Negotiating the Probabilistic Satisfaction of Temporal Logic Motion Specifications

We propose a human-supervised control synthesis method for a stochastic Dubins vehicle such that the probability of satisfying a specification given as a formula in a fragment of Probabilistic Computational Tree Logic (PCTL) over a set of environmental properties is maximized. Under some mild assumptions, we construct a finite approximation for the motion of the vehicle in the form of a tree-structured Markov Decision Process (MDP). We introduce an efficient algorithm, which exploits the tree structure of the MDP, for synthesizing a control policy that maximizes the probability of satisfaction. For the proposed PCTL fragment, we define the specification update rules that guarantee the increase (or decrease) of the satisfaction probability. We introduce an incremental algorithm for synthesizing an updated MDP control policy that reuses the initial solution. The initial specification can be updated, using the rules, until the supervisor is satisfied with both the updated specification and the corresponding satisfaction probability. We propose an offline and an online application of this method.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; The results in this paper were presented without proofs in IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems November 3-7, 2013 at Tokyo Big Sight, Japa

Crystal plasticity model calibration for 316l stainless steel single crystals during deformation

Type 316L austenitic stainless steel is an important structural material used for the in-core components and pressure boundaries of light water reactors. In order to study degradation mechanisms in such a steel, like crack initiation and propagation, it is crucial to develop reliable crystal plasticity models at microscale that would account for anisotropic nature of the material and realistic modelling of grain topology. In this work we present a procedure for calibrating material properties of a slip-based crystal plasticity finite element model and investigate its suitability as a constitutive model for single-crystal tensile test simulations. The material properties include the anisotropic elastic and crystal plasticity material parameters that are calibrated against experimental tensile test curves for 316L stainless steel single crystals at selected crystallographic orientations. For the crystal plasticity material parameters a systematic sensitivity study using Bassani and Wu hardening law is performed

Intergranular stress distributions in polycrystalline aggregates of irradiated stainless steel

In order to predict InterGranular Stress Corrosion Cracking (IGSCC) of post-irradiated austenitic stainless steel in Light Water Reactor (LWR) environment, reliable predictions of intergranular stresses are required. Finite elements simulations have been performed on realistic polycrystalline aggregate with a recently proposed physically-based crystal plasticity constitutive equations validated for neutron-irradiated austenitic stainless steel. Intergranular normal stress probability density functions are found with respect to plastic strain and irradiation level, for uniaxial loading conditions. In addition, plastic slip activity jumps at grain boundaries are also presented. Intergranular normal stress distributions describe, from a statistical point of view, the potential increase of intergranular stress with respect to the macroscopic stress due to grain-grain interactions. The distributions are shown to be well described by a master curve once rescaled by the macroscopic stress, in the range of irradiation level and strain considered in this study. The upper tail of this master curve is shown to be insensitive to free surface effect, which is relevant for IGSC

Vehicle control from temporal logic specifications with probabilistic satisfaction guarantees

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityTemporal logics, such as Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) and Computation Tree Logic (CTL), have become increasingly popular for specifying complex mission specifications in motion planning and control synthesis problems. This dissertation proposes and evaluates methods and algorithms for synthesizing control strategies for different vehicle models from temporal logic specifications. Complex vehicle models that involve systems of differential equations evolving over continuous domains are considered. The goal is to synthesize control strategies that maximize the probability that the behavior of the system, in the presence of sensing and actuation noise, satisfies a given temporal logic specification. The first part of this dissertation proposes an approach for designing a vehicle control strategy that maximizes the probability of accomplishing a motion specification given as a Probabilistic CTL (PCTL) formula. Two scenarios are examined. First, a threat-rich environment is considered when the motion of a vehicle in the environment is given as a finite transition system. Second, a noisy Dubins vehicle is considered. For both scenarios, the motion of the vehicle in the environment is modeled as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and an approach for generating an optimal MDP control policy that maximizes the probability of satisfying the PCTL formula is introduced. The second part of this dissertation introduces a human-supervised control synthesis method for a noisy Dubins vehicle such that the expected time to satisfy a PCTL formula is minimized, while maintaining the satisfaction probability above a given probability threshold. A method for abstracting the motion of the vehicle in the environment in the form of an MDP is presented. An algorithm for synthesizing an optimal MDP control policy is proposed. If the probability threshold cannot be satisfied with the initial specification, the presented framework revises the specifica- tion until the supervisor is satisfied with the revised specification and the satisfaction probability is above the threshold. The third part of this dissertation focuses on the problem of stochastic control of a noisy differential drive mobile robot such that the probability of satisfying a time constrained specification, given as a Bounded LTL (BLTL) formula, is maximized. A method for mapping noisy sensor measurements to an MDP is introduced. Due to the size of the MDP, finding the exact solution is computationally too expensive. Correctness is traded for scalability, and an MDP control synthesis method based on Statistical Model Checking is introduced

Probabilistically safe vehicle control in a hostile environment

In this paper we present an approach to control a vehicle in a hostile environment with static obstacles and moving adversaries. The vehicle is required to satisfy a mission objective expressed as a temporal logic specification over a set of properties satisfied at regions of a partitioned environment. We model the movements of adversaries in between regions of the environment as Poisson processes. Furthermore, we assume that the time it takes for the vehicle to traverse in between two facets of each region is exponentially distributed, and we obtain the rate of this exponential distribution from a simulator of the environment. We capture the motion of the vehicle and the vehicle updates of adversaries distributions as a Markov Decision Process. Using tools in Probabilistic Computational Tree Logic, we find a control strategy for the vehicle that maximizes the probability of accomplishing the mission objective. We demonstrate our approach with illustrative case studies

Neizrazito analitičko upravljanje mobilnim robotom u nepoznatoj okolini pomoću metode potencijalnih polja

U sklopu ovog diplomskog rada izrađen je program za simulaciju gibanja mobilnog robota u radnom prostoru, od početne pozicije do cilja a da pritom izbjegava prepreke pri čemu se koristi metoda potencijalnih polja te analitičko neizrazito upravljanje. Uz kratki opis povijesnog razvoja mobilnih robota, naznačeni su njihovi osnovni podsustavi te je izvršena sistematizacija mobilnih robota. \Naglasak je na mobilnim robotima u industriji i dan je prikaz osnovnih problema koji se javljaju prilikom upravljanje mobilnim robotima. U radu su iznesene osnove neizrazite logike i metode potencijalnih polja, dva područja na kojima se bazira upravljački zakon. Uz to, objašnjen je kinematički model mobilnog robota te pojedina područja analitičke geometrije ravnine koja se primjenjuju u radu. Računalni program pisan je u Matlabu, a metoda za rješavanje diferencijalnih jednadžbi je funkcija za numeričko rješavanje diferencijalnih jednadžbi ode45, čiji je osnovni princip opisan u radu. Rezultati simulacija prikazuju gibanje mobilnog robota u radnom prostoru između prepreka u pravokutnom koordinatnom sustavu, a uz to dana je ovisnost upravljačkih varijabli o vremenu za svaku simulaciju

Preceptivne varke

Prikaz geometrijskih perceptivnih varki