Research International

Projekttitel: Robust Control, State Estimation and Disturbance Compensation for Highly Dynamic
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2017 - Dezember 2020
Förderkennzeichen: 734832
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum Mobilität (ThIMo)

Mehr: CORDIS

The main goal of the CLOVER project is to offer a novel methodology in an environmental mechatronic control System design relying on multidisciplinary knowledge. This methodology should allow aspects to be taken into account, such as controller robustness, indirect measurement of system states and arameters, and disturbances attenuation on the stage of establishing controller architecture. In addition, methods for tuning the control algorithms will be developed and based on the solution of optimization task considering control priorities, such as environment friendliness and energy efficiency. The

implementation of the project CLOVER is based on intensive staff exchange that will lead to collaborative research and training between universities and industrial organizations from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Norway, UK, Mexico, and Japan. To guarantee a strong focus of the project activities on real-world problems, the CLOVER concept is based on the R&D and training in three interfacing topics: “Mechatronic chassis systems of electric vehicles”, “Mechatronic-based gridinterconnection circuitry”, and “Offshore mechatronics”, which will identify and facilitate collaborative learning and production of innovative knowledge. The CLOVER objectives will be achieved through intensive networking measures covering knowledge transfer and experience sharing between participants from academic and non-academic sectors, and professional advancement of the consortium members through intersectoral and international collaboration and secondments. In this regard, the CLOVER project is fully consistent with the targets of H2020-MSCA-RISE programme and will provide excellent opportunities for personal career development of participating staff and will lead to the creation of a strong European and international research group to create new environmental mechatronic systems.

Projekttitel: ConvExt - EXTreme events in CONVection: advanced measurements and data-driven prediction
Projektlaufzeit: Juni 2021 - August 2022
Förderkennzeichen: 101024531
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Jörg Schumacher
Fachgebiet: Theoretische Strömungsmechanik
Fakultät: Maschinenbau

Wind storms, hurricanes, and heat waves, are atmospheric extreme events with a huge societal impact and significant economic costs. Thus, their correct identification is important, e.g. for off-shore wind power generation. This project is a fundamental study on hydrodynamics turbulence, whose results will provide a methodological basis for innovation in wind energy technology. Extreme atmospheric convection events are characterized by large local amplitudes of the rate at which turbulent kinetic energy is dissipated, a central quantity that cannot be predicted from the highly nonlinear mathematical equations of fluid motion. This project aims at understanding the formation and predicting such extreme events of energy dissipation in Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC), a paradigm for atmospheric motion. Advanced high resolution measurements of the small-scale velocity field and its gradients will therefore be performed in a pressurized convection chamber at TU Ilmenau which allows to downscale turbulence and to use Particle Image Velocimetry for flows at Rayleigh numbers up to a million or higher. By combination of measured kinetic energy dissipation rate in the bulk and wall shear stresses in the boundary layer, we will identify the advection patterns that generate the extreme dissipation events. The present experimental analysis will be complemented by existing training data records of high-resolution direct numerical simulations of the same flows. They serve to develop data-driven methods and algorithms, such as recurrent neural networks, to predict such extreme events in experimental analyses. The goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the dynamic evolution of such extreme events in a RBC flow and to develop reliable tools to predict the events. This research objective will be reached in a multidisciplinary way by a combination of high resolution optical flow measurements with the data-driven modeling and data analytics by machine learning.

Projekttitel: CoPerMix - Control Prediction and LeaRning in Mixing processes
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2021 - Dezember 2024
Förderkennzeichen: 956457
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Jörg Schumacher
Fachgebiet: Theoretische Strömungsmechanik
Fakultät: Maschinenbau

Mixing is the science describing the evolution of the concentration of a substance (tracers, chemicals, heat, bacteria...) in a continuum substrate that is possibly deforming. It is also a necessary process or phenomenon taking place at each scales, from molecular to planetary, in all non-equilibrium human and natural activities. Most approaches to mixing used in science and engineering are based on mean field approaches or phenomenological mixing models , which focus on dynamics through effective coefficients such as mixing micro-scales, diffusivities, or on purely descriptive characterization of mixing through entropy measures for example. A predictive approaches that account for the many facets of the dynamics of mixing in a broad variety of applications and fields is however emerging: It consists in visualizing a mixture as a set of elongated stripes and sheets, understand how they are stretched and dispersed by the flow, a step we call Stirring. This first step provides the necessary tools to couple molecular diffusion, leading to the complete statistical description of the mixing process i.e. the full concentration distribution. In that sense and as opposed to traditional approaches, this disruptive vision has prompted new numerical and experimental methods and offers a transformative vision for Mixing to envisage its Impact in a diversity of fields and Learn from the stirring medium itself. A new generation of scientists and engineers is required that is aware of these fundamental issues and equipped with new visions and tool sets for mixing in order to address the increasing need of understanding and predicting mixing processes in environmental and industrial applications. The CoPerMix training network proposes to address this challenge by setting up an innovative and entrepreneurial Training programme that renews drastically the methods and approaches to the subject and incorporates this strategic new vision of Mixing in prominent academic curricula.

