Sharif Digital Repository

This study has focused on the important problem of landing on a planet as an important current and future space mission. In this regard, dynamics modeling and integrated state estimation and control problems have been investigated in different views. To this aim, first a novel concurrent representation for translational and rotational kinematics has been developed based on the extension of modified Rodrigues parameters to dual space. This parameter set, called dual modified Rodrigues parameters (DMRP), is then utilized to establish an integrated roto-translational dynamic. The proposed DMRP-based kinematics and dynamics have been verified via comparison to traditional methods of... 

Accurate and fast attitude estimation of a rigid body plays an essential role in the performance of a vehicle’s control system, especially aerospace vehicles. Ample works have been done to increase the accuracy and speed of the attitude estimation process, but all have been developed according to a model-based approach. This approach assumes that the torques acting on the body have a known dynamical model that is used for the attitude estimation. The purpose of the present research is to estimate the attitude via a model-free approach, i. e. dynamics of the torques acting on the body are no longer assumed to be known, and its learning is the next step. Thus, the problem formulation of this... 

The main topic of this research is the navigation and control of a free-flying satellite with a robot manipulator while transferring and placing cargo on a space station. After connecting the cargo module, astronauts and robots need to deliver the available loads to the desired modules in a space station. Capturing an object or cargo is a critical issue studied extensively so far. However, delivery and placing of the cargo at the target point have not been investigated yet, to the best of the author’s knowledge; hence, this is a primary motivation for conducting the proposed research. After capturing the payload, the position and attitude of the manipulator with respect to the station’s... 

Nonlinear state estimation algorithms developed based on Bayesian framework have been increasingly utilized in space navigation and attitude estimation to enhance the mission performance. However, successful implementation of these algorithms requires accurate knowledge of process and measurement noise statistical properties. As the satellites experience various systematic and environmental uncertainties on orbit, no priori information of noise characteristics is usually available. In this regard, adaptive estimation algorithms have been widely utilized to tune the planned noise properties according to the variable working conditions. Among various adaptation methods, innovation-based... 

Traditionally, orbital maneuvers are obtained according to mission cost, time and several constraints. This thesis considers the use of covariance as a measure of uncertainties in the design of orbit maneuvers. The ideal solution in the proposed method is the maneuver that obtains the minimum uncertainty at the desired times in presence of the mission constraints. In this thesis two impulsive orbit maneuver schemes, based on shaping method and sequential lambert solutions, are developed and has been analyzed under uncertainties. Moreover, a novel rendezvous design methodology is proposed in order to minimize the covariace trace at the impulse locations, considering several constraints... 

Optimal Maneuvering to lessen the required fuel or to speed up the mission operation time is a significant part of various space missions. Optimal performance of a spacecraft reduces the mission cost, increases the mission life time and subsequently provides more chances for space exploration. In this sense, optimal maneuvering has always been at the center of attention and abundant works have been assigned to this importance. This research is also devoted to optimal trajectory design to transfer from low Earth orbits to the halo orbits. Specific characteristics of the halo orbits including periodicity, geometry, and particular position around the collinear liberation points of the... 

The primary purpose of the present research is development and implementation of advanced state estimation and control techniques for space rendezvous and docking. To achieve this aim, the present study has first investigated the use of graph neural networks (GNNs) to filter out the noise of the sensor data in the state estimation process. The measurement package is consisted of a gyroscope, star trackers, and a GPS sensor providing inputs to the GNNs. The obtained results showed that the use of GNNs significantly improves the accuracy of the state estimation compared to traditional methods. In addition, the study has focused on developing advanced control techniques for spacecraft position... 

In adaptation with nature, Flapping Wing Arial Robots (FWARs) are flying vehicles that use wing flapping motion to produce lift and thrust forces simultaneously. Wing oscillating motion of FWARs in turn creates an unsteady and turbulent flow field around them that makes their aerodynamic modeling and analysis a complex and formidable task. As a result, experimental aerodynamic investigation of FWARs has been the focus of many researchers in the last few years. Inspired by nature, Bird-like FWARs utilize a tail as an augmented aerodynamic surface during their flight motion. In turn the tail aerodynamics that in general plays an important role in flight stability and control is adversely... 

