Threaded fasteners tend to break and loosen when exposed to cyclic loads or potent temperature variations. Additionally, if the joint is held tightly to the structure, distortion will occur under thermal expansion issues. These complications can be prevented by identifying and regulating the clamping force to an appropriate degree – adapted to the properties of the joint. Torque-controlled tightening is a way of monitoring the clamping force, but it assumes constant friction and therefore has low accuracy, with an error of around 17% - 43%.This thesis investigates if the friction and clamping force can be estimated using the Extended and Unscented Kalman filters to increase the precision of the torque-controlled methodology. Before the investigation, data were collected for two widely used tightening strategies. The first tightening strategy is called Continuous Drive, where the angular velocity is kept at a constant speed while torque is increased. The second strategy is TurboTight, where the angular velocity starts at a very high speed and decreases with increased torque. The collected data were noisy and had to be filtered. A hybrid between a Butterworth lowpass filter and a Sliding Window was developed and exploited for noise cancellation.The investigations revealed that it was possible to use both the Extended and Unscented Kalman filers to estimate friction and clamping force in threaded fasteners. In Continuous Drive tightening, both the EKF and UKF performed well - with an averagequality factor of 81.87% and 88.38%, and with an average error (at max torque) of 3.54% and 4.09%, respectively. However, the TurboTight strategy was much more complex and had a higher order of statistical moments to account for. Thus, the UKF outperformed the EKF with an average quality factor of 93.02% relative to 24.49%, and with an average error (at max torque) of 3.50% compared to 4.19%

No description available.

The ability to rapidly assess the condition of a structure in a manner which enables the accurate prediction of its remaining capacity has long been viewed as a crucial step in allowing communities to make safe and efficient use of their public infrastructure. This objective has become even more relevant in recent years as both the interdependency and state of deterioration in infrastructure systems throughout the world have increased. Current practice for structural condition assessment emphasizes visual inspection, in which trained professionals will routinely survey a structure to estimate its remaining capacity. Though these methods have the ability to monitor gross structural changes, their ability to rapidly and cost-effectively assess the detailed condition of the structure with respect to its future behavior is limited.<div>Vibration-based monitoring techniques offer a promising alternative to this approach. As opposed to visually observing the surface of the structure, these methods judge its condition and infer its future performance by generating and updating models calibrated to its dynamic behavior. Bayesian inference approaches are particularly well suited to this model updating problem as they are able to identify the structure using sparse observations while simultaneously assessing the uncertainty in the identified parameters. However, a lack of consensus on efficient methods for their implementation to full-scale structural systems has led to a diverse set of Bayesian approaches, from which no clear method can be selected for full-scale implementation. The objective of this work is therefore to assess and enhance those techniques currently used for structural identification and make strides toward developing unified strategies for robustly implementing them on full-scale structures. This is accomplished by addressing several key research questions regarding the ability of these methods to overcome issues in identifiability, sensitivity to uncertain experimental conditions, and scalability. These questions are investigated by applying novel adaptations of several prominent Bayesian identification strategies to small-scale experimental systems equipped with nonlinear devices. Through these illustrative examples I explore the robustness and practicality of these algorithms, while also considering their extensibility to higher-dimensional systems. Addressing these core concerns underlying full-scale structural identification will enable the practical application of Bayesian inference techniques and thereby enhance the ability of communities to detect and respond to the condition of their infrastructure.<br></div>

