In this thesis, an approach for robot motion control with collision avoidance and human-following is investigated. Using velocity potential fields approach in a modified, quasi-harmonic, solution, the navigation controller is developed. A quasi-harmonic function based controller uses harmonic solutions for collision avoidance and smoothly changes toward a non-harmonic solution which tends toward a zero velocity command only when approaching the goal. After the motion controller was created, human-following strategy was designed to let a non-holonomic robot have the ability to follow a human in an unknown environment with obstacles. The approach is based on velocity potential fields that permit to generate velocity vector commands that drive the robot at a safe distance with regard to the human while avoiding obstacles. The quasi-harmonic approach is investigated analytically using symbolic math solutions of MAPLETM as well as in simulations using MATLABTM. Motion simulations of both holonomic and non-holonomic robot motion illustrate how the proposed approach operates. Experiments are also made with LEGO MINDSTROMS NXT robot to test the algorithm in environment with simple and complex obstacles.

By using two electrospray emitters containing different solutions (“dual-spray”) we have recently conducted in-source hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) reactions and synthesized organometallic species. For dual-spray HDX reactions, peptide and protein solutions were electrosprayed through one emitter and the deuterating agent D2O through the secondary electrospray emitter. Clear shifts in isotope distributions indicated hydrogen-deuterium exchange occurring within the ion source. By ion mobility, simultaneous deuterium exchange for two isobaric species, the oxytocin monomer and dimer, was observed. Lysozyme has a linear relation between the charge state and the average number of exchanges, indicating that lysozyme becomes increasingly unfolded as the charge state increases. Based on deuterium uptake data and the lack of a temperature dependence, the dual-spray HDX reaction is thought to occur mostly in the gas phase. Tris(2,2’-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and similar complexes containing the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand were formed by spraying a ligand solution and the ruthenium trichloride solution through two independent ESI emitters. This was confirmed by comparing ion mobility drift time, mass spectra, and CID fragmentation with the reference standard compounds. Tris(2,2’-bipyridine)iron(II), tris(1,10-phenantroline)iron(II) and mixed ligand complexes of iron(II) formed by dual-spray showed two additional hydrogens bonded to the complex. By CID, these unique gas phase complexes showed similar initial ligand loss to the reference standards however the secondary ligand loss showed dissimilar dissociation channels and energetics. Using DFT calculations, geometry optimizations for the [Fe(phen)3 + 2H]2+ complex and its fragment ions were done. After the initial ligand loss, the additional hydrogens are believed to transfer to the central iron atom. The relative energy of the dissociation channels showed good agreement with experimental breakdown curves.

La marche est un mécanisme complexe impliquant l’élaboration de trajectoires dans des milieux divers et variés et la réalisation des mouvements segmentaires qui permettent de les parcourir. Elle est alors dépendante de l’environnement, des obstacles et autres individus qui le peuplent mais également des capacités physiques du corps humain. De part cette complexité, l’étude de la marche est généralement compartimentée en deux niveaux : la génération de trajectoires locomotrices d’une part et les mouvements des membres d’autre part. Ce travail vise à proposer un processus complet d’analyse de la marche, en s’intéressant au lien unissant les trajectoires locomotrices aux mouvements segmentaires. Dans un premier temps nous nous intéressons à la génération de trajectoires. Plus particulièrement, nous nous focalisons sur une situation de croisement entre deux piétons et sur les stratégies mises en place pour éviter la collision. Puis, nous portons notre attention sur la manière dont les endroits de pose de pieds sont influencés par la trajectoire. Cette analyse nous conduit à proposer un modèle de génération d’empreintes de pas. Enfin, nous nous intéressons à la générations des trajectoires articulaires menant au mouvement de marche. Par l’utilisation de la méthode de linéarisation locale nous proposons une nouvelle méthodologie pour la simulation de la marche à partir d’une entrée unique : la prochaine empreinte pas / Walking is a complex mecanism involving trajectories generation in various environments and motion generation in order to follow the path. Then, it is dependent on environment, obstacles and peoples moving around but also on body capabilities. This complexity lead scientits to split walking analysis in two levels : trajectory generation in one hand, and motion generation in the othe hand. This work aim to provide a global walking analysis processus by linking trajectorires and motion generation. First, we explore walking trajectories throw a particular situation : pedestrians crossing. Here we take interest in trajectories and speed adaptations. Then, we sink for the link between trajectory and heelstrike. It lead us to develop a model for heelstrike generation based on trajectory. Finally, we take interest in walking motion simulation. By the use of local linearization, we provide a new methodology for joints joints angles generation

