Applied sciences

Metrology and Measurement Systems

Content

Metrology and Measurement Systems | 2019 | vol. 26 | No 4

Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

Design closure, i.e., adjustment of geometry parameters to boost the performance, is a challenging stage of antenna design process. Given complexity of contemporary structures, reliable parameter tuning requires numerical optimization and can be executed using local algorithms. Yet, EM-driven optimization is a computationally expensive endeavour and reducing its cost is highly desirable. In this paper, a modification of the trust-region gradient search algorithm is proposed for accelerated optimization of antenna structures. The algorithm is based on sparse updates of antenna sensitivities involving various methods that include the Broyden formula used for selected parameters, as well as dimensionality- and convergence-dependent acceptance thresholds which enable additional speedup, and make the procedure easy to tune for various numbers of antenna parameters. Comprehensive verification executed for a set of benchmark antennas delivers consistent results and considerable cost reduction of up to 60 percent with respect to the reference algorithm. Experimental validation is also provided.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Sławomir Kozieł
Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

A new attack against the Kirchhoff-Law-Johnson-Noise (KLJN) secure key distribution system is studied with unknown parasitic DC-voltage sources at both Alice’s and Bob’s ends. This paper is the generalization of our earlier investigation with a single-end parasitic source. Under the assumption that Eve does not know the values of the parasitic sources, a new attack, utilizing the current generated by the parasitic dc-voltage sources, is introduced. The attack is mathematically analyzed and demonstrated by computer simulations. Simple defense methods against the attack are shown. The earlier defense method based solely on the comparison of current/voltage data at Alice’s and Bob’s terminals is useless here since the wire currents and voltages are equal at both ends. However, the more expensive version of the earlier defense method, which is based on in-situ system simulation and comparison with measurements, works efficiently.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Mutaz Y. Melhem
Laszlo B. Kish
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

Rotation modulation can significantly improve the navigation accuracies of an inertial navigation system (INS) and a strap-down configuration dominating in this type of INS. However, this style of construction is not a good scheme since it has no servo loop to counteract a vehicle manoeuvre. This paper proposes a rotary upgrading method for a rotational INS based on an inertially stabilized platform. The servo control loop is reconstructed on a four-gimbal platform, and it has the functions of providing both a level stability relative to the navigation frame and an azimuth rotation at a speed of 1:2◦/s. With the platform’s rotation, the observability and the convergence speed of the estimation for the initial alignment can be improved, as well as the biases of the gyroscopes and accelerometers be modulated into zero-mean periodic values. An open-loop initial alignment method is designed, and its detailed algorithms are delivered. The experiment result shows that the newly designed rotational INS has reached an accuracy of 0.38 n mile/h (CEP, circular error probable). The feasibility and engineering applicability of the designed scheme have been validated.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Rong Guo
Xueyun Wang
Jingjuan Zhang
Tianxiao Song
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

The paper presents a novel implementation of a time-to-digital converter (TDC) in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. The design employs FPGA digital signal processing (DSP) blocks and gives more than two-fold improvement in mean resolution in comparison with the common conversion method (carry chain-based time coding line). Two TDCs are presented and tested depending on DSP configuration. The converters were implemented in a Kintex-7 FPGA device manufactured by Xilinx in 28 nm CMOS process. The tests performed show possibilities to obtain mean resolution of 4.2 ps but measurement precision is limited to at most 15 ps mainly due to high conversion nonlinearities. The presented solution saves FPGA programmable logic blocks and has an advantage of a wider operation range when compared with a carry chain-based time coding line.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Paweł Kwiatkowski
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