Les petit drones à voilure fixe rendent services aux secteurs de la recherche, de l'armée et de l'industrie, mais souffrent toujours de portée et de charge utile limitées. Le vol thermique permet de réduire la consommation d'énergie. Cependant,sans télédétection d'ascendances, un drone ne peut bénéficier d'une ascendance qu'en la rencontrant par hasard. Dans cette thèse, un nouveau cadre pour le vol à voile longue distance autonome est élaboré, permettant à un drone planeur de localiser visuellement des ascendances sous-cumulus et d’en récolter l'énergie de manière efficace. S'appuyant sur le filtre de Kalman non parfumé, une méthode de vision monoculaire est établie pour l'estimation des paramètres d’ascendances. Sa capacité de fournir des estimations convergentes et cohérentes est évaluée par des simulations Monte Carlo. Les incertitudes de modèle, le bruit de traitement de l'image et les trajectoires de l'observateur peuvent dégrader ces estimés. Par conséquent, un deuxième axe de cette thèse est la conception d'un planificateur de trajectoire robuste basé sur des cartes d'ascendances. Le planificateur fait le compromis entre le temps de vol et le risque d’un atterrissage forcé dans les champs tout en tenant compte des incertitudes d'estimation dans le processus de prise de décision. Il est illustré que la charge de calcul du planificateur de trajectoire proposé est réalisable sur une plate-forme informatique peu coûteuse. Les algorithmes proposés d’estimation ainsi que de planification sont évalués conjointement dans un simulateur de vol à 6 axes, mettant en évidence des améliorations significatives par rapport aux vols à voile longue distance autonomes actuels. / Small fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide utility to research, military, and industrial sectors at comparablyreasonable cost, but still suffer from both limited operational ranges and payload capacities. Thermal soaring flight for UAVsoffers a significant potential to reduce the energy consumption. However, without remote sensing of updrafts, a glider UAVcan only benefit from an updraft when encountering it by chance. In this thesis, a new framework for autonomous cross-country soaring is elaborated, enabling a glider UAV to visually localize sub-cumulus thermal updrafts and to efficiently gain energy from them.Relying on the Unscented Kalman Filter, a monocular vision-based method is established, for remotely estimatingsub-cumulus updraft parameters. Its capability of providing convergent and consistent state estimates is assessed relyingon Monte Carlo Simulations. Model uncertainties, image processing noise, and poor observer trajectories can degrade theestimated updraft parameters. Therefore, a second focus of this thesis is the design of a robust probabilistic path plannerfor map-based autonomous cross-country soaring. The proposed path planner balances between the flight time and theoutlanding risk by taking into account the estimation uncertainties in the decision making process. The suggested updraftestimation and path planning algorithms are jointly assessed in a 6 Degrees Of Freedom simulator, highlighting significantperformance improvements with respect to state of the art approaches in autonomous cross-country soaring while it is alsoshown that the path planner is implementable on a low-cost computer platform.

