Intelligent devices are quickly becoming necessities to support our activities during both work and play. We are already bound in a symbiotic relationship with these devices. An unfortunate effect of the pervasiveness of intelligent devices is the substantial investment of our time and effort to communicate intent. Even though our increasing reliance on these intelligent devices is inevitable, the limits of conventional methods for devices to perceive human expression hinders communication efficiency. These constraints restrict the usefulness of intelligent devices to support our activities. Our communication time and effort must be minimized to leverage the benefits of intelligent devices and seamlessly integrate them into society. Minimizing the time and effort needed to communicate our intent will allow us to concentrate on tasks in which we excel, including creative thought and problem solving. <br /><br /> An intuitive method to minimize human communication effort with intelligent devices is to take advantage of our existing interpersonal communication experience. Recent advances in speech, hand gesture, and facial expression recognition provide alternate viable modes of communication that are more natural than conventional tactile interfaces. Use of natural human communication eliminates the need to adapt and invest time and effort using less intuitive techniques required for traditional keyboard and mouse based interfaces. <br /><br /> Although the state of the art in natural but isolated modes of communication achieves impressive results, significant hurdles must be conquered before communication with devices in our daily lives will feel natural and effortless. Research has shown that combining information between multiple noise-prone modalities improves accuracy. Leveraging this complementary and redundant content will improve communication robustness and relax current unimodal limitations. <br /><br /> This research presents and evaluates a novel multimodal framework to help reduce the total human effort and time required to communicate with intelligent devices. This reduction is realized by determining human intent using a knowledge-based architecture that combines and leverages conflicting information available across multiple natural communication modes and modalities. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated using dynamic hand gestures and simple facial expressions characterizing basic emotions. It is important to note that the framework is not restricted to these two forms of communication. The framework presented in this research provides the flexibility necessary to include additional or alternate modalities and channels of information in future research, including improving the robustness of speech understanding. <br /><br /> The primary contributions of this research include the leveraging of conflicts in a closed-loop multimodal framework, explicit use of uncertainty in knowledge representation and reasoning across multiple modalities, and a flexible approach for leveraging domain specific knowledge to help understand multimodal human expression. Experiments using a manually defined knowledge base demonstrate an improved average accuracy of individual concepts and an improved average accuracy of overall intents when leveraging conflicts as compared to an open-loop approach.

This thesis explore the possibility to automate a process for configuration of secondary substations monitoring and control. By using a network information system (NIS), information of secondary substations can be extracted, such as feeder naming, primary equipment type, rating and model. From this information an automated process of configuring the secondary substation is possible, which open up the possibility to cost-efficiently digitalise the distribution grid. In the project, the standard IEC 61850 for configuration of communications of intelligent electrical devices was used to automate and standardize the process. The process starts with a extracted IEC 61970 CIM file from the NIS. The IEC 61970 CIM file is converted into a IEC 61850 SCL file through an system engineering tool. The configuration is based of information from the NIS, where the models and types of the equipments decides what type of functionality that is needed for the secondary substation. With help of the created SCL file hardware and human-machine interface (HMI) was configured, creating a full functional system for the secondary substation monitoring and control equipment. The usage of 400V capable input module together with bus couplers, configured in IEC 61850, lowers the configuration needed for the hardware. The usage of SCL files also helps automate the creation of HMI for the secondary substation through IEC 61850 based tools in SCADA software. Creating views of both single-line diagrams as well as digital representation of the secondary substation outgoing feeders with measured values on display. The result of the project helps show NIS information is sufficient and standards mature enough to allow an almost fully automated system. Lowering the total time spent on each stations configuration to around two hours. Leading the way for future development of automating software for configurations of the secondary substations.

Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous abordons les problèmes liés à un robot autonome devant apprendre différentes tâches sensori-motrices dans des situations d’interaction et d’imitation. D’un point de vue théorique et dans le cadre des Interactions Homme-Machine (IHM), nous aborderons notamment les notions liées aux phénomènes d’entraînement rythmiques, de coordination interpersonnelle et de synchronisation intentionnelles et non-intentionnelles qui jouent un rôle important dans les interactions sociales. En particulier nous défendons l’hypothèse que des mécanismes d’entrainement rythmiques facilitent grandement l’apprentissage dans des situations d’interactions Homme-Robot. Leur prise en compte dans la conception de nouvelles IHMs est primordiale pour les rendre plus « intuitives ». A long terme, nous aimerions que le robot puisse utiliser ces signaux sociaux pour comprendre les intentions de son partenaire.L’utilisation d’une tâche complexe est ici nécessaire pour que le robot soit confronté à des situations d’échecs qui devront introduire des modifications de comportement non seulement de la part du partenaire mais aussi et surtout de la part du robot. Ces situations introduiront des modifications du rythme dans l’interaction au cours de l'apprentissage. Pour réussir ce pari, le robot devra être capable d’auto évaluer à la fois son comportement vis à vis de la tâche en cours d’exécution (et d’apprentissage) et son comportement d’interaction avec son partenaire.Nous proposons de travailler sur un « robot mobile compagnon » capable d’apprendre de manière interactive (avec son compagnon) à naviguer. L’utilisation de jeux d’interaction et d’imitation comme moyen d’apprentissage mais surtout de communication permet d’envisager de nouveaux principes d’IHM (Interface Homme-Machine) où l’interaction n’est plus considérée comme une « charge », elle devient au contraire plaisante. / In this thesis, we address the issues related to autonomous learning of different sensory-motor tasks using interaction and imitation. From a theoretical point of view and considering Human Machine Interaction (HMI), we will question the concepts linked to rhythmic entrainment, interpersonal coordination, and also intentional and unintentional synchronisations and their contribution to improve social interactions. Particularly, these mechanisms facilitate human-human interactions. Consequently, we defend the idea that taking them into account is essential to build more intuitive HMI.  In near future applications,  we would like to make the robot able to use these signals to improve its understanding the human partner intentions.Using a complex task is, then, necessary to confront the robot to failures that will introduce behavioral changes for both the human and the robot agents. These situations will introduce interaction rhythm modifications during learning phases. In this aim, the robot should be able to self assess its behavior regarding both the current task to learn and its interaction with its partner.We propose to work on a 'mobile companion robot' able to learn interactively (with its partner) to navigate. Using interaction games and imitation as a medium of learning and above all of communication, allows to consider new principles of HMI (Human Machine Interface) where the interaction is no longer considered as a 'load', it becomes rather pleasant.

Different security issues are a top subject around the world, especially since the terror threats seem to intensify. In the same time, the transport industry suffer from problems with smuggling and theft of valuable goods. One way to increase the security might be to have a verification system installed in commercial trucks, in order to assure that the driver is the proper one. This thesis has two purposes. One is to find appropriate methods for driver verification and build a prototype of a verification system which can be used for testing and further development. The other is to study how truck drivers perceive such a system and how their conception goes along with the growing demand for higher security. The present work is the result of a cooperation between an engineer and a cognitive scientist. The thesis focuses on the transport industry and was performed for Volvo Technology Corporation (VTEC), Gothenburg, Sweden. Eleven available verification methods were studied. To enable a well-based selection of methods to implement in the prototype, inquiries and interviews with truck drivers and haulage contractors were carried out to complement the theoretical study. One regular and three biometric verification methods were chosen for the test; fingerprint verification, face recognition, voice recognition and PIN verification. These methods were put together to a prototype system that was implemented in a truck simulator. A graphical user interface was developed in order to make the system user friendly. The prototype system was tested by 18 truck drivers. They were thoroughly interviewed before and after the test in order to retrieve their background, expectations and opinions as well as their perceptions and experiences of the test. Most of the test participants were positive to the prototype system. Even though they did not feel a need for it today they believed it to “be the future”. However, some participants felt uncomfortable with the system since they felt controlled by it. It became clear how important it is to have a system that respect the users’ privacy and to assure that the users are well informed about how the system is used. Some of the technology used for the verification system requires more development to fit in the automotive context, but it is considered to be possible to achieve a secure and robust system.

