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In this thesis a machine vision based indoor navigation system is presented. This is achieved by using rotationally independent optimized color reference labels and a geometrical camera calibration model which determines a set of camera parameters. All reference labels carry one byte of information (0 to 255), which can be designed for different values. An algorithm in Matlab has been developed so that a machine vision system for N number of symbols can recognize the symbols at different orientations. A camera calibration model describes the mapping between the 3-D world coordinates and the 2-D image coordinates. The reconstruction system uses the direct linear transform (DLT) method with a set of control reference labels in relation to the camera calibration. The least-squares adjustment method has been developed to calculate the parameters of the machine vision system. In these experiments it has been demonstrated that the pose of the camera can be calculated, with a relatively high precision, by using the least-squares estimation.

A smart phone camera based indoor guidance system to aid the visually impaired is presented. Most proposed systems for aiding the visually impaired with indoor navigation are not feasible for widespread use due to cost, usability, or portability. We use a smart phone vision based system to create an indoor guidance system that is simple, accessible, inexpensive, and discrete to aid the visually impaired to navigate unfamiliar environments such as public buildings. The system consists of a smart phone and a server. The smart phone transmits pictures of the user's location to the server. The server processes the images and matches them to a database of stored images of the building. After matching features, the location and orientation of the person is calculated using 3D location correspondence data stored for features of each image. Positional information is then transmitted back to the smart phone and communicated to the user via text-to-speech. This thesis focuses on developing the vision technology for this unique application rather than building the complete system. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of the system to quickly and accurately determine the pose of the user in a university building.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-01-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:08:13Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 galindo_jrf_me_prud.pdf: 1101121 bytes, checksum: fe484a202d77b0a31f93d9a5e1d4b42a (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Desde o advento dos primeiros satélites de Sensoriamento Remoto, vários são os estudos desenvolvidos com o intuito de utilizar as imagens produzidas por estes sensores para fins cartográficos. Apesar das imagens de baixa e média resolução não possuírem a precisão requerida para aplicações cartográficas em escalas grandes, existem vantagens como: serem imagens multiespectrais, possuírem periodicidade e menores custos para a sua aquisição, quando comparadas com as obtidas através dos tradicionais levantamentos aerofotogramétricos. Uma melhoria presente nos satélites de alta e média resolução é a capacidade de visada off nadir, o que permite à formação de pares estereoscópicos e a reconstrução 3D da cena imageada, a geração de modelos digitais de elevação (MDE) e a produção de imagens ortorretificadas, dentre outros produtos. Com os primeiros pares estereoscópicos adquiridos pelo sensor HR-CCD (High Resolution Charge-Coupled Devices) do CBERS-2 (2004), surgiu a possibilidade de realizar estudos objetivando a geração de produtos cartográficos a partir desses estereopares... / Since the advent of the first Remote Sensing satellites, many studies have been developed with the intention of using the images produced by these sensors for cartographic purpose. Although these images of the average resolution do not possess the accuracy required for cartographic applications in big scales, their advantages include being multispectral, periodic repetition of acquisition, and lower cost when compared to images obtained through traditional aerial photogrammetric surveys. An improvement present in medium and high resolution satellites is their off nadir capacity, which allows 3D reconstruction based on stereoscopy, the generation of digital elevation models (DEM) and the production of orthorectified images, among others products. With the first stereoscopic pairs acquired by the CBERS-2 (2004) HR-CCD (High Resolution Charge-Coupled Device) sensor, the possibility now exists of realizing studies whose goal is generating cartographic products from these stereo pairs. Within this context, this work evaluated the geometric quality of a CBERS-2 HR-CCD stereo pair making use of the DLT (Direct Linear Transformation) mathematical model and Polynomial-Based Pushbroom model, available from the Leica Photogrammetry Suite (LPS) digital photogrammetry system by Leica Geosystems, classifying them in accordance with the Cartographic Accuracy Standards... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Assessment of finger range of motion (ROM) is often required for monitoring the effectiveness of rehabilitative treatments and for evaluating patients' functional impairment. There are several devices which are used to measure this motion, such as wire tracing, tracing onto paper and mechanical and electronic goniometry. These devices are quite cheap, excluding electronic goniometry; however the drawbacks of these devices are their lack of accuracy and the time- consuming nature of the measurement process. The work described in this thesis considers the design, implementation and validation of a new medical measurement system utilized in the evaluation of the range of motion of the human finger joints instead of the current measurement tools. The proposed system is a non-contact measurement device based on computer vision technology and has many advantages over the existing measurement devices. In terms of accuracy, better results are achieved by this system, it can be operated by semi-skilled person, and is time saving for the evaluator. The computer vision system in this study consists of CCD cameras to capture the images, a frame-grabber to change the analogue signal from the cameras to digital signals which can be manipulated by a computer, Ultra Violet light (UV) to illuminate the measurement space, software to process the images and perform the required computation, a darkened enclosure to accommodate the cameras and UV light and to shield the working area from any undesirable ambient light. Two calibration techniques were used to calibrate the cameras, Direct Linear Transformation and Tsai. A calibration piece that suits this application was designed and manufactured. A steel hand model was used to measure the fingers joint angles. The average error from measuring the finger angles using this system was around 1 degree compared with 5 degrees for the existing used techniques.

