International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1995 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada / A scatterometer is a radar system designed to make precise measurements of the magnitude of the radar echo scattered from surface. If the measurement is made over the ocean's surface, the surface wind speed and direction can be inferred. In order to better understand the relationship between the radar return and the ocean winds we have developed a unique ultra-wide band research scatterometer known as Yscat. The Yscat radar system is computer controlled, with a separate computer collecting environmental data. During a typical deployment, such as a recently completed 7 month deployment on Lake Ontario, the radar system is required to operate unmanned for weeks at a time, collecting data at a rate of up to 2 GB per week. Controlling such a complex system, and handling such large amounts of data presents a challenging remote operation problem. We used a novel combination of personal computers, telephone controlled switches, modems, and off the shelf software packages to enable us to perform daily monitoring, trouble shooting, and data transfer via a simple telephone connection. Data was stored on 4 mm DAT tapes for weekly pickup by a technician. This paper describes the Yscat system and our approach to control, monitoring, and data storage. While our approach is relatively "low tech", it has been very cost effective. This type of approach may be of interest to other designers of unique instrumentation at remote sites.

In the automotive industry engines are regularly tested and evaluated by running them for a prolonged time under controlled conditions; environmental conditions, engine load, and drive cycle. These tests are performed in an engine test cell; a computer controlled environment with mechanical fittings and sensors to facilitate the testing of an engine. Our goal was to develop a software suite that provides a distributed graphical interface to the data acquisition and control systems of an engine cell. As we found existing systems to be inadequate in providing a distributed interface, we designed and developed a light weight flexible software suite to remotely, over a network, observe and control the parameters in an engine cell. We used the Fast Light Toolkit (FLTK) GUI library, with networking sockets and process threads to establish the software architecture of the engine test system. Through use of process threads, the client architecture divides tasks into network data sending and receiving, local channel synchronization, and interface operation. Networking sockets used in network data sending and receiving facilitate synchronization of each clients' channel storage and host's channel data. The FLTK GUI library produces visual interactive components of the interface for invoking interactions. Distributed interfacing allows display and modification of the engine cell's operation remotely in locations where relocating an engine cell is not feasible. These locations, such as demonstrations to distant clients and meeting rooms, display the current status of the engine cell through its interfaces without requiring migration of the engine cell to the specified rooms. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Sistemas de operação remota e supervisão de iluminação pública são compostos por dispositivos acoplados aos pontos de luz interligados via rede, e aplicativos que são executados em computadores que indicam problemas nos pontos de iluminação e apuram o valor do consumo de energia. Estudar as tecnologias dos trabalhos correlatos, propor um sistema dedicado para iluminação pública e implantar o sistema proposto em um teste piloto para avaliação das características de operação e supervisão são os objetivos do trabalho. A arquitetura do sistema proposto é modular e expansível. O modelo baseado em células permite que novos conjuntos de dispositivos possam ser adicionados de acordo com a demanda. No desenvolvimento do trabalho a linguagem C# é adotada para desenvolver a operação e supervisão através do padrão CyberOPC (Cybernetic OPC) e arquivos do tipo XML são aplicados para descrição dos dispositivos e definição da topologia da rede. Os resultados obtidos em simulação e no teste piloto validam a metodologia e arquitetura proposta. / Systems of remote operation and supervision of public lighting are composed of devices attached to the light points interconnected via a network, and applications that run on computers that indicate problems with lighting points and discharge the amount of energy consumption. Studying the related works technologies, propose a system dedicated to public lighting and deploy the proposed system in a pilot test to evaluate the operating characteristics and supervision are the objectives of the work. The architecture of the proposed system is modular and expandable. The cell-based model allows new sets of devices can be added according to demand. In developing the work the C # language is adopted to develop the operation and monitoring via standard CyberOPC (Cybernetic OPC) and XML file types are applied to the device description and definition of the network topology. The results obtained from simulation and from the test pilot validate the methodology and the proposed architecture.

