The current methods used by forensic experts to analyse blood spatter neglects the influence of gravitation and drag on the trajectory of the droplet. This research attempts to suggest a more accurate method to determine the trajectory of a blood droplet using multi-target tracking. The multi-target tracking problem can be rewritten as a linear programming problem and solved by means of optimization and numerical methods. A literature survey is presented on relevant articles on blood spatter analysis and multi-target tracking. In contrast to a more advanced approach that assumes a background in probability, mathematical modelling and forensic science, this dissertation aims to give a comprehensive mathematical exposition of particle tracking. The tracking of multi-targets, through multi-target tracking, is investigated. The dynamic programming methods to solve the multi-target tracking are coded in the MATLAB programming language. Results are obtained for different scenarios and option inputs. Research strategies include studying documents, articles, journal entries and books. / MSc (Applied Mathematics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The current methods used by forensic experts to analyse blood spatter neglects the influence of gravitation and drag on the trajectory of the droplet. This research attempts to suggest a more accurate method to determine the trajectory of a blood droplet using multi-target tracking. The multi-target tracking problem can be rewritten as a linear programming problem and solved by means of optimization and numerical methods. A literature survey is presented on relevant articles on blood spatter analysis and multi-target tracking. In contrast to a more advanced approach that assumes a background in probability, mathematical modelling and forensic science, this dissertation aims to give a comprehensive mathematical exposition of particle tracking. The tracking of multi-targets, through multi-target tracking, is investigated. The dynamic programming methods to solve the multi-target tracking are coded in the MATLAB programming language. Results are obtained for different scenarios and option inputs. Research strategies include studying documents, articles, journal entries and books. / MSc (Applied Mathematics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

<p>By purposefully utilising sensors, for instance by a datafusion system, the state of some system-relevant environmentmight be adequately assessed to support decision-making. Theever increasing access to sensors o.ers great opportunities,but alsoincurs grave challenges. As a result of managingmultiple sensors one can, e.g., expect to achieve a morecomprehensive, resolved, certain and more frequently updatedassessment of the environment than would be possible otherwise.Challenges include data association, treatment of con.ictinginformation and strategies for sensor coordination.</p><p>We use the term information acquisition to denote the skillof a data fusion system to actively acquire information. Theaim of this thesis is to instructively situate that skill in ageneral context, explore and classify related research, andhighlight key issues and possible future work. It is our hopethat this thesis will facilitate communication, understandingand future e.orts for information acquisition.</p><p>The previously mentioned trend towards utilisation of largesets of sensors makes us especially interested in large-scaleinformation acquisition, i.e., acquisition using many andpossibly spatially distributed and heterogeneous sensors.</p><p>Information acquisition is a general concept that emerges inmany di.erent .elds of research. In this thesis, we surveyliterature from, e.g., agent theory, robotics and sensormanagement. We, furthermore, suggest a taxonomy of theliterature that highlights relevant aspects of informationacquisition.</p><p>We describe a function, perception management (akin tosensor management), which realizes information acquisition inthe data fusion process and pertinent properties of itsexternal stimuli, sensing resources, and systemenvironment.</p><p>An example of perception management is also presented. Thetask is that of managing a set of mobile sensors that jointlytrack some mobile targets. The game theoretic algorithmsuggested for distributing the targets among the sensors proveto be more robust to sensor failure than a measurement accuracyoptimal reference algorithm.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>information acquisition, sensor management,resource management, information fusion, data fusion,perception management, game theory, target tracking</p>

This dissertation investigates data reduction strategies from a signal processing perspective in centralized detection and estimation applications. First, it considers a deterministic source observed by a network of sensors and develops an analytical strategy for ranking sensor transmissions based on the magnitude of their test statistics. The benefit of the proposed strategy is that the decision to transmit or not to transmit observations to the fusion center can be made at the sensor level resulting in significant savings in transmission costs. A sensor network based on target tracking application is simulated to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed strategy over the unconstrained energy approach. Second, it considers the detection of random signals in noisy measurements and evaluates the performance of eigenvalue-based signal detectors. Due to their computational simplicity, robustness and performance, these detectors have recently received a lot of attention. When the observed random signal is correlated, several researchers claim that the performance of eigenvalue-based detectors exceeds that of the classical energy detector. However, such claims fail to consider the fact that when the signal is correlated, the optimal detector is the estimator-correlator and not the energy detector. In this dissertation, through theoretical analyses and Monte Carlo simulations, eigenvalue-based detectors are shown to be suboptimal when compared to the energy detector and the estimator-correlator.