Adaptive locomotion over difficult or irregular terrain is considered as a superiority feature of walking robots over wheeled or tracked machines. However, safe foot positioning, body posture and stability, correct leg trajectory, and efficient path planning are a necessity for legged robots to overcome a variety of possible terrains and obstacles.Without these properties, anywalking machine becomes useless. Energy consumption is one of the major problems for robots with a large number of Degrees of Freedom (DoF). When considering a path plan ormovement parameters such as speed, step length or step height, it is important to choose the most suitable variables to sustain long battery life and to reach the objective or complete the task successfully.We change the settings of a hexapod robot leg trajectory for overcoming small terrain irregularities by optimizing consumed energy and leg trajectory during each leg transfer. The trajectory settings are implemented as a part of hexapod robot simulation model and tested through series of experiments with various terrains of differing complexity and obstacles of various sizes. Our results show that the proposed energy-efficient trajectory transformation is an effective method for minimizing energy consumption and improving overall performance of a walking robot.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Mindaugas Luneckas
Tomas Luneckas
Dainius Udris
Darius Plonis
Rytis Maskeliunas
Robertas Damasevicius
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

The measurement of frequency characteristics, like magnitude and phase, related to a specific transfer function of DC–DC converters, can be a difficult task – especially when the measured signal approaches the boundary of a small-signal model validity (i:e. 1/3 of the switching frequency fS). It is hard to find a paper where authors mention the measurement techniques they use to draw frequency characteristics. Meanwhile the presence of noise in the output signal does not enable to directly measure the gain and the phase shift between the input and output signals. In such situations additional analysis is required in order to achieve a reliable result. This paper contains a description of a few methods that can be used to analyse measured signals in order to determine the gain and the phase shift of a specific transfer function. They enable to verify mathematical models in a wide range of frequencies (up to 1/3 fS). The methods use signals measured in the time domain and can be implemented in mathematical software such as Matlab or Scilab.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Marcin Walczak
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

As a result of the development of modern vehicles, even higher accuracy standards are demanded. As known, Inertial Navigation Systems have an intrinsic increasing error which is the main reason of using integrating navigation systems, where some other sources of measurements are utilized, such as barometric altimeter due to its high accuracy in short times of interval. Using a Robust Kalman Filter (RKF), error measurements are absorbed when a Fault Tolerant Altimeter is implemented. During simulations, in order to test the Nonlinear RKF algorithm, two kind of measurement malfunction scenarios have been taken into consideration; continuous bias and measurement noise increment. Under the light of the results, some recommendations are proposed when integrated altimeters are used.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Alberto Mañero Contreras
Chingiz Hajiyev
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

The paper presents research on the capability of the residual magnetic field (RMF) measurement system to be applied to the railway inspection for the early non-destructive detection of defects. The metal magnetic memory (MMM) phenomena are analysed using normal component Hy of self-magnetic flux leakage (SMFL), and its tangential component Hx, as well as their respective gradients. The measurement apparatus is described together with possible factors that may affect the results of measurement. The Type A uncertainty estimation and repeatability tests were performed. The results demonstrate that the system may be successfully applied to detection of head check flaws.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Mirosław Rucki
ORCID: ORCID
Anna Gockiewicz
Tadeusz Szumiata
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

The non-contact current measurement method with magnetic sensors has become a subject of research. Unfortunately, magnetic sensors fail to distinguish the interested magnetic field from nearby interference and suffer from gauss white noise due to the intrinsic noise of the sensor and external disturbance. In this paper, a novel adaptive filtering-based current reconstruction method with a magnetic sensor array is proposed. Interference-rejection methods based on two classic algorithms, the least-mean-square (LMS) and recursive-least-square (RLS) algorithms, are compared when used in the parallel structure and regular triangle structure of three-phase system. Consequently, the measurement range of RLS-based algorithm is wider than that of LMS-based algorithm. The results of carried out simulations and experiments show that RLS-based algorithms can measure currents with an error of around 1%. Additionally, the RLS-based algorithm can filter the gauss white noise whose magnitude is within 10% of the linear magnetic field range of the sensor.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Yafeng Chen
Qi Huang
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

In this paper the current status of microplasma devices and systems made in the LTCC technology is presented. The microplasma characteristics and applications are described.We discuss the properties of the LTCC materials, that are necessary for reliable operation of the sources. This material is well known for its good reliability and durability in harsh conditions. Still, only a few examples of such microplasma sources are described. Some of them have been developed by the authors and successfully used for chemical analysis and synthesis.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Jan Macioszczyk
Leszek Golonka
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

