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Publications

Publications by José Lima

2021

Multi AGV Coordination Tolerant to Communication Failures

Authors
Matos, D; Costa, P; Lima, J; Costa, P;

Publication
ROBOTICS

Abstract
Most path planning algorithms used presently in multi-robot systems are based on offline planning. The Timed Enhanced A* (TEA*) algorithm gives the possibility of planning in real time, rather than planning in advance, by using a temporal estimation of the robot's positions at any given time. In this article, the implementation of a control system for multi-robot applications that operate in environments where communication faults can occur and where entire sections of the environment may not have any connection to the communication network will be presented. This system uses the TEA* to plan multiple robot paths and a supervision system to control communications. The supervision system supervises the communication with the robots and checks whether the robot's movements are synchronized. The implemented system allowed the creation and execution of paths for the robots that were both safe and kept the temporal efficiency of the TEA* algorithm. Using the Simtwo2020 simulation software, capable of simulating movement dynamics and the Lazarus development environment, it was possible to simulate the execution of several different missions by the implemented system and analyze their results.

2020

Modular Data Acquisition Architecture for Thin-Film Sensors Surfaces

Authors
Rodrigues, N; Lima, J; Rodrigues, PJ; Carvalho, JA; Laranjeira, J; Maidana, W; Leitao, P;

Publication
2020 IEEE 29TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS (ISIE)

Abstract
Thin-film sensors surfaces are becoming popular to collect data in several specific and complex processes, namely plastic injection or metal stamping, allowing the digitization of such processes through the use of Internet of Things technologies. A particular challenge in such thin-film sensors surfaces is the data acquisition and signal conditioning system, which implementation is complex due to the characteristics of these sensors (e.g., low amplitude and noisy signals), but even more complex when implemented in real industrial processes, which are subject to harsh conditions, namely noise, dirt and aggressive elements. This work describes a modular data acquisition and signals conditioning system for thin-film sensors surfaces, meeting the requirements of scalability, robustness and low-cost, meaning that it can be easily expanded according to the number of sensors required for the application scenario.

2020

Proposal of an Augmented Reality Tag UAV Positioning System for Power Line Tower Inspection

Authors
Cantieri, AR; Wehrmeister, MA; Oliveira, AS; Lima, J; Ferraz, M; Szekir, G;

Publication
FOURTH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE: ADVANCES IN ROBOTICS, ROBOT 2019, VOL 1

Abstract
Autonomous inspection Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems are an essential research area, including power line distribution inspection. Considerable efforts to solve the demanding presented in the autonomous UAV inspection process are present in technical and scientific research. One of these challenges is the precise positioning and fly control of the UAV around the energy structures, which is vital to assure the security of the operation. The most common techniques to achieve precise positioning in UAV fly are Global Positioning Systems with Real-Time Kinematic. This technique demands a proper satellite signal receiving to work appropriately, sometimes hard to achieve. The present work proposes a complementary position data system based on augmented reality tags (AR Tags) to increase the reliability of the UAV fly positioning system. The system application is proposed for energy power tower inspections as an example of use. The adaptation to other inspection tasks is possible whit some small changes. Experimental results have shown that an increase in the position accuracy is accomplished with the use of this schema.

2021

Optimum Sensors Allocation for a Forest Fires Monitoring System

Authors
Azevedo, BF; Brito, T; Lima, J; Pereira, AI;

Publication
FORESTS

Abstract
Every year forest fires destroy millions of hectares of land worldwide. Detecting forest fire ignition in the early stages is fundamental to avoid forest fires catastrophes. In this approach, Wireless Sensor Network is explored to develop a monitoring system to send alert to authorities when a fire ignition is detected. The study of sensors allocation is essential in this type of monitoring system since its performance is directly related to the position of the sensors, which also defines the coverage region. In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to solve the sensor allocation problem. This model considers the sensor coverage limitation, the distance, and the forest density interference in the sensor reach. A Genetic Algorithm is implemented to solve the optimisation model and minimise the forest fire hazard. The results obtained are promising since the algorithm could allocate the sensor avoiding overlaps and minimising the total fire hazard value for both regions considered.

2020

Robot@Factory Lite: An Educational Approach for the Competition with Simulated and Real Environment

Authors
Braun, J; Fernandes, LA; Moya, T; Oliveira, V; Brito, T; Lima, J; Costa, P;

Publication
FOURTH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE: ADVANCES IN ROBOTICS, ROBOT 2019, VOL 1

Abstract
Teaching based on challenges and competitions is one of the most exciting and promising methods for students. In this paper, a competition of the Portuguese Robotics Open is addressed and a solution is proposed. The Robot@Factory Lite is a new challenge and accepts participants from secondary schools (Rookie) and universities. The concepts of simulation, hardware-in-the-loop and timed finite state machine are presented and validated in the real robot prototype. The aim of this paper is to disseminate the developed solution in order to attract more students to STEM educational program.

2020

Collision Avoidance System with Obstacles and Humans to Collaborative Robots Arms Based on RGB-D Data

Authors
Brito, T; Lima, J; Costa, P; Matellan, V; Braun, J;

Publication
FOURTH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE: ADVANCES IN ROBOTICS, ROBOT 2019, VOL 1

Abstract
The collaboration between humans and machines, where humans can share the same work environment without safety equipment due to the collision avoidance characteristic is one of the research topics for the Industry 4.0. This work proposes a system that acquires the space of the environment through an RGB-Depth sensor, verifies the free spaces in the created Point Cloud and executes the trajectory of the collaborative manipulator avoiding collisions. It is demonstrated a simulated environment before the system in real situations, in which the movements of pick-and-place tasks are defined, diverting from virtual obstacles with the RGB-Depth sensor. It is possible to apply this system in real situations with obstacles and humans, due to the results obtained in the simulation. The basic structure of the system is supported by the ROS software, in particular, the MoveIt! and Rviz. These tools serve both for simulations and for real applications. The obtained results allow to validate the system using the algorithms PRM and RRT, chosen for being commonly used in the field of robot path planning.

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