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Inventions
Special Issues
Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II
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Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II

A special issue of Inventions (ISSN 2411-5134). This special issue belongs to the section "Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 19576

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Francisco Manzano Agugliaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Almeria, CeiA3, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Interests: remote sensing; UAV; land cover; land use; sustainability; agriculture; land change; energy; engineering; water
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Esther Salmerón-Manzano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Law, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Av. de la Paz, 137, 26006 Logroño, Spain
Interests: sustainability; higher education; law; bibliometry; new technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout the history of mankind, man has invented ingenious ways for solving problems, such as enhancing knowledge, but above all, for the improvement of our quality of life. Inventions are often those that we use on a daily basis and that go unnoticed, as they are something we have become accustomed to living with. Low-cost technologies are expected to be easy to build, have little or no energy consumption, and be easy to maintain and operate. The use of sustainable technologies is essential in order to move towards a greater global coverage of technology and, therefore, to improve the human quality of life. Low-cost products always respond to a specific need, even if no in-depth analysis of the situation or possible solutions is carried out. It is a consensus in all industrialized countries that patents have a decisive influence on the organization of the economy, being a key element in promoting technological innovation. Patents must aim to promote the technological development of countries, starting from their industrial situation.

Usually, for the proposal of a patent, a review of the state of technology on that particular issue must be constructed. This type of study is not often published in scientific journals, despite their technological value, which is why this Special Issue aims to include research works reviewing the state of the art in low-cost technologies used for patent applications. One way allowing the survival of a company, in a world as competitive as the current one, is the promotion of technological innovation through its inventions, making it possible to add value to the services and products it can offer. The management of technological innovation requires the implementation of a set of mechanisms, including the protection of intellectual property. Thus, patents, licenses, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets are some legal tools through which inventors and innovators enforce their legitimate right to keep ownership of their inventions.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Manzano Agugliaro
Dr. Esther Salmerón-Manzano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Inventions is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • patent
  • low cost
  • sensors
  • cost effectiveness
  • substrates
  • thin films
  • image processing
  • hardware
  • smart grid
  • smart home
  • energy management
  • power electronics
  • global positioning system
  • GNSS
  • UAV
  • photogrammetry
  • embedded systems
  • wastewater treatment
  • pollutant removal
  • agriculture
  • automation
  • machinery