On the basis of induction heating, radiation heating and liquid nitrogen refrigeration, high-temperature, medium-temperature, normal-temperature and low-temperature heating/refrigeration furnaces were designed, respectively. An apparatus with a wide temperature range and high accuracy applied to test oxidation resistance of materials has been developed based on the thermogravimetric method and the heat transfer principle. The apparatus consists of four heating/cooling systems, a specimen fixture positioning unit, a laser positioning unit, vertical and horizontal moving guide rails, and a high-precision weighing balance. The apparatus, based on the thermogravimetric method, is able to test oxidation resistance of materials. In the test, the temperature range was −180∼3000◦C (the highest temperature is determined by material properties). The temperature control accuracy was ±5◦C. The accuracy of on-line weighing was ±0:1 mg. The measurement uncertainty was 0.2 mg. Compared with other relevant devices, this apparatus has its own advantages: simple operation, wide heating/cooling temperature range, sufficient specimen heating, high sensitivity and precision, and short heating/cooling time. The experimental results show that the developed apparatus presented in this study not only can be used for isothermal thermogravimetric tests, but also for thermal cycling tests and multi-step oxidation tests. With the effective integration of multiple heating apparatus and refrigeration apparatus, the apparatus breaks through the limitations of the heating/cooling temperature range of the existing devices, accomplishes the high-precision oxidation resistance test of materials in a wide temperature range, and will play a great role in improving the research of materials.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Dong-Yang An
Jing-Min Dai
Peng Xiao
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the use of Geomagnetic Anomaly Detection (GAD) to locate the buried ferromagnetic pipeline defects without exposing them. However, the accuracy of GAD is limited by the background noise. In the present work, we propose an approximate entropy noise suppression (AENS) method based on Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) for detection of pipeline defects. The proposed method is capable of reconstructing the magnetic field signals and extracting weak anomaly signals that are submerged in the background noise, which was employed to construct an effective detector of anomalous signals. The internal parameters of VMD were optimized by the Scale–Space algorithm, and their anti-noise performance was compared. The results show that the proposed method can remove the background noise in high-noise background geomagnetic field environments. Experiments were carried out in our laboratory and evaluation results of inspection data were analysed; the feasibility of GAD is validated when used in the application to detection of buried pipeline defects.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Haiyang Ju
Xinhua Wang
Tao Zhang
Yizhen Zhao
Zia Ullah
Download PDF Download RIS Download Bibtex

Abstract

Coordinate Measurement Machines (CMMs) have been extensively used in inspecting mechanical parts with higher accuracy. In order to enhance the efficiency and precision of the measurement of aviation engine blades, a sampling method of profile measurement of aviation engine blade based on the firefly algorithm is researched. Then, by comparing with the equal arc-length sampling algorithm (EAS) and the equi-parametric sampling algorithm (EPS) in one simulation, the proposed sampling algorithm shows its better sampling quality than the other two algorithms. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by an experimental example of blade profile. Both simulated and experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper can ensure the measurement accuracy by measuring a smaller number of points.

Go to article

Authors and Affiliations

Zhi Huang
Liao Zhao
Kai Li
Hongyan Wang
Tao Zhou
ORCID: ORCID

Instructions for authors



Sample article with Author guidelines



Author guidelines



Types of contributions

Metrology and Measurement Systems welcomes submissions of the following article types:

• invited special issue or review papers presenting the current stage of the knowledge within scope of the journal (about 20 edited pages, approximately 3000 characters each),
• research papers reporting high-quality original scientific or technological advancements (max. 12 pages),
• papers based on extended and updated contributions presented at scientific conferences (max. 12 pages),
• short notes, i.e. book reviews, conference reports, short news (max. 2 pages).


