Browsing by Author "D’Souza, J.M."

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A realistic simulation platform for multi-quadcopter search using downward facing cameras
(Elsevier Ltd, 2019) D’Souza, J.M.; Guruprasad, K.R.; Padman, A.
This paper presents a cross platform simulation environment, in a hybrid centralized-decentralized architecture, for multi-quadcopter search problem developed using MATLAB and Gazebo simulator in Robot Operating System (ROS) environment. Multiple quadcopters equipped with downward facing camera are deployed in a search area to gather information such as presence of targets of interest. Search is modeled as reducing uncertainty density, a metric of lack of information about the presence (or absence) of the targets of interest. The simulation platform developed will be a very useful tool for conducting realistic simulation experiments to validate the proposed search strategy and to make a comparative study of its performance in terms of time for the search process, with parameters such as camera search effectiveness models, sensor range, the number of robots, to decide on the parameters best suited for a given situation. We provide simulation results demonstrating the proposed search strategy using the developed simulation environment. © 2019
Effectiveness of a Camera as a UAV Mounted Search Sensor for Target Detection: An Experimental Investigation
(Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems, 2021) D’Souza, J.M.; Velpula, V.V.; Guruprasad, K.R.
In this paper, we consider a problem of autonomous search using single or multiple Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs) mounted with downward-facing cameras. A model of the effectiveness of the search sensor, camera, in this case, is essential for developing strategies for optimal deployment and path planning of UAVs for efficient search. The probability of detection of a target of interest as a function of its distance from the point directly below the camera is used to model the search effectiveness. We carried out experiments and obtained a search effectiveness model for a camera in the laboratory environment using ArUco markers and triangular shapes as targets. © 2021, ICROS, KIEE and Springer.
Optimal deployment of camera mounted UAVs performing search
(Science Publishing Corporation Inc ijet@sciencepubco.com, 2018) D’Souza, J.M.; Rao, S.S.; Guruprasad, K.
In this paper we address a problem of optimal deployment of camera mounted UAVs for a multi-robot search application. Here multiple UAVs carrying downward facing cameras are required to look for targets of interest in a search area. The lack of information about the presence or absence of targets is modeled as an uncertainty density distribution over the search area and this uncertainty is reduced as the information is gathered using the onboard cameras. The UAVs are required to get deployed so as to maximize the uncertainty reduction. We provide a model for search effectiveness of the camera and use it to formulate a strategy for optimal deployment of UAVs. It is shown that a centroidal Voronoi configuration, where each UAV (camera) is located at the centroid of the corresponding Voronoi cell is an optimal deployment. We provide simulation results to demonstrate that the proposed optimal deployment strategy successfully deploys the UAVs into centroidal Voronoi configuration, which maximizes the uncertainty reduction using cameras as search sensors. © 2016 Authors.