This MSc Thesis focuses on the collision detection between scene objects and consequent resolution of such collisions on the basis of physical model. The implementation of all the applications and algorithms is achieved in Win32 environment in Visual Studio using the programming language C++; it also employs the graphical library Open Inventor based on OpenGL. The work also includes additional application for the calculation of physical values. The demo applications involve algorithms for detection and resolution of explosive collision by the use of a simple and physical reflection on the basis of physical formulas and relationships. The main demo application called "tunnel transit" incorporates a simple game engine. The thesis also includes a discussion over the aroused problems with collision solving and some suggestions how to overcome them.

Cette thèse développe les points suivants : Réactions d'échange de charge avec les ions multicharges dans le milieu interstellaire. Calcul de structure moléculaire. Développement d'une méthode de potentiel-modèle à un électron. Traitement collisionnel quantique de l'échange de charge des ions C(+2), Si(+2), N(+3) et C(+4) avec l'hydrogène atomique dans le milieu interstellaire.

This thesis addresses the problems of collision avoidance and coalition formation of multiple UAVs in high density traffic environments, proposes simple and efficient algorithms as solutions, and discusses their applications in multiple UAV missions. First, the problem of collision avoidance among UAVs is considered and deconfliction algorithms are proposed. The efficacy of the proposed algorithms is tested using simulations involving random flights in high density traffic. Further, the proposed collision avoidance algorithms are implemented using realistic six degree of freedom UAV models. The studies in this thesis show that implementation of the proposed collision avoidance algorithms leads to a safer and efficient operational airspace occupied by multiple UAVs. Next, coalition formation in a search and prosecute mission involving a large number of UAVs and targets is considered. This problem is shown to be NP-hard and a sub-optimal but polynomial time coalition formation strategy is proposed. Simulations are carried out to show that this coalition formation algorithm works well. The coalition formation algorithm is then extended to handle situations where the UAVs have limited communication ranges. Finally, this thesis considers some multiple UAV missions that require the application of collision avoidance and coalition formation techniques. The problem of multiple UAV rendezvous is tackled by using (i) a consensus among the UAVs to attain rendezvous and (ii) the collision avoidance algorithm previously developed for safety. The thesis also considers a search and prosecute mission where the UAVs also have to avoid collisions among one another. In summary, the main contributions of this thesis include (a) novel collision avoidance algorithms, which are conceptually simple and easy to implement, for resolving path conflicts – both planar and three dimensional – in a high density traffic airspace with UAVs in free flight and (b) efficient coalition formation algorithms for search and prosecute task with large number of UAVs and targets where UAVs have limited communication ranges and targets are maneuvering. Simulations to evaluate the performance of algorithms based on these concepts to carry out realistic tasks by UAV swarms are also given.

La problématique traitée dans cette thèse concerne la commande de robots manipulateurs à articulations flexibles. Les méthodes développées visent à satisfaire les spécifications de performance et de robustesse en suivi de trajectoire, ainsi qu’à assurer un niveau de sécurité compatible avec un scénario de fonctionnement interactif dans lequel l’homme et le robot partagent un même espace de travail. Seules les mesures moteur sont utilisées dans un contexte d’instrumentation réduite. Le premier objectif de performance de la commande de mouvement est atteint grâce à l’identification expérimentale d’un modèle flexible représentatif du système, et l’usage de ce modèle pour la synthèse de lois de commande avancées intégrées au sein d’une structure cascade. Deux approches complémentaires fondées d’une part sur la commande prédictive de type GPC (Generalized Predictive Control), et d’autre part sur la commande Hinfini, sont considérées pour la synthèse de lois de commande à deux degrés de liberté, prédictives et robustes. Les performances de ces deux approches sont analysées et évaluées expérimentalement. Le deuxième objectif de sécurité est abordé à travers un algorithme de détection de collisions du robot avec son environnement, sans capteur d’effort et en présence d’incertitudes de modélisation. Afin de séparer efficacement les effets dynamiques des collisions de ceux des erreurs de modélisation, une stratégie adaptative de filtrage et de décision tenant compte de l’état du système est proposée. La validation expérimentale montre une très bonne sensibilité de détection, compatible avec les normes et les recommandations de sécurité relatives à la robotique collaborative. / The present thesis addresses the problem of motion control of flexible-joint robot manipulators using motor sensors only. The global objective is to guarantee tracking performance and robustness with respect to modeling uncertainties, together with safe human-robot interaction in a collaborative scenario where the robot and the human operator share the same workspace. The first objective of performance is achieved through the experimental identification of a flexible model of the system and the use of this model for the design of advanced control laws implemented in a cascade structure. Two complementary approaches, based either on predictive (Generalized Predictive Control, GPC) or Hinfinity control frameworks, are considered to design predictive and robust two degrees-of-freedom controllers. Experimental evaluation and analysis of the proposed strategies is provided. The second objective of safety is addressed by a novel algorithm for human-robot collision detection, without force sensors and in the presence of modeling uncertainties. In order to efficiently separate the dynamic effects of the collisions from the effects due to modeling errors, the proposed approach includes adaptive filtering and uses dynamic thresholds depending on the robot state. Experimental evaluation demonstrates a good detection sensitivity which is consistent with safety standards and recommendations for collaborative robotics.