Sistemas de operação remota e supervisão de iluminação pública são compostos por dispositivos acoplados aos pontos de luz interligados via rede, e aplicativos que são executados em computadores que indicam problemas nos pontos de iluminação e apuram o valor do consumo de energia. Estudar as tecnologias dos trabalhos correlatos, propor um sistema dedicado para iluminação pública e implantar o sistema proposto em um teste piloto para avaliação das características de operação e supervisão são os objetivos do trabalho. A arquitetura do sistema proposto é modular e expansível. O modelo baseado em células permite que novos conjuntos de dispositivos possam ser adicionados de acordo com a demanda. No desenvolvimento do trabalho a linguagem C# é adotada para desenvolver a operação e supervisão através do padrão CyberOPC (Cybernetic OPC) e arquivos do tipo XML são aplicados para descrição dos dispositivos e definição da topologia da rede. Os resultados obtidos em simulação e no teste piloto validam a metodologia e arquitetura proposta. / Systems of remote operation and supervision of public lighting are composed of devices attached to the light points interconnected via a network, and applications that run on computers that indicate problems with lighting points and discharge the amount of energy consumption. Studying the related works technologies, propose a system dedicated to public lighting and deploy the proposed system in a pilot test to evaluate the operating characteristics and supervision are the objectives of the work. The architecture of the proposed system is modular and expandable. The cell-based model allows new sets of devices can be added according to demand. In developing the work the C # language is adopted to develop the operation and monitoring via standard CyberOPC (Cybernetic OPC) and XML file types are applied to the device description and definition of the network topology. The results obtained from simulation and from the test pilot validate the methodology and the proposed architecture.

A big challenge regarding the development of autonomous vehicles is how to handle complex situations. If an autonomous vehicle ends up in a situation where it cannot make a decision on its own it will cause the car to stop, unable to continue driving. For these situations, human intervention is required. By making it possible to control the car remotely there is no need for an actual human in the car. Instead, a human operator can remotely control one or several cars from a distance. The purpose of this project was to identify such complex situations, evaluate remote control options and implement one of these controllers to drive the SVEA cars in the Smart Mobility Lab. After evaluation of possible remote control options, the PlayStation controller was chosen to be the simplest and most intuitive steering option. The controller was successfully implemented first in simulation and then on the SVEA cars in the Smart Mobility Lab. A test track was designed to measure the performance of the implemented controller and to be able to measure user-friendliness through a survey. It was concluded that a majority of the participants would not feel comfortable steering a real car using the PlayStation controller. However, a more extensive evaluation would be required to draw any major conclusions.

This study investigates different design choices for graphical user interfaces meant to improve depth perception in remote crane operation through measuring efficiency and user experience. To achieve this, three different graphical user interface designs were created and implemented into a cargo port simulator within the game engine Unity. These GUIs consists of a top-down shadow overlay, a guideline overlay and one overlay that would display held containers as see-through, called X-ray overlay. The three GUIs were then tested in a user study along a blank interface which had no overlay, in order to compare task efficiency, accuracy and usability among the four interfaces. In total, 15 participants took part in the user study in which none had any previous experience in using heavy machinery such as cargo cranes. These 15 participants were of various ages between 22-59 and of various genders. The results from the user study shows that the shadow overlay and the guideline overlay were more favoured among the participants who took part in the experiment, as well as more usable in comparison towards the X-ray overlay and having no overlay. The participants were also more accurate and efficient in placing containers while using the shadow overlay and the guideline overlay.