Projekttitel: EMBRACE - Technology for multimodal inter-brain dynamics investigation
Projektlaufzeit: Februar 2021 - Januar 2025
Förderkennzeichen: 101007521
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Jens Haueisen
Fachgebiet: Biomedizinische Technik
Fakultät: Informatik und Automatisierung

Most social interactions involve interpersonal coordinated movements in real-time and real space, but research on the complex processes determining social behavior are limited by inadequate technology and analytical tools. In EMBRACE we will merge complementary expertise and resources in biomedical engineering, material science, signal processing, neuroscience and social psychology at 3 academic and 3 industrial partners from 3 EU countries to develop: 1) a new mobile and wireless dry electrode EEG system suitable for monitoring brain activity during full body movements; 2) novel bodynetwork sensors and a multimodal alignment system for simultaneously recording neural, physiological and kinematic signals from two interacting subjects; 3) novel analytical solutions for motion artefact removal and multi-level analysis of multimodal data; 4) a new research dyadic paradigm to exploit the technological advances. The novel technologies will address requirements of mobility, high signal quality, high temporal and spatial resolution, stable alignment of multiple signals, wearing comfort and long-term use. The novel analytical methods will permit investigating joint action at the neural, cognitive-behavioural and social levels. Both technologies and methods will be validated in real time and space face-to-face studies to produce prototypes and models optimized for broad application. To achieve these objectives, the EMBRACE consortium realizes extensive intersectoral transfer of knowledge and experience through shared research, secondments and summer schools, promoting the research capacity and competitiveness of its partners and becoming a lasting EU network promoting basic and applied biomedical research, with benefit for European industries and society. International mobility and dissemination will contribute to sharing cultures and knowledge with the scientific community and to promote communication on the importance of research in biomedical engineering to the society.

Projekttitel: ElectroMagnetic imaging for a novel genERation of medicAL Devices
Projektlaufzeit: Mai 2018 - April 2022
Förderkennzeichen: 764479/811274
Projektleiter: Dr.-Ing. Marko Helbig
Fachgebiet: Biosignalverarbeitung
Fakultät: Informatik und Automatisierung

Mehr: CORDIS Projektwebseite

EMERALD (ElectroMagnetic imaging for a novel genERation of medicAL Devices) is the coherent action of leading European engineering groups involved in electromagnetic (EM) technology for medical imaging to form a cohort of highlyskilled researchers capable of accelerating the translation of this technology “from research bench to patient bedside”. Nowadays, medical imaging technologies play a key role to face the ever-growing number of challenges due to aging populations, as they are the essential clinical tool to deliver accurate initial diagnosis and monitor the evolution of disease over time. For this reason, a whole range of new imaging modalities is currently being developed to supplement and support current modalities. Among these technologies, there is EM imaging, which involves the illumination of the portion of the Body under investigation with low-power non-ionizing EM waves (in the microwave spectrum) and the use of the resultant backscattered signals to generate images of the internal structures of the body. The scientific objective pursued by the EMERALD action is to accelerate translation of research in EM medical imaging into clinical prototypes. To this end, EMERALD will establish a group of 13 outstanding early stage researchers who will be the European leaders in this field, through a unique scientific and training programme. The EMERALD trained researchers will drive the future developments of EM imaging technology, thanks to the targeted skills, they will attain, and their established connections with clinicians and stakeholders. The EMERALD consortium involves academic institutions, industrial partners, hospitals and university medical centers (as partner organizations). The success of EMERALD will ensure that all achieved innovative technological developments will be translated into benefits to the end user community and potentially taken to market, with an impact on both the European society and scientific community.

The main research topic of the ESR position at TU Ilmenau will be design, realization and evaluation of a device for non-invasive tissue temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatment based on ultra-wideband microwave sensing.

The main objectives of the planned research activities will be:

   • Development of a UWB radar methodology for non-invasive tissue temperature monitoring inside the human body during hyperthermia treatment
   • Implementation and evaluation of robust and real-time capable signal processing algorithms for remote tissue temperature monitoring
   • Imaging of tissue temperature distribution
   • Design and test of UWB sensors for co-existence with high power microwave heating applicators

Projekttitel: Innovative Engineering of ground Vehicles with integrated active Chassis
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2015 - Dezember 2017
Förderkennzeichen: 645736
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