Le travail effectué au cours de cette thèse tente d’apporter une solution algorithmique à la problématique de l’estimation de l’état d’un mini-drone en vol qui soit compatible avec les exigences d’embarquabilité inhérentes au système. Il a été orienté vers les méthodes d’estimation non linéaire à base de modèles. Les algorithmes d’estimation, d’état ou de paramètres, et de contrôle apparaissent primordiaux, lorsque la technologie des capteurs et des actionneurs, pour des raisons de coût et d’encombrement essentiellement, ne permet pas de disposer de capacités illimitées. Ceci est particulièrement vrai dans le cas des micro- et des mini-drones. L’estimation permet de fusionner en temps réel les informations imparfaites provenant des différents capteurs et de fournir une estimation, par exemple de l’état du drone (orientation, vitesse, position) au calculateur embarqué où sont implémentés les algorithmes de commande de l’engin. Ce contrôle de l’appareil doit garantir sa stabilité en boucle fermée quelque soit l’ordre de consigne fourni directement par l’opérateur ou par tout système automatique de gestion du vol et assurer que celle-ci soit correctement recopiée. Estimation et commande participent donc grandement au succès de toute mission. Une dimension extrêmement importante qui a conditionné les travaux entrepris tout au long de cette thèse concerne la capacité d’emport des mini-drones que nous considérons. En effet, celle-ci, relativement limitée, et couplée à la volonté de ne pas grever les budgets de développement de tout mini-drone, autorise uniquement l’intégration de matériels dits bas-coûts. Malgré les progrès significatifs de la miniaturisation et l’augmentation continuelle des capacités de calcul embarqué (loi de Moore), les mini-drones d’intérêt considérés ici n’embarquent donc que des capteurs aux performances limitées dans un contexte où cette catégorie d’engins autonomes est amenée à être de plus en plus fréquemment exploitée pour remplir des missions elles-mêmes toujours plus nombreuses. Celles-ci requièrent notamment que de tels drones puissent de manière sûre s’insérer et partager l’espace aérien civil moyennant le passage d’une certification de leur vol au même titre que pour les avions de transport des différentes compagnies aériennes. Dès lors, face à cet enjeu de sécurisation des vols de mini-drones, la consolidation de la connaissance de l’état de l’aéronef par des techniques d’estimation devient un tâche essentielle pour en assurer le contrôle, y compris en situations dégradées (pannes capteurs, perte occasionnelle de signaux, bruit et perturbations environnantes, imperfections des moyens de mesure, etc). Tenter de répondre à cet enjeu conduit naturellement le chercheur à s’attaquer à des problèmes relativement nouveaux, en tout cas pas forcément aussi proches de ceux qui se posent dans le secteur de l’aéronautique civile ou militaire, où le système avionique est sans commune mesure avec celui sur lequel nous avons travaillé dans cette thèse. Ce travail à tout d’abord consisté à définir une modélisation dynamique descriptive du vol des mini-drones étudiés, suffisamment générique pour être appliquée à différents types de minidrones (voilure fixe, multirotor, etc). Par la suite, deux algorithmes d’estimation originaux, dénommés IUKF et -IUKF, exploitant ce modèle, ont été développés avant d’être testés en simulation puis sur données réelles pour la version -IUKF. Ces deux méthodes transposent le cadre générique des observateurs invariants au cas de l’estimation non linéaire de l’état d’un système dynamique par une technique de type Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) qui appartient à la classe plus générale des algorithmes de filtrage non linéaire de type Sigma Point (SP). La solution proposée garantit un plus grand domaine de convergence de l’estimé que les techniques plus traditionnelles. / This thesis presents the study of an algorithmic solution for state estimation problem of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. The necessary resort to multiple miniaturized low-cost and low-performance sensors integrated into mini-RPAS, which are obviously subjected to hardspace requirements or electrical power consumption constraints, has led to an important interest to design nonlinear observers for data fusion, unmeasured systems state estimation and/or flight path reconstruction. Exploiting the capabilities of nonlinear observers allows, by generating consolidated signals, to extend the way mini-RPAS can be controlled while enhancing their intrinsic flight handling qualities.That is why numerous recent research works related to RPAS certification and integration into civil airspace deal with the interest of highly robust estimation algorithm. Therefore, the development of reliable and performant aided-INS for many nonlinear dynamic systems is an important research topic and a major concern in the aerospace engineering community. First, we have proposed a novel approach for nonlinear state estimation, named pi-IUKF (Invariant Unscented Kalman Filter), which is based on both invariant filter estimation and UKF theoretical principles. Several research works on nonlinear invariant observers have been led and provide a geometrical-based constructive method for designing filters dedicated to nonlinear state estimation problems while preserving the physical properties and systems symmetries. The general invariant observer guarantees a straightforward form of the nonlinear estimation error dynamics whose properties are remarkable. The developed pi-IUKF estimator suggests a systematic approach to determine all the symmetry-preserving correction terms, associated with a nonlinear state-space representation used for prediction, without requiring any linearization of the differential equations. The exploitation of the UKF principles within the invariant framework has required the definition of a compatibility condition on the observation equations. As a first result, the estimated covariance matrices of the pi-IUKF converge to constant values due to the symmetry-preserving property provided by the nonlinear invariant estimation theory. The designed pi-IUKF method has been successfully applied to some relevant practical problems such as the estimation of Attitude and Heading for aerial vehicles using low-cost AH reference systems (i.e., inertial/magnetic sensors characterized by low performances). In a second part, the developed methodology is used in the case of a mini-RPAS equipped with an aided Inertial Navigation System (INS) which leads to augment the nonlinear state space representation with both velocity and position differential equations. All the measurements are provided on board by a set of low-cost and low-performance sensors (accelerometers, gyrometers, magnetometers, barometer and even Global Positioning System (GPS)). Our designed pi-IUKF estimation algorithm is described and its performances are evaluated by exploiting successfully real flight test data. Indeed, the whole approach has been implemented onboard using a data logger based on the well-known Paparazzi system. The results show promising perspectives and demonstrate that nonlinear state estimation converges on a much bigger set of trajectories than for more traditional approaches.

