This paper is concerned with off-line reference shaping for closed loop systems with input and state constraints. First, we propose a method to generate reference signals which achieve better tracking property for given periodic trajectories subject to the system constraints. The method consists of an initial transition part and a steady-state periodic part. This switching technique separates a tracking problem for an infinite period into two finite ones. Second, its effectiveness is demonstrated by simulations and experiments.

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This paper considers an internal model control scheme for multi-input multi-output systems which contain unknown parameters in the coefficient matrices of the state equations. The internal model is adaptively constructed from input and output signals of the plant. We first propose a linear parametric representation for the unknown multi-input multi-output systems. Then, we present an adaptation method such that the output of the internal model is asymptotically identical to that of the plant, guaranteeing stability of the closed-loop system.

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A 3D foot scanning system with a sensor head guided around the foot and a mirror settled below the bottom of foot has been developed. This system measures all of the foot parts below the ankle in 13 seconds. A 3-dimensional path for the sensor head is achieved by using a stereo camera above the sensor head in an off-line process. The shape of the foot obtained from the sensor head and the 3D path of the sensor head are merged, and the entire shape of the foot is re-constructed in an on-line process. These processes make it possible to freely design the path of the sensor head and the optimized path for the foot shape. The accuracy of the foot scanning system is ±1.0 mm for the foot length and ±1.5 mm for the foot perimeter.

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This paper proposes an automatic operation system for pyrolytic gasification and melting furnaces (PGMF), which is composed of a multivariable model predictive control (MMPC) system and a control function for a daily amount of incinerated waste. MMPC is able to stabilize boiler drum pressure, steam generation rate, fluidized bed temperature and the other condition in the furnaces by manipulating waste feeder speed, a steam control valve and primary air flow. Application results at the first fluidized bed type municipal PGMF in Japan show the usefulness of the proposed method, for example stabilizing pyrolytic gasification process, melting process, energy recovery process and a daily amount of incinerated waste.

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In this paper an effective on-line method is proposed for detecting a collision of flexible cantilevered beams such as manipulator with some unlooked-for obstacles. The mathematical model of the flexible cantilevered beam with the collision phenomena is described by an Euler-Bernoulli type partial differential equation with the model of the collision that is described by the time-space function. A scalar function (collision detection function) consisting of the innovation process of the Kalman filter for the finite-dimensional system corresponding to the mathematical model of the flexible beam is introduced for making a decision when a collision occurs. The numerical simulation and the experiment results show that the proposed on-line method obviously detects when the collision occurs.

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