Innovation technologies in ground vehicle engineering require strong interdisciplinary and intersectoral investigations with an international dimension. In this context the project EVE proposes sustainable approach based on intensive staff Exchange that leads to collaborative research and training between uiversities and industrial organizations from Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, South Africa, and the USA. The project includes basic and applied research, development design, experimentations, networking, and dissemination and exploitation activities. The research objectives are focused on
the development of (i) experimental tyre database that can be used in the design of new chassis control systems and subjected to inclusion into Horizon 2020 pilot on Open Research Data, (ii) advanced models of ground vehicles and automotive subsystems for real-time applications, and (iii) novel integrated chassis control methods. It will lead to development and improvement of innovative vehicle components such as (i) an integrated chassis controller targeting simultaneous improvements in safety, energy efficiency and driving comfort, (ii) new hardware subsystems for brakes, active suspension and tyre pressure control for on-road and off-road mobility, and (iii) remote network-distributed vehicle testing technology for integrated chassis systems. The project targets will be achieved with intensive networking measures covering (i) knowledge transfer and experience sharing between participants from academic and non-academic sectors and (ii) professional advancement of the consortium members through intersectoral and international collaboration and secondments. The project EVE is fully consistent with the targets of H2020-MSCA-RISE programme and will provide excellent opportunities for personal career development of staff and will lead to creation of a strong European and international research group to create new hi-tech ground vehicle systems.

Projekttitel: Electric Vehicle Components for 1000 km daily trips
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2019 - Dezember 2021
Förderkennzeichen: 824250
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

The project brings together ten participants from industrial and academic backgrounds to provide innovative and massproduction optimised components enabling the efficient integration of powertrain and chassis systems, which will increase EV range and user acceptance. Given the recent progress related to in-wheel motors technology, and the benefits of inwheel architectures in terms of active safety, packaging and drivability, EVC1000 will focus on in-wheel drivetrain layouts, as well as a wheel-centric integrated propulsion system and EV manager. More specifically, the consortium will develop: - New components for in-wheel powertrains: i) Efficient, scalable, reliable, low-cost and production-ready in-wheel motors, suitable for a wide range of torque and power specifications; and ii) Dual inverters for in-wheel motor axles based on Silicon Carbide technology. The designs will include detailed consideration and measurement of the electro-magnetic compatibility aspects, as well as the implementation of model-predictive health monitoring techniques of the electronic components. - New components for electrified chassis control with in-wheel motors: i) Brake-by-wire system for seamless brake blending, high regeneration capability and enhanced anti-lock braking system control performance; and ii) Electro-magnetic active suspension actuators, targeting increased comfort and electric vehicle efficiency. - Controllers for the novel EVC1000 components, exploiting the benefits of functional integration, vehicle connectivity and driving automation for advanced energy management The new EVC1000 components will be showcased in two production-ready electric vehicle demonstrators of different market segments. EVC1000 will assess the increased energy efficiency and will include demonstration of long distance daily trips. The vehicle demonstration phase will consider objective and subjective performance indicators for human factor analysis, to deliver enhanced customer experience.

Projekttitel: HighScape - High efficiency, high power density, cost effective, scalable and modular power electronics and control solutions for electric vehicles
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2023 - Dezember 2025
Förderkennzeichen: 101056824
Projektleiter: Dr.-Ing. Valentin Ivanov
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

HighScape proposes a set of research and innovation activities to develop, test and validate innovative next-generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) solutions that can only be achieved through recent wide bandgap (WBG) technologies. Focused on BEV architectures with distributed multiple wheel drives, and, specifically, in-wheel power-trains, HighScape will explore the feasibility of a family of highly efficient, integrated, compact, cost-effective, scalable and modular power electronics components and systems, including integrated traction inverters, on-board chargers, DC/DC converters, and electric drives for auxiliaries and actuators. The proposed solutions will achieve automotive quality levels with robust and reliable functionalities and materials, which will be assessed and validated on test rigs and on two differently sized BEV prototypes carried over from previous European initiatives. The project will result in: i) component integration at a level hitherto impossible, e.g., with the incorporation of the WBG traction inverters within the in-wheel machines to achieve zero footprint of the electric power-train on the sprung mass; the functional integration of the traction inverter with the on-board charger, and the incorporation of the latter and the DC/DC converters within the battery pack; and the implementation of multi-motor and fault-tolerant inverter solutions for the auxiliaries and chassis actuators; ii) novel solutions, including the implementation of reconfigurable winding topologies of the drive, as well as integrated and predictive thermal management at the vehicle level, with the adoption of phase changing materials within the power electronics components; iii) the achievement and demonstration of significantly higher levels of power density, specific power and energy efficiency for the resulting power electronics systems and related drives; iv) major cost reductions with respect to the current state-of-the-art, thanks to the dual use of parts.

