1,388 research outputs found

    A middleware for a large array of cameras

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    Large arrays of cameras are increasingly being employed for producing high quality image sequences needed for motion analysis research. This leads to the logistical problem with coordination and control of a large number of cameras. In this paper, we used a lightweight multi-agent system for coordinating such camera arrays. The agent framework provides more than a remote sensor access API. It allows reconfigurable and transparent access to cameras, as well as software agents capable of intelligent processing. Furthermore, it eases maintenance by encouraging code reuse. Additionally, our agent system includes an automatic discovery mechanism at startup, and multiple language bindings. Performance tests showed the lightweight nature of the framework while validating its correctness and scalability. Two different camera agents were implemented to provide access to a large array of distributed cameras. Correct operation of these camera agents was confirmed via several image processing agents

    A middleware for a large array of cameras

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    Large arrays of cameras are increasingly being employed for producing high quality image sequences needed for motion analysis research. This leads to the logistical problem with coordination and control of a large number of cameras. In this paper, we used a lightweight multi-agent system for coordinating such camera arrays. The agent framework provides more than a remote sensor access API. It allows reconfigurable and transparent access to cameras, as well as software agents capable of intelligent processing. Furthermore, it eases maintenance by encouraging code reuse. Additionally, our agent system includes an automatic discovery mechanism at startup, and multiple language bindings. Performance tests showed the lightweight nature of the framework while validating its correctness and scalability. Two different camera agents were implemented to provide access to a large array of distributed cameras. Correct operation of these camera agents was confirmed via several image processing agents

    Service-Oriented Architecture for Space Exploration Robotic Rover Systems

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    Currently, industrial sectors are transforming their business processes into e-services and component-based architectures to build flexible, robust, and scalable systems, and reduce integration-related maintenance and development costs. Robotics is yet another promising and fast-growing industry that deals with the creation of machines that operate in an autonomous fashion and serve for various applications including space exploration, weaponry, laboratory research, and manufacturing. It is in space exploration that the most common type of robots is the planetary rover which moves across the surface of a planet and conducts a thorough geological study of the celestial surface. This type of rover system is still ad-hoc in that it incorporates its software into its core hardware making the whole system cohesive, tightly-coupled, more susceptible to shortcomings, less flexible, hard to be scaled and maintained, and impossible to be adapted to other purposes. This paper proposes a service-oriented architecture for space exploration robotic rover systems made out of loosely-coupled and distributed web services. The proposed architecture consists of three elementary tiers: the client tier that corresponds to the actual rover; the server tier that corresponds to the web services; and the middleware tier that corresponds to an Enterprise Service Bus which promotes interoperability between the interconnected entities. The niche of this architecture is that rover's software components are decoupled and isolated from the rover's body and possibly deployed at a distant location. A service-oriented architecture promotes integrate-ability, scalability, reusability, maintainability, and interoperability for client-to-server communication.Comment: LACSC - Lebanese Association for Computational Sciences, http://www.lacsc.org/; International Journal of Science & Emerging Technologies (IJSET), Vol. 3, No. 2, February 201

    PROPOSED MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION FOR RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED NETWORKS

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    The explosion in processing power of embedded systems has enabled distributed embedded networks to perform more complicated tasks. Middleware are sets of encapsulations of common and network/operating system-specific functionality into generic, reusable frameworks to manage such distributed networks. This thesis will survey and categorize popular middleware implementations into three adapted layers: host-infrastructure, distribution, and common services. This thesis will then apply a quantitative approach to grading and proposing a single middleware solution from all layers for two target platforms: CubeSats and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). CubeSats are 10x10x10cm nanosatellites that are popular university-level space missions, and impose power and volume constraints. Autonomous UAVs are similarly-popular hobbyist-level vehicles that exhibit similar power and volume constraints. The MAVLink middleware from the host-infrastructure layer is proposed as the middleware to manage the distributed embedded networks powering these platforms in future projects. Finally, this thesis presents a performance analysis on MAVLink managing the ARM Cortex-M 32-bit processors that power the target platforms

    IDL-XML based information sharing model for enterprise integration

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    CJM is a mechanized approach to problem solving in an enterprise. Its basis is intercommunication between information systems, in order to provide faster and more effective decision making process. These results help minimize human error, improve overall productivity and guarantee customer satisfaction. Most enterprises or corporations started implementing integration by adopting automated solutions in a particular process, department, or area, in isolation from the rest of the physical or intelligent process resulting in the incapability for systems and equipment to share information with each other and with other computer systems. The goal in a manufacturing environment is to have a set of systems that will interact seamlessly with each other within a heterogeneous object framework overcoming the many barriers (language, platforms, and even physical location) that do not grant information sharing. This study identifies the data needs of several information systems of a corporation and proposes a conceptual model to improve the information sharing process and thus Computer Integrated Manufacturing. The architecture proposed in this work provides a methodology for data storage, data retrieval, and data processing in order to provide integration at the enterprise level. There are four layers of interaction in the proposed IXA architecture. The name TXA (DDL - XML Architecture for Enterprise Integration) is derived from the standards and technologies used to define the layers and corresponding functions of each layer. The first layer addresses the systems and applications responsible for data manipulation. The second layer provides the interface definitions to facilitate the interaction between the applications on the first layer. The third layer is where data would be structured using XML to be stored and the fourth layer is a central repository and its database management system

    The ERATO Systems Biology Workbench: Architectural Evolution

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    Systems biology researchers make use of a large number of different software packages for computational modeling and analysis as well as data manipulation and visualization. To help developers easily provide the ability for their applications to communicate with other tools, we have developed a simple, open-source, application integration framework, the ERATO Systems Biology Workbench (SBW). In this paper, we discuss the architecture of SBW, focusing on our motivations for various design decisions including the choice of the message-oriented communications infrastructure
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