Multiple hypothesis track maintenance with possibly unresolved measurements

In surveillance problems dense clutter/dense target situations call for refined data association and tracking techniques. In addition, closely spaced targets may exist which are not resolved. This phenomenon has to be considered explicitly in the tracking algorithm. We concentrate on two targets which temporarily move in close formation and derive a generalization of MHT methods on the basis of a simple resolution model.     

Aircraft maintenance jacking problem via optimization

We address the problem of assigning forces to jacking positions in order to weaken stress at points where an aircraft maintenance operation has to be performed. We introduce a mixed-integer linear programming model and report encouraging computational experiments on historical data. Our methodology is currently under the process of industrial implementation at Airbus, where it will be used as a maintenance decision-analysis tool.     

Integrated track splitting filter--efficient multi-scan single target tracking in clutter

A fully automatic tracking algorithm must be able to deal with an unknown number of targets, unknown target initiation and termination times, false measurements and possibly time-varying target trajectory behaviour. An efficient algorithm for tracking in this environment is presented here. This approach makes use of estimates of the probability of target existence, which is an integral part of the algorithm. This allows for the efficient generation and management of possible target hypotheses, yielding an algorithm with performance that matches what can be obtained by multiple hypothesis tracking-based approaches, but at a significantly lower computational cost. This paper considers only the single target case for clarity. The extension to multiple targets is easily incorporated into this framework. Simulation studies are given that show the effectiveness of this approach in the presence of heavy and nonuniform clutter when tracking a target in an environment of low probability of detection and in an environment where the target performs violent manoeuvres.     

CMH模型中部分参数对磁滞回线形状影响的研究

研究了Complete Moving Hysteresis模型计算公式中部分参数对磁滞回线形状的影响 ,发现饱和磁化强度Ms 和移动参数α对回线形状的影响并不显著 ,但参量γ的影响却是明显的 ,随着γ值的增加 ,回线的斜率增加 ,突变性增强     

基于Semi-Markov模型的多态系统不完全维修决策

为提高复杂多态系统的任务完成能力,降低维修资源消耗,提出了基于Semi-Markov模型的预防性维修和修复性维修相结合的多态系统不完全维修决策方法。采用Semi-Markov模型描述部件的性能衰退过程,利用通用生成函数方法对系统的可靠性指标进行分析,在不完全维修模型基础上,从"系统级维修的角度"出发,提出了预防性维修和修复性维修相结合的不完全维修决策方法,确保系统在有限的服役期内,获得最大净效益。并以某航空发动机压气机子系统的维修决策为例进行分析,该方法可以有效的结合预防性维修和修复性维修的优势,提高了系统的任务完成能力,具有很强的通用性和工程应用价值。     

An efficient algorithm for multisensor track fusion

An efficient algorithm for track-to-track fusion by incorporating cross-covariance between tracks created by dissimilar sensors is described. An analytical solution of this problem is complicated if cross-correlation between sensors tracking the same target is taken into account. An explicit solution of the cross-covariance matrix at steady state is derived in terms of an integral. It is shown that solution of this integral involves inversion of a matrix whose elements are functions of parameters of individual trackers. Structure of this matrix is analyzed. An efficient analytical solution for inversion of this matrix is obtained. For fusion of similar sensors, it is shown that this matrix is reduced to the Routh-Hurwitz matrix which arises in the study of steady state stability of linear systems. Numerical results showing the amount of reduction of fused track covariance by taking into account the effects of cross-correlation between candidate tracks for fusion is also presented     

Multiple hypothesis track confirmation for infrared surveillancesystems

An overall methodology is described for the application of a multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) algorithm to the infrared (IR) surveillance system problem of establishing tracks on dim targets in a heavy clutter or false alarm background. The authors discuss the manner in which the detection and tracking systems are jointly designed to optimize performance. They present approximate methods that can conveniently be used for preliminary system design and performance prediction. They discuss the use of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation for final system evaluation and present results illustrating the proposed methods and comparing predicted and simulation performance     

A cost driven predictive maintenance policy for structural airframe maintenance

Airframe maintenance is traditionally performed at scheduled maintenance stops.The decision to repair a fuselage panel is based on a fixed crack size threshold,which allows to ensure the aircraft safety until the next scheduled maintenance stop.With progress in sensor technology and data processing techniques,structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are increasingly being considered in the aviation industry.SHM systems track the aircraft health state continuously,lead ing to the possibility of planning maintenance based on an actual state of aircraft rather than on a fixed schedule.This paper builds upon a model-based prognostics framework that the authors developed in their previous work,which couples the Extended Kalman filter (EKF) with a first order perturbation (FOP) method.By using the information given by this prognostics method,a novel cost driven predictive maintenance (CDPM) policy is proposed,which ensures the aircraft safety while minimizing the maintenance cost.The proposed policy is formally derived based on the trade-off between probabilities of occurrence of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.A numerical case study simulating the maintenance process of an entire fleet of aircrafts is imple mented.Under the condition of assuring the same safety level,the CDPM is compared in terms of cost with two other maintenance policies:scheduled maintenance and threshold based SHM maintenance.The comparison results show CDPM could lead to significant cost savings.     