Manuscript preparation

General The text of a manuscript should be written in clear and concise English. The camera-ready format – with attached separate files containing illustrations, tables and photographs – is required. A cover letter with clear explanation of scientific novelty of the paper is strongly recommended. Papers based on extended and updated contributions presented at scientific conferences, or strongly related to previous authors’ works, must be accompanied with a cover letter file, which should explain in details changes made in the manuscript in comparison with the original conference paper and highlight the novelty in reference to other authors’ works.
The main text of a manuscript should be printed on an A4 page (with margins of 2.5 cm) using Times New Roman style with a font size of 12 pt; the paragraphs should start with the indentation of 5 mm, and titles should be written in bold. That text can be divided into sections (numbered 1, 2, …), first-order subsections (numbered 1.1., 1.2., …, written in italics), and – if needed – second-order subsections (numbered 1.1.1., 1.1.2., …, written same as first-order subsections). The only acceptable manuscript formats are in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx).

The Editor encourages the Authors of submitted papers who are not English native speakers, to use a language service checking the language correctness not only with respect to grammar, but also in the way of presentation of research results accepted by renowned publishers, e.g. presented on the website of the European Association of Science Editors. The Editor encourages the Authors of submitted papers who are not English native speakers, to use a language service checking the language correctness not only with respect to grammar, but also in the way of presentation of research results accepted by renowned publishers, e.g. presented on the website of the European Association of Science Editors.


Figures
Figures (illustrations, photographs) and tables, provided in the camera-ready form suitable for reproduction (which may include reduction), should be additionally submitted (one per page), larger than the final size. While preparing figures we encourage to start with defining expected size and minimum font size that fit to all graphics in the manuscript – using the same style in all of your graphics visually improves the article. Final figure formats must be in one of the following: (vectors) .eps, .pdf, .ai or .cdr, and (bitmaps) .bmp, .gif, .tif or .jpg.
As far as plots, block diagrams, schematics etc. are concerned, we suggest to use one of vector formats to improve quality and scalability. Figures in vector formats must be saved using RGB colours and with fully white background (0% K). Hidden layers are unacceptable. Minimum line thickness printed in a single colour is 0.25 pt (0.09 mm), and 1 pt (0.36 mm) when using more colours. Typically we suggest 0.2-0.5 mm but in particular cases the range 0.1–1.0 mm will be accepted. Lines in plots should be distinguished not only by using different colours but also using different line types and markers, if needed.


Equation
All equations must be numbered consecutively throughout the text. Each equation should be preceded and followed by a 6-point spacing. Punctuate equations when they are part of a sentence. Equation numbers should be enclosed in parentheses. Equations should be prepared with the use of MathType or Microsoft Equation editors. The type size in the equation is the same as for the text. To make your equations more compact, you may use the appropriate mathematical symbols or expressions. The symbols used in an equation have to be defined before that equation or immediately after it. Use italics for variables (e.g. i, x, n), physical quantity symbol (e.g. voltage U, temperature T), letter pointers and general function symbols. Do not use italics for constants, indexes, minimum, maximum and trigonometric functions, mathematical operators, differentials, etc. To refer to the equation use “(1)”, not “Eq. (1)” or “equation (1)”, except at the beginning of a sentence where “Equation (1)” should be used. We recommend to use International System of Units SI i.e. metre-kilogram-second system of units. As a decimal separator dot should be used in the entire manuscript (text, figures, tables).


References
The paper has to be clearly positioned in the context of relevant literature in the field of measurements and instrumentation. Note that lack of references from the main field of Metrology and Measurement Systems interest may suggest that the content of manuscript does not exactly correspond to the scope of metrological journals. It may reduce possibility that a proposed paper will be read by audience society. In such a case our Editorial Board may suggest to send the manuscript to a more appropriate journal. Also note that the use of possibly up-to-date references may indicate importance of your work. Table below gives examples of some relevant and renewable journals related to widely understood metrology.


