Positioning in environments where GPS is absent is a field currently under intensive research.Systems are currently being researched or designed for indoor use, often relying on ultra-wideband radio, ultrasound, fingerprinting or Wi-Fi.For underground mining, the problem is magnified, as installation of new equipment is expensive.Mobilaris Mining and Civil Engineering AB supplies a service, Mobilaris Mining Intelligence, using existing Wi-Fi infrastructure present in many mines for communication, and has developed two Wi-Fi-based positioning methods and one hybrid system, using dead reckoning and gyroscope.The first positioning method, Positioning Method 1, positions resources at the location of the strongest access point.The other positioning method, Positioning Method 4, uses signal strength values to construct an area where the tag is likely to be, similar to a Venn diagram. This thesis proposes a Quality of Positioning system to dynamically and select the best of all available positioning systems for every object to be positioned.This should be trained automatically by ``light vehicles'', such as service pickup trucks, equipped with the hybrid positioning system acting as reference values.Testing was done at the Kristineberg Mine in Västerbotten, Sweden, using a pickup truck equipped with the hybrid positioning system and Wi-Fi personnel positioning tags.It was found that the difference between the two positioning methods was not statistically significant, and that the hybrid positioning system was insufficiently accurate to act as a reference value. This thesis further revealed that the architecture of Mobilaris Mining Intelligence makes implementing a dynamic system impractical.Although planned for, the dynamic Quality of Positioning system was not implemented due to being deemed too impractical, complex and time-consuming compared to the benefit it would have provided.A high-level description of such an implementation is however presented, should it be motivated by future studies.

The use of smartphones for positioning and navigation is mostly limited to outdoor settings. Indoors, where GPS signals are too inaccurate for positioning, an alternative must be used. This project aimed at producing an indoor positioning system which could be both configured and used by an end user organization without equipping its buildings with proprietary hardware. The prerequisites were that a complete digital representation of the building floors is available, and that the floors have a sufficient amount of WiFi access points. Our system measures radio signal strength from existing WiFi infrastructure using a smartphone. This data is sent to a backend and is used to position a device using two different methods: trilateration and fingerprinting. The finished system can position a user with an accuracy of approximately four meters using fingerprinting instead of trilateration as it yielded the best results. The building used for testing was scanned using a smartphone equipped with our application, something that we would expect an end user to be able to do. / Användandet av smartphones för positionering och navigering är mestadels inriktat på utomhusanvändning. Inomhus är GPS signaler inte tillräckligt noggranna för positionering, och ett alternativ måste användas. Det här projektets mål var att producera ett inomhuspositioneringssystem som kan konfigureras och användas av slutanvändarorganisationen utan att behöva utrusta sina byggnader med proprietär hårdvara. Förutsättningarna är att en komplett digital representation av byggnaden finns tillgänglig, och att våningsplanen har tillräckligt många WiFi basstationer. Vårt system mäter radiosignalstyrka från den existerande WiFi infrastrukturen. Denna data skickas till en backend och används i två olika metoder: trilateration och fingerprinting. Det slutgiltiga systemet kan positionera en användare med en träffsäkerhet på ungefär fyra meter när fingerprintingmetoden används då den producerade det bästa resultatet. Byggnaden som systemet testades i skannades av en smartphone med vår applikation, en sak som vi förväntar oss att en slutanvändare skulle kunna göra själv.

The report aims to examine how property owners position themselves to reach their target market, and which strategies they use when positioning their product. The investigation has been carried out mainly in the form of a case study in which a number of interviews with Stockholm real estate companies has been conducted, focusing on commercial property market segment. The interviews have resulted in identification of common and specific strategies among the companies. These strategies have been analyzed in the light of the theory by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, focusing on how an offer should be designed to reach a competitive position. It can be concluded that positioning is a key activity for successfully addressing the target market. Successful positioning mandates three key requirements to be met; determining the category to which the offer belongs, identifying similarities and differences compared to the competitors and developing a brand mantra. The result of the case study concludes that the property companies work similar in many ways. Furthermore a key prerequisite is to work with environment and sustainability as well as to focus on delivering on strategy execution of keeping a close relationship with the tenants. The results also show that main ways of working do not differ extensively between studied companies, except focusing on different target groups. Some companies have also indicated lack of clarity in defining their target group / Syftet med rapporten är att utreda hur fastighetsägare använder sig av positionering för att nå ut till sin målgrupp samt vilka strategier som används för att positionera sitt erbjudande jämfört med konkurrenternas. För att kunna utreda detta har en fallstudie genomförts där ett antal fastighetsföretag verksamma på Stockholms kontorsmarknad har intervjuats. Från intervjuerna har gemensamma och särskilda strategier identifierats. Dessa strategier har analyserats mot bakgrund av marknadsföringsteorin om positionering och segmentering. Denna teori av Philip Kotler och Kevin Lane Keller förklarar hur ett erbjudande utformas för att positioneras i jämförelse med konkurrenternas. Positionering är alltså en aktivitet för att nå målgruppen. För att lyckas med positioneringen bör tre krav uppfyllas; bestämmande av kategori som erbjudandet tillhör, identifiering av likheter och skillnader i jämförelse till konkurrenterna och utvecklandet av ett motto eller ledord. Resultatet från fallstudien visar att fastighetsbolagen arbetar lika på många sätt; att arbeta med miljö- och hållbarhet är en nödvändig strategi precis som att ha en nära relation med sina hyresgäster. Resultatet visar också på att trots att bolagen arbetar likvärdigt, har de ibland skilda målgrupper, eller ingen påtaglig målgrupp alls.