Multi-target state estimation and track continuity for the particle PHD filter

Particle filter approaches for approximating the first-order moment of a joint, or probability hypothesis density (PHD), have demonstrated a feasible suboptimal method for tracking a time-varying number of targets in real-time. We consider two techniques for estimating the target states at each iteration, namely k-means clustering and mixture modelling via the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. We present novel techniques for associating the targets between frames to enable track continuity.     

Architectures and algorithms for track association and fusion

Target tracking using multiple sensors can provide better performance than using a single sensor. One approach to multiple target tracking with multiple sensors is to first perform single sensor tracking and then fuse the tracks from the different sensors. Two processing architectures for track fusion are presented: sensor to sensor track fusion, and sensor to system track fusion. Technical issues related to the statistical correlation between track estimation errors are discussed. Approaches for associating the tracks and combining the track state estimates of associated tracks that account for this correlation are described and compared by both theoretical analysis and Monte Carlo simulations     

Analysis tools for the evaluation of maintenance software

Test packages written for built-in test (BIT) and mobile automatic test equipment (ATE) systems for the forward support of electronic and thermal imaging equipment used by the British Army are currently scrutinized and subjected to objective tests by test package evaluation and acceptance teams (TPEATs) before being accepted for field use. This is a time-consuming and costly exercise that can result in the rejection of unsuitable software. The result of such rejection on equipment logistics is for reaching, since the hardware will enter service without adequate maintenance support. In an attempt to address this problem a suite of programs aimed at assisting the verification and validation activities of the TPEAT at every stage of the software life cycle from requirements analysis through to testing and acceptance is being devised. The development of these tools is discussed     

EM-ML algorithm for track initialization using possibly noninformative data

Initializing and maintaining a track for a low observable (LO) (low SNR, low target detection probability and high false alarm rate) target can be very challenging because of the low information content of measurements. In addition, in some scenarios, target-originated measurements might not be present in many consecutive scans because of mispointing, target maneuvers, or erroneous preprocessing. That is, one might have a set of noninformative scans that could result in poor track initialization and maintenance. In this paper an algorithm based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm combined with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation is presented for tracking slowly maneuvering targets in heavy clutter and possibly noninformative scans. The adaptive sliding-window EM-ML approach, which operates in batch mode, tries to reject or weight down noninformative scans using the Q-function in the M-step of the EM algorithm. It is shown that target features in the form of, for example, amplitude information (AI), can also be used to improve the estimates. In addition, performance bounds based on the supplemented EM (SEM) technique are also presented. The effectiveness of new algorithm is first demonstrated on a 78-frame long wave infrared (LWIR) data sequence consisting of an Fl Mirage fighter jet in heavy clutter. Previously, this scenario has been used as a benchmark for evaluating the performance of other track initialization algorithms. The new EM-ML estimator confirms the track by frame 20 while the ML-PDA (maximum likelihood estimator combined with probabilistic data association) algorithm, the IMM-MHT (interacting multiple model estimator combined with multiple hypothesis tracking) and the EVIM-PDA estimator previously required 28, 38, and 39 frames, respectively. The benefits of the new algorithm in terms of accuracy, early detection, and computational load are illustrated using simulated scenarios as well.     

Clutter map information for data association and track initialization

This paper considers the problem of forming and maintaining tracks when measurements have both uncertain origin and are corrupted by additive sensor noise. The spatial clutter measurement density is assumed nonhomogeneous and known. The PPDA-MAP algorithm provides a set of recursive formulae for data association and probability of target existence, thus enabling automatic track initiation, track maintenance, and track termination. New values for initial probability of target existence for IPDA-type algorithm are also derived. Simulation results compare the performance of IPDA-MAP with IPDA, IMM-PDA, IMM-PDA-MAP, EB-PDA and EB-PDA-MAP in a heavy and nonuniform clutter situation.     