Projekttitel: Sodium-ion pouch cells with high energy and power density
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2017 - Juni 2018
Förderkennzeichen: 737616
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Yong Lei
Fachgebiet:3D Nanostrukturierung
Fakultät: Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften

The growing market appeal of rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs) for electric vehicles and portable electronics as well as the high cost and scarcity of lithium are driving research towards developing alternatives to LIBs. Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted considerable scientific and industrial attention as a potential alternative to LIBs with great economic benefits, which mainly attributes to the low cost and natural abundance of sodium. Moreover, SIBs share many similar characteristics with LIBs, from charge storage mechanism to cell structure, thus facilitating the production of SIBs with the existing LIB production technique and equipment. Currently, the key challenge of commercializing SIBs is to improve their performance to be comparable to LIBs. During the ERC ThreeDSurface project, we have performed both the material designing and 3D electrode designing for largely enhancing the SIB performance. A prototype of rechargeable SIB coin cells with high energy density and supercapacitor-like power density has been achieved, with performance indices that are comparable with the commercial LIBs. In particular, its supercapacitor-like high power density and superior rate capability allow ultrafast charge and discharge without deteriorating the energy density. In this PoC project, we will upscale the SIB coin cells into SIB pouch cells with low cost (< US$ 200 per kWh) and high energy capacity (≥ 30 Ah). Compared to the coin cell with only 1 Ah of a maximum energy capacity, the proposed pouch cell shall be capable of delivering much higher energy capacity in the range of 30-50 Ah, thus realizing battery system with large-scale commercial applications. Meanwhile, we will establish a production-scalable process for mass production of the SIB pouch cells, and hence paving the way towards further developing full SIB battery system for electric vehicles and portable electronics.

Projekttitel: HiPE - High Performance Power Electronics Integrations
Projektlaufzeit: November 2022 - Oktober 2025
Förderkennzeichen: 101056760
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Valentin Ivanov
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Fakultät: Maschinenbau

HiPE brings together 13 participants covering the whole value chain, to develop a new highly energy-efficient, cost-effective, modular, compact and integrated wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics solutions for the next generation of battery Electric vehicles (BEV), and to facilitate a significant market penetration of WBG in the automotive sector.
The project outputs will include: i) a scalable and modular family of WBG-based traction inverters and DC/DC converters with significantly improved specific cooling performance, suitable for 400V, 800V and 1200V applications, with power ratings from 50 to 250 kW, integrated into electric drives enabling drastic size and weight reductions; ii) a family of integrated WBG-based on-board chargers and DC/DC converters, with optimised innovative topologies, including use of GaN; and iii) integrated, fault-tolerant and cost-effective GaN-based power electronics for high-voltage ancillaries and chassis actuators.
The result will be an unprecedented level of functional integration, e.g., the HiPE power electronics solutions will be smart cyberphysical systems, incl. intelligent and predictive controllers to optimise performance, innovative and computationally efficient datadriven approaches to monitor the state-of-health of the relevant hardware, as well as novel digital-twin-based methodologies to tailor the component- and vehicle-level algorithms to the specific condition of the hardware installed on each individual BEV, and actively control the reliability and availability of the relevant parts. This will be achieved while preserving the expected automotive quality level without having to recur to overengineering, thanks to the innovative implementation of data-driven dependability techniques for cyber-physical systems. The extensive simulation analyses running in parallel with the design and experimental activities will
further demonstrate the scalability, modularity and wider potential impact of power electronics solutions.

Projekttitel: Improving Diagnosis by Fast Field-Cycling MRI
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2016 - Dezember 2019
Förderkennzeichen: 668119
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Siegfried Stapf
Fachgebiet:Technische Physik ll/Polymerphysik
Fakultät: Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften

Many diseases are inadequately diagnosed, or not diagnosed early enough by current imaging methods. Examples of unmet clinical needs arise in thromboembolic disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, sarcopenia, and many more areas. Our solution, Fast Field-Cycling (FFC) MRI, can measure quantitative information that is invisible to standard MRI. FFC scanners Switch magnetic field while scanning the patient, obtaining new diagnostic information. FFC-MRI has been demonstrated by us, but many challenges must be solved before clinical adoption.
Objectives:
Understand the mechanisms determining FFC signals in tissues;
Create technology to measure and correct for environmental magnetic fields, enabling FFC at ultra-low fields;
Investigate contrast agents for FFC, to increase sensitivity and to allow molecular imaging;
Improve FFC technology, im order to extend ist range of clinical applications;
Test FFC-MRI on tissue samples and on patients.
Achieved by:
Developing the theory of Relaxation in tissue at ultra-low fields, leading to models and biomarkers;
Developing magnetometers for FFC-MRI, and environmental-field correction;
Creating and in vitro testing of new FFC contrast agents; studying existing clinical agents for FFC-MRI sensitivity;
Improving technology to monitor and stabilise magnetic fields in FFC; improving magnet power supply stability; investigating better radiofrequency coils and acquisition pulse sequences;
Testing FFC methods on tissue samples from surgery and tissue Banks; proof-of-principle scans on patients.
FFC-MRI is a paradigm-shifting technology which will generate new, quantitative disease biomarkers, directly informing and improving clinical dagnosis, treatment decisions and treatment monitoring. Ist lower cost contributes to healthcaresustainability. The proposal consolidates the EU lead in FFC technology and uses new concepts from world-leading teams to deliver solutions based on innovations in theory, modelling, physics, chemistry and engineering.