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

4 pages, 201 KiB  
Editorial
Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II
by Esther Salmerón-Manzano and Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro
Inventions 2023, 8(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8010020 - 12 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1829
Abstract
Inventions are new, unique, and useful creations or solutions to problems that have been developed through the process of invention [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 1208 KiB  
Article
Implementation of Total Productive Maintenance Approach: Improving Overall Equipment Efficiency of a Metal Industry
by Sukhpreet Singh, Ashish Agrawal, Deepak Sharma, Vishnu Saini, Abhinav Kumar and Seepana Praveenkumar
Inventions 2022, 7(4), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7040119 - 09 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5479
Abstract
Quality has become one of the most crucial criteria in an institution’s success and survival as there is nothing more than what an era of globalization and intensity demands. Successful businesses recognize that consumer reliability may have a severe influence on their bottom [...] Read more.
Quality has become one of the most crucial criteria in an institution’s success and survival as there is nothing more than what an era of globalization and intensity demands. Successful businesses recognize that consumer reliability may have a severe influence on their bottom lines. As a result, several competitive companies are constantly raising their quality requirements. Competitive companies think that improving quality is the best way to recover, and most authors have specified various procedures relevant to their processes. The majority of automobile assembly sectors are looking for high-quality requirements in their manufacturing techniques and are executing a quality system known as total productive maintenance (TPM). The study’s goal is to deploy the TPM program inside the metal forming industry to improve metal industry workstations. The overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) for various workstations such as rolling, bending, cutting, and die punching for the fiscal year 2018–2019 has been evaluated. In addition to the other reasons, inefficient resource utilization is a significant component that diminishes the factory’s OEE. In the financial year 2019–2020, the TPM approach was adopted in the enterprise. As a result, there has been an improvement in overall performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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18 pages, 4211 KiB  
Article
A Platform for Inpatient Safety Management Based on IoT Technology
by Eugenia Arrieta Rodriguez, Luis Fernando Murillo Fernandez, Gustavo Adolfo Castañez Orta, Ana Milena Rivas Horta, Carlos Baldovino Barco, Kellys Jimenez Barrionuevo, Dora Cama-Pinto, Francisco Manuel Arrabal-Campos, Juan Antonio Martínez-Lao and Alejandro Cama-Pinto
Inventions 2022, 7(4), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7040116 - 07 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
There is a need to integrate advancements in biomedical, information, and communication technologies with care processes within the framework of the inpatient safety program to support effective risk management of adverse events occurring in the hospital environment and to improve inpatient safety. In [...] Read more.
There is a need to integrate advancements in biomedical, information, and communication technologies with care processes within the framework of the inpatient safety program to support effective risk management of adverse events occurring in the hospital environment and to improve inpatient safety. In this respect, this work presents the development of a software platform using the Scrum methodology and the integrated technology of the Internet of Things for monitoring and managing inpatient safety. A modular solution is developed under a hexagonal architecture, using PHP as the backend language through the Laravel framework. A MySQL database was used for the data layer, and Vue.js was used for the user interface. This work implemented an RFID-based nurse call system using Internet of Things (IoT) concepts. The system enables nurses to respond to each inpatient within a given time limit and without the inpatient or a family member having to approach the nursing station. The system also provides reports and indicators that help evaluate the quality of inpatient care and helps to take measures to improve inpatient safety during care. In addition, diet management is integrated to reduce the occurrence of adverse events. A LoRa and Wi-Fi-based IoT network was implemented using a LoRa transceiver and the ESP32 MCU, chosen for its low power consumption, low cost, and wide availability. Bidirectional communication between hardware and software is handled through an MQTT Broker. The system integrates temperature and humidity sensors and smoke sensors, among others. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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16 pages, 6183 KiB  
Article
SCADA System for Online Electrical Engineering Education
by Alfredo Alcayde, Isabel Robalo, Francisco G. Montoya and Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro
Inventions 2022, 7(4), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7040115 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3040
Abstract
Renewable energy sources are increasingly being integrated into small-scale production systems, so plants with multiple supply sources are becoming more common. This improvement in technology added to a greater social awareness of energy saving and resource usage, which makes flexible systems to manage [...] Read more.
Renewable energy sources are increasingly being integrated into small-scale production systems, so plants with multiple supply sources are becoming more common. This improvement in technology added to a greater social awareness of energy saving and resource usage, which makes flexible systems to manage these facilities necessary. Modern energy management can be more accessible to the interested public if it is located in universities, making it available to teachers and students alike. Furthermore, as it is a developing field of study, its location on campus facilitates research, maintenance, and financing. In this scenario, a SCADA system is proposed, capable of monitoring and centrally storing the values of the most important production and consumption parameters. In addition, by using this system, it is possible to control the state of the different energy sources in a centralized way, as well as their distribution in the plant where it is implemented. This study focuses on the management of a flexible, modern, and accessible solution to the advances in electrical systems because of technological development in this field, which broadens the experience of university teachers and students in their engineering careers. The systems have been put into practice in the facilities of a research and teaching laboratory at the University of Almeria, which integrates renewable and conventional energy resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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18 pages, 13835 KiB  