Collision strength, the measure of strength for a binary collision, hasn't been defined clearly. In practice, many physical arguments have been employed for the purpose and taken for granted. A scattering angle has been widely and intensively used as a measure of collision strength in plasma physics for years. The result of this is complication and unnecessary approximation in deriving some of the basic kinetic equations and in calculating some of the basic physical terms. The Boltzmann equation has a five-fold integral collision term that is complicated. Chandrasekhar and Spitzer's approaches to the linear Fokker-Planck coefficients have several approximations. An effective variable-change technique has been developed in this dissertation as an alternative to scattering angle as the measure of collision strength. By introducing the square of the reduced impulse or its equivalencies as a collision strength variable, many plasma calculations have been simplified. The five-fold linear Boltzmann collision integral and linearized Boltzmann collision integral are simplified to three-fold integrals. The arbitrary order linear Fokker-Planck coefficients are calculated and expressed in a uniform expression. The new theory provides a simple and exact method for describing the equilibrium plasma collision rate, and a precise calculation of the equilibrium relaxation time. It generalizes bimolecular collision reaction rate theory to a reaction rate theory for plasmas. A simple formula of high precision with wide temperature range has been developed for electron impact ionization rates for carbon atoms and ions. The universality of the concept of collision strength is emphasized. This dissertation will show how Arrhenius' chemical reaction rate theory and Thomson's ionization theory can be unified as one single theory under the concept of collision strength, and how many important physical terms in different disciplines, such as activation energy in chemical reaction theory, ionization energy in Thomson's ionization theory, and the Coulomb logarithm in plasma physics, can be unified into a single one -- the threshold value of collision strength. The collision strength, which is a measure of a transfer of momentum in units of energy, can be used to reconcile the differences between Descartes' opinion and Leibnitz's opinion about the "true'' measure of a force. Like Newton's second law, which provides an instantaneous measure of a force, collision strength, as a cumulative measure of a force, can be regarded as part of a law of force in general.

