Institutional Repository

: infoMOTO - Information Tools to Enhance the Performance and Experience of Motorcyclists, Summer 2011, IPRO 308: Final Report; infoMoto is a user-friendly and affordable aftermarket device which provides accessible feedback to the rider and mechanic as to the safety and performance of the motorcycle, which enhances the overall riding experience. Unlike existing standard equipment which provides minimal information, infoMoto notifies the user of impending malfunctions in addition to providing diagnostic information. This device may also help the designers of future models of motorcycles to head off any impeding problems, increasing the quality of their product., IPRO 308: infoMOTO for Summer 2011

: Designing Affordable Housing out of Shipping Containers for Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (Semester Unknown) IPRO 339; Currently there are several countries throughout the world that have a large need for affordable housing. Our IPRO is currently dealing with solutions for Juarez, Mexico and Chicago, Illinois. These two places are very different in climate, culture, as well as economy. Our IPRO team this semester will focus on applying the prototype from last two semesters to Juarez, Mexico, while making adjustments as needed. We will continue the research into systems which will be advantageous to each situation and develop them accordingly. Once we get a better understanding as to how we can apply our prototype to Juarez situation we, Deliverables

: Alternative Metropolitan Power Strategy (Semester Unknown) IPRO302; Alternative Metropolitan Power Strategy 2.0, Sponsorship: Sargent & Lundy, Deliverables

: Understanding Construction Workers’ Risk Decisions Using Cognitive Continuum Theory; The goal of the research presented in this article was to construct a theory about the influence of decision cues on intuitive and deliberative decision-making in high-hazard construction environments. Drawing from Cognitive Continuum Theory, the article specifies a framework for understanding why and how construction workers make decisions that lead to taking or avoiding physical risks when they encounter daily hazards. A secondary aim of the research was to construct a set of hypotheses about how specific decision cues influence whether a worker is more likely to engage their intuitive impulses or to use careful deliberation when responding to a hazard. These hypotheses are described in this article, and the efficacy of the hypotheses was evaluated using cross-tabulations and nonparametric measures of association. While most of the associations between decision cues and decision mode (i.e., intuition or deliberation) identified in this data set were generally modest, none of the associations were statistically zero, thus indicating that further research is warranted based on theoretical grounds. A rigorous program of theory testing is the next logical step to the research, and the article thus concludes with numerous suggestions for extending the research and testing the proposed hypotheses.

: Hybrid Electric Conversion Kit for Rear-wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive, and Four Wheel Drive Vehicles; This invention relates to a parallel hybrid electric conversion kit for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, a driveshaft and a transmission, such as, rear wheel drive vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, heavy duty multiple-driven-axle vehicles and/or all-wheel drive vehicles. The conversion kit includes a motor-generator, a torque coupler, a battery, a power electronics module and a controller. Suitable torque couplers include transfer cases and/or rear-through differentials. The conversion kit provides an aftermarket solution to increased performance, fuel economy and/or reduced emissions by modifying the drivetrain after the transmission. According to one embodiment of this invention, the control scheme of the installed conversion kit receives input signals from the engine and the motor-generator, but only sends control signals to the motor-generator, facilitating installation of the conversion kit., Sponsorship: Illinois Institute of Technology, United States Patent

: Magnetic Transuducer Head; Sponsorship: Armour Research Foundation of Illinois Institute of Technology, United States Patent

: Our Energy Future (Semester Unknown) IPRO 332; Very little unbiased information is available to the general public about energy needs, concerns, and sources. The philosophy behind IPRO 332 is that people should be sufficiently educated about their own energy choices to be able think critically about the corresponding consequences. This IPRO team will build on the work underway since Spring 2007 in developing effective methods for educating high school students about energy and sustainability, expanding our outreach to junior high school students. In addition, the team will: (1) Construct a Teaching Kit to extend the reach of the program beyond the Chicago metropolitan area to provide educators with the materials they will need to present the modules on their own and tailor it to their classrooms; (2) Complete the full-scale launch of the organization’s website, www.howmanyearths.com, to enrich the learning experience, provide a professional contact interface and build a community of engaged teachers and students; (3) Execute a formal marketing plan to build awareness of our efforts, establish our brand image, promote our work, and greatly increase visibility; and (4) Pursue grants and funding with the goal of establishing a viable, long-term, not-for-profit organization., Deliverables