Remote driving is essential for the transition frommanually steered vehicles to autonomous vehicles. Autonomousvehicles may not be able to handle difficult traffic situations atfirst and in such situations a human operator needs to interveneand drive remotely. To avoid further complications it is crucialthat the user interface for the remote driving is intuitive in orderto maintain safety. When taking the step from humans drivingin the vehicle to the vehicle driving itself there are a few bumpsin the road. One major problem is what happens if the vehiclefinds itself in a situation that it has yet to be programmed tounderstand. The purpose of this project is therefore to developthe missing link. A user interface with torque feedback, basedon vehicle dynamics and steering servo designing, is developed inpython in order to obtain an intuitive driving experience for theuser. The performance of the developed user interface is evaluatedby means of an experiment where a test course is set up and thentested by subjects. The conclusions that can be drawn from thisproject are that a user can maneuver a vehicle by a separate setof steering wheel and pedals, and that it is more intuitive whentorque feedback is turned on. / Fjärrkörning är avgörande för övergången från manuellt styrda fordon till autonoma fordon. Autonoma fordon kommer antagligen inte kunna hantera svåra trafik- situationer till en början och i sådana situationer behöver en mänsklig operatör ingripa och köra via fjärrsytrning. För  att undvika ytterligare komplikationer är det avgörande att  användargränssnittet för fjärrkörningen är intuitivt för att bibehålla säkerheten. När man tar steget från att människor kör fordon till att de kör sig själva finns det några hinder på vägen. Ett stort problem är vad som händer om fordonet befinner sig i en situation som det ännu inte har programmerats för att förstå. Syftet med detta projekt är därför att utveckla den saknade länken. Ett användargränssnitt med vridmomentåterkoppling, baserat på fordonsdynamik och styrservo-design, utvecklas i python för att ge en intuitiv körupplevelse för användaren. Prestandan för det utvecklade användargränssnittet utvärderas med hjälp av ett experiment där ett testspår skapas och sedan testas av försökspersoner. Slutsatserna som kan dras från detta projekt är att en användare kan köra ett fordon via ett separat styrsystem bestående av en ratt med tillhörande pedaler, samt att det känns mer intuitivt när vridmomentåterkoppling är påslaget. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2020, KTH, Stockholm

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leonardo_GPA_DISSERT.pdf: 3354284 bytes, checksum: 52b1cbe75d0cc23617d3634eaefc11f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-14 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The public illumination system of Natal/RN city presents some recurring problems in the aspect of monitoring, since currently is not possible to detect in real time the light bulbs which are on throughout the day, or those which are off or burned out, at night. These factors depreciate the efficiency of the services provided, as well as, the use of energetic resources, because there is energetic waste and, consequently, financial resources that could be applied at the own public system illumination. The purpose of the work is create a prototype in substitution to the currently photoelectric relays used at public illumination, that have the same function, as well others: turn on or off the light bulbs remotely (control flexibility by the use of specifics algorithms supervisory), checking the light bulbs status (on or off) and wireless communication with the system through the ZigBee? protocol. The development steps of this product and the tests carried out are related as a way to validate and justify its use at the public illumination / O sistema de ilumina??o p?blica da cidade do Natal/RN apresenta problemas recorrentes no aspecto do monitoramento, visto que atualmente n?o ? poss?vel detectar em tempo real as l?mpadas que est?o acesas durante o dia, ou as que est?o apagadas (queimadas) durante a noite. Estes fatores depreciam a efici?ncia dos servi?os prestados, bem como, do uso dos recursos energ?ticos, posto que h? desperd?cio de energia e, consequentemente, de recursos financeiros que poderiam ser aplicados no pr?prio sistema de ilumina??o p?blica. Este trabalho teve como objetivo a cria??o de um prot?tipo em substitui??o aos atuais rel?s fotoel?tricos utilizados na ilumina??o publica, os quais possuem as mesmas fun??es, como tamb?m agregam outras: ligar ou desligar a l?mpada remotamente (flexibiliza??o do controle a partir do uso de algoritmos supervis?rios espec?ficos), verifica??o do status da l?mpada (acesa ou apagada) e comunica??o sem fio com o sistema atrav?s do protocolo ZigBee?. Relata-se aqui as etapas de desenvolvimento deste produto e os testes realizados como forma de validar e justificar seu emprego na ilumina??o p?blica