The long term purpose of this project is to reduce the attention demand of drivers whenusing infotainment systems in a car setting. With the development of the car industry,a contradiction between safety issue and entertainment demands in cars has arisen.Speech-recognition-based controls meet their bottleneck in the presence of backgroundaudio (such as engine noise, other passengers speech and/or the infotainment systemitself). We propose a new method to control the infotainment system using computervision technology in this thesis. This project uses algorithms of object detection, opticalflow(estimated motion) and feature analysis to build a communication channel betweenhuman and machine. By tracking the driver’s head and measuring the optical flow overthe lip region, the driver’s mouth feature can be indicated. Performance concerning theefficiency and accuracy of the system is analyzed. The contribution of this thesis is toprovide a method using facial gestures to communicate with the system, and we focuson the movement of lips especially. This method offers a possibility to create a new modeof interaction between human and machine.

I det här projektet har ett mätsystem utvecklats för dimensionsmätning av brädor. Mätsystemet består av ett programmerbart styrsystem (PLC), ett människa-maskin-gränssnitt (HMI), en pulsgivare för breddmätning samt två avståndssensorer för tjockleksmätning. Målet med projektet var att jämföra och välja sensorer som lämpar sig för tjockleksmätning, ta fram konstruktionsunderlag för ett styrskåp samt elscheman för inkoppling av sensorer och pulsgivare, utveckla ett PLC-program som samlar in och bearbetar data från mätningen samt skickar resultat till ett överordnat system, utveckla ett HMI för att visa resultat och göra inställningar samt testa mätsystemet för att verifiera dess mätnoggrannhet. En litteraturstudie utfördes för att öka kunskapen om olika typer av pulsgivare och avståndssensorer. Litteraturstudien visade att det finns två huvudtyper av pulsgivare. Dessa är inkrementell eller absolut, där den inkrementella pulsgivaren genererar en fyrkantsvåg av pulser medan den absoluta genererar ett pulsvärde som motsvarar en absolut position. Lasersensorer som använder sig av time-of-flight (TOF) eller trianguleringsmetoden visade sig ha hög precision och snabb svarstid. TOF-metoden går ut på att mäta tiden det tar för ljuset att studsa mot ett objekt och tillbaka till en mottagare i sensorn medan trianguleringsmetoden går ut på att använda kända avstånd och reflektionsvinklar för att bestämma ett okänt avstånd. Konstruktionsunderlag gjordes i programmet ELPROCAD och tidigare kunskaper låg till grund för hur programmet skulle användas och hur ritningarna skulle konstrueras. En litteraturstudie utfördes för att samla information om olika sensorer och i jämförelsen jämfördes sensorernas pris och prestanda. Ett styrsystem från Siemens valdes och PLC-programmet utvecklades i Simatic Step 7. Det HMI som valdes var Beijer X2 Pro 4” från Beijer Electronics. Mätsystemet klarade med en konfidensgrad på 95 % av att mäta brädor med en noggrannhet på ± 0.3 mm för tjocklek och ± 0.6 mm för bredd. Projektets mål uppfylldes men det finns förbättringsmöjligheter. Det framtida arbete som finns är att utveckla ett filter som filtrerar bort änglavingar samt göra styrning för att med tryckluft blåsa ren sensorerna från smuts med jämna mellanrum. / In this project a measurement system for dimension measurements on boards have been developed. The measurement system consists of a programmable logic controller (PLC), a human-machine-interface (HMI), an encoder for measuring width and two laser distance sensors for measuring thickness. The goal of the project is to compare between different distance sensors suitable for measuring the thickness of a board, to create electrical drawings for the system, to develop a PLC-program which collects and analyzes the measurement data and sends the results to a higher level system, to develop a HMI which will be used for monitoring and to change parameters and settings and test the measurement system at an sawmill in order to determine its accuracy. A literature study was made in order to increase the knowledge of different kinds of encoders and distance sensor. The study showed that there are mainly two kind of encoders, the absolute and the incremental. The incremental encoder generates a square wave signal while the absolute encoder generates a signal that represents the angular position of the encoder. The study also showed that an optical laser sensors based on the time of flight (TOF) or the triangulation principle proved to have high precision and fast response time. The TOF-principle is based on measuring the time it takes for a pulse of laser to travel to an object and reflect back to a receiver. By knowing the time difference between the transmitter and receiver and the speed of light makes it possible to calculate the distance to the object. The triangulation principle is based on using known distances and reflection angles to calculate unknown distances. Electrical drawings was made in ELPROCAD and previous knowledge provided the basis for how the program was used and how the drawings were constructed. A literature study was made to gather information about different types of distance sensors, which was later used to compare price and performance. A PLC-system from Siemens was chosen and the PLC-program was developed in Simatic Step 7. The HMI that was chosen in the project was Beijer X2 Pro 4” from Beijer Electronics. The measurement system was able to measure the thickness with an uncertainty of ± 0.3 mm and the width with an uncertainty of ± 0.6 mm with a confidence level of 95 %. The goal of the project was fulfilled but there is some work left for the future. That is making a filter for removing thin edges on the board and develop a pressurized air system that can clean the sensors from dust in a defined time interval.