Projekttitel: INtegrating Functional Assessment measures for Neonatal Safeguard
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2019 - Dezember 2022
Förderkennzeichen: 813483
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Hauseisen
Fachgebiet: Biomedizinische Technik
Fakultät: Informatik und Automatisierung

INFANS will train 15 ESRs with background from basic to clinical sciences in multiple aspects of neonatal brain monitoring. The need for a coordinated research training programme in neonatal brain monitoring arises from i) the severe shortage of clinically viable means to high quality monitor the brain function in infancy, crucial to prevent later life neurological, cognitive and motor impairment and ii) the lack of well-educated PhDs in this field. Through their individual research projects, encompassing technological innovation, industrial development, clinical validation, identification of neonatal healthcare needs, the INFANS ESRs will develop a novel platform for high quality, clinically-viable EEG-NIRS monitoring accessible worldwide. Excellent science, industrial leadership and societal challenge are merged in INFANS: 6 academic and 4 nonacademic partner from 6 EU countries, among which leading universities, industries, clinical institutions, share complementary expertise and facilities to provide international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral research training and mobility that will complement local doctoral training. Well-targeted visits and secondments, soft skills and dynamic training activities, an Open Science strategy, extensive involvement of ESRs in the network events organization, extensive contacts with other research, training and industrial European networks, dissemination activities and the award of Double doctoral degrees are further assets of INFANS. The ESRs will learn to transform a scientific/technological challenge into a product of socio-economic relevance, as the INFANS functional neuro-monitoring system will reduce the number of children with neurological, cognitive or motor dysfunctions associated with brain injuries at birth. The INFANS ESRs will become independent researchers with career prospects in both the academic and non-academic sectors, and will advance the EU capacity for innovation in biomedical engineering.

Projekttitel: Interdisciplinary Training Network in Multi-Actuated Ground Vehicles
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2016 - Dezember 2019
Förderkennzeichen: 675999
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

The main target of the ITEAM project is to establish and sustainably maintain the European training network with high grade of interdisciplinarity, which will train strong specialists skilled in research and development of novel technologies in the field of multi-actuated ground vehicles (MAGV). The global goals are: (i) Advance of European postgraduate education in the area of environment- and user-friendly vehicle technologies that highly demanded by the European industry and society; (ii) Reinforcement of cooperation between academia and industry to improve career perspectives of talented graduates in both public and private sectors; (iii) Creation of strong European research and innovation group making determinant contributions to next generations of multi-actuated ground vehicles. To achieve the project objectives, the consortium unites 11 beneficiaries and 5 partner organizations from 9 European countries including 7 universities, 2 research centres, and 7 nonacademic organizations. Distinctive feature of the ITEAM network is the concept of interaction of three research clusters: "MAGV integration", "Green MAGV", "MAGV Driving Environment". Within these clusters, the training concept will be based on intersectoral cooperation and will cover domains of (i) basic research, (ii) applied research, and (iii) experimentations. The ITEAM project will provide the first-of-its kind European training network in Ground Vehicles at doctorate level to fill up the niche in private sector and industry with researcher-practitioners. The proposed network will be developed as innovative, multidisciplinary, engineering product-oriented and project-based program to train the scientists by integrating cutting-edge research methods of ground vehicles, electric/mechatronic systems, environmental engineering and applied intelligent control. The ITEAM network measures will guarantee excellent career prospects for participating researchers both in industrial and academic sectors.

Projekttitel: ITN-5VC - Integrated Telematics for Next Generation 5G Vehicular Communications
Projektlaufzeit: Oktober 2020 - September 2024
Förderkennzeichen: 955629
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Giovanni Del Galdo
Fachgebiet: Elektronische Messtechnik und Signalverarbeitung
Fakultät: Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik

The imminent need of deploying advanced communication and autonomous driving capabilities in vehicles is turning the race towards the realization of the so called fifth generation new radio (5G NR) networks into a real odyssey for the European automotive industry. The challenges arising from the coexistence of MIMO systems on vehicles, the growing number of sensors and radars and cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) in the realm of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications are piling up. Many of them have not been solved yet due to the lack of qualified personnel with joint expertise in communications and sensing technologies. Thus, the acute need of the proposed ITN-5VC project, a European Industrial Doctorate (EID) training network, arises.

ITN-5VC aims to investigate the key problems of the integration of multi-band multi-antenna communications, including mmWave, with radar heads and other wireless sensors into the same telematics unit, so that transmission chains and radiation systems were efficiently reused in a cost-efficient manner while delivering the required performance. Multiple antenna deployment, joint operation and performance of the resulting automotive solution will be investigated by 11 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) working with top industrial manufacturers and academia in Europe. The training will tackle three main topics:
• Vehicular communications integrated with radar sensors for the sake of simplified telematics.
• Improved antenna and phased array technology deployment on the vehicle’s body or surface.
• Efficient protocol integration on V2X-specific system on chips for joint communication and sensing deployment on vehicles.

