Stochastic source seeking for nonholonomic unicycle

We apply the recently introduced method of stochastic extremum seeking to navigate a nonholonomic unicycle towards the maximum of an unknown, spatially distributed signal field, using only the measurement of the signal at the vehicle’s location but without the measurement of the vehicle’s position. Keeping the forward velocity constant and controlling only the angular velocity, we design a stochastic source seeking control law which employs excitation based on filtered white noise, rather than sinusoidal perturbations used in the existing work. We study stability with the help of stochastic averaging theorems that we recently developed for general nonlinear continuous-time systems with stochastic perturbations. We prove local exponential convergence, both almost surely and in probability, to a small neighborhood near the source. We characterize the convergence speed explicitly and provide design guidelines for maximizing it, as well as for minimizing the residual set near the source. We present a detailed simulation study, including a study of the effect of saturation on the steering input.     

Two nonlinear optimization methods for black box identification compared

In this paper, two nonlinear optimization methods for the identification of nonlinear systems are compared. Both methods estimate the parameters of e.g. a polynomial nonlinear state-space model by means of a nonlinear least-squares optimization of the same cost function. While the first method does not estimate the states explicitly, the second method estimates both states and parameters adding an extra constraint equation. Both methods are introduced and their similarities and differences are discussed utilizing simulation data. The unconstrained method appears to be faster and more memory efficient, but the constrained method has a significant advantage as well: it is robust for unstable systems of which bounded input-output data can be measured (e.g. a system captured in a stabilizing feedback loop). Both methods have successfully been applied on real-life measurement data.     

Multi-level hierarchical interface-based supervisory control

Hierarchical Interface-Based Supervisory Control employs interfaces that allow properties of a monolithic system to be verified through local analysis. By avoiding the need to verify properties globally, significant computational savings can be achieved. In this paper we provide local requirements for a multi-level architecture employing command-pair type interfaces. This multi-level architecture allows for a greater reduction in complexity and improved reconfigurability over the two-level case that has been previously studied since it allows the global system to be partitioned into smaller modules. This paper also provides results for synthesizing supervisors in the multi-level architecture that are locally maximally permissive with respect to a given specification and set of interfaces.     

A secure collaboration service for dynamic virtual organizations

Nowadays, various promising paradigms of distributed computing over the Internet, such as Grids, P2P and Clouds, have emerged for resource sharing and collaboration. To enable resources sharing and collaboration across different domains in an open computing environment, virtual organizations (VOs) often need to be established dynamically. However, the dynamic and autonomous characteristics of participating domains pose great challenges to the security of virtual organizations. In this paper, we propose a secure collaboration service, called PEACE-VO, for dynamic virtual organizations management. The federation approach based on role mapping has extensively been used to build virtual organizations over multiple domains. However, there is a serious issue of potential policy conflicts with this approach, which brings a security threat to the participating domains. To address this issue, we first depict concepts of implicit conflicts and explicit conflicts that may exist in virtual organization collaboration policies. Then, we propose a fully distributed algorithm to detect potential policy conflicts. With this algorithm participating domains do not have to disclose their full local privacy policies, and is able to withhold malicious internal attacks. Finally, we present the system architecture of PEACE-VO and design two protocols for VO management and authorization. PEACE-VO services and protocols have successfully been implemented in the CROWN test bed. Comprehensive experimental study demonstrates that our approach is scalable and efficient.     

A review of vision-based systems for soccer video analysis

This paper presents a survey of soccer video analysis systems for different applications: video summarization, provision of augmented information, high-level analysis. Computer vision techniques have been adapted to be applicable in the challenging soccer context. Different semantic levels of interpretation are required according to the complexity of the corresponding applications. For each application area we analyze the computer vision methodologies, their strengths and weaknesses and we investigate whether these approaches can be applied to extensive and real time soccer video analysis.     

Robust metric calibration of non-linear camera lens distortion

Camera lens distortion is crucial to obtain the best performance cameral model. Up to now, different techniques exist, which try to minimize the calibration error using different lens distortion models or computing them in different ways. Some compute lens distortion camera parameters in the camera calibration process together with the intrinsic and extrinsic ones. Others isolate the lens distortion calibration without using any template and basing the calibration on the deformation in the image of some features of the objects in the scene, like straight lines or circles. These lens distortion techniques which do not use any calibration template can be unstable if a complete camera lens distortion model is computed. They are named non-metric calibration or self-calibration methods.Traditionally a camera has been always best calibrated if metric calibration is done instead of self-calibration. This paper proposes a metric calibration technique which computes the camera lens distortion isolated from the camera calibration process under stable conditions, independently of the computed lens distortion model or the number of parameters. To make it easier to resolve, this metric technique uses the same calibration template that will be used afterwards for the calibration process. Therefore, the best performance of the camera lens distortion calibration process is achieved, which is transferred directly to the camera calibration process.     

Nonlinear embedding preserving multiple local-linearities

Locally linear embedding (LLE) is one of the effective and efficient algorithms for nonlinear dimensionality reduction. This paper discusses the stability of LLE, focusing on the optimal weights for extracting local linearity behind the considered manifold. It is proven that there are multiple sets of weights that are approximately optimal and can be used to improve the stability of LLE. A new algorithm using multiple weights is then proposed, together with techniques for constructing multiple weights. This algorithm is called as nonlinear embedding preserving multiple local-linearities (NEML). NEML improves the preservation of local linearity and is more stable than LLE. A short analysis for NEML is also given for isometric manifolds. NEML is compared with the local tangent space alignment (LTSA) in methodology since both of them adopt multiple local constraints. Numerical examples are given to show the improvement and efficiency of NEML.     

Operator context scanning to support high segmentation rates for real time license plate recognition

Introducing high definition videos and images in object recognition has provided new possibilities in the field of intelligent image processing and pattern recognition. However, due to the large amount of information that needs to be processed, the computational costs are high, making the HD systems slow. To this end, a novel algorithm applied to sliding window analysis, namely Operator Context Scanning (OCS), is proposed and tested on the license plate detection module of a License Plate Recognition (LPR) system. In the LPR system, the OCS algorithm is applied on the Sliding Concentric Windows pixel operator and has been found to improve the LPR system’s performance in terms of speed by rapidly scanning input images focusing only on regions of interest, while at the same time it does not reduce the system effectiveness. Additionally, a novel characteristic is presented, namely, the context of the image based on a sliding windows operator. This characteristic helps to quickly categorize the environmental conditions upon which the input image was taken. The algorithm is tested on a data set that includes images of various resolutions, acquired under a variety of environmental conditions.