Dans de nombreuses mégalopoles, la progression de la part modale du vélo, par ailleurs soutenue grâce à des politiques publiques, crée un intérêt grandissant pour la sécurité des cyclistes qui représente un véritable enjeu de santé publique. La plupart des études sur le sujet utilisent des données officielles issues des forces de police. Cependant ces données sous enregistrent les cyclistes et tout particulièrement les victimes d'accidents seuls. En France, une étude menée sur le Registre médical du Rhône, quasi exhaustif en termes de chutes et de collisions à vélo, a permis d'estimer qu'un cycliste a 8 fois plus de chances d'être victime d'un accident, par heure passée sur la route, qu'un automobiliste. Cette même étude identifie un sur-risque d'accident chez les femmes. Partant de ces constats, ce travail de thèse propose une image complète de l'accidentalité à vélo qui prend en compte les facteurs d'accidents identifiés dans la littérature et propose de comprendre comment le comportement du cycliste interagit avec eux. L'objectif de nos travaux est de décrire les configurations d'accident corporel pour proposer des actions en sécurité primaire ou secondaire. Pour ce faire, nous avons mené une enquête auprès de 3337 cyclistes accidentés en 2009-2011 et identifiés dans le Registre des victimes d'accidents de la circulation du Rhône. Sur la base d'un taux important de répondants, les analyses descriptives améliorent la connaissance en accidentalité cycliste, certains facteurs d'accidents étant scrutés pour la première fois par notre enquête. A la suite des différentes analyses, le rôle du sexe du cycliste dans l'accident est apparu incertain, justifiant une étude approfondie des accidents à vélo à travers le prisme du genre. Dans un ultime volet, nous proposons un ensemble de mesures et d'idées visant l'amélioration de la sécurité des déplacements cyclistes ainsi que des perspectives de recherche en accidentalité à vélo qui combleraient les lacunes du travail proposé / In many major cities, the growing modal share of cycling, mainly supported by public policies, raises the issue of cycling safety. Most of the existing work on this topic is based on police data. However, these data underreport cyclists, especially the victims of single accidents. In France, a recent study based on the Rhône road trauma registry, a medical database covering almost all cyclist falls or collisions, considers that a cyclist is 8 times more likely to be injured than a driver by hour spend on a road. The same review also reveals an increased risk of crash for women. Based on these observations, this thesis comes up with a full picture of cycling accidents, taking into account accident factors identified in the literature. The proposed work offers a better understanding on how the cyclist’s behavior interacts with them. It aims to describe accident configurations to propose preventive primary and secondary safety actions. To do so, we surveyed 3337 cyclists injured in 2009-2011 and identified in the Rhône Road Trauma Registry. Based on a significant response rate, descriptive analyses improve existing knowledge in cycling safety, some accident factors being examined for the first time in our survey. Following these analyses, gender roles were unclear, justifying an intensive investigation on cycling accidents through the prism of gender. In order to achieve this goal, we select the 44 accidents on utilitarian trips and built a logistical regression model to explain the likelihood that the victim is a woman. All factors being equal, when a injured cyclist had a load on his bike, did not know the route, fell ascending or descending a curbside, it is more likely that the victim is a woman. Conversely, the probability for the victim to be a men increases if the cyclist’s speed is one of the accident factors. These results are confirmed and illustrated analyzing textual data on accidents stories. The last part is dedicated to a proposal of a set of actions and ideas aiming at improving cycling safety. Some research perspectives are proposed to address the weaknesses of the thesis work

La distribution spatiale des massifs UHP/BT montre que leur exhumation est un phénomène 3D qui a lieu uni-quement dans des zones particulières des chaînes de montagnes caractérisées par une complexité structurale et/ou géométrique. Dans les expériences de modélisation thermomécanique 2D de la subduction continentale en régime de faible compression, nous obtenons l'exhumation de roches HP depuis des profondeurs d'environs 70 km. La croûte continentale subduite plus profondément dans l'asthenosphere devient trop chaude (peu résis-tante). Elle se détache du manteau continental subduit, flue verticalement et se sous plaque sous la plaque chevauchante. La subduction continentale en régime de forte compression peut provoquer la rupture de la plaque chevauchante dans l'arc volcanique ou le bassin arrière arc aboutissant à la subduction du bloc avant arc ou de la plaque d'arc. La croûte continentale subduite avec ces unités peut atteindre 200 km de profondeur en étant gui-dée par ces unités et le manteau continental subduit. Dans ces conditions, la croûte est soumise aux conditions UHP/BT, mais elle ne peut pas être exhumé dans un contexte 2D. Nous montrons numériquement en 3D, que la subduction le long d'une frontière de plaques convexe entraîne localement dans la plaque chevauchante une extension horizontale parallèle à la frontière qui provoque localement le retrait du front de cette plaque et la réduction de la pression inter plaque. En imposant cette déformation extensive à la plaque chevauchante dans un modèle expérimental thermomécanique 3D nous avons obtenus l'exhumation locale des roches UHP/BT et avons pu étudier en détails son mécanisme.

