Modern smart grid systems exploit a two-way interaction paradigm between the utility and the electricity user and promote the role of prosumer, as a new user type, able to generate and sell energy, or consume energy. Within such a setting, the prosumers and their interactions with the microgrid system become of high significance for its efficient operation. In this article, to model the corresponding interactions, we introduce a labor economics-based framework by exploiting the principles of contract theory, that jointly achieves the satisfaction of the various interacting system entities, i.e., the microgrid operator (MGO) and the prosumers. The MGO offers personalized rewards to the sellers and buyers, to incentivize them to sell and purchase energy, respectively. To provide a stable and efficient operation point, while aiming at jointly satisfying the profit and requirements of the involved competing parties, optimal personalized contracts, i.e., rewards and amount of sold/purchased energy, are determined, by formulating and solving contract-theoretic optimization problems between the MGO and the sellers or buyers. The analysis is provided for both cases of complete and incomplete information availability regarding the prosumers’ types. Detailed numerical results are presented to demonstrate the operation characteristics of the proposed framework under diverse scenarios.
more »
« less
Contract-Theoretic Resource Control in Wireless Powered Communication Public Safety Systems
Recent technological advances in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Wireless Powered Communications (WPC) have enabled the energy efficient operation of the Public Safety Networks (PSN) during disaster scenarios. In this paper, an energy efficient information flow and energy harvesting framework capturing users' risk-aware characteristics is introduced based on the principles of Contract Theory. To better support the operational effectiveness of the proposed framework, users are clustered in rescue groups following a socio-physical-aware group formation mechanism, while rescue leaders for each group are selected. A reinforcement learning approach is applied to enable the optimal matching between the UAVs and the rescue leaders in a distributed and efficient manner. The proposed contract-theoretic framework models the UAVs-victims relation based on a labor market setting via offering rewards to the users (incentives) in order to compensate them for their invested labor (reporting information). Detailed numerical results demonstrate the benefits and superiority of the proposed framework under different settings.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1849739
- PAR ID:
- 10228433
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2020 IEEE Global Communications Conference
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 6
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)Intelligent robot swarms are increasingly being explored as tools for search and rescue missions. Efficient path planning and robust communication networks are critical elements of completing missions. The focus of this research is to give unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) the ability to self-organize a mesh network that is optimized for area coverage. The UAVs will be able to read the communication strength between themselves and all the UAVs it is connected to using RSSI. The UAVs should be able to adjust their positioning closer to other UAVs if RSSI is below a threshold, and they should also maintain communication as a group if they move together along a search path. Our approach was to use Genetic Algorithms in a simulated environment to achieve multi-node exploration with emphasis on connectivity and swarm spread.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Efficient arrangement of UAVs in a swarm formation is essential to the functioning of the swarm as a temporary communication network. Such a network could assist in search and rescue efforts by providing first responders with a means of communication. We propose a user-friendly and effective system for calculating and visualizing an optimal layout of UAVs. An initial calculation to gather parameter information is followed by the proposed algorithm that generates an optimal solution. A visualization is displayed in an easy-to-comprehend manner after the proposed iterative genetic algorithm finds an optimal solution. The proposed system runs iteratively, adding UAV at each intermediate conclusion, until a solution is found. Information is passed between runs of the iterative genetic algorithm to reduce runtime and complexity. The results from testing show that the proposed algorithm yields optimal solutions more frequently than the k-means clustering algorithm. This system finds an optimal solution 80% of the time while k-means clustering is unable to find a solution when presented with a complex problem.more » « less
-
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used for various applications, such as military surveillance and reconnaissance; delivery of packages; monitoring of plants and buildings; and search and rescue. Besides basic battery-electric propulsion, in order to improve range and endurance, hybrid electric propulsion systems based on combinations of batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, and ultracapacitors are increasingly being applied to these UAVs. For small- and medium-scale UAVs, the solar and fuel cell converters have non-isolated DC-DC converters that include a high-frequency switching device. In this paper, a novel switch fault detection technique based on virtual admittance is proposed for DC-DC converters. A fault index function is formulated based on the virtual admittance to minimize potential influence by highly dynamic load change while reducing computation complexity to implement the technique in cost-effective UAVs. The proposed technique has been verified by simulations and experiments to validate the feasibility of the approach.more » « less
-
Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) hold immense potential across various fields, including precision agriculture, rescue missions, delivery services, weather monitoring, and many more. Despite this promise, the limited flight duration of the current UAVs stands as a significant obstacle to their broadscale deployment. Attempting to extend flight time by solar panel charging during midflight is not viable due to battery limitations and the eventual need for replacement. This paper details our investigation of a battery-free fixed-wing UAV, built from cost-effective off-the-shelf components, that takes off, remains airborne, and lands safely using only solar energy. In particular, we perform a comprehensive analysis and design space exploration in the contemporary solar harvesting context and provide a detailed accounting of the prototype’s mechanical and electrical capabilities. We also derive the Greedy Energy-Aware Control (GEAC) and Predictive Energy-Aware Control (PEAC) solar control algorithm that overcomes power system brownouts and total-loss-of-thrust events, enabling the prototype to perform maneuvers without a battery. Next, we evaluate the developed prototype in a bench-top setting using artificial light to demonstrate the feasibility of batteryless flight, followed by testing in an outdoor setting using natural light. Finally, we analyze the potential for scaling up the evaluation of batteryless UAVs across multiple locations and report our findings.more » « less
An official website of the United States government

