2024
Authors
Avelar, H; Ferreira, JC;
Publication
2024 IEEE 22nd Mediterranean Electrotechnical Conference, MELECON 2024
Abstract
This paper proposes a method to avoid using a CORDIC or external memory to process the steering vectors to calculate the pseudospectrum of correlation-based beamforming algorithms. We show that if we decompose the steering vector equation, the size of the matrix to be saved in memory becomes independent of the antenna array size. Besides, the amount of data needed is small enough to be saved in the internal block RAMs of the FPGA SoC. Besides, this method greatly reduces the number of memory accesses, by offloading some processing to hardware, while keeping the frequency at 300MHz with a precision of 0.25°. Finally, we show that this approach is scalable since the complexity grows logarithmically for bigger arrays, and the symmetry in the matrices obtained allows even more compact data. © 2024 IEEE.
2024
Authors
Tosin, R; Cunha, M; Monteiro Silva, F; Santos, F; Barroso, T; Martins, R;
Publication
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
Abstract
Introduction: Precision monitoring maturity in climacteric fruits like tomato is crucial for minimising losses within the food supply chain and enhancing pre- and post-harvest production and utilisation. Objectives: This paper introduces an approach to analyse the precision maturation of tomato using hyperspectral tomography-like. Methods: A novel bi-directional spectral reconstruction method is presented, leveraging visible to near-infrared (Vis-NIR) information gathered from tomato spectra and their internal tissues (skin, pulp, and seeds). The study, encompassing 118 tomatoes at various maturation stages, employs a multi-block hierarchical principal component analysis combined with partial least squares for bi-directional reconstruction. The approach involves predicting internal tissue spectra by decomposing the overall tomato spectral information, creating a superset with eight latent variables for each tissue. The reverse process also utilises eight latent variables for reconstructing skin, pulp, and seed spectral data. Results: The reconstruction of the tomato spectra presents a mean absolute percentage error of 30.44 % and 5.37 %, 5.25 % and 6.42 % and Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.85, 0.98, 0.99 and 0.99 for the skin, pulp and seed, respectively. Quality parameters, including soluble solid content (%), chlorophyll (a.u.), lycopene (a.u.), and puncture force (N), were assessed and modelled with PLS with the original and reconstructed datasets, presenting a range of R2 higher than 0.84 in the reconstructed dataset. An empirical demonstration of the tomato maturation in the internal tissues revealed the dynamic of the chlorophyll and lycopene in the different tissues during the maturation process. Conclusion: The proposed approach for inner tomato tissue spectral inference is highly reliable, provides early indications and is easy to operate. This study highlights the potential of Vis-NIR devices in precision fruit maturation assessment, surpassing conventional labour-intensive techniques in cost-effectiveness and efficiency. The implications of this advancement extend to various agronomic and food chain applications, promising substantial improvements in monitoring and enhancing fruit quality. [GRAPHICS] .
2024
Authors
Cordeiro, A; Rocha, LF; Boaventura-Cunha, J; de Souza, JPC;
Publication
2024 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEMS AND COMPETITIONS, ICARSC
Abstract
Numerous pose estimation methodologies demonstrate a decrement in accuracy or efficiency metrics when subjected to highly cluttered scenarios. Currently, companies expect high-efficiency robotic systems to close the gap between humans and machines, especially in logistic operations, which is highlighted by the requirement to execute operations, such as navigation, perception and picking. To mitigate this issue, the majority of strategies augment the quantity of detected and matched features. However, in this paper, it is proposed a system which adopts an inverse strategy, for instance, it reduces the types of features detected to enhance efficiency. Upon detecting 2D polygons, this solution perceives objects, identifies their corners and edges, and establishes a relationship between the features extracted from the perceived object and the known object model. Subsequently, this relationship is used to devise a weighting system capable of predicting an optimal final pose estimation. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that this solution applies to different objects in real scenarios, such as intralogistic, and industrial, provided there is prior knowledge of the object's shape and measurements. Lastly, the proposed method was evaluated and found to achieve an average overlap rate of 89.77% and an average process time of 0.0398 seconds per object pose estimation.
2024
Authors
Moreno, A; Villar, J; Macedo, P; Silva, R; Bayo, S; Bessa, R;
Publication
2024 20TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN ENERGY MARKET, EEM 2024
Abstract
The deployment of energy communities (EC) will foster new business models contributing to the decentralization and democratization of energy access and a reduction in the energy bill of final consumers. This decentralization is only possible if investments are made in production and storage technologies, that must be installed near the locals of consumption, according to common rules of the regulatory frameworks of EC. In this paper we propose a methodology for the optimal sizing of production and shared storage assets, and we assess the cost reduction of considering shared storage assets. We then formulate seven business models (BM) that dictate how to share this benefit among the EC members, and we propose two indicators to assess them. Results show the difficulty in choosing a BM as well as the limitations of the BM and of the indicators.
2024
Authors
Matos, DM; Costa, P; Sobreira, H; Valente, A; Lima, J;
Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT ROBOTICS AND APPLICATIONS
Abstract
With the increasing adoption of mobile robots for transporting components across several locations in industries, congestion problems appear if the movement of these robots is not correctly planned. This paper introduces a fleet management system where a central agent coordinates, plans, and supervises the fleet, mitigating the risk of deadlocks and addressing issues related to delays, deviations between the planned paths and reality, and delays in communication. The system uses the TEA* graph-based path planning algorithm to plan the paths of each agent. In conjunction with the TEA* algorithm, the concepts of supervision and graph-based environment representation are introduced. The system is based on ROS framework and allows each robot to maintain its autonomy, particularly in control and localization, while aligning its path with the plan from the central agent. The effectiveness of the proposed fleet manager is demonstrated in a real scenario where robots operate on a shop floor, showing its successful implementation.
2024
Authors
López-Maciel, MA; Meireles, M; Villar, J; Oliveira, A; Ramalho, E; Lima, F; Madaleno, M; Dias, MF; Robaina, M;
Publication
2024 20TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN ENERGY MARKET, EEM 2024
Abstract
This research examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia conflict on Portugal and Spain's national energy and climate plans. Both countries have updated their plans in response to these events, emphasizing energy efficiency, renewable energy investment, and circular economy principles. Portugal focused on addressing energy poverty and digitalization, while Spain accelerated its energy transition to align with the European Green Deal. Additionally, the Ukraine-Russia conflict prompted measures to enhance energy security and NECPs in both countries. Through a semi-systematic literature review spanning 2020-2023, our study analyzes how these global events shaped national energy and climate plans. The case studies of Portugal and Spain highlight the importance of flexibility and resilience in crafting sustainable energy strategies during such a complex crisis.
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