Nonlinear hysteresis identification and compensation based on the discrete Preisach model of an aircraft morphing wing device manipulated by an SMA actuator

The conception of aircraft morphing wings thrives in aeronautics since the appearance of shape memory alloys(SMAs). An aircraft morphing wing device, manipulated by an SMA actuator, inherits the intrinsic nonlinear hysteresis from the SMA actuator, ending up with control disadvantages. Conventionally, systems with SMA actuators are constrained to bi-stable states to bypass the hysteresis region. Rather than retreating a morphing wing device to bi-stable states, this paper is dedicated to transcend the morphing wing device beyond the customary limit. A methodology of discrete Preisach modeling, which identifies the hysteresis of the morphing wing device, is proposed herein. An array of discrete equal-distance points is applied to the Preisach plane in order to derive the Preisach density over the partitioned unit of the Preisach plane. Discrete Preisach modeling is fulfilled by the discrete first-order reversible curve(DFORC). By utilizing the discrete Preisach model, the aircraft morphing wing device is simulated; the validity and accuracy of discrete Preisach modeling are demonstrated by contrasting the simulated outcome with experimental data of the major hysteretic loop and the wingspan-wise displacement over time; a comparison between simulation and experimental results exhibits consistency. Afterwards, a hysteresis compensation strategy put forward in this paper is implemented for quasi-linear control of the aircraft morphing wing device, which manifests a compensated shrinking hysteresis loop and attains the initiative of extending the morphing range to the intrinsic hysteretic region.     

Performance evaluation of a cascaded logic for track formation inclutter

The authors present a Markov-chain-based performance evaluation technique for two-stage sliding-window cascaded logic (2/2×m /n) for track formation in a cluttered environment. The main features of this technique are that it avoids the need for extensive simulations and it is more realistic than previous methods, accounting for the association gate size variation. The gates are obtained from a Kalman filter and fully account for the transient observed for the cascaded logic following the two-point initiation from its first stage. Numerical examples of performance evaluation are given along with a logic design example     

民机综合航空电子系统今昔谈

从波音777到 A380和波音787,民用飞机航空电子系统的综合已经到达了一个前所未有的水平。温故而知新,在我们准备开始大飞机研制的今天,了解航电发展趋势,看清我们的差距,我们才能沿着正确的方向到达胜利的彼岸。     

高超声速飞行器纵向飞行稳定域与迟滞分析

针对滑翔式高超声速飞行器纵向失稳问题,基于连续算法和分岔理论,求解并分析了特征点单参数分岔图、平衡分支的稳定性和突变点,得出在大迎角飞行时存在较为严重的失稳现象;最后分析了多吸引点和迟滞效应现象.研究结果表明,滑翔式高超声速飞行器在大迎角飞行时存在严重失稳、多吸引域和复杂迟滞运动.此结果在实现飞行器稳定飞行和控制器设计方面具有很好的参考价值.     

Charging the new batteries-IC controllers track new technologies

Demands for portability have fueled significant developments in new battery technology. These developments have resulted in many more options in selecting the battery type for use in a particular project, but since most applications today are opting for rechargeable battery systems, the availability of battery charging solutions can become an equally important criteria in the selection process. Complicating this process are the demands for fast-but safe-charging with charge algorithms easily implemented with low-cost hardware. With the higher levels of complexity attendant with these more demanding algorithms, solutions have come primarily from the integrated circuit industry and the purpose of this paper is to provide a few examples of the latest efforts in this arena, specifically as addressed to lead-acid, nickel metal-hydride, and lithium-ion technologies     

机械蝴蝶模型悬停飞行的流动显示实验

为了探索蝴蝶独特的外形及运动模式下蕴含的流动机理,与以往只考虑翅膀气动影响的拍动翼实验不同,我们开发了一种同时考虑身体及翅膀的机械系统用以模拟蝴蝶的悬停飞行,并采用染色液流动显示的方法对升力的主要来源——前缘涡进行了细致的观测。结果显示,在蝴蝶飞行的上下拍动过程中均有前缘涡产生,且不是以往观测到的螺旋或锥状结构,而是近似等直径的柱状联通形式,其明显特征为：在拍动加速阶段存在明显的展向流动,而在减速阶段则会出现破裂;另外,蝴蝶看似杂乱无章的运动实际上是一种自适应控制的结果,有助于提高升力。     

复杂冗余系统的预测维修决策

针对多状态、多冗余复杂系统的预测维修问题,提出一种以系统可靠性为中心的预测维修设计方法。利用GO法建立了系统的可靠性分析模型,基于马尔可夫过程理论获得部件的可靠性参数随时间变化的状态转移方程,并给出了部件和系统动态可靠性的计算方法。综合部件退化度、维修成本、对系统可靠性的影响等因素提出维修优先数(MPN)的概念,以定量描述部件的维修重要性。以系统可靠性是否达标为准则设定维修时刻,以维修时刻部件的MPN为依据确定维修顺序,以维修的单位时间成本最小为目标优化维修范围和维修项目。最后以某捷联惯性导航系统(SINS)为例进行了算法验证,仿真结果表明该预测维修方法的设计是可行的、有效的。