Ultrasonic Source Localization Notes SP2010

• Team Members: Andrew Wiens
• PhD Supervisor: Sandeep Gogineni
• Faculty Supervisor: Arye Nehorai
• Goal:
  • Study the beam patterns of the ultrasonic transducers and verify using experiments.
  • Study the monopulse algorithms for source localization.
    • Single receiver
    • Multiple receivers
  • Test the algorithms for passive source localization using one pair of receiver beams.
  • Explore different ways to rotate (mechanically) the receiver beams for tracking the target.
  • Extend the experiment to active localization.
  • Incorporate multiple pairs of receive beams and the fusion center. (If time permits)
• Meetings
  • Tuesday 10 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Friday 10:30 AM - 12 NOON
• Useful Links:
  • Transmitter Specifications
  • Receiver Specifications
  • Overview of Beamforming

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• Status
  • Week 1
    • [01/22/10] Tested the ultrasonic transmitter and receiver sensors with oscilloscope & function generator and discussed the principles behind amplitude-based and phase-based schemes.
  • Week 2
    • [01/29/10] Mounted the ultrasonic sensors onto a PCB and prepared the setup for performing the experiments.
    • [01/29/10] Controlled the Lego Mindstorms motor using LabView.
  • Week 3
    • [02/02/10] Created a LabView algorithm to track the ultrasonic source. We now have a working prototype!
    • [02/05/10] Discussed possible improvements to our implementation including phase offset detection.
  • Week 4
    • [02/12/10] Modified the transmit waveform into pulses to check if we can use the time difference of arrival to enhance our estimates.
  • Week 5
    • [02/19/10] We could implement the algorithm using pulses.
  • Week 6
    • [02/22/10] Started working with the new robot and we were able to control the sensor motor of the robot.
  • Week 7
    • [03/05/10] Controlled the movement of the new robot (both rotation and linear movements).
    • [03/05/10] Mounted the ultrasonic sensors onto a PCB and installed them on the robot.

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--Videos--

<mediaplayer width=640 height=480>http://ese.wustl.edu/ContentFiles/Research/UndergraduateResearch/CompletedProjects/WebPages/sp10/Wiens/Andrew%20UGRPoseterSession_043010%2009.avi.MP4</mediaplayer>