Article
Heat Flow and Thermal Stress Analysis to Enhance the Temperature Distribution and Service Life of Stone Grill Plates in Barbecue Ovens
by Wei-Long Chen, Kuo-Chien Liao, Hom-Yu Wu and Hung-Ta Wen
Inventions 2022, 7(4), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7040103 - 15 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1967
Abstract
The causes of the fracturing of stone grills in barbecue ovens were analyzed using a coupled analysis model that combined combustion thermodynamics with heat conduction and the finite element method. The proportion of mixed air for combustion was simulated, and the stone grill [...] Read more.
The causes of the fracturing of stone grills in barbecue ovens were analyzed using a coupled analysis model that combined combustion thermodynamics with heat conduction and the finite element method. The proportion of mixed air for combustion was simulated, and the stone grill plate temperature and thermal stress distribution were the two factors taken to enhance the design of stone grill plates. Moreover, thermal images were used to compare the performance of the original and the improved plates to quantify the improvements, and validate the accuracy of the simulations. The results showed that the temperature distribution was uniform across the stone grill plate. When comparing the simulation model and the actual experiment, the simulation model can generate an optimal design with fewer errors in a shorter period. The combustion tube is deemed to have considerable influence on the performance of the barbecue oven. The surface temperature distribution of the stone grill plate was improved by controlling the amount of fuel entering the combustion system and/or changing the material and shape of the stone grill. On the other hand, the analysis results of the improved stone grill plate in this study showed that we can correct the temperature difference and thermal stress difference caused by the opening of the upper cover of the oven. According to our study, the average thermal stress on the surface of the stone grill plate was effectively reduced by 45.3 MPa. The average temperature difference decreased by 91 °C. At the same time, by improving the intake position and method of the combustion tube, the air mass flow in the combustion tube increased by 12%, which effectively improved the combustion efficiency of the combustion tube. In particular, a more uniform distribution was achieved by decreasing the temperature of the mixed air entering the combustion tube, which in turn increased the flow rate and velocity of the air flowing through the top of the flame to the bottom surface of the stone grill plate. The strategies employed can prevent the thermal-stress-induced fracturing of stone grill plates and prolong their service life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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13 pages, 1762 KiB  
Article
Determination of the Expected Value of Losses Caused by the Cargo Transportation Insurance Risks by Water Transport
by Sergiy Kotenko, Svitlana Ilchenko, Valeriia Kasianova, Vitalii Diakov, Svitlana Mashkantseva and Vitalii Nitsenko
Inventions 2022, 7(3), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7030081 - 12 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1952
Abstract
The purpose of this study was mathematical model development for assessing the cost of losses from risks in the maritime transportation of goods that are dynamic in nature, and developing a methodical approach to the dynamic costs assessment for each of the risks [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was mathematical model development for assessing the cost of losses from risks in the maritime transportation of goods that are dynamic in nature, and developing a methodical approach to the dynamic costs assessment for each of the risks separately and integral costs for all risks and ensuring the fulfillment of the requirement to anticipate the insurance cost changes over the rate of change of the transportation integral risk (or its stage). The risks factor analysis in water transport, their classification and determination of the type and nature of their impact on sea transportation of goods were carried out. The groups of risk factors that lead to emergency situations for water transport in Ukraine were studied by comparing the data of 2019 and 2021 and determining their share in the total number of accidents before the start of the active phase of hostilities in Ukraine; the rates of their change were analyzed. This made it possible to develop a systematic assessment algorithm for the dependence of the expected and actual value of losses on risks and to create a mathematical approach to risks forecasting as a factor influencing the cost of expenses. As a result of the study, a methodical approach to forecasting the cost of losses from risks was formed for each of their types. However, the main attention was paid to the identification and assessment of dynamic risks, the impact of which has an absorbing nature relative to all others in their totality. Such risks in the waters of the Black and Azov seas today mainly include risks associated with the conduct of military operations, including such operations that go against international legal norms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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13 pages, 8687 KiB  
Article
Fast Location of Table Grapes Picking Point Based on Infrared Tube
by Yanjun Zhu, Tongxun Zhang, Lipeng Liu, Ping Liu and Xiang Li
Inventions 2022, 7(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions7010027 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2550
Abstract
This study investigates the low mechanization level of grape picking, and the problems associated with the difficult location of grape picking points in three-dimensional space. A method for rapidly locating the picking points of table grapes based on an infrared tube was proposed [...] Read more.
This study investigates the low mechanization level of grape picking, and the problems associated with the difficult location of grape picking points in three-dimensional space. A method for rapidly locating the picking points of table grapes based on an infrared tube was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the Otsu algorithm and the maximum connected domain were used to obtain the image of the target grape, which realized the fast recognition and segmentation of the target grape in two-dimensional space. Secondly, a location device for grape-picking points based on an infrared tube was designed, which resolved the technical problem related to the difficulty of locating picking points in three-dimensional space, and realized the accurate positioning of picking points for table grapes. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed method can quickly and accurately locate the picking points of table grapes in three-dimensional space. The average running time of the proposed algorithm is 0.61 s, and the success rate of location identification is 90.0%. It provides a feasible scheme for the mechanized picking of table grapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Cost Inventions and Patents: Series II)
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