This master thesis describes the design of control unit, which has the task to operate industrial facilities for disinfection of swimming pools or living rooms. The designed control unit is trying to regulate power and flow rate, which is controlled by electronic valve with a flowmetr. The whole design is aimed at minimizing operating costs (mainly consumed liquid oxygen). Interaction with the operator is ensured by the HMI display. There is also an effort to highlight the importance of HMI applications in the industry.

This master thesis deals with the design of a wastewater treatment plant, which will be controlled by a PLC. The theoretical part describes the types of wastewater and sewage systems that are important in the design of wastewater treatment plants. The thesis also describes programmable logic controllers, theirs programming languages, SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) systems and automation.The thesis also deals with theoretical description of wastewater treatment plants, their functions and security. Next part describes the design of the wastewater treatment plant. The last part of the thesis describes implementation of the wastewater treatment plant controlled by a PLC.

In the thesis I outlined principles and ways of physical values regulation with the goal of the most efficient cultivation of the plants. Pursuant to identified facts I chose and programmed way of growth cabinet control in PLC AMiNi2DS. To access relevant data and possibilities of adjustment I also created SCADA and HMI. In conclusion I created manual for operating the device and software for acquainted people.

The methods used today for the commissioning and validation of industrial machines requires theconstruction of physical prototypes. Those prototypes help the engineers to e.g. validate if theprogram code meant to control a machine works as intended. In recent years the development ofnew techniques for the commissioning and validation of industrial machines has changed rapidlythanks to the development of new software. The method used in this thesis is called simulationin the loop. Another method that can be benecial to use is hardware in the loop. Using thosemethods for the commissioning of a machine is called virtual commissioning. The simulation inthe loop method is used to simulate both the machine and the control system that operate thatmachine. This is called a digital twin, a virtual copy of the physical hardware and its control systemthat can be used without the need for a real prototype to be available.The software used in this thesis comes all from the company Siemens and those are TIA Portal,Mechatronics Concept Designer, SIMIT and PLCSim Advanced. By using those programs it waspossible to build a digital twin with rigid body dynamics and its control system of the industrialmodel that was given by the company Renholmen AB. This model contained all the necessarycomponents needed for a virtual commissioning project to be done without the need to be at thefactory oor.The results showed that it was possible to achieve a real time simulation, allowing the possibilityto trim the controller parameters without the need of a physical prototype. Design errors were alsofound thanks to the results of the simulation.This new technique has shown to be a useful tool due to most of the work could be done on a digitalmodel of the machine. Simulations can reduce the time to market for industrial machines and alsohelp engineers to validate and optimize the product at an early stage. This tool that can be usedto validate industrial machines before they are created.