Resumo: Desde o advento dos primeiros satélites de Sensoriamento Remoto, vários são os estudos desenvolvidos com o intuito de utilizar as imagens produzidas por estes sensores para fins cartográficos. Apesar das imagens de baixa e média resolução não possuírem a precisão requerida para aplicações cartográficas em escalas grandes, existem vantagens como: serem imagens multiespectrais, possuírem periodicidade e menores custos para a sua aquisição, quando comparadas com as obtidas através dos tradicionais levantamentos aerofotogramétricos. Uma melhoria presente nos satélites de alta e média resolução é a capacidade de visada off nadir, o que permite à formação de pares estereoscópicos e a reconstrução 3D da cena imageada, a geração de modelos digitais de elevação (MDE) e a produção de imagens ortorretificadas, dentre outros produtos. Com os primeiros pares estereoscópicos adquiridos pelo sensor HR-CCD (High Resolution Charge-Coupled Devices) do CBERS-2 (2004), surgiu a possibilidade de realizar estudos objetivando a geração de produtos cartográficos a partir desses estereopares... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Since the advent of the first Remote Sensing satellites, many studies have been developed with the intention of using the images produced by these sensors for cartographic purpose. Although these images of the average resolution do not possess the accuracy required for cartographic applications in big scales, their advantages include being multispectral, periodic repetition of acquisition, and lower cost when compared to images obtained through traditional aerial photogrammetric surveys. An improvement present in medium and high resolution satellites is their off nadir capacity, which allows 3D reconstruction based on stereoscopy, the generation of digital elevation models (DEM) and the production of orthorectified images, among others products. With the first stereoscopic pairs acquired by the CBERS-2 (2004) HR-CCD (High Resolution Charge-Coupled Device) sensor, the possibility now exists of realizing studies whose goal is generating cartographic products from these stereo pairs. Within this context, this work evaluated the geometric quality of a CBERS-2 HR-CCD stereo pair making use of the DLT (Direct Linear Transformation) mathematical model and Polynomial-Based Pushbroom model, available from the Leica Photogrammetry Suite (LPS) digital photogrammetry system by Leica Geosystems, classifying them in accordance with the Cartographic Accuracy Standards... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Júlio Kiyoshi Hasegawa / Coorientador: Maurício Galo / Banca: João Fernando Custódio da Silva / Banca: Hideo Araki / Mestre