: Machine Vibration Monitoring and Control Solutions for A. Finkl & sons (semester?), IPRO 331; The purpose of this IPRO is to develop a system to automatically detect a problem with a mill at A. Finkl & Sons Co. The system with either turn the mill off or warn the operator when a tooth breaks, or some other irregularity occurs. This system will involve measuring vibration, sound, power, or some combination of these variables. This will replace the current setup, which involves an operator staying in close proximity to the mill to turn it off when a tooth breaks or any other irregularity occurs, Sponsorship: A. Finkl & Sons, Deliverables for IPRO 331: Machine Vibration Monitoring and Control Solutions for A. Finkl & sons for the Spring 2006 semester

: Design of a Large Scale Structure (sequence 315), IPRO 315 - Deliverables; Located in Oakbrook, IL the architects and engineers of IPRO 315 will design a 22 story hotel. Together architects and engineers will modify and re analyze a structure created by pervious designers, and select any new materials for construction. In creating the hotel students will be responsible for the structural analysis of columns, beams, foundation, steel, and concrete design required to insure all serviceability requirements. The students will be required to follow the 2006 International Building Code, and secure the safety of all possible occupants. Management, leadership, ethics, and teamwork will be an integral part of building a large scale structure as students learn to work together on a “real life” project., Deliverables for IPRO 315: Design of a Large Scale Structure for the fall 2009 semester

: Method and Apparatus for Detecting and Sizing Microscopic Particles; Improved accuracy of size measurement and size distribution of particles in a fluid have been obtained in an electrical zone sensing apparatus by a flow control director means which directs the fluid in a more streamlined, less turbulent flow through an aperture at which the particles are electrically sensed. Also, the particles were directed and guided to flow substantially parallel to longitudinal axis for the aperture. The preferred flow control detector means comprises a contoured orifice having a smooth tapered inlet wall blended at an intersection with a central cylindrical wall defining a tubular shaped aperture., Sponsorship: IIT Research Institute, United States Patent

: DESIGN OF RESILIENT CONTROLLABLE CHEMICAL PROCESSES - AN AUTOTHERMAL REACTOR CASE-STUDY; A technique for the analysis of state-space linear systems is applied to the problem of selection of resilient chemical process designs. Structural Dominance Analysis affords the evaluation of many process design and control configurations and assessment of the effects of potential manipulated variables and disturbances. After a brief presentation of the analysis method, a complex multibed tubular autothermal reactor system is examined. Resilient process configurations, ease of control, and effects of various inputs on reactor state variables and outputs are considered, and effective control configurations are selected., Endnote format citation

: Improving Food Packaging Processes Using Process Mapping Techniques (Semester Unknown) IPRO 345; The purpose of this IPRO is to better understand the interdependent relationship of the Formulation process and its impact upon through time, productivity, and quality. We seek to implement improvements to Land O’ Frost in order to optimize their Formulation., Deliverables

: Conversion of Municipal Waste to Useful Oils; The present invention is directed to a method for converting municipal waste containing plastics to a high quality synthetic crude oil which can be separated by fractionation into gasoline, diesel fuel and gas oils suitable as a feedstock to a catalytic cracker. The presence of cellulosic and proteinaceous waste materials in the municipal waste does not inhibit the process of the invention for converting the municipal waste into a synthetic crude oil. The process generally includes the steps of heating the municipal waste in a reaction gas, of a mixture of hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen or hydrogen at moderate temperatures and pressures., Sponsorship: IIT Research Institute, United States Patent

: Method for the Preparation of a Titanium Solution; Sponsorship: Armour Research Foundation of Illinois Institute of Technology, United States Patent

