Showing papers by "Altran published in 2012"

What is the Benefit of a Model-Based Design of Embedded Software Systems in the Car Industry?

Abstract: Model-based development becomes more and more popular in the development of embedded software systems in the car industry. On the websites of tool vendors many success stories can be found, which report of efficiency gains from up to 50% in the development, high error reductions and a more rapid increase of the maturity level of developed functions (The Mathworks, 2010) (dSPACE 2010) just because of model-based development. Reliable and broadly spread research that analyze the status quo of model-based development and its effects on the economics are still missing. This article describes the results of a global study by Altran Technologies, the chair of software and systems engineering and the chair of Information Management of the University of Technology in Munich which examines the costs and benefits of model-based development of embedded systems in the car industry.

Overview of the First SMOS Sea Surface Salinity Products. Part I: Quality Assessment for the Second Half of 2010

Abstract: Multi-angular images of the brightness temperature (TB) of the Earth at 1.4 GHz are reconstructed from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite sensor data since end 2009. Sea surface salinity (SSS) products remote sensing from space is being attempted using these data over the world oceans. The quality of the first version of the European Space Agency operational Level 2 (L2) SSS swath products is assessed in this paper, using satellite/in situ SSS data match-ups that were collected over the second half of 2010. This database reveals that 95% of the SMOS L2 products show a global error standard deviation on the order of ~ 1.3 practical salinity scale. Simple spatiotemporal aggregation of the L2 products to generate monthly SSS maps at 1° ×1° spatial resolution reduces the error down to about 0.6 globally and 0.4 in the tropics for 90% of the data. Several major problems are, however, detected in the products. Systematically, SMOS SSS data are biased within a ~ 1500 km wide belt along the world coasts and sea ice edges, with a contamination intensity and spread varying from ascending to descending passes. Numerous world ocean areas are permanently or intermittently contaminated by radio-frequency interferences, particularly in the northern high latitudes and following Asia coastlines. Moreover, temporal drifts in the retrieved SSS fields are found with varying signatures in ascending and descending passes. In descending passes, a time-dependent strong latitudinal bias is found, with maximum amplitude reached at the end of the year. Errors in the forward modeling of the wind-induced emissivity and of the sea surface scattered galactic sources are as well identified, biasing the sss retrievals at high and low winds and when the galactic equator sources are reflected toward the sensor.

Design for Six Sigma and lean product development

Abstract: Purpose – Six Sigma and lean production are established concepts in industry and academia. Both have given rise to associated concepts that have been applied in product development: Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and Lean Product Development (LPD), respectively. Proposals are being published for the merger of DFSS and LPD, and the purpose of this paper is to discuss potential benefits and risks of such proposals.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an interview study encompassing 11 interviews at seven companies.Findings – The results show that a possible merger of DFSS and LPD could prove beneficial in providing guidance both on the structure and the content of improvement efforts. Further, a merger has a potential of supporting radical, as well as incremental, improvements. However, differences in industrial practices that should be considered in applications of a merged initiative are the overall goal of the improvement work (cost reduction versus waste reduction), the emphasis on what to d...

Multiobjective waste management optimization strategy coupling life cycle assessment and genetic algorithms: Application to PET bottles

Abstract: A mathematical model based on life-cycle assessment (LCA) results is developed to assess the environmental efficiency of the end-of-life management of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. For this purpose, multiobjective optimization and decision support tools are used to define optimal targets for efficient waste management. The global environmental impacts associated with the treatment of PET bottles from their cradle to their ultimate graves (incineration, landfill, recycling by mechanical, chemical or thermal processes) are computed in function of the flow of bottles in the different valorization paths. They are based on the calculation of the impacts involved in each elementary process with a LCA software tool, using the CML impact assessment method. The model takes into account the fraction λ of PET regenerated into bottles that can be further recycled, the global impacts being the cumulative impacts corresponding to each "end-of-life". A nonlinear model for the bottle waste collection stage is considered, reflecting that the more diffuse the flow of bottles is, the more difficult it is to collect and consequently, the more environmentally impacting. The resulting multiobjective problem is to find the allocation of bottles between valorization paths that minimizes the environmental impacts of bottle end-of-lives. It is solved using a genetic algorithm, and the trade-off between environmental impacts is illustrated through Pareto curves. A decision support tool then determines the best compromise among the set of solutions. The model is applied to the case of France in 2010. The variables that minimize simultaneously abiotic depletion, acidification and global warming potential are determined, in particular the number of recycling loops. The approach can be easily adapted to any specific product like bio-based plastics or organic wastes to find the optimal allocation between valorization paths.