A Identificação por radiofrequência (Radio Frequency Identification - RFID) tem revolucionado a forma de identificar objetos, sendo usada desde aplicações de controle de estoques até o processo automatizado de pagamentos. Sua ampla aceitação e aplicabilidade tem estimulado pesquisadores a criar cada vez mais aplicações. Um problema chave da RFID são as colisões que ocorrem na identificação por meio dos protocolos de acesso múltiplo. Como, na prática, um leitor precisa identificar várias etiquetas em sua área de cobertura, algumas etiquetas podem responder ao mesmo tempo o que gera colisões e desperdício de recursos. Por este motivo, torna-se de grande valor um estudo abrangente sobre como melhorar a identificação das etiquetas de modo a reduzir o número de colisões. Além disso, aspectos como consumo de energia e tempo necessário para identificação também devem ser levados em consideração, uma vez que a utilização cada vez maior de dispositivos alimentados à bateria tem sido observada na prática. Esta tese investiga a categoria de protocolos anticolisão denominada Frame Slotted Aloha - FSA, pois é a categoria que possui maior potencial de utilização prática em sistemas RFID. Além disso, as diferentes métricas de análise de desempenho são também analisadas e categorizadas, uma vez que identificou-se que um conjunto de métricas devem ser observadas com o intuito de realizarem-se comparações justas com as propostas da literatura. Descobriu-se que a maioria das propostas não levam em consideração os aspectos chave de tempo e energia, assim como a característica de ser fácil de implementar e baixa complexidade. Esta tese propõe quatro algoritmos que visam diminuir o consumo de energia e o tempo do processo de identificação das etiquetas mantendo-se as características de baixa complexidade e similaridade com o padrão atual EpcGlobal Classe 1 Geração 2 (C1G2). O primeiro mecanismo visa diminuir a quantidade de respostas desnecessárias em cenários de localização e rastreamento. Os demais consistem em três propostas de algoritmos anticolisão para sistemas RFID. Os dois primeiros diferem na forma como o tamanho inicial de quadro é definido e como as colisões são tratadas, representando evoluções progressivas em direção a um melhor desempenho. O terceiro considera a ocorrência do efeito captura, o que traz a necessidade de mudanças no funcionamento do algoritmo anterior. Resultados de simulação mostram que os quatro mecanismos podem melhorar propostas existentes sem aumento de complexidade, resultando consequentemente em diminuição de recursos desperdiçados. Além disso também foram desenvolvidos dois softwares de apoio aos mecanismos propostos: nsRFIDsim e jRFIDsim. O primeiro trata-se de um módulo para o simulador ns-2 que simula um sistema RFID passivo. O segundo implementa uma proposta de benchmark para avaliação de desempenho de algoritmos anticolisão para RFID, visando fornecer para a comunidade científica uma forma padronizada de avaliar este tipo de algoritmo. / The Radio Frequency Identification - RFID has revolutionized the way objects are identified, being used in several areas, from inventory control applications to automated payment process. Its wide acceptance and applicability has stimulated researchers to create more and more new applications. One RFID key problem is the collisions on identification by means of multiple access protocols. Since generally, a reader needs to identify multiple tags in its coverage area, some tags tend to reply at the same time which can cause collision and waste of resources. For this reason a comprehensive study on how to improve the identification of tags in order to reduce the number of collisions becomes important. Additionally, issues such as energy consumption and time required for identification must also be taken into consideration, since an increasing use of battery-powered devices has been observed in practice. This thesis investigates the category of anti-collision protocols called Frame Slotted Aloha - FSA, as it is the category that has the greatest potential for practical use in RFID systems. Further analysis of the different performance metrics are also analyzed and categorized, since it was identified that a set of metrics must be observed in order to carry out up fair comparisons with the proposals found on the literature. It was found that most of the proposals do not consider the key aspects of time and energy as well as the characteristic of being easy to implement and having low complexity. This thesis proposes four algorithms aimed at reducing the consumption of energy and the time to identify the tags while maintaining the characteristics of low complexity and similarity to the current standard EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 (C1G2). The first mechanism aims to decrease the unnecessary answers in locating and tracking scenarios. The other ones consist of three proposals for anti-collision algorithms for RFID systems. They differ in how the initial size is defined and how collisions are resolved, representing progressive evolutions toward a better performance. The third one considers the occurrence of the capture effect, which brings the need for changes in the previous algorithm operation. Simulation results show that the four mechanisms can improve existing proposals without increasing complexity, resulting in consequent energy savings. In addition we have also developed two softwares to evaluate the proposed mechanisms: nsRFIDsim and jRFIDsim. The former is a module for the ns-2 simulator that simulates a passive RFID system. The second one implements a proposal for benchmark performance evaluation of anti-collision algorithms for RFID in order to provide to the scientific community a standardized way to assess this type of algorithm.

