ALBERT

Description: This paper describes the design and implementation of a radiosonde which can measure the meteorological temperature, humidity, pressure, and other atmospheric data. The system is composed of a CPU, microwave module, temperature sensor, pressure sensor and humidity sensor array. In order to effectively solve the humidity sensor condensation problem due to the low temperatures in the high altitude environment, a capacitive humidity sensor including four humidity sensors to collect meteorological humidity and a platinum resistance heater was developed using micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) technology. A platinum resistance wire with 99.999% purity and 0.023 mm in diameter was used to obtain the meteorological temperature. A multi-sensor data fusion technique was applied to process the atmospheric data. Static and dynamic experimental results show that the designed humidity sensor with platinum resistance heater can effectively tackle the sensor condensation problem, shorten response times and enhance sensitivity. The humidity sensor array can improve measurement accuracy and obtain a reliable initial meteorological humidity data, while the multi-sensor data fusion technique eliminates the uncertainty in the measurement. The radiosonde can accurately reflect the meteorological changes.

Description: Sensors, Vol. 17, Pages 2558: Single-Shot Dense Depth Sensing with Color Sequence Coded Fringe Pattern Sensors doi: 10.3390/s17112558 Authors: Fu Li Baoyu Zhang Guangming Shi Yi Niu Ruodai Li Lili Yang Xuemei Xie A single-shot structured light method is widely used to acquire dense and accurate depth maps for dynamic scenes. In this paper, we propose a color sequence coded fringe depth sensing method. To overcome the phase unwrapping problem encountered in phase-based methods, the color-coded sequence information is embedded into the phase information. We adopt the color-encoded De Bruijn sequence to denote the period of the phase information and assign the sequence into two channels of the pattern, while the third channel is used to code the phase information. Benefiting from this coding strategy, the phase information distributed in multiple channels can improve the quality of the phase intensity by channel overlay, which results in precise phase estimation. Meanwhile, the wrapped phase period assists the sequence decoding to obtain a precise period order. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, an experimental platform is established. Quantitative and qualitative experiments demonstrate that the proposed method generates a higher precision depth, as compared to a Kinect and larger resolution ToF (Time of Flight) camera.

Description: A number of studies have achieved the consensus that microwave thermal technology can regenerate the granular activated carbon (GAC) more efficiently and energy-conservatively than other technologies. In particular, in the microwave heating industry, permittivity is a crucial parameter. This paper developed two equivalent models to establish the relationship between effective complex permittivity and pore volume of the GAC. It is generally based on Maxwell-Garnett approximation (MGA) theory. With two different assumptions in the model, two quantificational expressions were derived, respectively. Permittivity measurements and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) testing had been introduced in the experiments. Results confirmed the two expressions, which were extremely similar. Theoretical and experimental graphs were matched. This paper set up a bridge which links effective complex permittivity and pore volume of the GAC. Furthermore, it provides a potential and convenient method for the rapid assisted characterization of the GAC in its adsorption performance.

Description: The available capacity is a major factor that influences the reliability contribution of energy storage in power systems integrated with wind power. This paper presents the capacity value of the energy storage metrics to quantitatively estimate the contribution of energy storage to the generation adequacy. A method in accordance with EFC approach has been introduced to model the capacity value of energy storage. The adequacy-oriented model of the energy storage available capacity is proposed for the energy storage system, regarding the roles of the key parameters for the CVES analysis. The case study results indicate that the capacity value of energy storage quantitatively weigh the contribution of the energy storage to system reliability. The sensitivity analysis of the impact factors for the CVES is conducted.

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 2999: The Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Chinese Civil Vehicles’ Possession in the Context of Rapid Economic Development from 1996 to 2015 Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10092999 Authors: Kun Yang Yan Shi Yi Luo Dian Xia Xiaolu Zhou The possession of civil vehicles in a country or a region often reflects its usage of cars. The purpose of this study is to better understand the regional diversity of civil vehicles’ possession in multiple geographic scales (national, regional, provincial). We also aim to investigate the impact of economic levels on the possession of civil vehicles through the lens of Mk test, Theil index, principal component analysis and panel data models. Results show that the possession quantity of civil vehicles in China changed significantly, with a slow growth in 1996–2005 and a rapid growth in 2006–2015. During 1996–2015, the possession quantity of civil vehicles revealed a spatial inequality. The positive impact of economic development on the possession of civil vehicles is gradually decreasing from east to west and from coastal to inland. From 2000 to 2015, disparities in the spatial distribution of civil vehicles showed a trend of ‘increasing slightly in the first place then decreasing continuously,’ during 2000–2005, within-regional inequalities are greater than between-regional inequalities. The inequalities between provinces in the northern coastal areas (NC) were the main reasons for within-regional inequalities. Since 2006, between-regional inequalities have been greater than within-regional inequalities. The level of economic development has a significant positive impact on the possession of civil vehicles; the spatio-temporal patterns of civil vehicles in most areas are in line with economic development trends.