Ericsson is developing a new technology for accurate indoor positioning, named the HIP-solution. The HIP-solution is a joint product with areas of use in both the public safety market for emergency positioning and as a commercial platform for location based services. The driving force behind the development of Ericsson's HIP solution is E911, a legal requirement imposed in theU.S.where operators are required to position an emergency call within a radius of 50-300 meter, depending on available positioning technology. Location Based Services (LBS) are the other important market for the HIP-solution where the technology can be used to offer customized services for mobile users based on their location, such as guidance to the nearest banking cash machine, or whereabouts of friends or family.   This master thesis is conducted at Ericsson, with the purpose of evaluate the HIP-solutions U.S market potential. The theoretical framework used in this paper is the Real Option Pricing Theory, with emphasis on the Expand Option. The theory provides a context for evaluating the HIP-solutions market potential based not only on its physical characteristics, but also of on future expand options and how well Ericsson manages to capture the cloud of externalities the HIP-solution as a joint product.   Keywords Ericsson, HIP-High Precision In-building Positioning, U.S Emergency positioning legislation, Location Based Serviced, App, Real Option, Expand Option.

The demand for outdoor precise location is increasing with the development of new applications such as autonomous vehicles, exploration robots and wireless sensor networks. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the go-to system for outdoor localization. This thesis focuses on developing new methods for GNSS single-point positioning (SPP) model, where no access to a reference station or precise GNSS parameters is needed. We investigated the limitations of the standard method, least- squares adjustment (LSA), and we derived the Cramer-Rao bounds for the SPP estimation problem. We also investigated different techniques to formulate the positioning problem with the goal to increase the accuracy. A new method is developed by reformulating the problem as difference-of-convex program (DC program) and utilizing convex-concave procedure (CCCP) to solve the positioning problem without linearizing the observation equations. In addition, we examined the potential of multiple-receiver systems in increasing the accuracy. We formulated the multiple- receiver SPP estimation problem, and we proposed to configure the multiple receivers in a fixed equilateral triangle to exploit the symmetry and the geometrical constraints of the configuration. We extended the use of LSA in multiple-receiver system. We also developed a modification of LSA algorithm, named least-squares adjustment extension (LSAE), that utilizes attitude information and the constraints of the multiple-receiver system. In addition, we developed a new algorithm to optimizes the SPP estimates over the equilateral triangles Riemannian manifold, which enforces the geometrical constraints of the multiple-receiver system. Furthermore, we derived the constrained and the unconstrained Cramer-Rao bounds (CRB and CCRB) for the multiple-receiver SPP problem. Moreover, we investigated the influence of both attitude information and the equilateral triangle baseline length on the algorithms’ performances and the derived CCRB. Finally, we carried out a numerical analysis by implementing the algorithms and the bounds in MATLAB, where we tested the algorithms on simulated GNSS scenarios. The proposed multiple-receiver methods provide more precise estimates for the SPP problem in comparison to the single receiver methods.

This thesis explores the possibility of using ultra wideband technology to localize anoutdoor mobile robot. More explicitly, this project focuses on the multilaterationproblem where the topology of the static reference anchors are changed. Insteadof having stationary anchors they are placed on a mobile robot and by pinpointingone single static tag node the position of the robot is established. The research usesa robotic lawn mover from Husqvarna, the Automover 430X. The robot is used asa base platform for this thesis to evaluate if this approach is applicable for othergeneric robots in the same size. The feasibility of this solution is demonstratedthrough simulation using Matlab and the robot simulation environment Gazebo.Results show that this specific topology is feasible for tracking a specific point butis also suitable for positioning a mobile robot if coupled with an accurate headingsensor. The system was evaluated for several scenarios of which all indicated anadequate accuracy, provided that data from an encoder was used. The upper limitfor the position error in a one sided 95% confidence interval was 0.469m at a rangeof 40m. / Detta examensarbete tar sig an problemet att lokalisera en långsamtgående mobilrobot i en utomhusmiljö genom att använda sig av ultra wideband radioteknik. Vanligtvisplaceras stationära noder i miljön som används för att positionera en ensamnod i dess närhet. Detta projekt tar sig an frågeställningen om det är möjligt attvända på problemet och placera dessa stationära noder på den mobila roboten föratt sedan fixera robotens position genom att bestämma vart den ensamma nodenär placerad. Husqvarnas robotgräsklippare Automover 430X har används som plattformför att evaluera och testa om denna tes är applicerbar för andra generiska robotari samma storlek. Positionsuppskattningen utförs genom simulationer i Matlabsamt simulationsmiljön Gazebo som tar hänsyn till diverse fysiska fenomen. Resultatenpekar på att denna topologi är möjlig för att lösa multilatereringsproblemetom en riktningssensor med hög precision används. För alla scenarion som simuleradesindikerades att en någorlunda god precision kan uppnås och det krävdes attsystemet kombinerades med annan indata, som en enkoder i detta fall för att förbättraestimeringen. Den övre gränsen för felet i ett 95% konfidensintervall var 0.469mpå ett avstånd upp till 40m.