Attaining accurate information about satellite attitude is one of the most important requirements in space missions in order to improve the accuracy of the satellite control and mission objectives. Many different sensors such as sun sensor, star sensor, horizon sensor, etc. are used to estimate spacecraft’s attitude. Attitude estimation using temperature sensors is a topic that has recently been addressed by some related researchers because, they need less power and budget to operate in comparison with the other sensors.Accuracy and heat model performance improvement is the main purpose of this project. To achieve a more accurate perspective of space thermal model, and the way heat transfers... 

The problem of concurrent attitude and orbit estimation (CAOE) of satellite using its surface thermal data is studied and investigated in the present dissertation. Considering various uncertainties associated with the satellite system and its surrounding with regards to thermal issues, the dissertation subject and its application to CAOE is challenging and of importance. To this aim, the space thermal model for low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite is initially reviewed and presented. Since the Sun and the Earth are considered as significant sources of radiation for near Earth space systems, the view factor is a key parameter for orbit observability and estimation via surface thermal data.... 

Nowadays, advanced and inexpensive pre-clinical methods for investigating the effects of anti-cancer drugs are expanding. One of the latest three-dimensional laboratory modeling for evaluating the effects of drugs is the use of tumor-on-chip technology, which actually models the physiological system of the body through three-dimensional scaffolds, multicellular cultures, and shaped vascular systems. In this study, three-dimensional culture of cancer cells was performed in the form of spheroids. A chip of U-shaped microstructures with and without gaps was used to trap cells and form cancer spheroids. We simulated the simultaneous effect of drug and oxygen concentration distribution inside the... 

Modeling and performance evaluation of the real time distributed systems is a significant problem. Stochastic activity network is one of the high level models used for this purpose. This network is an extension of generalized stochastic Petri net which is more powerful and flexible than other Petri net extensions. Checking the satisfiability of properties such as performance, dependability and user's expected properties is considerable in these models. Thus, using the approaches and generating modeling and model checking tools with the mentioned purpose is attractive. A model checker automatically checks the correctness of the system behaviors as properties against the model by getting the... 

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. For instance, in 2015, almost 31% of the world’s mortality rate was due to these causes. One of these diseases is cardiac coronary vessels’ occlusion which leads to the insufficient blood supply to the heart tissue and cardiomyocytes death after Myocardial Infarction (MI). After MI, a hierarchy of events in the heart tissue changes heart muscle and forms cardiac fibrosis. This fibrotic tissue does not have the native one’s properties and function, so it will cause cardiac arrest and patient death. Therefore, it is obvious that vascular network plays a crucial role in the heart function. The importance of cardiac... 

This thesis addresses the problem of optimal distributed control of unknown interconnected systems. In order to deal with this problem, a data-driven learning framework for finding the optimal centralized and the suboptimal distributed controllers has been developed via convex optimization.First of all, the linear quadratic regulation (LQR) problem is formulated into a nonconvex optimization problem. Using Lagrangian duality theories, a semidefinite program is then developed that requires information about the system dynamics. It is shown that the optimal solution to this problem is independent of the initial conditions and represents the Q-function, an important concept in reinforcement... 

This thesis presents a new approach to design structural output feedback controllers with stabilization and pole-placement at desired points on the S plane. It is assumed that the linear time-invariant system has no fixed mode corresponding to the specified control structure, outside the desired region of the closed-loop poles, such that the structural controller design problem is theoretically feasible. To this end, the structural output controller design problem is first transformed into a structurally equivalent problem based on the solution of a set of discrete linear programs. Then, by using the resultant structure, a new method is proposed for designing static and dynamic control loops... 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) currently remains a considerable challenge for clinical treatments. CVDs account for N17.5 million deaths per year and will predictably increase to 23.6 million by 2030. The main purpose is to create human model systems to study the effect of disease mutations or drug treatment on the heart. In addition, engineered cardiac tissues are considered promising candidates to be transplanted to improve the function of diseased hearts. For engineered active tissues/organs, 3D bioprinting can fabricate complex tissue architecture with a spatiotemporal distribution of bioactive substances (cells, growth factors, and others) to better guide tissue regeneration. However,...