La fragmentation d'agrégats atomique et moléculaire suite à un dépôt d'énergie représente un intérêt fondamental pour la physique d'interaction particule-matière ou rayonnement-matière. Des expériences réalisées à l'Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon ont montré que cette fragmentation se fait selon plusieurs canaux, incluant l'évaporation, la dissociation ou la multifragmentation. Ces différents canaux mettent en jeu plusieurs mécanismes selon le degré d'excitation ou d'ionisation ou de multi-ionisation, qui révèlent un caractère individuel (Excitation rotationnelle ou vibrationnelle des constituants de l'agrégat) ou un caractère collectif tel que la réactivité intramoléculaire.<br /><br />Dans cette thèse, nous avons élaboré et développé un code de simulation Monte Carlo dans le but d'étudier ces différents canaux et mécanismes de dissociation des agrégats H3+(H2)m (1 ≤ m ≤ 18) par impact d'atomes d'hélium à une énergie de 60 keV/uma. Cette simulation est basée au préalable sur la connaissance des structures géométriques des agrégats et des sections efficaces de dissociation individuelle des constituants H3+ et H2.<br />L'interaction est étudiée dans le centre de masse de l'agrégat grâce à une approche par cinématique inverse.<br />Les résultats obtenus permettent de remonter aux sections efficaces totales de dissociation ainsi qu'aux sections efficaces partielles de quelques canaux tels que : La capture électronique, la simple ionisation et la multi-ionisation.<br /><br />Cette simulation peut aussi servir à l'étude de l'évaporation et de la multifragmentation en incluant des routines tenant compte de ces phénomènes.

The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an aircraft collision avoidance system designed to prevent mid-air collisions. During an advisory, danger is imminent, and TCAS is assumed to have better, more up-to-date information than the ground operated air traffic control (ATC) facility. Following a TCAS RA is generally the safe course of action during an advisory. However, pilot compliance with RAs is surprisingly low. Results from a TCAS monitoring study show pilots are not complying with many TCAS advisories. As revealed by pilot-submitted Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports, this noncompliance could be attributed, in part, to pilot confusion to TCAS operation as well as misunderstandings of the appropriate response to a TCAS issued advisory. This thesis details the development and evaluation of a TCAS training program intended to improve pilots' understanding of TCAS use for collision avoidance in a range of traffic situations. The training program integrated Demonstration Based and Event Based Training techniques. Its efficacy was analyzed in an integrated ATC-cockpit simulator study in which eighteen commercial airline pilots were asked to complete the TCAS training program and afterwards experienced twelve experimental traffic events. The trained pilots' performance was compared to the performance of 16 baseline pilots who did not receive the modified training. Overall, the training program did have a significant impact on the pilots' behavior and response to TCAS advisories. The measure Time Pilots First Achieved Compliance decreased with the trained pilots, as did the measure Autopilot Disconnect Time After RA Initiation. Trained pilots exhibited less aggressive performance in response to a TCAS RA (including a decrease in the measures Altitude Deviation Over Duration Of RA, Average Vertical Rate Difference, Maximum Vertical Rate Difference, and Maximum Vertical Rate). The measure Percent Compliance did not significantly vary between trained and baseline pilots, although trained pilots had a more consistent response in the traffic event with conflicting ATC guidance. Finally, on the post-experiment questionnaires, pilots commented on their increase in understanding of TCAS as well as an increase in their trust in the advisory system. Results of this research inform TCAS training objectives provided by the FAA as well as the design of TCAS training. Additionally, conclusions extend more broadly to improved training techniques for other similar complex, time-critical situations.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,Trivandrum / In the space surrounding the earth there are two major regions where orbital debris causes concern. They are the Low Earth Orbits (LEO) up to about 2000 km, and Geosynchronous Orbits (GEO) at an altitude of around 36000 km. The impact of the debris accumulations are in principle the same in the two regions; nevertheless they require different approaches and solutions, due to the fact that the perturbations in the orbital decay due to atmospheric drag effects predominates in LEO, gravitational forces including earth’s oblateness and luni solar effects dominating in GEO are different in these two regions. In LEO it is generally known that the debris population dominates even the natural meteoroid population for object sizes 1 mm and larger. This thesis focuses the study mainly in the LEO region. Since the first satellite breakup in 1961 up to 01 January 2003 more than 180 spacecraft and rocket bodies have been known to fragment in orbit. The resulting debris fragments constitute nearly 40% of the 9000 or