Knowledge of the lane that a target is located in is of particular interest in on-road surveillance and target tracking systems. We formulate the problem and propose two approaches for on-road target estimation with lane tracking. The first approach for lane tracking is lane identification based ona Hidden Markov Model (HMM) framework. Two identifiers are developed according to different optimality goals of identification, i.e., the optimality for the whole lane sequence and the optimality of the current lane where the target is given the whole observation sequence. The second approach is on-road target tracking with lane estimation. We propose a 2D road representation which additionally allows to model the lateral motion of the target. For fusion of the radar and image sensor based measurement data we develop three, IMM-based, estimators that use different fusion schemes: centralized, distributed, and sequential. Simulation results show that the proposed two methods have new capabilities and achieve improved estimation accuracy for on-road target tracking.

This thesis presents some existing gimbal and UAV control algorithms as well as novel algorithms developed as the extensions of the existing ones. The existing image-based visual servoing algorithms for both gimbal and UAV require the depth information to the object of interest. The depth information is not measurable when only a monocular camera is used for tracking. This thesis is the result of contemplation to the question: how can the necessity for a depth measurement be removed? A novel gimbal algorithm using adaptive control is developed and presented with simulation and hardware results. Although the estimated depth using the algorithm cannot be used as reliable depth information, the target tracking objective is met. Also, a new UAV control algorithm for target following is developed and presented with simulation results. This algorithm does not require the depth to the target or the UAV altitude to be measured because it exploits the unit vectors to the target and to the optical axis.

When attempting to follow ground-based moving objects (hereafter referred to as ``waldos'') using an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), occlusion can become a significant problem for computer vision algorithms designed to track the object. When a waldo is occluded, the computer vision algorithm loses the track and the UAV's ability to predict movement degrades. We propose a path-planning and replanning method that moves a UAV to a location that maximizes the important waldos that can be seen while accounting for occlusion, and attempts to maximize the area it can see during travel. The proposed work moves beyond state-of-the-art algorithms designed to follow a single waldo while accounting for occlusion to enable tracking multiple prioritized waldos.

La plupart des applications des avions drones sont liées à l'observation d'événements au sol. En particulier, les suivi de cibles terrestres mobiles, qu'elles soient statiques, lentes ou rapides, est une tâche essentielle pour un drone. L'objectif global de la thèse est de proposer des méthodes qui permettent à un drone de suivre une cible terrestre, dans les conditions suivantes: - Le drone est de type voilure fixe équipé d'une caméra monoculaire. - Présence d'obstacles qui occultent la visibilité de zones au sol. - Existence de zones d'exclusion aérienne qui limitent le mouvement aérien. - Restrictions sur le champ de vue du capteur qui assure le suivi (caméra) - Différents comportements de la cible : elle peut évoluer librement ou sous contraintes dynamiques (cas d'une voiture par exemple), et peut être neutre ou évasive~: dans ce dernier cas, elle peut exploiter la présence d'obstacles pour éviter d'être perçue par le drone. Trois approches pour aborder ce problème sont proposées dans la thèse : - Une méthode basée aux lois de contrôle et de la navigation, - Une méthode basée sur la prédiction des déplacements de la cible, - Et une approche basée sur la théorie des jeux. Des résultats obtenus par des simulations réalistes et avec un drone sont présentés, pour évaluer et comparer les avantages et inconvénients de chacune des approches. Des extensions au cas "multi-drones" sont aussi proposées.