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Thesis (MScEng (Applied Mathematics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This thesis investigates the various components required for the development of a patient position verification system to replace the existing system used by the proton facilities of iThemba LABS1. The existing system is based on the visual comparison of a portal radiograph (PR) of the patient in the current treatment position and a digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) of the patient in the correct treatment position. This system is not only of limited accuracy, but labour intensive and time-consuming. Inaccuracies in patient position are detrimental to the effectiveness of proton therapy, and elongated treatment times add to patient trauma. A new system is needed that is accurate, fast, robust and automatic. Automatic verification is achieved by using image registration techniques to compare the PR and DRRs. The registration process finds a rigid body transformation which estimates the difference between the current position and the correct position by minimizing the measure which compares the two images. The image registration process therefore consists of four main components: the DRR, the PR, the measure for comparing the two images and the minimization method. The ray-tracing algorithm by Jacobs was implemented to generate the DRRs, with the option to use X-ray attenuation calibration curves and beam hardening correction curves to generate DRRs that approximate the PRs acquired with iThemba LABS’s digital portal radiographic system (DPRS) better. Investigations were performed mostly on simulated PRs generated from DRRs, but also on real PRs acquired with iThemba LABS’s DPRS. The use of the Correlation Coefficient (CC) and Mutual Information (MI) similarity measures to compare the two images was investigated. Similarity curves were constructed using simulated PRs to investigate how the various components of the registration process influence the performance. These included the use of the appropriate XACC and BHCC, the sizes of the DRRs and the PRs, the slice thickness of the CT data, the amount of noise contained by the PR and the focal spot size of the DPRS’s X-ray tube. It was found that the Mutual Information similarity measure used to compare 10242 pixel PRs with 2562 pixel DRRs interpolated to 10242 pixels performed the best. It was also found that the CT data with the smallest slice thickness available should be used. If only CT data with thick slices is available, the CT data should be interpolated to have thinner slices. Five minimization algorithms were implemented and investigated. It was found that the unit vector direction set minimization method can be used to register the simulated PRs robustly and very accurately in a respectable amount of time. Investigations with limited real PRs showed that the behaviour of the registration process is not significantly different than for simulated PRs.

Redundant robotic systems, in terms of manipulators with one or twoarms, mobile manipulators, and multi-agent systems, have received an in-creasing amount of attention in recent years. In this thesis we describe severalways to improve robotic system performance by exploiting the redundancy. As the robot workspace becomes increasingly dynamic, it is common towork with imperfect geometric models of the robots or its workspace. Inorder to control the robot in a robust way in the presence of geometric uncer-tainties, we propose to assess the stability of our controller with respect to acertain task by deriving bounds on the geometric uncertainties. Preliminaryexperimental results support the fact that stability is ensured if the proposedbounds on the geometric uncertainties are fulfilled. As a non-contact measurement, computer vision could provide rich infor-mation for robot control. We introduce a two step method that transformsthe position-based visual servoing problem into a quadratic optimization prob-lem with linear constraints. This method is optimal in terms of minimizinggeodesic distance and allows us to integrate constraints, e.g. visibility con-straints, in a natural way. In the case of a single robot with redundant degrees of freedom, we canspecify a family of complex robotic tasks using constraint based programming(CBP). CBP allows us to represent robotic tasks with a set of equality andinequality constraints. Using these constraints we can formulate quadraticprogramming problems that exploit the redundancy of the robot and itera-tively resolve the trade-off between the different constraints. For example, wecould improve the velocity or force transmission ratios along a task-dependent direction using the priorities between different constraints in real time. Using the reactiveness of CBP, we formulated and implemented a dual-armpan cleaning task. If we mount a dual-arm robot on a mobile base, we proposeto use a virtual kinematic chain to specify the coordination between the mobilebase and two arms. Using the modularity of the CBP, we can integrate themobility and dual-arm manipulation by adding coordination constraints intoan optimization problem where dual-arm manipulation constraints are alreadyspecified. We also found that the reactiveness and modularity of the CBPapproach is important in the context of teleoperation. Inspired by the 3Ddesign community, we proposed a teleoperation interface control mode thatis identical to the ones being used to locally navigate the virtual viewpoint ofmost Computer Aided Design (CAD) softwares. In the case of multiple robots, we combine ideas from multi-agent coopera-tive coverage control, with problem formulations from the resource allocationfield, to create a distributed convergent approach to the resource positioningproblem. / <p>QC 20160224</p>