Poškození zraku je jedním z nejčastějších tělesných postižení -- udává se, že až 3 % populace trpí vážným poškozením nebo ztrátou zraku. Oslepnutí výrazně zhoršuje schopnost orientace a pohybu v okolním prostředí -- bez znalosti uspořádání prostoru, jinak získané převážně pomocí zraku, postižený zkrátka neví, kudy se pohybovat ke svému cíli. Obvyklým řešením problému orientace v neznámých prostředích je doprovod nevidomého osobou se zdravým zrakem; tato služba je však velmi náročná a nevidomý se musí plně spolehnout na doprovod. Tato práce zkoumá možnosti, kterými by bylo možné postiženým ulehčit orientaci v prostoru, a to využitím existujících senzorických prostředků a vhodného zpracování jejich dat. Téma je zpracováno skrze analogii s mobilní robotikou, v jejímž duchu je rozděleno na část lokalizace a plánování cesty. Zatímco metody plánování cesty jsou vesměs k dispozici, lokalizace chodce často trpí značnými nepřesnostmi určení polohy a komplikuje tak využití standardních navigačních přístrojů nevidomými uživateli. Zlepšení odhadu polohy může být dosaženo vícero cestami, zkoumanými analytickou kapitolou. Předložená práce prvně navrhuje fúzi obvyklého přijímače systému GPS s chodeckou odometrickou jednotkou, což vede k zachování věrného tvaru trajektorie na lokální úrovni. Pro zmírnění zbývající chyby posunu odhadu je proveden návrh využití přirozených význačných bodů prostředí, které jsou vztaženy ke globální referenci polohy. Na základě existujících formalismů vyhledávání v grafu jsou zkoumána kritéria optimality vhodná pro volbu cesty nevidomého skrz městské prostředí. Generátor vysokoúrovňových instrukcí založený na fuzzy logice je potom budován s motivací uživatelského rozhraní působícího lidsky; doplňkem je okamžitý haptický výstup korigující odchylku směru. Chování navržených principů bylo vyhodnoceno na základě realistických experimentů zachycujících specifika cílového městského prostředí. Výsledky vykazují značná zlepšení jak maximálních, tak středních ukazatelů chyby určení polohy.

This thesis deals with the filter algorithm design, implementing mathematical model to improve algorithm performance. Designed algorithms are implemented in a control unit of the experimental vehicle (filters signal used in the closed-loop controller). The improvement of the position estimation using Kalman Filter is demonstrated on the experimental vehicle. In the next part the design process of algorithm developing for dsPIC microcontroller using Matlab is described.

In underwater tracking and surveillance, the active towed array sonar presents a way of discovering and tracking adversarial submerged targets that try to stay hidden. The configuration consist of listening and emitting hydrophones towed behind a ship. Moreover, it has inherent limitations, and the characteristics of sound in the ocean are complex. By varying the pulse form emitted and the trajectory of the ship the measurement accuracy may be improved. This type of optimization constitutes a sensor management problem. In this thesis, a model of the tracking scenario has been constructed derived from Cramér-Rao bound analyses. A model predictive control approach together with information measures have been used to optimize a filter's estimated state of the target. For the simulations, the MATLAB environment has been used. Different combinations of decision horizons, information measures and variations of the Kalman filter have been studied. It has been found that the accuracy of the Extended Kalman filter is too low to give consistent results given the studied information measures. However, the Unscented Kalman filter is sufficient for this purpose.