more of the presently tracked and catalogued objects by USSPACECOM. The catalogued fragment count does not include the much more numerous fragments, which are too small to be detected from ground. Hence in order to describe the trackable orbital debris environment, it is important to develop mathematical models to simulate the trackable fragments and later expand it to untrackable objects. Apart from the need to better characterize the orbital debris environment down to sub millimeter particles, there is also a pressing necessity of simulation tools able to model in a realistic way the long term evolution of space debris, to highlight areas, which require further investigations, and to study the actual mitigation effects of space policy measures. The present thesis has provided newer perspectives for five major issues in space debris modeling studies. The issues are (i) breakup modeling, (ii) environment modeling, (iii) evolution of the debris environment, (iv) collision probability analysis and (v) reentry prediction. The Chapter 1 briefly describes an overview of space debris environment and the issues associated with the growing space debris populations. A literature survey of important earlier work carried out regarding the above mentioned five issues are provided in the Chapter 2. The new contributions of the thesis commence from Chapter 3. The Chapter 3 proposes a new breakup model to simulate the creation of debris objects by explosion in LEO named “A Semi Stochastic Environment Modeling for Breakup in LEO” (ASSEMBLE). This model is based on a study of the characteristics of the fragments from on orbit breakups as provided in the TLE sets for the INDIAN PSLV-TES mission spent upper stage breakup. It turned out that based on the physical mechanisms in the breakup process the apogee, perigee heights (limited by the breakup altitude) closely fit suitable Laplace distributions and the eccentricity follows a lognormal distribution. The location parameters of these depend on the orbit of the parent body at the time of breakup and their scale parameters on the intensity of explosion. The distribution of the ballistic coefficient in the catalogue was also found to follow a lognormal distribution. These observations were used to arrive at the proper physical, aerodynamic, and orbital characteristics of the fragments. Subsequently it has been applied as an inverse problem to simulate and further validate it based on some more typical well known historical on orbit fragmentation events. All the simulated results compare quite well with the observations both at the time of breakup and at a later epoch. This model is called semi stochastic in nature since the size and mass characteristics have to be obtained from empirical relations and is capable of simulating the complete scenario of the breakup. A new stochastic environment model of the debris scenario in LEO that is simple and impressionistic in nature named SIMPLE is proposed in Chapter 4. Firstly among the orbital debris, the distribution of the orbital elements namely altitude, perigee height, eccentricity and the ballistic coefficient values for TLE sets of data in each of the years were analyzed to arrive at their characteristic probability distributions. It is observed that the altitude distribution for the number of fragments exhibits peaks and it turned out that such a feature can be best modeled with a tertiary mixture of Laplace distributions with eight parameters. It was noticed that no statistically significant variations could be observed for the parameters across the years. Hence it is concluded that the probability density function of the altitude distribution of the debris objects has some kind of equilibrium and it follows a three component mixture of Laplace distributions. For the eccentricity ‘e’ and the ballistic parameter ‘B’ values the present analysis showed that they could be acceptably quite well fitted by Lognormal distributions with two parameters. In the case of eccentricity also the describing parameter values do not vary much across the years. But for the parameters of the B distribution there is some trend across the years which perhaps may be attributed to causes such as decay effect, miniaturization of space systems and even the uncertainty in the measurement data of B. However in the absence of definitive cause that can be attributed for the variation across the years, it turns out to be best to have the most recent value as the model value. Lastly the same kind of analysis has also been carried out with respect to the various inclination bands. Here the orbital parameters are analyzed with respect to the inclination bands as is done in ORDEM (Kessler et al 1997, Liou et al 2001) for near circular orbits in LEO. The five inclination bands considered here are 0-36 deg (in ORDEM they consider 19-36 deg, and did not consider 0-19 deg), 36-61 deg, 61-73 deg, 73-91 deg and 91- 180 deg, and corresponding to each band, the altitude, eccentricity and B values were modeled. It is found that the third band shows the models with single Laplace distribution for altitude and Lognormal for eccentricity and B fit quite well. The altitude of other bands is modeled using tertiary mixture of Laplace distributions, with the ‘e’ and ‘B’ following once