Renewable energy is a promising alternative to alleviating fossil fuel-based dependencies, but its development can require a complex set of environmental trade-offs for bird communities in the area, ranging from effective and physical habitat loss to direct collision-related mortality. The wide variation in the nature and significance of predicted impacts of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) facilities on birds, and the low levels of confidence attending these predictions, has emphasised the need for scientific research. This study assesses the risks to bird populations and guilds at one of South Africa's largest PV developments. Firstly, in order to identify functional and structural changes in bird communities in and around the development footprint, bird transect data were gathered, representing the solar development, boundary, and untransformed landscape. Secondly, to assess the risk of collision mortality with solar-related infrastructure, representative samples (core vs. edge) were surveyed for bird carcasses and other signs of collision for three months covering 20-30% of the facility at search intervals of 4, 7 and 14 days. In order to account for potential biases in carcass detection, searcher efficiency and carcass persistence trials were conducted. The distribution of birds in the landscape changed, from a shrubland to open country and grassland bird community, in response to changes in the distribution and abundance of habitat resources such as food, water and nesting sites. These changes in resource availability patterns were detrimental to some bird species and beneficial to others. Shrubland specialists, such as the black-chested prinia (Prinia flavicans) and chestnut-vented tit-babbler (Parisoma subcaeruleum), appeared to be negatively affected by the presence of the PV facility. In contrast, open country/grassland and generalist species, especially species such as the Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus) and familiar chat (Cercomela familiaris), were favoured by its development. Utility-scale PV facilities inevitably will not substitute for the natural habitats they have replaced, but might offer opportunities for climate protection that do not necessarily conflict with nature conservation. Monitoring success of avian mortality was significantly influenced by variation in detection rates by size class (60 and 95% for birds <100 g and >100 g, respectively) and the location of carcasses relative to the solar panel units (65 and 90% for birds adjacent and under the units, respectively) as well as decreasing persistence rates per search interval (57, 53, and 40% after 4, 7, and 14 days, respectively). Only injuries associated with non-fatal collision of large-bodied birds with the underside of the panels and entrapment between fencing could be concluded with reasonable certainty. An extrapolated fatality estimate of 4.53 fatalities.MW⁻¹.yr⁻¹ (95% CI 1.51-8.50), short study period, and lack of comparable results from other sources made it difficult to provide a meaningful assessment on avian mortality at PV facilities. Despite these limitations, the few bird fatalities that were recorded might suggest that there is no significant link with collision-related mortality at the study site. In order to fully understand the risk of solar energy development on birds, further collation and analysis of data from solar energy facilities across spatial and temporal scales, based on scientifically rigorous research designs, is required.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23018号 / 理博第4695号 / 新制||理||1673(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 河上 哲生, 教授 田上 高広, 教授 下林 典正 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The diploma thesis „Circumstances and Legal Consequences of Daytime Road Accidents with Pedestrian“ deals with the interpretation of legal decisions on traffic accidents causes by the vehicle during the day and where the other participant was a pedestrian. The main aim of this work is to find the established limits for the assessment of fault in comparable accident situations. Basic concepts, as a traffic accident, participants of traffic accidents and the position of an expert in the criminal proceedings, are defined within the theoretical part of the thesis. It also deals with the biomechanical aspects of a pedestrian – vehicle collision and the violation of specific regulations. Approximately 1,530 judical decisions were studied and analyzed in the analytical part, of which 40 were selected, that correspond to the requirements of this thesis. In the analytical part there are also 4 expert opinions provided by the Institute of Forensic Engineering of Brno University of Technology, where the above – mentioned limits for the assessment of accidents were applied, as well as the decision according to the jurisdiction.

No description available.

<div>Collision avoidance design plays an essential role in autonomous vehicle technology. It's an attractive research area that will need much experimentation in the future. This research area is very important for providing the maximum safety to automated vehicles, which have to be tested several times under different circumstances for safety before use in real life. This thesis proposes a method for designing and presenting a collision avoidance maneuver by using a model predictive controller with a moving obstacle for automated vehicles. It consists of a plant model, an adaptive MPC controller, and a reference trajectory. The proposed strategy applies a dynamic bicycle model as the plant model, adaptive model predictive controller for the lateral control, and a custom reference trajectory for the scenario design. The model was developed using the Model Predictive Control Toolbox and Automated Driving Toolbox in Matlab. Builtin tools available in Matlab/Simulink were used to verify the modeling approach and analyze the performance of the system. The major contribution of this thesis work was implementing a novel dynamic obstacle avoidance control method for automated vehicles. The study used validated parameters obtained from previous research. The novelty of this research was performing the studies using a MPC based controller instead of a sliding mode controller, that was primarily used in other studies. The results obtained from the study are compared with the validated models. The comparisons consisted of the lateral overlap,lateral error, and steering angle simulation results between the models. Additionally,this study also included outcomes for the yaw angle. The comparisons and other outcomes obtained in this study indicated that the developed control model produced reasonably acceptable results and recommendations for future studies.</div>