Advanced IPTV Services Personalization Through Context-Aware Content Recommendation

Abstract: The advances in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology enable new user-centric and interactive TV model, in which context-awareness is promising in making users' interaction with the TV dynamic and transparent. This paper considers user-centric personalized IPTV services applying context-awareness. We present a solution for enriched IPTV services personalization introducing context-awareness on top of IPTV architecture to gather different information on the user and his environment allowing each user to be distinguished by the system in a unique and real-time manner. Based on the different context information gathered, a novel solution for content recommendation is presented allowing to customize IPTV content according to the context of each user and his environment and hence guaranteeing better users' experience. We implemented the proposed solution on top of an IPTV platform considering the NGN IPTV architecture as a proof of concept and as a mean to evaluate the performance.

Fault Diagnosis of Helical Coil Steam Generator Systems of an Integral Pressurized Water Reactor Using Optimal Sensor Selection

Abstract: Fault diagnosis is an important area in nuclear power industry for effective and continuous operation of power plants. Fault diagnosis approaches depend critically on the sensors that measure important process variables. Allocation of these sensors determines the effectiveness of fault diagnostic methods. However, the emphasis of most approaches is primarily on the procedure to perform fault detection and isolation (FDI) given a set of sensors. Little attention has been given to actual allocation of the sensors for achieving efficient FDI performance. This paper presents a graph-based approach as a solution for optimization of sensor selection to ensure fault observability, as well as fault resolution to a maximum possible extent. Principal component analysis (PCA), a multivariate data-driven technique, is used to capture the relationships among the measurements and to characterize by a data hyper-plane. Fault directions for the different fault scenarios are obtained using singular value decomposition of the prediction errors, and fault isolation is then accomplished from new projections on these fault directions. Results of the helical coil steam generator (HCSG) system of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) nuclear reactor demonstrate the proposed FDI approach with optimized sensor selection, and its future application to large industrial systems.

Using Answer Set Programming in the Development of Verified Software.

Abstract: Software forms a key component of many modern safety and security critical systems. One approach to achieving the required levels of assurance is to prove that the software is free from bugs and meets its specification. If a proof cannot be constructed it is important to identify the root cause as it may be a flaw in the specification or a bug. Novice users often find this process frustrating and discouraging, and it can be time-consuming for experienced users. The paper describes a commercial application based on Answer Set Programming called Riposte. It generates simple counter-examples for false and unprovable verification conditions (VCs). These help users to understand why problematic VC are false and makes the development of verified software easier and faster.

Evaluation of clock synchronization methods for measurement and control using embedded Linux SBCs

Abstract: This paper reports a study and practical evaluation of two different clock synchronization methods for distributed measurement and control nodes based on Linux Single Board Computers (SBCs) with ARM processors and communicating through a TCP/IP wide area network. First the Network Time Protocol (NTP) is configured and evaluated in different network scenarios. The second solution is a specific development for Global Positioning System (GPS) clock synchronization. After a description of the hardware and software implementation of this solution the experimental results are reported and commented.

A lightweight technique for distributed and incremental program verification

Abstract: Applying automated verification to industrial code bases creates a significant computational task even when the individual conditions to be checked are trivial. This affects the wall clock time taken to verify the program and has knock-on effects on how the tools are used and on project management. In this paper a simple and lightweight technique for adding incremental and distributed capabilities to a program verification system is given. Experiments with an implementation of the technique for the SPARK tool set show that it can yield an average 29 fold speed increase in incremental use and near optimal speedup in distributed use. Critically, this gives a qualitative change in how automated verification is used in a large commercial project.

Modelling Aerodynamics Unsteady Loads on the Horizontal Tail Plane of a Civil Aircraft

Abstract: During flight, emergency descent situations are part of those extreme conditions that can lead the empennage of an aircraft to vibrate. These vibrations are mainly due to the separated flow on the upper surface of the structure which increases the pressure fluctuations on the empennage, sometimes leading to buffeting. This situation can cause structural fatigue and can induce certification and design constraints on the structure. Hence, an accurate prediction of the unsteady loads is needed to take these forces into account in the early phase of the empennage design. This paper presents a new approach to accurately model the unsteady aerodynamic loads resulting from the interaction between the horizontal tail plane and the wing wake. The method is based upon the coherence method and is compared to the method developed by Soumillon [2], based upon the correlation method. The results obtained by this new model show good agreements with the experimental data.

