Abstract: A method for measuring, using a radar or sonar, the velocity with respect to the ground of a carrier moving parallel to the ground, includes the following steps: a) orienting the line of sight of the radar or sonar toward the ground; b) emitting a plurality of radar or sonar signals (P1-PN) that are directed toward the ground, and acquiring respective echo signals (E1-EN); c) processing the acquired echo signals so as to obtain, for one or more echo delay values, a corresponding Doppler spectrum; d) for the or at least one the echo delay value, determining a high cut-off frequency of the corresponding Doppler spectrum; and e) computing the velocity of the carrier with respect to the ground on the basis of the one or more high cut-off frequencies. A system allowing such a method to be implemented.

Abstract: A method of localizing a mobile body (MB) in a known environment, includes the following steps: a) defining an occupancy grid (G) modeling the environment; b) defining a set of position grids (?) each position grid being associated to a heading of the mobile body; c) receiving a time series of measurements (z1, z2, . . . ) from a distance sensor carried by the mobile body; and d) upon receiving a measurement of the time series, updating the pose probabilities of the position grids as a function of present values of the occupancy probabilities and of the received measurement; wherein step d) is carried out by applying an inverse sensor model to the received measurement, while considering the distance sensor co-located with a detected obstacle and by applying Bayesian fusion to update the pose probabilities of the position grids.

Abstract: A lightweight Learning mechanism combining a linear function approximation based Reinforcement Learning and an adaptive learning rate method is provided for energy management of Internet of Things (IoT) nodes and other energy constrained electrical systems, especially for nodes with harvested energy and wireless transmitters. The adaptive learning rate method may be based on an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), or Adam, which incorporated EWMA. Optimal decay coefficient ranges outside the usual range in Neural Network contexts have been found to be effective in implementations based on this linear function approach.

Abstract: An environment sensing method includes the following steps, carried out by a data processor a) defining an occupancy grid comprising a plurality of cells; b) acquiring at least one measurement result from a distance sensor, representative of the distance of one or more nearest targets; and c) computing an occupation probability of the cells of the occupancy grid by applying to the measurement an inverse sensor model stored in a memory device in the form of a data structure representing a plurality of model grids associated to respective distance measurement results, at least some cells of a model grid corresponding to a plurality of contiguous cells of the occupancy grid belonging to a same of a plurality of angular sectors into which the field of view of the distance sensor is divided, and associating a same occupation probability to each one of the plurality of cells.

Abstract: A method is provided for collaboratively detecting tangible bodies in an environment employing a plurality of distance sensors with which respective carriers are equipped, including: for each sensor, acquiring a series of measurements of distance of a closest tangible body along a line of sight; applying an inverse model of the sensor on a local occupancy grid; and constructing a consolidated local occupancy grid via Bayesian fusion of the occupancy probabilities thus determined; and, computing occupancy probabilities of the cells of a global occupancy grid via Bayesian fusion of the occupancy probabilities of corresponding cells of at least certain of said consolidated local occupancy grids. A system for implementing such a method is also provided.

Abstract: A method of localizing a mobile body (MB) in a known environment, includes the following steps: a) defining an occupancy grid (G) modeling the environment; b) defining a set of position grids (?) each position grid being associated to a heading of the mobile body; c) receiving a time series of measurements (z1, z2, . . . ) from a distance sensor carried by the mobile body; and d) upon receiving a measurement of the time series, updating the pose probabilities of the position grids as a function of present values of the occupancy probabilities and of the received measurement; wherein step d) is carried out by applying an inverse sensor model to the received measurement, while considering the distance sensor co-located with a detected obstacle and by applying Bayesian fusion to update the pose probabilities of the position grids.

Abstract: A method for detecting soft faults in a transmission line includes the following steps: acquiring a measurement, called time-domain reflectogram, of a signal characteristic of the reflection of a reference signal previously injected into the line, determining the difference between the time-domain reflectogram and a time-domain reflectogram measured previously for the same line or an identical line of similar characteristics, in order to obtain a corrected time-domain reflectogram, applying a plurality of independent transformations to the corrected time-domain reflectogram in order to obtain a plurality of independent transformed reflectograms, converting the transformed reflectograms into a plurality of mutually independent probabilities of occurrence of a fault, applying a data merging method to the probabilities of occurrence of a fault to deduce therefrom a unified value of the probability of occurrence of a fault.

Abstract: A method of performing simultaneous localization of a mobile body and mapping of its environment, includes the steps of: a) defining an occupancy grid (G) on a region of the environment and a pose grid (?) comprising for the mobile body; b) receiving a first time series of distance measurements (z1, z2) and, upon reception of a distance measurement: either b1) updating occupancy probabilities of the occupancy grid; or b2) updating pose probabilities of the pose grid; and c) receiving a second time series of odometry measurements (u1, u2), each of the measurements being representative of a motion of the mobile body in the environment and, upon reception of an odometry measurement, updating the pose probabilities of the pose grid. An apparatus for carrying out such a method is also provided.