Furthering our understanding of the physics of flapping flight has the potential to benefit the field of micro air vehicles. Advancements in micro air vehicles can benefit applications such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue. In this research, flapping kinematics of a ladybug was explored using a direct linear transformation. A flapping mechanism design is presented that was capable of executing ladybug or other species-specific kinematics. The mechanism was based on a differential gear design, had two wings, and could flap in harsh environments. This mechanism served as a test bed for force analysis and optimization studies. The first study was based on a Box-Behnken screening design to explore wing kinematic parameter design space and manually search in the direction of flapping kinematics that optimized the objective of maximum combined lift and thrust. The second study used a Box-Behnken screening design to build a response surface. Using gradient-based techniques, this surface was optimized for maximum combined lift and thrust. Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology was an efficient method for exploring the mechanism force response. Both methods for optimization were capable of successfully improving lift and thrust force outputs. The incorporation of the results of these studies will aid in the design of more efficient micro air vehicles and with the ultimate goal of leading to a better understanding of flapping wing aerodynamics and the development of aerodynamic models.

Tato disertační práce se zabývá odhadem pózy kamery z korespondencí 3D a 2D přímek, tedy tzv. perspektivním problémem n  přímek (angl. Perspective- n -Line, PnL). Pozornost je soustředěna na případy s velkým počtem čar, které mohou být efektivně řešeny metodami využívajícími lineární formulaci PnL. Dosud byly známy pouze metody pracující s korespondencemi 3D bodů a 2D přímek. Na základě tohoto pozorování byly navrženy dvě nové metody založené na algoritmu přímé lineární transformace (angl. Direct Linear Transformation, DLT): Metoda DLT-Plücker-Lines pracující s korespondencemi 3D a 2D přímek a metoda DLT-Combined-Lines pracující jak s korespondencemi 3D bodů a 2D přímek, tak s korespondencemi 3D přímek a 2D přímek. Ve druhém případě je redundantní 3D informace využita k redukci minimálního počtu požadovaných korespondencí přímek na 5 a ke zlepšení přesnosti metody. Navržené metody byly důkladně testovány za různých podmínek včetně simulovaných a reálných dat a porovnány s nejlepšími existujícími PnL metodami. Metoda DLT-Combined-Lines dosahuje výsledků lepších nebo srovnatelných s nejlepšími existujícími metodami a zároveň je značně rychlá. Tato disertační práce také zavádí jednotný rámec pro popis metod pro odhad pózy kamery založených na algoritmu DLT. Obě navržené metody jsou definovány v tomto rámci.

Traditionally, the task of determining aircraft position and attitude for automatic control has been handled by the combination of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. In this configuration, accelerations and angular rates from the IMU can be integrated forward in time, and position updates from the GPS can be used to bound the errors that result from this integration. However, reliance on the reception of GPS signals places artificial constraints on aircraft such as small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are otherwise physically capable of operation in indoor, cluttered, or adversarial environments. Therefore, this work investigates methods for incorporating a monocular vision sensor into a standard avionics suite. Vision sensors possess the potential to extract information about the surrounding environment and determine the locations of features or points of interest. Having mapped out landmarks in an unknown environment, subsequent observations by the vision sensor can in turn be used to resolve aircraft position and orientation while continuing to map out new features. An extended Kalman filter framework for performing the tasks of vision-based mapping and navigation is presented. Feature points are detected in each image using a Harris corner detector, and these feature measurements are corresponded from frame to frame using a statistical Z-test. When GPS is available, sequential observations of a single landmark point allow the point's location in inertial space to be estimated. When GPS is not available, landmarks that have been sufficiently triangulated can be used for estimating vehicle position and attitude. Simulation and real-time flight test results for vision-based mapping and navigation are presented to demonstrate feasibility in real-time applications. These methods are then integrated into a practical framework for flight in GPS-denied environments and verified through the autonomous flight of a UAV during a loss-of-GPS scenario. The methodology is also extended to the application of vehicles equipped with stereo vision systems. This framework enables aircraft capable of hovering in place to maintain a bounded pose estimate indefinitely without drift during a GPS outage.