ITN-5VC will apply a new training Programme that follows the EU principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. Additionally, ITN-5VC training will apply short term missions, periodic challenges and an ECTS credit competition to boost the participation and engagement of the students to the Programme.

Projekttitel: MesoComp - Order at the Mesoscale: Connecting supercomputing of compressible convection to classical and quantum machine learning
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2023 - Dezember 2027
Förderkennzeichen: 101052786
Projektleiter: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jörg Schumacher
Fachgebiet: Theoretische Strömungsmechanik
Fakultät: Maschinenbau

Turbulent convection flows in nature display prominent patterns in the mesoscale range whose characteristic length in the horizontal directions exceeds the system scale height. Known as the turbulent superstructure of convection, they are absent on both larger and smaller scales and evolve in ways not yet understood; but they are an essential link in the heat and momentum transport to larger scales, an important driver of intermittent fluid motion at sub-mesoscales, and one major source of uncertainty in the prognosis of climate change and space weather. In MesoComp, I will investigate the formation of superstructures in massively parallel simulations of compressible turbulent convection in horizontally extended domains, aiming for a deeper understanding of their dynamical origin and role in the transport of heat and momentum. I will then use these high-fidelity simulations to build recurrent machine learning models to predict the evolution and statistics of the superstructure and thus quantify the transport fluxes beyond the mesoscale. I will also analyse the impact of the mesoscale structures on the highly intermittent statistics at the small-scale of the flow and reveal the resulting feedback in the form of improved subgrid parametrizations by means of generative machine learning. MesoComp opens additional doors to the application of quantum algorithms in machine learning which significantly improve the statistical sampling and data compression properties compared to their classical counterparts. From a longer-term perspective, my research results in a quantum advantage for the numerical analysis of classical turbulence, which accelerates the parametrizations of mesoscale convection and increases their fidelity. This work will finally lead to more precise predictions of the on-going climate change and global warming. The results will also improve solar activity models and thus solar storm prognoses with impacts on satellite communication and electrical grids.

Projekttitel:Benchmarking of Wheel Corner Concepts Towards Optimal Comfort by Automated Driving
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2020 - Dezember 2023
Förderkennzeichen:872907
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

The project OWHEEL aims at the development and evaluation of new concepts of automotive wheel corners as crucial elements of future vehicle architecture tailored to provide an optimal comfort during automated driving. The consortium will benchmark four essentially different classes: Passive corner with specific wheel positioning; Passive composite corner; Active corner with ordinary ride dynamics control; Active corner with integrated wheel positioning control.
For each proposed concept, the project will include relevant stages of development design, extensive simulation studies and experimental validation. The main goal of the OWHEEL project is to perform deep analysis and provide on its basis the
recommendations for future vehicle architecture, which could ensure an optimal comfort by automated driving. In this regard, the research and innovation objectives are focused on:
i. Revisiting the driving comfort criteria with their tuning to automated driving requirements and operational modes;
ii. Development of bencmarking criteria and corresponding analytical tool for comparison of wheel corner concepts in terms of driving comfort quality with simultaneous ensuring of required performance in terms of safety, energy-efficiency and reliability;
iii. Development and validation of active wheel corner concepts;
iv. Development and validation of passive wheel corner concepts;
v. Producing practical recommendations for automotive system developers based on obtained R&D results The implementation of the project OWHEEL will be based on intensive staff exchange that leads to collaborative Research and training between universities and industrial organizations from EU, Japan and South Africa. The project will also include relevant networking, dissemination and exploitation actions.

Projekttitel: Improved Estimation Algorithms for Water Purification and Desalination Systems
Projektlaufzeit: Dezember 2019 - Dezember 2021
Förderkennzeichen: 824046
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johann Reger
Fachgebiet: Regelungstechnik
Fakultät:Informatik und Automatisierung

Sustainable access to drinking water and providing usable water supply for adequate sanitation and also for irrigation based agriculture forms one of the major challenges for the global society in the 21st century. The major subject of the PUREWATER project are water purification and desalination processes. As a crucial part of a functional water resource management system, the information processing and monitoring of the respective water filtration and refinement procedures are subject to high requirements for accuracy, real-time standards and reliability. From a system engineering perspective, major issues regarding the complex underlying physical principles are to gain an appropriate mathematical description of the dynamic behavior combined with an adequate parameterization and knowledge about the internal state conditions of the distributed processes via intelligent sensor data evaluation in spite of external perturbations. This is required for an efficient and safe water plant control setup. The consortium will work together on developing a robust and online implementable modulating function based estimation scheme that includes observers for nonlinear and distributed hydrodynamical systems with an additional fault detection and isolation concept to identify failing operational conditions such as membrane fouling impact. The designed methods are validated in simulation and an experimental test bench is developed for testing the designed algorithms in a realistic environment. Furthermore, a smart sensor configuration will be designed for joint measurement and data evaluation devices. This is accomplished by combining the expertise from academic partners on the fields of observer design as well as system modeling and simulation with the experience from industrial partners on waste water treatment, desalination and integrated sensor systems by exchanging knowledge between scientists from Europe, Latin America and the Middle East coordinated by EU members.