Background: An intermediate step towards fully autonomous construction equipment is “assisted tele-remote operation”. These sorts of operations imply that an operator remotely supports machines that has encountered a situation that autonomous systems onboard the construction machines (CM) cannot solve. Considering teleoperators are not required to continuously monitor the CM in an assisted tele-remote environment, multiple construction machines can be teleoperated simultaneously. For simplification, “assisted tele-remote operation” will now be referred to as “teleoperations”. Volvo Construction Equipment is currently exploring the possibility to teleoperate wheel loaders, articulated haulers, and excavators from a single platform. To do this, primary controls adapted for operating these machines are needed. The primary controls should be designed with the needs of a teleoperator in mind while taking functionality into account, which is needed when CM are both operated conventionally and in tele-remote applications. This procedure will be referred to as relevant primary controls. As the primary controls from three different CM-types are destined to be combined into one platform, the teleoperations platform will be referred to as “3-1 CM teleoperations platform”. The purpose of this thesis project was to propose a relevant solution to primary controls for a 3-1 CM teleoperations platform. To fulfil this purpose, the following two research questions (RQ) where formulated: • RQ1: What are the challenges for teleoperating construction equipment? • RQ2: What defines primary controls in a 3-1 CM teleoperations platform and how can the layout be improved? Method: Using interviews, observations, and literature as qualitative data collection methods, several insights where gained. A scenario for the CM was defined to define the situation in which the quantitative data collection method would be performed. Needs of current CM operators combined with teleoperators have been analysed and listed. Quantitative data has been collected and analysed to design the layout of the primary controls using the objective data as a basis. Result: The research questions were answered with the following results: • RQ1: Insights that resulted in several themes describing how teleoperations can be developed by looking at different challenges it can face. • RQ2: Specifications of the functions included in the new ‘primary controls’ based on CM functions from the company and from teleoperating experiences from several industries. An analysis on how often the functions for the new ‘primary controls’ were used, was carried out. The answers to the research questions were used as a basis to fulfil the purpose of this thesis project by proposing a conceptual solution for primary controls to a teleoperation’s platform for operating multiple CM. Conclusions: It was established that a 3-1 CM teleoperations platform can be developed towards certain CE-machine types. Moreover, additional analysis with experienced operators of each machine type are needed to improve and verify the most optimal layout of the primary controls and platform. Further research is still required to validate the answers to RQ1 and RQ2.

The automotive industry has seen an uprise in autonomous vehicles that will change the operators’ work environment. Volvo Autonomous Solutions aims to create a seamless user experience with environmentally and socially sustainable solutions. The vehicles should operate fully autonomously, but scenarios will emerge where remote operation is required. The master thesis aims to identify the requirements for the interaction between human and autonomous vehicles, and develop an interaction solution for remote operation. The study focused on safety, perception, situation awareness, and user experience. The subject was analyzed using user studies, literature reviews, and benchmarking. Twenty people participated in interviews, and a key user was identified, together with four human intervention scenarios. The data resulted in a list of general insights, which developed into requirements for designing remote operation interactions. An exploration of solutions for human-machine interaction was iterated and evaluated by 31 participants. The final recommendation included a requirements list for the design of the interaction with remote operation and a proposed interaction concept, illustrating a design proposal to meet these requirements. The study identified the following aspects to consider when developing an interaction solution for remote control of autonomous vehicles: Navigation, Steering, and Acceleration, Safety, and Perception and Situation Awareness. The final concept for remote operation interaction consisted of a rotational motion, a lever motion, and a digital touch display. / Fordonsindustrin har sett ett enormt lyft inom autonoma fordon, vilket kommer påverka operatörernas arbetsmiljö och sätt att arbeta. Volvo Autonomous Solutions har som mål att skapa en problemfri användarupplevelse och hållbara lösningar. Målet är att fordonen ska fungera autonomt, men det kommer alltid uppstå scenarier där fjärrstyrning kommer krävas. Syftet med examensarbetet är att identifiera kraven för interaktionen mellan människa och autonomt fordon, samt att utveckla en interaktionslösning för fjärrstyrning. Studierna fokuserade på aspekter inom säkerhet, perception, situationsmedvetenhet och användarupplevelse. Ett flertal användarstudier, genomgång av befintlig litteratur, benchmarking, samt identifiering och undersökning av olika scenarier genomfördes. 20 personer intervjuades och en nyckelanvändare samt fyra scenarier för mänskligt ingripande identifierades. Resultaten gav allmänna insikter, vilka utvecklades till en kravlista för design av en interaktionslösning för fjärrstyrning. Vidare utforskades lösningar för människa-maskin interaktion där fyra koncept itererades och utvärderades av 31 deltagare. Slutligen presenterades en rekommendation och kravspecifikation för utformningen av interaktionen, samt ett interaktionskoncept för design av fjärrstyrningsinteraktion enligt uppställda krav. Studien identifierade följande aspekter att ta hänsyn till vid utveckling av en interaktionslösning för fjärrstyrning av autonoma fordon: Navigation, Styrning och Acceleration, Säkerhet och Perception och Situationsmedvetenhet. Det slutliga konceptet till fjärrstyrningsinteraktion bestod av en rotationsrörelse, en spak-rörelse och en digital display.