: Feedback control of a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor with competing autocatalators; Two types of nonlinear feedback control schemes are introduced and analyzed for their capability of recovering the original state of an isothermal continuous-flow stirred tank reactor with one robust cubic autocatalytic species, perturbed by a temporary disturbance of an invading cubic autocatalytic species in the inflow. The control objectives are to eliminate the invading species from the system and to restore the original state of the host species. The extent of applicability of the control design to different nonrobust invading species is studied, when the controller is tuned for a specific invader. Moreover, a time-delay feature is suggested in one of the control schemes developed to achieve the control objectives in systems with poor detection of invading species., Endnote format citation for DOI:10.1021/ie020427+

: Thin Film Device; A thin film device which may be used as a fuze or fuse. The device comprises a pair of conductive layers separated and joined to opposite faces of a thin insulating layer to thereby form a three layer sandwich. One of the conductive layers and the insulating layer have a plurality of pin holes therein, the sides of each being coated by a bridge element of low density, low specific heat metal so as to short circuit or bridge the conductive layers. Terminal means are connected respectively to the conductive layers to supply electrical energy which passes from one conductive layer to the other conductive layer via the metal bridge elements. When the electrical energy exceeds a predetermined amount, the bridge elements vaporize. The vaporization of the bridge elements can be employed to initiate detonation of an explosive train thereby serving as a fuze. Alternatively, the device may be employed as an electrical fuse wherein the vaporization of the bridge elements caused by electrical energy interrupts the flow of electrical energy in an electrical circuit., Sponsorship: IIT Research Institute, United States Patent

: Halogenated Compounds Sensor; A highly sensitive and selective sensor for the detection of halogenated compounds comprises a bead of sodium lanthanum fluoride silicate, having the molecular formula NaLa.sub.4 (SiO.sub.4).sub.3 F, in which are embedded two noble metal electrodes, preferably a straight platinum wire near the center and a helical platinum wire near the periphery of the bead. A current passing through the helical wire maintains the sensor temperature at about 550.degree. C. by resistive heating. The electrical resistance between the two wires is deduced from measurements of the current passing through a fixed external resistor when a substantially constant voltage, preferably about 4 volts, is applied between the wires. A decrease in the measured resistance is an indication of the presence of a halogenated compound in the sample of air to which the bead is exposed. The sensor is preferably controlled by a microprocessor or microcomputer that also performs data processing. This system not only detects a halogenated compound of interest, but also measures its concentration., Sponsorship: Illinois Institute of Technology, United States Patent

: Trandsucer Machine with Slideable Reception of an Automatic Electronic Circuit Connection with a Hand Held Type Self-Contained Tape Recorder; A magnetic transducer system for selective audio or video operation with movable guides for shifting the tape path between audio, video and rewind positions, or with fixed guides defining both an audio and video tape path, the audio tape path being clear of the video head, for example. A video transducer with a receptacle removably receiving and providing external energization for a battery powered audio transducer unit., Sponsorship: IIT Research Institute, United States Patent

: Laser and Waterjet Technology (semester?), IPRO 323; Gather information regarding the detailed specifications of how lasers and waterjets work. Examine the applications that lasers and waterjets can have in a variety of manufacturing processes. Compare which machinery is better suited for a particular task. Determine the feasibility of introducing these machines to a mainstream industrial market., Deliverables for IPRO 323: Laser and Waterjet Technology for the Spring 2006 semester

: Automatic Insulin Pumps Using Recursive Multivariable Models and Adaptive Control Algorithms; A method and device for monitoring or treating patient glucose levels. The device includes a glucose sensor for measuring a glucose level of a patient, a physiological status monitoring system for measuring at least one physical or metabolic variable of the patient, and an automatic controller in communication with the glucose sensor and the physiological status monitoring system. The controller includes a prediction module for automatically predicting a future glucose level using data measured by the glucose sensor and the physiological sensor., Sponsorship: Illinois Institute of Technology, United States Patent

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