This paper shows the implementation of the Moth–Flame Optimization algorithm in a Cascade-H multilevel inverter with five and seven levels to determine the optimal switching sequence of the inverter’s semiconductor devices. The algorithm was coded in Matlab software, and the obtained switching sequences were implemented in a Cascade-H multilevel inverter laboratory prototype, where the output voltage waveform was obtained using a digital oscilloscope. The experimental Total Harmonic Distortion was obtained using a power quality analyzer. The experimental results show the improvement of the Total Harmonic Distortion in the voltage output. These results were compared with other papers in the literature with different metaheuristic methods concerning the same modulation. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of employing the Moth–Flame Optimization Algorithm to significantly reduce the Total Harmonic Distortion, obtaining a lower value than most analyzed papers.

Agriculture drones face important challenges regarding autonomy and construction, as flying time below the 9-minute mark is the norm, and their manufacture requires several tests and research before reaching proper flight dynamics. Therefore, correct design, analysis, and manufacture of the structure are imperative to address the aforementioned problems and ensure a robust build that withstands the tough environments of this application. In this work, the analysis and implementation of a Nylamid motor bracket, aluminum sandwich-type skeleton, and carbon fiber tube arm in a 30 kg agriculture drone is presented. The mechanical response of these components is evaluated using the finite element method in ANSYS Workbench, and the material behavior assumptions are assessed using a universal testing machine before their implementations. The general description of these models and the numerical results are presented. This early prediction of the behavior of the structure allows for mass optimization and cost reductions. The fast dynamics of drone applications set important restrictions in ductile materials such as this, requiring extensive structural analysis before manufacture. Experimental and numerical results showed a maximum variation of 8.7% for the carbon fiber composite and 13% for the Nylamid material. The mechanical properties of polyamide nylon allowed for a 51% mass reduction compared to a 6061 aluminum alloy structure optimized for the same load case in the motor brackets design. The low mechanical complexity of sandwich-type skeletons translated into fast implementation. Finally, the overall performance of the agriculture drone is evaluated through the data gathered during the flight test, showing the adequate design process.

Designing propulsion systems for agricultural drones involves a repetitive process that is both expensive and time-intensive. At the same time, conducting comprehensive experimental tests demands specialized equipment and strict safety protocols. In this work, the design and assessment of the propulsion system (propeller, motor, and battery) for large-sized drones in agricultural applications are conducted using numerical methods. To properly predict and validate the performance of a brushless direct current motor, a three half-bridge inverter circuit, featuring a trapezoidal commutation, is implemented and constructed. First, the propeller is studied using the finite volume method, obtaining a maximum variation of 6.32% for thrust and 10.1% for torque. Additionally, an electromagnetic analysis on a commercial brushless direct current motor (BLDC) using JMAG software from JSOL corporation (JMAG designer 23.2, Cd.Obregón, México) resulted in 4.43% deviation from experimental electrical measurements. The selected propulsion system is implemented in a 30 kg drone, where motor performance is evaluated for two instants of time in a typical agriculture trajectory. The findings demonstrate that numerical methods provide valuable insights in large-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design, decreasing the experimental tests conducted and accelerating implementation time.

Currently, various light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems are being developed because LEDs are one of the most used lighting sources for work environments, buildings, homes, and public roads in terms of some of their applications. Similarly, they have low energy consumption, quick responses, and excellent optimal performance in their operation. However, these systems still need to precisely regulate lighting, maintain stable voltage and current in the presence of faults and disturbances, and have a wide range of operations in the event of trajectory changes or monitoring tasks regarding the desired voltage and current. This work presents the design and application of two types of robust controllers (structure-at-infinity control and geometric control) applied to an LED driver using a buck converter. The controllers aim to follow the desired trajectories, attenuate disturbances at the power supply input, and compensate for faults in the actuator (MOSFET) to keep the capacitor voltage and inductor current stable. When comparing the results obtained with the two controllers, it was observed that both present excellent performance in the presence of constant disturbances. However, in scenarios in which variable faults and path changes are implemented, the structure-at-infinity control method shows an overimpulse of output voltage and current ranging from 39 to 42 volts and from 0.3 to 0.45 A, with a margin of error of 1%, and it can generate a failure in the LED driver using a buck converter. On the other hand, when using geometric control, the results are satisfactory, achieving attenuating constant disturbances and variable faults, reaching the desired voltage (40 v to 35 v) and current (0.3 to 0.25 A) with a margin of error of 0.05%, guaranteeing a system without overvoltages or the accelerated degradation of the components due to magnetic conductivity.

The present paper addresses linear parameter-varying systems with high-order time-varying parameter dependency known as polynomial LPV systems and their controller design. Throughout this work, a procedure ensuring a state-feedback controller from a parameterized linear matrix inequality (PLMI) solution is presented. As the main contribution of this paper, the controller is designed by considering the time-varying parameter rate as a tuning parameter with a continuous control gain in such a way that the closed-loop eigenvalues lie in a complex plane subset, with high-order time-varying parameters defining the system dynamics. Simulation results are presented, aiming to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller design.

We construct a consistent quantum field theory of a dimensionally reduced self-interacting scalar field. The Kaluza-Klein dimensional reduction on the well-known $\Phi^{4}$ scalar theory, on a certain $(4+n)$ spacetime with an arbitrary number of extra dimensions, induces a four dimensional reduced theory with scalar fields: the zeroth mode (`light' field) and an infinite number of KK-excited modes (`heavy' fields). This theory is quantized by Hamiltonian path integral methods. It is shown, from first principles, that non-trivial measure factors at the level of the functional measure are absent even if the whole set of heavy fields is taken into account. Hints on the regularization and renormalization process are briefly discussed.