again a Lognormal distribution. The number of parameter values in SIMPLE is, in general, just 8 for each description of altitude or perigee distributions whereas in ORDEM96 it is more. The present SIMPLE model captures closely all the peak densities without losing the accuracy at other altitudes. The Chapter 5 treats the evolution of the debris objects generated by on orbit breakup. A novel innovative approach based on the propagation of an equivalent fragment in a three dimensional bin of semi major axis, eccentricity, and the ballistic coefficient (a, e, B) together with a constant gain Kalman filter technique is described in this chapter. This new approach propagates the number density in a bin of ‘a’ and ‘e’ rapidly and accurately without propagating each and every of the space debris objects in the above bin. It is able to assimilate the information from other breakups as well with the passage of time. Further this approach expands the scenario to provide suitable equivalent ballistic coefficient values for the conglomeration of the fragments in the various bins. The heart of the technique is to use a constant Kalman gain filter, which is optimal to track the dynamically evolving fragment scenario and further expand the scenario to provide time varying equivalent ballistic coefficients for the various bins. In the next chapter 6 a new approach for the collision probability assessment utilizing the closed form solution of Wiesel (1989) by the way of a three dimensional look up table, which takes only air drag effect and an exponential model of the atmosphere, is presented. This approach can serve as a reference collision probability assessment tool for LEO debris cloud environment. This approach takes into account the dynamical behavior of the debris objects propagation and the model utilizes a simple propagation for quick assessment of collision probability. This chapter also brings out a comparison of presently available collision probability assessment algorithms based on their complexities, application areas and sample space on which they operate. Further the quantitative assessment of the collision probability estimates between different presently available methods is carried out and the obtained collision probabilities are match qualitatively. The Chapter 7 utilizes once again the efficient and robust constant Kalman gain filter approach that is able to handle the many uncertain, variable, and complex features existing in the scenario to predict the reentry time of the risk objects. The constant gain obtained by using only a simple orbit propagator by considering drag alone is capable of handling the other modeling errors in a real life situation. A detailed validation of the approach was carried out based on a few recently reentered objects and comparison of the results with the predictions of other agencies during IADC reentry campaigns are also presented. The final Chapter 8 provides the conclusions based on the present work carried together with suggestions for future efforts needed in the study of space debris. Also the application of the techniques evolved in the present work to other areas such as atmospheric data assimilation and forecasting have also been suggested.

Les systèmes d'aide à la conduite, en général, et plus particulièrement les systèmes d'aide à l'évitement de collision sont de plus en plus en présents dans les véhicules car ils ont un très fort potentiel de réduction du nombre d'accidents de la circulation.En effet, ces systèmes ont pour rôle d'assister le conducteur, voire de se substituer à lui lorsque la situation de conduite indique un risque de collision important. Cette thèse traite du développement de ces systèmes en abordant quelques problématiques rencontrées.Afin de réagir convenablement, le système a d'abord besoin d'une représentation aussi fidèle que possible de l'environnement du véhicule. La perception est faite au moyen de capteurs extéroceptifs qui permettent de détecter les objets et d'en mesurer divers paramètres selon leur principe de mesure. La fusion des données individuelles des capteurs permet d'obtenir une information globale plus juste, plus certaine et plus variée. Ce travail traite en profondeur des méthodes de suivi d'objets par fusion de données multi-capteur, multimodale au niveau piste. Les approches proposées ont été évaluées puis approuvées grâce à des données de roulage réel et sur des données de conduite simulées.Il est ensuite nécessaire de faire une analyse de la scène perçue au cours du temps afin d'évaluer le risque de collision encouru par le véhicule porteur du système. Cette thèse propose des méthodes de prédiction de trajectoire et de calcul de probabilité de collision, à divers horizons temporels afin de quantifier le risque de collision et d'établir ainsi divers niveaux d'alerte au conducteur. Un simulateur de scénarios automobiles a été utilisé pour valider la cohérence des méthodes d'analyse de scène.Enfin, lorsque le risque de collision atteint un seuil jugé critique, le système doit calculer une trajectoire d'évitement de collision qui sera ensuite automatiquement exécutée. Les principales approches de planification de trajectoires ont été revues et un choix a été fait et motivé en accord avec le contexte de système d'aide à la conduite.