Synthesis of precision dosing system for liquid products based on electropneumatic complexes

This paper reports the construction of a mathematical model for the process of dosing liquid foods (non-carbonated drinking water). The model takes into consideration the differential equations of changes in the kinematic parameters of the liquid in a dosing device's channels and the corresponding accepted initial and boundary conditions of the process. The boundary conditions account for the influence of software-defined airlift dosing modes using the driver and the geometry of the product pipeline. The current's value measured in mA (with an accuracy of 0.001 mA) relative to the standard scale Imin is Imax=4...20 mA. Individual stages of the dosing process were analytically described, followed by the analysis of separate stages and accepted assumptions. The accuracy achieved when testing the experimental sample of the dispenser, with the repetition of the dose displacement process, ranged between 0.35 % and 0.8 %. The reported results are related to the established dosage weight of 50 ml when changing the initial level of liquid in the tank of the dosing feeder by 10 mm. An experimental bench has been proposed for investigating the functional mechatronic dosing module under the software-defined modes to form and discharge a dose of the product. The bench operates based on proportional feedback elements (4–20 mA) for step and sinusoidal pressure control laws in the dosing device. The control model with working dosing modes has been substantiated. The control models built are based on proportional elements and feedback. During the physical and mathematical modeling, the influence of individual parameters on the accuracy of the product dose formation was determined; ways to ensure the necessary distribution of compressed air pressure, subject to the specified productivity of the dosing feeder, were defined. The study results make it possible to improve the operation of precision dosing systems for liquid products based on electro-pneumatic complexes

Precision Agroecology

In response to global calls for sustainable food production, we identify two diverging paradigms to address the future of agriculture. We explore the possibility of uniting these two seemingly diverging paradigms of production-oriented and ecologically oriented agriculture in the form of precision agroecology. Merging precision agriculture technology and agroecological principles offers a unique array of solutions driven by data collection, experimentation, and decision support tools. We show how the synthesis of precision technology and agroecological principles results in a new agriculture that can be transformative by (1) reducing inputs with optimized prescriptions, (2) substituting sustainable inputs by using site-specific variable rate technology, (3) incorporating beneficial biodiversity into agroecosystems with precision conservation technology, (4) reconnecting producers and consumers through value-based food chains, and (5) building a just and equitable global food system informed by data-driven food policy. As a result, precision agroecology provides a unique opportunity to synthesize traditional knowledge and novel technology to transform food systems. In doing so, precision agroecology can offer solutions to agriculture’s biggest challenges in achieving sustainability in a major state of global change.

Modal synthesis of precision control systems

The problem of synthesis of precision modal control systems is considered. It is noted that a common approach to solving this problem is to consistently meet the requirements for the nature of the transient process and for the indicators of its accuracy. This approach to synthesis is faced with the need to make design decisions under incomplete conditions. In practice, this circumstance leads to obtaining synthesis results with undesirable deviations from technical requirements. When designing precision control systems, such deviations are unacceptable. To eliminate the difficulties that arise, a transition to interval methods for formulating and solving modal synthesis problems is proposed. The theoretical possibility of the interval approach is based on the excessive variety of possible placement of eigenvalues in the spectrum of the characteristic matrix of the system. An example of an interval synthesis of a system with a modal controller and additional output feedback is considered. The restrictions on the spectrum of the specified matrix are formed, which determine the fulfillment of the requirements for the monotonicity of the transient process, the regulation time and the accuracy of the response to harmonic influences. It is noted that the variety of solutions obtained creates the preconditions for a multi-alternative approach to modal synthesis of systems.