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We report a method of recovering degraded lead‐acid batteries using an on–off constant current charge and short–large discharge pulse method. When the increases in inner impedance are within ∼20% of the initial impedance value, their system will permit discharge times to recover to a level approximately matching their initial time values. In one experiment, when the discharge time of a <5‐year‐old lead‐acid battery used for engine starting had degraded to about 50% of its initial discharge capacity, the authors found that 80% of the initial state discharge time could be recovered and maintained via their method. In a separate experiment, a deep‐cycle battery was forcibly degraded by 12 h of depletion at a constant current of 10 A discharged at a terminal voltage of 10.2 V. The results of that experiment show that use of their on–off constant current charge method for the deep‐cycle battery (recovered at 80% initial discharge time) quadrupled the post‐recovery discharge time in comparison with a battery recovered via constant voltage charge. Taken together, these results indicate that use of their proposed on–off constant current charge system can successfully recover both degraded engine start and deep‐cycle lead‐acid batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This output tracking control system for time-delay systems with a parallel feedforward compensator (PFC). It has been clarified that one can design an adaptive output tracking control system for systems with almost strictly positive real (ASPR) properties. However, the robust stability for non-ASPR time-delay systems with a PFC introduced for making the resulting augmented system ASPR has not been analyzed. In this paper, it will be clarified that one can design a stable adaptive output tracking control system for time-delay systems with a PFC, even if the resulting augmented system is not exactly ASPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Multirate sampled system can be seen in many industries and several kinds of control method using lifting method have been proposed. Unfortunately, it was difficult to deal with nonuniformly sampled multirate systems. In this paper, we will propose a design scheme of output feedback control with a simple structure for nonuniformly sampled systems based on almost strictly positive real properties. A design method of a fast-rate output feedback control system for nonuniformly sampled multirate systems with a fast uniform input updating rate and slow nonuniform output sampling rates. An adaptive output estimator will be proposed so as to realize a fast-rate output feedback control for nonuniformly sampled systems at the fast sampling period of the input updating rate, and then, a design scheme of a fast-rate adaptive output feedback control at the fast sampling period of the input updating rate will be proposed for nonuniformly sampled systems utilizing the proposed adaptive output estimator. We also analyze the stability of the obtained fast-rate output feedback control system based on almost strictly positive real properties of the controlled system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weather measurement system was constructed using near‐infrared light‐emitting diodes and indium gallium arsenide photodiodes for the 1–2 µm near‐infrared region. The difference in the absorbance of water for near‐infrared light at wavelengths of 945 and 1450 nm was used to distinguish between three different precipitation types: snow, sleet and rain. From the ratio of the number of generated light absorption events at the two wavelengths, a distinction between snow, sleet and rain events was demonstrated. The judgement results by this system were consistent with those obtained from the meteorological observatory weather database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]