The thesis work investigates brake friction estimation strategies. The friction between the brake disc and brake pads is not constant during the braking application and contributes to the amount of brake torque achieved at the wheels. In this study, it is considered that any change in the brake torque between the requested and achieved values is only due to the varying brake friction coefficient. The work gives three different approaches to estimate the brake friction coefficient using two prominent state estimation strategies, Unscented Kalman Filter and Moving Horizon Estimation. The inputs to the estimators are obtained from a Vehicle model, which is built using the wheel balance equations. The estimators have been tuned to minimize the estimation error in nominal conditions and tested for their robustness through a wide analysis, where the sensitivity of the strategies is checked against a spectra of potential system parameters and boundary conditions. Throughout all the analysis, the developed models estimate the brake friction coefficient within an acceptable error range. This work opens up opportunities for further studies that can be performed using the built estimator models. / Detta examensarbete studerar strategier för skattning av bromsfriktion. Friktionen mellan bromsskivan och bromsbeläggen är inte konstant under bromsförloppet och det är denna som genererar bromsmomentet för varje hjul. I detta arbete så antas att förändringen i bromsmoment mellan begärd och uppnått endast är på grund av varierande bromsfriktion mellan bromsbelägg och bromsskiva. Arbetet presenterar tre olika sätt att skatta bromsfriktionen genom användning av två kända skattningsmetoder, Uncented Kalman Filter och Moving Horizon Estimation. Ingående värden till skattningsmetoderna fås från en fordonsmodell som är byggd med hjälp av hjulbalansekvationer. Skattningsmetoderna har justerats så att de minimerar skattningsfelet i nominella fall och de är testade för robusthet genom en bred analys där känsligheten hos metoderna testas genom en flora av potentiella systemparametrar och gränsvärden. Genom hela analysen så uppnår de utvecklade skattningsmetoderna bromsfriktionsvärden med acceptabla felnivåer. Detta arbete öppnar upp för möjligheter för vidare analyser där de utvecklade metoderna kan användas.

This thesis addresses three problems related to image registration, prediction and tracking, applied to Angiography and Oncology. For image analysis, various probabilistic models have been employed to characterize the image deformations, target motions and state estimations. (i) In Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA), having a high quality visualization of the blood motion in the vessels is essential both in diagnostic and interventional applications. In order to reduce the inherent movement artifacts in DSA, non-rigid image registration is used before subtracting the mask from the contrast image. DSA image registration is a challenging problem, as it requires non-rigid matching across spatially non-uniform control points, at high speed. We model the problem of sub-pixel matching, as a labeling problem on a non-uniform Markov Random Field (MRF). We use quad-trees in a novel way to generate the non uniform grid structure and optimize the registration cost using graph-cuts technique. The MRF formulation produces a smooth displacement field which results in better artifact reduction than with the conventional approach of independently registering the control points. The above approach is further improved using two models. First, we introduce the concept of pivotal and non-pivotal control points. `Pivotal control points' are nodes in the Markov network that are close to the edges in the mask image, while 'non-pivotal control points' are identified in soft tissue regions. This model leads to a novel MRF framework and energy formulation. Next, we propose a Gaussian MRF model and solve the energy minimization problem for sub-pixel DSA registration using Random Walker (RW). An incremental registration approach is developed using quad-tree based MRF structure and RW, wherein the density of control points is hierarchically increased at each level M depending of the features to be used and the required accuracy. A novel numbering scheme of the control points allows us to reuse the computations done at level M in M + 1. Both the models result in an accelerated performance without compromising on the artifact reduction. We have also provided a CUDA based design of the algorithm, and shown performance acceleration on a GPU. We have tested the approach using 25 clinical data sets, and have presented the results of quantitative analysis and clinical assessment. (ii) In External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), in order to monitor the intra fraction motion of thoracic and abdominal tumors, the lung diaphragm apex can be used as an internal marker. However, tracking the position of the apex from image based observations is a challenging problem, as it undergoes both position and shape variation. We propose a novel approach for tracking the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm apex (IHDA) position on CBCT projection images. We model the diaphragm state as a spatiotemporal MRF, and obtain the trace of the apex by solving an energy minimization problem through graph-cuts. We have tested the approach using 15 clinical data sets and found that this approach outperforms the conventional full search method in terms of accuracy. We have provided a GPU based heterogeneous implementation of the algorithm using CUDA to increase the viability of the approach for clinical use. (iii) In an adaptive radiotherapy system, irrespective of the methods used for target observations there is an inherent latency in the beam control as they involve mechanical movement and processing delays. Hence predicting the target position during `beam on target' is essential to increase the control precision. We propose a novel prediction model (called o set sine model) for the breathing pattern. We use IHDA positions (from CBCT images) as measurements and an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) for state estimation. The results based on 15 clinical datasets show that, o set sine model outperforms the state of the art LCM model in terms of prediction accuracy.