Real-time motor rotation frequency detection with event-based visual and spike-based auditory AER sensory integration for FPGA

Multisensory integration is commonly used in various robotic areas to collect more environmental information using different and complementary types of sensors. Neuromorphic engineers mimics biological systems behavior to improve systems performance in solving engineering problems with low power consumption. This work presents a neuromorphic sensory integration scenario for measuring the rotation frequency of a motor using an AER DVS128 retina chip (Dynamic Vision Sensor) and a stereo auditory system on a FPGA completely event-based. Both of them transmit information with Address-Event-Representation (AER). This integration system uses a new AER monitor hardware interface, based on a Spartan-6 FPGA that allows two operational modes: real-time (up to 5 Mevps through USB2.0) and data logger mode (up to 20Mevps for 33.5Mev stored in onboard DDR RAM). The sensory integration allows reducing prediction error of the rotation speed of the motor since audio processing offers a concrete range of rpm, while DVS can be much more accurate.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-02/0

Live Demonstration: Real-time motor rotation frequency detection by spike-based visual and auditory AER sensory integration for FPGA

Multisensory integration is commonly used in various robotic areas to collect much more information from an environment using different and complementary types of sensors. This demonstration presents a scenario where the motor rotation frequency is obtained using an AER DVS128 retina chip (Dynamic Vision Sensor) and a frequency decomposer auditory system on a FPGA that mimics a biological cochlea. Both of them are spike-based sensors with Address-Event-Representation (AER) outputs. A new AER monitor hardware interface, based on a Spartan-6 FPGA, allows two operational modes: real-time (up to 5 Mevps through USB2.0) and off-line mode (up to 20Mevps and 33.5Mev stored in DDR RAM). The sensory integration allows the bio-inspired cochlea limit to provide a concrete range of rpm approaches, which are obtained by the silicon retina.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-02/0

Energy impact and CO2 emissions of a building with different façade solutions

[EN]This work uses a simplified life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology to explore the impact reduction potential in the design phase in terms of primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions for a given building using several façade solutions. This is achieved through a review of several design criteria (wall characteristics, insulation level, reposition rate and component durability) and their combinations, and analizing how they relate to the selected impacts for the production and use stages in the building life cycle. Results show that both emissions and energy embedded into the building materials or the building process are of great relevance and impact of emissions is comparable to those due to the use stage. This work concludes that, for a given building, a significant impact reduction on the selected impact indicators can be achieved by a careful selection of building solutions and durability strategies (through maintenance or refurbishment) in the design phase.[ES]El artículo emplea una simplificación de la metodología del análisis de ciclo de vida (ACV) para explorar en fase de proyecto el potencial de reducción de impactos, en términos de energía primaria y emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, para diferentes soluciones de fachada y estrategias de durabilidad. Se evalúan a nivel de edificio varias alternativas de diseño de una fachada tipo (configuración del muro, aislamiento, frecuencia de reposición y durabilidad) y se analiza su repercusión en los impactos seleccionados para las etapas de producción y uso del edificio. Se concluye la importancia de la energía y emisiones incorporadas a los materiales y procesos de construcción en los impactos totales, siendo las emisiones en esas fases comparables a las de la fase de uso. Se concluye la posibilidad de reducir significativamente los impactos mediante una selección cuidadosa de los criterios de diseño y estrategias apropiadas de durabilidad, mantenimiento y rehabilitación.Peer reviewe

Performance evaluation over HW/SW co-design SoC memory transfers for a CNN accelerator

Many FPGAs vendors have recently included embedded processors in their devices, like Xilinx with ARM-Cortex A cores, together with programmable logic cells. These devices are known as Programmable System on Chip (PSoC). Their ARM cores (embedded in the processing system or PS) communicates with the programmable logic cells (PL) using ARM-standard AXI buses. In this paper we analyses the performance of exhaustive data transfers between PS and PL for a Xilinx Zynq FPGA in a co-design real scenario for Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) accelerator, which processes, in dedicated hardware, a stream of visual information from a neuromorphic visual sensor for classification. In the PS side, a Linux operating system is running, which recollects visual events from the neuromorphic sensor into a normalized frame, and then it transfers these frames to the accelerator of multi-layered CNNs, and read results, using an AXI-DMA bus in a per-layer way. As these kind of accelerators try to process information as quick as possible, data bandwidth becomes critical and maintaining a good balanced data throughput rate requires some considerations. We present and evaluate several data partitioning techniques to improve the balance between RX and TX transfer and two different ways of transfers management: through a polling routine at the userlevel of the OS, and through a dedicated interrupt-based kernellevel driver. We demonstrate that for longer enough packets, the kernel-level driver solution gets better timing in computing a CNN classification example. Main advantage of using kernel-level driver is to have safer solutions and to have tasks scheduling in the OS to manage other important processes for our application, like frames collection from sensors and their normalization.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2016-77785-