Journal

Publisher

ISSN

Metrologia

IOP Publishing

0026-1394

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

IEEE

0018-9456

Measurement

Elsevier

0263-2241

Measurement Science and Technology

IOP Publishing

0957-0233

Metrology and Measurement Systems

PAS

0860-8229

Review of Scientific Instruments

IOP Publishing

0034-6748

IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics

IEEE

1557-9948

IET Science, Measurement & Technology

IET

1751-8822

Journal of Instrumentation

SISSA, IOP Publishing

1748-0221

Measurement Science Review

Walter de Gruyter

1335-8871

IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Magazine

IEEE

1094-6969

Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences

PAS

2300-1917

Opto-Electronics Review

PAS

1896-3757

IEEE Sensors Journal

IEEE

1558-1748

Sensors

MDPI

1424-8220




References should be inserted in the text in square brackets, i.e. [1]; their list, numbered in citation order, should appear at the end of the manuscript. The format of the references should follow the APA 7th edition formatting style, i.e.: for an journal paper – surname(s) and initial(s) of author(s), year in brackets, title of the paper, full journal name, volume, issue (in brackets) and page numbers. Put all author names unless there are more than 20. Otherwise, after the first 19 authors’ names, use an ellipsis in place of the remaining author names. Then, end with the final author’s name (do not place an ampersand before it).


Submission process
Manuscript should be submitted via the Internet Editorial System (IES) – an online submission and peer review system. In order to submit the manuscript via the IES, the authors (first-time users) must create an author account to obtain a user ID and password required to enter the system. The submission of the manuscript in a single file, i.e. “Article File” containing the complete manuscript (with all figures of high quality and tables embedded in the text), is preferred. All figures have to be uploaded in separate files. The generated PDF file has to be approved. The PDF file has lower quality of the embedded figures to limit its size only.
The submission of a manuscript means that its content has not been published previously, it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that – if accepted – it will not be published elsewhere. The Author hereby grants the Polish Academy of Sciences (the Journal Owner) the license for commercial use of the article according to the Open Access License ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which has to be signed before publication. The copyright form is available in the IES.
The Authors are urged to suggest 4 to 5 reviewers in their application (with names, affiliations and addresses) with whom the Editorial Board could co-operate while processing the paper. Proposed reviewers should be experts deeply involved in issues related to the subject matter of the paper and they are intended to come from different universities or research centres.
Each submitted manuscript is subject to a single-blind peer-review procedure, and the publication decision is based on the reviewers’ comments. If necessary, the authors may be invited to revise their manuscripts. On acceptance, manuscripts are subject to editorial amendment to exactly fit the journal style.
An essential criterion for the evaluation of submitted manuscripts is their potential impact on the research field, measured by the number of repeated quotations. Such papers are preferred at the evaluation and publication stages.
Proofs will be sent to the corresponding author by e-mail and should be returned within 48 hours from receipt. The publication in the journal is free of charge. A sample copy of the journal will be sent to the corresponding author free of charge. For colour pages the authors will be charged at the rate of 160 PLN or 80 EUR per page. The payment to the bank account of the main distributor (given in “Subscription Information”) must be completed before the date indicated by the Editorial Office.


Other information
It is possible to include supplementary files related to the article content, such as e.g. developed databases. These files can be then used by other researchers to compare their algorithms using the same input data. For more details about supplementary files please contact the Editorial Board: metrology@wat.edu.pl. The biographical statements, at the very end of the article, are not obligatory, however, they are kindly recommended. Each statement should include the author’s full name and brief personal history focused on areas of research and scientific achievements. The biographical statement may not exceed 100 words and should be written using Times New Roman style with a font size of 8 pt.
The publication of your article is a great achievement but then it needs to be further promoted to make it more visible to the research community. Responsibility for this task lies with the Authors and our Editorial Board. We guarantee free access to the article in the Journals PAN of the Polish Academy of Science, including articles in Early Access form (published just after acceptance decision), indexing in popular and renewable databases (e.g. Thomson Scientific Master Journal List, Elsevier’s Scopus, Google Scholar). Furthermore, selected articles are highlighted on the journal website and are reprinted for promotion at conferences and other events. The Authors can share the final form of the article on various social networks and research-sharing platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, SciProfiles. They are also encouraged to update personal and institutional webpages by adding the title and a link of the article. Feel free also to share your work with your colleagues using any other methods that do not conflict with the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
For more detailed description about how to write a paper for the Metrology and Measurement Systems journal please look at the Author guidelines for manuscript preparation. We strongly recommend using this file as a template for manuscript preparation.


This page uses 'cookies'. Learn more