Claudio Moriconi

Some issues concerning the development of a speckle velocimeter

The application of integrated statistics in the space-time plane to laser speckle velocimetry is considered. A new approach to determining the contrast function is proposed. This approach makes it possible to considerably improve the stability of the solution to the problem under nonideal conditions. The results of experimental investigations are presented.

Speckle velocimeter for a self-powered vehicle

Laboratory tests of a laser speckle velocimetry technique are reported. The use of integral statistics in the space-time plane is discussed. Preliminary experimental results are compared with data obtained by other speckle velocimeter methods.

Speckle-velocimeter for robotized vehiclesv

This work is relevant to the development of a precision velocimeter for a self-powered robotic vehicle designed for operation in the Antarctic Regions. This is a crucial problem because of the difficulty to measure the velocity with appropriate accuracy under slip conditions and in the absence of reliable reference points over vast snow or ice fields. Speckle velocimetry is expected to provide fairly accurate measurements under Antarctic conditions. The results of early theoretical and experimental studies on the problem are very encouraging.

Large and Dense Swarms: Simulation of a Shortest Path Alarm Propagation

This paper deals with the transmission of alarm messages in large and dense underwater swarms of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and describes the verification process of the derived algorithm results by means of two simulation tools realized by the authors. A collision-free communication protocol has been developed, tailored to a case where a single AUV needs to send a message to a specific subset of swarm members regarding a perceived danger. The protocol includes a handshaking procedure that creates a silence region before the transmission of the message obtained through specific acoustic tones out of the normal transmission frequencies or through optical signals. This region will include all members of the swarm involved in the alarm message and their neighbours, preventing collisions between them. The AUV sending messages to a target area computes a delay function on appropriate arcs and runs a Dijkstra-like algorithm obtaining a multicast tree. After an explanation of the whole building of this collision-free multicast tree, a simulation has been carried out assuming different scenarios relevant to swarm density, signal power of the modem and the geometrical configuration of the nodes.

Knowledge Management and Routing in embodied agents networks

Abstract Current work refers to the effort of our group to extend abilities and functionalities of embodied agents closely connected in a communication network. The capability to develop a collective and social intelligence in poor communication conditions, demands for an effective sharing of knowledge among the agents. The key is to optimize the communication and the information/knowledge flow from the source towards the target nodes. Alarm management, cooperative target recognition, shared learning, imitation learning all take advantage of an effective knowledge sharing management. Being the timing controlled by the external events, the challenge becomes to define the reaching limit of information and knowledge: this limit is critical for the best reaction of the system to the environmental solicitations. The Knowledge Horizon concept is the consequence: a spatial region and its relevant set of nodes/agents that is the limit of data propagation, determined by the communication channel, by the timing of external events and by the payload to be transferred. In this first stage of the work we propose a shortest path approach that, given an estimate of the delays on each arc of the communication network and an estimate of the dynamics of an external event, can determine both the set of nodes in the knowledge horizon and a multicast strategy to efficiently forward the information to it.

Laser speckle velocimeter for a robotized vehicle

The paper points out the progress in the exploitation of high, fast and precise non-contact velocimetry for robot applications. A technique for the precise measurement of the speed between two sliding surfaces has been developed during the research project for the realisation of an autonomous robot. The robot is devoted to the scouting of dangerous sites and to the execution of measurements in these places for the exploration of an extreme Antarctica environment (RAS project). This technique is based on the precise calculation of the common movement of a laser speckle field. This approach allows the realisation of a velocimeter suitable for use in extreme conditions. A description of the adopted methodology and the obtained results are the main topic of our work.

The application of direct integral-geometric methods for interferometric image analysis

Here we present our approach to apply the direct Radon transform for the analysis of interferometric images, in particular for the laser speckle velocymetry, and for the ESPI measurements. A technique for the precise velocity measurement is based on the precise calculation of the common movement of a laser speckle field. This approach allows realising a velocimeter suitable for use in extreme conditions. The latest results of our investigations are presented in this report. We also present the method of image analysis for the automatic set up of an Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI). The idea of our method is to make a direct Radon-like transformation for each pixel (x0, y0) a 2D field of an image brightness B(x,y):, and than we calculate the rms spatial deviation by s, the maximum of which determines two values: (i) immediate maxφ(σs), and (ii) the corresponded angle φ((σs)max). So, from 2D function B(x,y) we have two functions depended from same 2D field, but gives a clear defect location. Our investigations show a perspective of our approach. The submitted results have both methodological and applied significance for the pattern analysis.

New Advances on Speckle-velocimeter for Robotized Vehicles

The paper points out the progress in the exploitation of high, fast and precise non-contact velocimetry for robot applications. A technique for the precise measurement of the speed between two sliding surfaces has been developed during the research project for the realisation of an autonomous robot. The robot is devoted to the scouting of dangerous sites and to the execution of measurements in these places for the exploration of an extreme Antarctica environment (RAS project). This technique is based on the precise calculation of the common movement of a laser speckle field. This approach allows the realisation of a velocimeter suitable for use in extreme conditions. A description of the adopted methodology and the obtained results are the main topic of our work.