Analysis of the Utilization of Air-Cooled Blast Furnace Slag as Industrial Waste Aggregates in Self-Compacting Concrete

In this work, the effects of replacing the aggregates of self-compacting concrete by air-cooled blast furnace slag have been analysed. Different mixes have been manufactured by substituting the fine and coarse natural aggregates by air-cooled blast furnace slag. The fracture energy and the tensile and compressive strength have been determined for each mix. The self-compacting properties of the mixes, or the absence of them, have been observed. The main goals of this research are the decrease of the price of aggregates, reduction of the industrial waste, and attenuation the rate of consumption of natural resources. The results show that the self-compactability of the concrete is gradually lost as the slag content is increased, thus, when the ratio of replacement is low, the concrete keeps the self-compacting properties. Nevertheless, the loss of self-compaction affects the mechanical properties by increasing its strength. An air-cooled blast furnace slag did not present problems of heavy metals leaching.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BIA2016-75431-RUniversidad de Sevilla VI Plan Propio de Investigació

Analysis of uncertainty in a middle-cost device for 3D measurements in BIM perspective

Medium-cost devices equipped with sensors are being developed to get 3D measurements. Some allow for generating geometric models and point clouds. Nevertheless, the accuracy of these measurements should be evaluated, taking into account the requirements of the Building Information Model (BIM). This paper analyzes the uncertainty in outdoor/indoor three-dimensional coordinate measures and point clouds (using Spherical Accuracy Standard (SAS) methods) for Eyes Map, a medium-cost tablet manufactured by e-Capture Research & Development Company, Mérida, Spain. To achieve it, in outdoor tests, by means of this device, the coordinates of targets were measured from 1 to 6 m and cloud points were obtained. Subsequently, these were compared to the coordinates of the same targets measured by a Total Station. The Euclidean average distance error was 0.005–0.027 m for measurements by Photogrammetry and 0.013–0.021 m for the point clouds. All of them satisfy the tolerance for point cloud acquisition (0.051 m) according to the BIM Guide for 3D Imaging (General Services Administration); similar results are obtained in the indoor tests, with values of 0.022 m. In this paper, we establish the optimal distances for the observations in both, Photogrammetry and 3D Photomodeling modes (outdoor) and point out some working conditions to avoid in indoor environments. Finally, the authors discuss some recommendations for improving the performance and working methods of the device.peerReviewe

Factores Críticos que dificultan la Aplicación de Revenue Management en Hoteles Urbanos

Con este trabajo se pretenden determinar los factores que influyen de forma significativa como barreras para la aplicación de Revenue Management –RM- (también denominado Yield Management). Con este objetivo, se analiza la influencia de su conocimiento, implantación y de la dimensión del hotel, sobre las dificultades experimentadas por los hoteles en dos momentos, al inicio del proceso de la implantación de RM y en el momento actual. El estudio se realiza sobre el censo de hoteles de cuatro y cinco estrellas de la provincia de Sevilla. Se ha constatado, de un lado, la influencia significativa que ejerce la disponibilidad de un software de RM sobre las dificultades al inicio del proceso de implantación y, de otro, la influencia también significativa de la implantación de RM, dimensión del hotel, pertenencia a una cadena y dimensión de la cadena, sobre las dificultades a las que actualmente deben enfrentarse los hoteles para la aplicación de RM. Adicionalmente se han identificado aquellos obstáculos que resultan críticos a la hora de aplicar RM en el sector hotelero dependiendo del perfil del hotel. Con ellos el establecimiento podrá hacer una evaluación previa de sus fortalezas, debilidades y áreas de actuación prioritarias para la implantación de RM.With this work we aim to identify factors that significantly influence as barriers to the implementation of Revenue Management -RM- (also called yield management). In this way, the influence of its knowledge, its implementation and the size of the hotel is analyzed, on the difficulties experienced by hotels at two specific monents, at the beginning of the process of the implementation of RM and at present. The study was performed on the census of hotels of four and five star hotels in the province of Seville. It was found, on the one hand, the significant influence of the availability of a RM software on the difficulties at the beginning of the implementation process and, secondly, also significantly influence the implementation of RM, size of hotel, membership brand and size of the chain, on the difficulties they face currently hotel RM application. Additionally, those obstacles have been identified that are critical to the RM implementation in the hotel sector depending on the profile of the hotel. With them, the hotel may make a preliminary assessment of their strengths, weaknesses and areas for priority action for implementation of RM