Projekttitel: Twinning for Sustainable and Visible Excellence in Screen Media Entrepreneurship Scholarship
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2021 - Dezember 2024
Förderkennzeichen: 952156
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. rer.pol. Andreas Will
Fachgebiet: Medien- und Kommunikationsmanagement

Mehr: CORDIS

The objective of the ScreenME-Net project is to enhance excellence in screen media entrepreneurship scholarship at Tallinn University (TLU), to increase its networking position and visibility in this scholarly field, and to ensure sustainability of the impact of this project, mainly through the institutionalization of a screen media entrepreneurship research hub, the so-called ScreenME-Hub, at TLU.

In terms of enhancing excellence in scholarship, the project aims at positively impacting all four
pillars of scholarship (Boyer, 1990): discovery, integration, teaching and application. The objectives will be achieved through networking and collaboration activities with an interdisciplinary set of internationally-leading research institutions with strong expertise in entrepreneurship teaching and research as well as in various academic disciplines and scholarly areas of high relevance to understanding current dynamics in media industries and their wider societal effects. These partners are:

Technical University Ilmenau (Germany, TUIL_IfMK),
Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT University (Finland,
LUT), Jönköping International Business School and its Media Management and Transformation Centre (Sweden,
JIBS_MMTC), Aarhus University (Denmark, AU_CMIP), Cork Institute of Technology and its Hincks Centre for
Entrepreneurship Excellence (Ireland, CIT) and Vrije University Brussels (Belgium, VUB_SMIT).

Not only do these partners have a high level of scientific capacity and international reputation, they are also well-integrated into the relevant international research and collaboration networks and have shown excellence in early stage researcher development as well as research management and administration skills. The experience, knowledge and authority of these leading institutions will provide a perfect guide to TLU in achieving sustainable and visible excellence in screen media entrepreneurship.

Projekttitel: Supporting Urban Integrated Transport Systems: Transferable tools for authorities
Projektlaufzeit: Dezember 2016 - November 2020
Förderkennzeichen: 690650
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. Heidi Krömker
Fachgebiet: Medienproduktion
Fakultät: Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik

Mehr: CORDIS

SUITS takes a sociotechnical approach to capacity building in Local Authorities and transport stakeholder organisations with special emphasis on the transfer of learning to smaller sized cities, making them more effective and resilient to change in the judicious implementation of sustainable transport measures. Key outputs will be a validated capacity building program for transport departments, and resource light learning assets (modules, e-learning material, webinars and workshops), decision support tools to assist in procurement, innovative financing, engagement of new business partners and handling of open, real time and legacy data. SUITS argues that without capacity building and the transformation of transport departments into learning organisations, training materials will not provide the step change needed to provide innovative transport measures.

Working with nine cities to model gaps in their understanding, motivation, communication and work practices, will provide each city with a map of its own strengths and weaknesses with respect to sustainable transport planning. From this, strategies to enhance capacity, based on each authority’s needs will be developed and organisations provided with the necessary techniques to increase their own capacity, mentored directly by research partners. Local champions will be trained to continue capacity building after the project. Using the CIVITAS framework for impact evaluation, the effectiveness and impact of SUITS in enabling reductions in transport problems such as congestion and pollution while improving cities capacity to grow as well as the quality of life for urban dwellers and commuters through the development of inclusive, integrated transport measures will be measured in the cities and at individual, organisational and institutional levels. All project outcomes will be disseminated in a stakeholder engagement program at local, national and EU wide levels, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful transport measures.

Projekttitel: Transport Innovation Gender Observatory
Projektlaufzeit: Dezember 2018 - November 2021
Förderkennzeichen: 824349
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr. phil. Heidi Krömker
Fachgebiet: Medienproduktion
Fakultät:Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik

Women face higher risks and burdens than men in transport, due to unequal access to resources, education, job opportunities and entrenched socio-cultural norms. The TlnnGO project will develop a framework and mechanisms for a sustainable game change in European transport using the transformative strategy of gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility. It will address gender related contemporary challenges in the transport ecosystem and women's mobility needs, creating a route for Gender Sensitive Smart Mobility in European Transport, wh ich considers diversity of different groups. Intersectional analysis, with gender aligned to socio cultural dimensions, will be applied to different types of transport data, assessment tools, modelling of new mobility pOlicies, planning and services to show prevalence of transport poverty in traditionally hard to reach groups. TlnnGO will show how inequalities are created and address gendered practices of education, employment, technological innovations and entrepreneurship as arenas for change and indusion of gendered innovations. A Pan European observatory for gender smart transport innovation (TlnnGO) will provide a nexus for data collection , analysis, dissemination of gender mainstreaming tools and open innovation. TlnnGO's emphasis on diverse and specific transport needs is shown in its unique comparative approach enabling contributions from, and influence of 13member states in 10 hubs. These will employ qualitative, quantitative and design research methods, combining hands-on knowledge, concrete actions and best practices to develop gender and diversity sensitive smart mobilities and solutions through associated ideas factories (TlnnGldLabs). No former EU funded project has applied an intersectional gender approach to smartening transport. TlnnGO will therefore lead research into a new era and use the knowledge to achieve impacts on Social, Economic, Environmental and European ambitions of growth, wealth and innovation.

Projekttitel: Connected and Shared X-in-the-loop Environment for Electric Vehicles Development
Projektlaufzeit: Januar 2019 - Dezember 2021
Förderkennzeichen: 824333
Projektleiter: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Augsburg
Fachgebiet: Kraftfahrzeugtechnik
Bearbeiter in Ilmenau: Thüringer Innovationszentrum (ThIMo)

Overall goal of the XILforEV project strives for developing a complex experimental environment for designing electric vehicles and their systems, which connects test platforms and setups from different domains and situated in different geographical locations. The domains under discussion can cover (but not limited by) hardware-in-the-loop test rigs, dynamometers, material analysers, and other variants of experimental infrastructures. Real-time running of specific test scenarios simultaneously on (i) all connected platforms/devices with (ii) the same real-time models of objects and operating environments allows exploring interdependencies between various physical processes that can be hardly identified or investigated in the process of EV development. However, the realization of connected and shared XIL experimental environment is characterized by a number of steps to be solved, e.g. communication concepts ensuring real-time capability of connected experiments, reliable methods for real-time handling of big experimental data et al. With this in mind, a strong consortium has been built, encompassing a wide spectrum of competences. In summary, the XILforEV project brings together seven complementary participants from
industry and academia, to address the new design and testing tool for electric vehicles and their systems, based on a sound and objective analysis of the distributed XIL technologies, at a level of depth never attempted by any previous research on the subject. To this purpose the XILforEV activity will include novel techniques for connecting experimental labs and dedicated case studies for designing EV motion control and EV fail-safe control. In addition, considering the importance of virtual models in XIL procedures and the availability of different test benches interconnected, the proposal also addresses the development of high-confidence, real-time capable models with automatic validation using experimental data.

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Internationalisation of research

International research partnerships

EU projects

Internationalisation of research

International research partnerships

EU projects

BREAKBEN - Breaking the Nonuniqueness Barrier in Electromagnetic Neuroimaging

CerDee-Ceramics: Documenting, educating, experiencing

CLOVER - Robust Control, State Estimation and Disturbance Compensation

ConvExt - EXTreme events in CONVection: advanced measurements and data-driven prediction

CoPerMix - Control Prediction and LeaRning in Mixing processes

DRIVEMODE - Integrated Modular Distributed Drivetrain for Electric/Hybrid Vehicles

EMBRACE - Technology for multimodal inter-brain dynamics investigation

EMERALD - ElectroMagnetic imaging for a novel genERation of medicAL Devices

EVE - Innovative Engineering of ground Vehicles with integrated active Chassis

EVC1000 - Electric Vehicle Components for 1000 km daily trips

HighScape - High efficiency, high power density, cost effective, scalable and modular power electronics and control solutions for electric vehicles

HiNaPC - Sodium-ion pouch cells with high energy and power density

HiPE - High Performance Power Electronics Integrations

IDentIFY - Improving Diagnosis by Fast Field-Cycling MRI

INFANS - INtegrating Functional Assessment measures for Neonatal Safeguard

ITEAM - Interdisciplinary Training Network in Multi-Actuated Ground Vehicles

ITN-5VC - Integrated Telematics for Next Generation 5G Vehicular Communications

MesoComp - Order at the Mesoscale: Connecting supercomputing of compressible convection to classical and quantum machine learning

MET5FoF - Metrology for the Factory of the Future

OWHEEL - Benchmarking of Wheel Corner Concepts Towards Optimal Comfort by Automated Driving

Power2Power - Providing next-generation Silicon-based power solutions in transport and machinery for significant decarbonisation in the next decade

Pure-Water - Improved Estimation Algorithms for Water Purification and Desalination Systems

ScreenME-Net - Twinning for Sustainable and Visible Excellence in Screen Media Entrepreneurship Scholarship

SOMPATY - Spectral Optimization: From Mathematics to Physics and Advanced Technology

SUITS - Supporting Urban Integrated Transport Systems: Transferable tools for authorities

TInnGo - Transport Innovation Gender Observatory

XILforEV - Connected and Shared X-in-the-loop Environment for Electric Vehicles Development