into applications or embedded systems

Prolog is one of the most important candidates to build expert systems and AI-related programs and has potential applications in embedded systems. However, Prolog is not suitable to develop many kinds of components, such as data acquisition and task scheduling, which are also crucial. To make the best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages, it is attractive to integrate Prolog with programs developed by other languages. In this paper, an IPC-based method is used to integrate backward chaining inference implemented by Prolog into applications or embedded systems. A Prolog design pattern is derived from the method for reuse, whose principle and definition are provided in detail. Additionally, the design pattern is applied to a target system, which is free software, to verify its feasibility. The detailed implementation of the application is given to clarify the design pattern. The design pattern can be further applied to wide range applications and embedded systems and the method described in this paper can also be adopted for other logic programming languages.     

Remarks on “A new non-specificity measure in evidence theory based on belief intervals”

Two types of uncertainty co-exist in the theory of evidence: discord and non-specificity. From 90s, many mathematical expressions have arisen to quantify these two parts in an evidence. An important aspect of each measure presented is the verification of a coherent set of properties. About non-specificity, so far only one measure verifies an important set of those properties. Very recently, a new measure of non-specificity based on belief intervals has been presented as an alternative measure that quantifies a similar set of properties (Yang et al., 2016). It is shown that the new measure really does not verify two of those important properties. Some errors have been found in their corresponding proofs in the original publication.     

A new structural reliability index based on uncertainty theory

The classical probabilistic reliability theory and fuzzy reliability theory cannot directly measure the uncertainty of structural reliability with uncertain variables,i.e.,subjective random and fuzzy variables.In order to simultaneously satisfy the duality of randomness and subadditivity of fuzziness in the reliability problem,a new quantification method for the reliability of structures is presented based on uncertainty theory,and an uncertainty-theory-based perspective of classical Cornell reliability index is explored.In this paper,by introducing the uncertainty theory,we adopt the uncertain measure to quantify the reliability of structures for the subjective probability or fuzzy variables,instead of probabilistic and possibilistic measures.We utilize uncertain variables to uniformly represent the subjective random and fuzzy parameters,based on which we derive solutions to analyze the uncertainty reliability of structures with uncertainty distributions.Moreover,we propose the Cornell uncertainty reliability index based on the uncertain expected value and variance.Experimental results on three numerical applications demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.     

An information-volume-based distance measure for decision-making

D-S evidence theory, as a general framework for reasoning with uncertainty, allows combining pieces of evidence from different information sources to derive a degree of belief function that is a type of fuzzy measure. However, the mass assignments given by unknown information sources are disordered. How to measure the difference between the mass assignments has aroused people’s interest. In this paper, inspired by the information volume, a novel distance-based measure is proposed to measure the difference between mass assignments. The method can refine the uncertain information given by experts and compare the refined information to obtain the difference between mass assignments. At the same time, it is verified that the measure not only meets the properties of distance, but also proves the superiority of the proposed Information Volume Distance (IVD) through simulation experiments. Meanwhile, in the process of information fusion, the reliability of each source could be quantified through IVD. Therefore, based on IVD, a new multi-source information algorithm is proposed to solve the problem of multi-source information fusion. Moreover, algorithm is applied to decision-making problem and compare with other methods to verify the effectiveness.     

A New Probabilistic Transformation in Generalized Power Space

The mapping from the belief to the probability domain is a controversial issue, whose original purpose is to make (hard) decision, but for contrariwise to erroneous widespread idea/claim, this is not the only interest for using such mappings nowadays. Actually the probabilistic transformations of belief mass assignments are very useful in modern multitarget multisensor tracking systems where one deals with soft decisions, especially when precise belief structures are not always available due to the existence of uncertainty in human being's subjective judgments. Therefore, a new probabilistic transformation of interval-valued belief structure is put forward in the generalized power space, in order to build a subjective probability measure from any basic belief assignment defined on any model of the frame of discernment. Several examples are given to show how the new transformation works and we compare it to the main existing transformations proposed in the literature so far. Results are provided to illustrate the rationality and efficiency of this new proposed method making the decision problem simpler.     

高精度加速度计阈值的重力二次细分测试方法

高精度导航系统和微重力测量系统对于加速度计有高精度的阈值指标需 求,传统测试方法难以完成高精度加速度计的阈值测试。对此,提出了一种新的加速度 计阈值测试方法。采用对重力加速度二次细分的方法,激励出微小的加速度输入,通过 将加速度计实际输出的微小加速度测量结果和理论值进行对比,得出加速度计的阈值指 标,并结合理论分析给出了此阈值测试方法的测试精度。最后,对此加速度计阈值测试 方法进行了仿真与实验验证,仿真结果表明此方法采用姿态精度2″的转台可以实现指标 为5.7685×10-8g 的加速度计阈值测试;实验结果证明此测试方法有效。     

Epistemic uncertainty quantification in flutter analysis using evidence theory

Aimed at evaluating the structural stability and flutter risk of the system, this paper manages to quantify epistemic uncertainty in flutter analysis using evidence theory, including both parametric uncertainty and method selection uncertainty, on the basis of information from limited experimental data of uncertain parameters. Two uncertain variables of the actuator coupling system with unknown probability distributions, that is bending and torsional stiffness, which are both described with multiple intervals and the basic belief assignment(BBA) extricated from the modal test of actuator coupling systems, are taken into account. Considering the difference in dealing with experimental data by different persons and the reliability of various information sources, a new combination rule of evidence––the generalized lower triangular matrices method is formed to acquire the combined BBA. Finally the parametric uncertainty and the epistemic uncertainty of flutter analysis method selection are considered in the same system to realize quantification. A typical rudder of missile is selected to examine the present method, and the dangerous range of velocity as well as relevant belief and plausibility functions is obtained. The results suggest that the present method is effective in obtaining the lower and upper bounds of flutter probability and assessing flutter risk of structures with limited experimental data of uncertain parameters and the belief of different methods.     

特种经纬仪快速检测与标定系统

传统的经纬仪计量检测设备存在诸多缺点.为改变这一现状,设计了一套特种经纬仪快速检测与标校系统.文章叙述了其软、硬件组成和工作原理,着重阐述了关键问题的解决途径,最后对系统测量不确定度进行了评定.实践证明,系统完全符合要求,能完成特种经纬仪主要项目的快速检测与标校.     

认知不确定性下可靠性灵敏度分析的新指标

传统的可靠性灵敏度指标只考虑了随机不确定性,当结构中还存在认知不确定性时,该指标难以反映出基本变量中认知不确定性对结构可靠性评估结果的影响程度.针对这一问题,引入概率包络来表达结构中的随机不确定性和认知不确定性,在此基础上建立了可靠性灵敏度分析的新指标——认知灵敏度系数,给出了其定义和代表的意义,并基于证据理论提出了认知灵敏度系数的计算方法.算例分析表明,认知灵敏度系数可以反映出基本变量中认知不确定性对结构可靠性评估结果的不确定性的影响程度,从而为有针对性地提高可靠性评估结果的准确性提供依据.另外,基于证据理论的认知灵敏度系数的计算方法适用于极限状态函数为单调、非单调的结构,以及变量服从正态、非正态的结构,具有普适性.