About Teams
Scientific research at the Department of Automation and Measuring Systems, due to its structure and staff, concern both automation and measuring systems. In terms of automation and robotics, the work is focused mainly around two groups of young engineers and doctors of technical sciences. The first one, consisting of doctor Sławomir Mandra, doctor Tomasz Tarczewski PhD, doctor Leszek Wydźgowski, Łukasz Niewiara MA Eng. and Michał Skiwski MA Eng., conducts research on PMSM drivers and high-efficiency energoelectronic converters. The research are focused on synthesis and analysis of steering algorithms, which allow for improving the exploitation parameters of devices, for example by ripple and noise reduction, improved accuracy and speed of
Research works at the prototyping regulation algorithms; from the left: Łukasz Niewiara MA Eng., doctor Tomasz Tarczewski Eng.
Other designer elements are energoelectronic converters which make use of modern semi-conducting elements (SiC MOSFET, GaN GIT), characterized by high efficiency of converting electric energy and small sizes.
Energoelectic converter for an electric driver designed at the Department of Automation and Measuring Systems
The department also conducts research works involving implementation of nature-inspired optimizing algorithms (artificial bee colony), automatic selection of regulation setpoints in electric propulsions, and using artificial neural networks to improve the dynamic properties of electric propulsions and energoelectronic converters.
The second group, consisting of: doctor Krystian Erwiński Eng., Andrzej Wawrzak, MA Eng., R. Szczepański MA Eng. and K. Kowalski MA Eng. conducts research of intelligent numerical control systems for machines (moulders, laser cutters and industrial robots). The aim of this research is devising innovative methods of motion control, ensuring increased efficiency of production process.
The team researching the use of artificial intelligence in control systems; from the left: doctor Krystian Erwiński Eng., doctor M. Paprocki Eng., R. Szczepański MA Eng. and K. Kowalski MA Eng.
The research makes use of artificial intelligence methods (neural networks) and optimizing algorithms. The devised control algorithms allow for minimizing the time of realizing the motion trajectory for the desired accuracy of trajectory recreation with reference to machines’ dynamic properties, for example parameters and characteristics of the used drivers as well as the dynamic properties of mechanical systems.
The devised control systems allow in the first place for optimization of machines with linear motors and low-cost machines with stepper motors (engraving machines, 3D printers). The designed control systems with linear drivers allow for construction of fast laser cutters with motion trajectory recreation speeds reaching 7 m/s and acceleration of up to 50 m/s2. At the same time, development works are being conducted on the implementation of SNC driver with real-time system performing the task of numerical steering on a processor, communicating with servo drives via EtherCAT bus.
Scientific researchs of measuring systems concentrate around the applications of time-frame measuring systems both for research and industrial, medical and telecommunication purposes.
Time interval measuring system awarded with gold medal at the 6th International Inventions Exhibition “Innowacje 2005” in Gdańsk.
The cooperation with National Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Physics started in 2006 involved realization of dedicated controlling and measuring instruments designed for experimental research in quantum physics. It resulted in the first worldwide successful measurement of the shape of a single photon. The results of conducted research have contributed to the development of works in cryptography and quantum teleportation. The topic of research currently carried out by doctor Robert Frankowski concerns implementation of multi-channel high-resolution impulse analyzers in FPGA structures, capable of cooperation with prototype matrix detectors of single photons.
The findings of research realized at the Department are published in prestigious scientific journals from the field of automation, industrial electronics and metrology, and presented at major scientific conferences in Poland and abroad. The results concerning design of measuring time interval systems and time interval generation systems have been presented in a monograph by M. Zieliński, entitled “Układy pomiaru i generacji odcinka czasu” (“Measuring and generation time interval systems”), published by Nicolaus Copernicus University Publishing Office, (Toruń, 2011).
In recent years the Department’s staff have also conducted research projects financed by National Science Center: “Time interval measuring system for ultrasonic flowmeter”, “Back-to-back converter of 3-level topology and sinusoidal exit voltage used in permanent magnet synchronous motor”.