Patrick Charpentier

Containers monitoring through the Physical Internet: a spatial 3D model based on wireless sensor networks

The Physical Internet concept was developed to address the current unsustainability problem of logistic systems. The key elements are the encapsulation and the handling of world-standard smart green modular containers (π-containers) throughout an open global logistic infrastructure. Logistic processes such as partial loading/unloading or splitting/merging of π-containers play an important role for a successful Physical Internet. However, the large variety of transformation processes can introduce desynchronisation between the physical and informational flows, i.e. the real composition of a composite π-container (a set of stacked π-containers) can differ of the information stored in the supply chain management system. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes a system to generate and maintain automatically a virtual three-dimensional layout reflecting the spatial distribution of π-containers. The proposed approach uses smart π-containers equipped with wireless sensor nodes. The relative position of π-containers can be determined by the neighbourhood relationships between the sensor nodes. From this information, a constraint set is formulated in a Constraint Satisfaction Problem where each solution is a potential loading pattern. The methodology is developed and computational experiments are proposed, as a proof-of-concept. The results show that our proposed method yields quick and satisfactory results.

Localization algorithms based on hop counting for Wireless Nano-Sensor networks

Wireless Nano-Sensor networks (WNSN) consist of nanosensors equipped with nanotransceivers and nanoantennas to operate in Terahertz frequency band (0.1-10THz). Due to the peculiarities of this communication channel (such as, very short range of transmission (under lm), high interference, high path loss) and limited capabilities of nano-nodes (such as, computing, sensing, memory, energy), the existing ranging techniques designed for traditional wireless sensor networks are not longer used in the WNSNs. In this paper, two ranging algorithms based on hop-counting methods are developed to estimate the location of every nanosensor within certain area and distance between nodes in the networks. The first technique uses flooding mechanism to forward the packets to all nodes in the networks and count number of hops between two measured nodes. To overcome the problems of high overhead, duplication packets, and waste of consumption energy, the second algorithm based on clusters is developed. In this way, all sensornodes are grouped into different clusters. Cluster heads will communicate together and count the number of hops. The performance of the algorithms are analyzed in terms of estimated distance, delay by taking also account the energy constrains of nanosensors. The simulation results show that, by being aware of the limitations of nanosensors, the proposed protocols are able to support WNSNs with very high density in ranging and localizing.

On the Usage of Wireless Sensor Networks to Facilitate Composition/Decomposition of Physical Internet Containers

Expected to replace current logistic systems, the Physical Internet (PI) motivates to redesign its suitable logistic facilities in which the information system to manage all operations is also changed. In this context, the PI-containers and their encapsulation process (composition/decomposition) are key elements for an open global logistic infrastructure. Although the constitution of a composite container is assumed perfectly known when it was set up, the large variety of manual or automated handling, storage and routing operations in Physical Internet can introduce de synchronization between the real composition of a PI-container and the management information system. The reliance on active objects is a way to overcome this problem. Current RFID technology can serve to identify each container within radio range, but cannot pinpoint its exact location. Fine-grained RFID localization has recently received much attention but these approaches are mainly based on received signals’ parameters such as the signal strength (RSSI), time of flight (ToA/TDoA) or angle of arrival. The scope of this paper is to exploit the power of combining spontaneous networking offered by Wireless Sensor Networks with virtual representation. The proposed approach doesn’t depend on the quality of received signals that is important in harsh environment. The authors demonstrate that an instantaneous consolidated view of a composite container can be obtained and serve to synchronize both physical and informational flows providing new value-added services.

Contribution to automatic design of a hierarchical Fuzzy Rule Classifier

In this paper, two ways for automatically designing a hierarchical classifier is checked. This study deals with a specific context where is necessary to work with a few number of training samples (and often unbalanced), to manage the subjectivity of the different output classes and to take into account an imprecision degree in the input data. The aim is also to create an interpretable classification system by reducing its dimensionality with the use of Feature Selection and Fuzzy Association Rules generation. The obtained results over an industrial wood datasets prove their efficacy to select input feature and they are used to make some conclusions about their performance. Finally, an original methodology to automatically build a hierarchical classifier is proposed by merging the both previous methods. Each node of the hierarchical structure corresponds to a Fuzzy Rules Classifier with selected inputs and macro classes for output. The leaves are the outputs of the classification system.

A Product Trajectory-Driven Model Builder for Manufacturing Systems

This paper presents an original approach for automatic construction of a simulation model for complex manufacturing systems. The model generation is based on spatiotemporal product trajectories. The products therefore contribute directly to the control of the system. The formal generated model, a queuing network, is a permanent image of the real state of the system to be modelled; it can therefore be described as being auto-adaptive.

Towards Product Health Monitoring throughout its life-cycle

Product Health Monitoring (PHM) is the process of monitoring usage conditions of the product. Like Structural Health Monitoring systems, they are traditionally deployed during the Middle-Of-Life (MOL) phase of the products life-cycle. The aim of this paper is to describe the concept of PHM throughout its life-cycle. Advances in Nanotechnology and wireless nano sensors networks allow envisaging their integration into many products and systems. From this observation, we propose to describe a system to monitor dimensional features of a product. The monitoring system uses self-organizing communication network principles. Thereby the product can perform its continuous health monitoring, regardless its physical transformations. Self-measurement system requires no specific sensors and is based on two techniques: neighborhood discovering and distance-ranging.

Automatic Camera Selection in the Context of Basketball Game.

This article presents an automatic video editing method for video stream selection in a multi-camera environment. The specific context of this study is Basketball game recording and broadcasting. In order to offer the best view to spectator our method is based on action detection in order to select the right camera. We use an azimuth camera to detect the center of gravity of the players representing the action in the match. The effectiveness of our method has been tested by comparing the editing obtained with that carried out by a human operator.

Automatic Video Editing: Original Tracking Method Applied to Basketball Players in Video Sequences

The main task here is to track several basketball players during a game and to be able to retrieve their whole trajectories at the end. The final application is to get some statistics about each players and to identify some special events like free throw or to determine when a counterattack is going to happen. The originality of the solution states in the way the tracking is performed: instead of studying the close environment of each player, all the players are detected on each frame then we are using specific informations like background, speed vector, color or distance between players to link player’s positions and create the whole trajectories. We will compare our results with a benchmark of algorithms to see that our solution is quite efficient in term of tracking and speed.

Toward adaptive modelling & simulation for IMS: The Adaptive Capability Maturity Model and future challenges

This paper intends to provide an overview of the design approaches of simulation and modelling in Intelligent Manufacturing System (IMS) context. We focus on adaptive capability of the simulation models pushed by the introduction of new paradigms, i.e. intelligent product and Internet of Things. A Capability Maturity Model will be proposed for adaptive capability assessment and will be illustrated from our past researches. We will conclude discussing a set of challenging prospects.