Space Module On-Board Stowage Optimization by Exploiting Empty Container Volumes

Abstract: This chapter discusses a research activity recently carried out by Thales Alenia Space, to support International Space Station (ISS) logistics We investigate the issue of adding a number of virtual items (ie items not given a priori) inside partially loaded containers, in order to exploit the volume still available on board as much as possible Items already accommodated are supposed to be tetris-like, while the additional virtual items are assumed to be parallelepipeds A mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model is introduced first, then possible linear (MILP) approximations are discussed, and a corresponding heuristic solution approach is proposed Guidelines for future research are highlighted, and experimental insights are provided to show the efficiency of the proposed approach

The design, implementation and usage analysis of an event-based consumer mashup system

Abstract: Mashups are web applications that combine data, content and application functionality from multiple sources to produce a single value-added application and they have been gaining wide popularity over the past few years. Due to the inherent programming difficulties required to integrate data and services from multiple sources, mashups have largely been a programmer's affair. Based on the research question "How to bring end-users closer to creating and using mashups", this paper presents the design and implementation of a user-centred mashup system which provides greater motivation for mashup usage by relating every-day calendar events to useful gadgets. The system is evaluated by 131 end-users to test for usability. Also, the system is used as a representative example in proposing a user-acceptance model for consumer mashups.

Automated test system

Abstract: Systems and methods for automated testing of a distributed control system are provided. The automated test system includes a master station having a processing unit operably coupled to a user interface and a master wireless unit; and at least one remote station. Each remote station includes at least one output module to send outputs to a unit under test, at least one input module to receive inputs from the unit under test and a remote wireless unit operably coupled to the at least one output module and the at least one input module. The master station is configured to transmit outputs to the remote station by wireless communication and to receive inputs from the remote station by wireless communication. The received inputs are representative of a condition of the unit under test.

Methods and apparatuses for repairing a conduit

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses relate to repairing a conduit having a defect and providing the conduit with structural support. A support member may be positioned along the inner surface of a conduit covering a defect. A sealing member may be disposed along a periphery of the support member so as to provide an obstruction to fluid flow between an outer surface of the support member and the inner surface of the conduit. One or more retaining members may apply a suitable pressure to the sealing member and support member to maintain obstruction to fluid flow between the interior and the exterior of the conduit. The support member may provide the repaired conduit with a greater degree of structural integrity and strength at the site of the defect than would otherwise be available.

Modelling methodology and considerations for a more integrated exploration of HEV designs

Abstract: The interaction of multiple domains, the evolving technologies and the relative lack of experience with respect to conventional vehicle development, compounds the complexities within the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) design space. In order to meet the needs of efficient and flexible HEV powertrain modelling within this design space, a parallel is drawn with the development of complex software systems. This paper proposes a modelling method that makes use of object-oriented modelling principles for the design and development of HEV powertrain models. A case study shows how the method is used in developing a library of reusable, replaceable and maintainable models for HEV powertrain modelling.

Multiscale magnetic underdense regions on the solar surface: Granular and Mesogranular scales

Abstract: The Sun is a non-equilibrium dissipative system subjected to an energy flow which originates in its core. Convective overshooting motions create temperature and velocity structures which show a temporal and spatial evolution. As a result, photospheric structures are generally considered to be the direct manifestation of convective plasma motions. The plasma flows on the photosphere govern the motion of single magnetic elements. These elements are arranged in typical patterns which are observed as a variety of multiscale magnetic patterns. High resolution magnetograms of quiet solar surface revealed the presence of magnetic underdense regions in the solar photosphere, commonly called voids, which may be considered a signature of the underlying convective structure. The analysis of such patterns paves the way for the investigation of all turbulent convective scales from granular to global. In order to address the question of magnetic structures driven by turbulent convection at granular and mesogranular scales we used a "voids" detection method. The computed voids distribution shows an exponential behavior at scales between 2 and 10 Mm and the absence of features at 5-10 Mm mesogranular scales. The absence of preferred scales of organization in the 2-10 Mm range supports the multiscale nature of flows on the solar surface and the absence of a mesogranular convective scale.