<p>This thesis discusses model based tracking of radar echoes in tanks with liquid content. The errors in the measurements are not always random in these cases, and the interference that occurs when nearby echoes moves in relation to each other makes tracking difficult. </p><p>The tracking problem can be broken down to four parts; track initiation, track destruction, association of the measured echoes to the tracks and to update the tracks with the associated echoes. </p><p>The radar measurement is primarily made on the surface. However, additional echoes from the tank floor or other structures and double bounces are normally present. There are often linear relations between the positions of the measured echoes. </p><p>Kalman filters are typically used to estimate the positions of the echoes. Best performance is achieved if a model of the entire tank is used; however that model must be tailored to match the exact conditions in the tank. It is also possible to consider the echoes to be independent and track their positions using separate models. </p><p>Some of the possiblemethods to automatically build a model for a specific tank have been explored.</p>

<p>På överhettartuber i värmepannor bildas beläggningar på grund av sot och partiklar från förbränningen. Beläggningarna isolerar överhettartuberna vilket försämrar värmepannans verkningsgrad. Sotning av tuberna sker under drift och ett system som automatiskt kan beräkna hur mycket beläggningar som finns på tuberna skulle kunna göra sotningen mer behovsstyrd.Resonansfrekvenser hos överhettartuberna påverkas av masspåslaget som blir när beläggningar bildas. En förändring i frekvens kan då översättas till en förändring i massa. Vibrationsmätningar har gjorts med töjningsgivare som är monterade på överhettartuber i en av Ryaverkets pannor och i SAKAB:s panna. I detta examensarbete har syftet varit att analysera olika metoder för att skatta resonansfrekvenser i genomförda mätningar. Algoritmerna MUSIC, ESPRIT och AR samt en heuristisk statistisk metod har testats på genererade signaler. MUSIC och ESPRIT har givit bäst skattningar och har därefter använts för att analysera mätningarna. Periodvis följer vissa skattningar av mätningar från Ryaverket trender mellan sotningarna vilket indikerar att det skulle kunna vara resonansfrekvenser. Annars innehåller skattningarna för mycket variationer. Skattningarna av mätningar från SAKAB:s panna är gjorda under en kortare tidsperiod men visar en tydligare trend som troliggör att det är resonansfrekvenser som detekterats.För att automatiskt hitta och följa resonansfrekvenser i skattningarna, även om dessa innehåller stora variationer, har en målföljningsalgoritm implementerats. Algoritmen hittar skattningar som följer en förväntad trend mellan sotningarna. Tester visar att algoritmen hittar troliga resonansfrekvenser i skattningarna men att det är svårt att kunna dra några slutsatser om skattningarna varierar för mycket. Bättre signaler skulle kunna minska variationerna hos skattningarna. Ett förslag presenteras hur MUSIC eller ESPRIT tillsammans med en målföljningsalgoritm skulle kunna användas för att beräkna masspåslag på överhettartuberna.</p> / <p>Combustion in thermal power plants emits particles which create coatings on the super heater tubes. The coatings insulate the tubes and impairs the efficiency of the heat transfer. Cleaning the tubes occurs while the power plant is running and a system that automatically calculates the amount of coatings could make the cleaning more needs-based. The resonance frequencies of the super heater tubes are affected by the added mass of the coatings. A change in frequency corresponds to a change in mass. Vibration measurements have been made with strain gauges on the super heater tubes in Ryaverket's power plant and in one of SAKAB's power plants. The purpose of this thesis work has been to analyse different methods to estimate resonance frequencies in the vibration measurements. ESPRIT, MUSIC, AR and a heuristic statistical method have been tested on generated signals. MUSIC and ESPRIT have given the best estimations and have thus been used to analyse the measurements. Periodically some estimations of measurements from Ryaverket are following trends which indicates that they could be resonance frequencies. The rest of the estimations contain too large variations. The estimations made of the measurements from SAKAB have been made during a shorter time period but shows clearer trends which make them probable resonance frequencies.To automatically trace resonance frequencies in the estimations, even though they contains large variations, a target tracking algorithm has been implemented. The algorithm finds estimations that follows expected trends between the cleaning periods. Tests shows that the target tracking algorithm finds probable resonance frequencies in the estimations but that it is hard to reach a conclusion if they contain large variations. Better measurements could give estimations with smaller variations.An idea is presented where MUSIC or ESPRIT together with a target tracking algorithm could be used to calculate the amount of coatings on the super heater tubes.</p>