Abstract: A method for measuring, using a radar or sonar, the velocity with respect to the ground of a carrier moving parallel to the ground, includes the following steps: a) orienting the line of sight of the radar or sonar toward the ground; b) emitting a plurality of radar or sonar signals (P1-PN) that are directed toward the ground, and acquiring respective echo signals (E1-EN); c) processing the acquired echo signals so as to obtain, for one or more echo delay values, a corresponding Doppler spectrum; d) for the or at least one the echo delay value, determining a high cut-off frequency of the corresponding Doppler spectrum; and e) computing the velocity of the carrier with respect to the ground on the basis of the one or more high cut-off frequencies. A system allowing such a method to be implemented.

Abstract: An environment sensing method includes the following steps, carried out by a data processor a) defining an occupancy grid comprising a plurality of cells; b) acquiring at least one measurement result from a distance sensor, representative of the distance of one or more nearest targets; and c) computing an occupation probability of the cells of the occupancy grid by applying to the measurement an inverse sensor model stored in a memory device in the form of a data structure representing a plurality of model grids associated to respective distance measurement results, at least some cells of a model grid corresponding to a plurality of contiguous cells of the occupancy grid belonging to a same of a plurality of angular sectors into which the field of view of the distance sensor is divided, and associating a same occupation probability to each one of the plurality of cells.

Abstract: A method for estimating a path of a moving element or body using a sensor assembly includes: receiving acceleration values provided by an accelerometer; receiving angular velocity values provided by a gyrometer; processing the values provided for estimating at least one angular position value using the angular velocity values and at least two Cartesian position values defining a path of the moving element or body using acceleration values and the at least one previously estimated angular position value; estimating rotation parameters, by inverting a rotational realignment model of the estimated path subject to prior knowledge of the path; retroactively correcting the at least one estimated angular position value, by applying a rotation on this value using estimated rotation parameters, so as to provide at least one corrected angular position value.

Abstract: A method for detecting soft faults in a transmission line includes the following steps: acquiring a measurement, called time-domain reflectogram, of a signal characteristic of the reflection of a reference signal previously injected into the line, determining the difference between the time-domain reflectogram and a time-domain reflectogram measured previously for the same line or an identical line of similar characteristics, in order to obtain a corrected time-domain reflectogram, applying a plurality of independent transformations to the corrected time-domain reflectogram in order to obtain a plurality of independent transformed reflectograms, converting the transformed reflectograms into a plurality of mutually independent probabilities of occurrence of a fault, applying a data merging method to the probabilities of occurrence of a fault to deduce therefrom a unified value of the probability of occurrence of a fault.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of determining the effect of aging on a propagation delay in a circuit path of a digital circuit, the method comprising determining, by a processing device (104) of the digital circuit based on a parameter aging model (?pvth) representing a variation of a first parameter (p) as a function of at least the age of the digital circuit, a variation of the first parameter due to aging at a time t after fabrication of the digital circuit, wherein the first parameter (p) is a parameter of a delay model (DELAY MODEL) representing the propagation delay in the circuit path.

Abstract: A datum to be preloaded includes the acquisition of a, so-called “model”, statistical distribution of the deltas of a model access sequence, the construction of a, so-called “observed”, statistical distribution of the deltas of an observed access sequence, the identification in the observed statistical distribution, by comparing it with the model statistical distribution, of the most deficient class, that is to say of the class for which the difference NoDSM?NoDSO is maximal, where NoDSM and NoDSO are the numbers of occurrences of this class that are deduced, respectively, from the model statistical distribution and from the observed statistical distribution, the provision as prediction of the datum to be preloaded into the cache memory, of at least one predicted address where the datum to be preloaded is contained, this predicted address being constructed on the basis of the most deficient class identified.

Abstract: A method for automatically focusing a camera comprising an image sensor, at least one lens configured to project an image onto the sensor and an actuator configured to modify a focusing parameter of the lens, comprises: a first phase of controlling the actuator in an open loop so the focusing parameter successively takes a plurality of predefined values, images being acquired for each value of the focusing parameter and a sharpness indicator being calculated on the basis of each image; and a second phase of controlling the actuator in a closed loop to maximize the sharpness indicator, the second closed-loop control phase being implemented by making use of a control law and starting conditions determined on the basis of the sharpness indicators calculated during the first phase. A system for automatically focusing a camera for implementing the method, and a camera equipped with such a system is provided.

Abstract: A device for supplying an electronic circuit with a clock signal having a dock frequency includes a frequency actuator that generates the clock signal in accordance with a frequency setting according to a regulation mechanism. A control module selectively applies to the frequency actuator a first frequency setting or a second frequency setting that is higher than the first setting. An adaptation module modifies the regulation mechanism in accordance with the applied setting.

Abstract: A method for controlling an electronic circuit by means of the first, second and third operating parameters, comprises: determining a range of variation of the third parameter for each value of the first parameter by varying the second parameter, said ranges being different; determining a target value of the third parameter; if the target value is within one of the ranges, operating the electronic circuit by setting the third parameter to the target value; and in the opposite case, selecting the two ranges framing the target value and operating the electronic circuit by consecutively bringing the third parameter into each one of the selected ranges.

Abstract: A datum to be preloaded includes the acquisition of a, so-called “model”, statistical distribution of the deltas of a model access sequence, the construction of a, so-called “observed”, statistical distribution of the deltas of an observed access sequence, the identification in the observed statistical distribution, by comparing it with the model statistical distribution, of the most deficient class, that is to say of the class for which the difference NoDSM?NoDSO is maximal, where NoDSM and NoDSO are the numbers of occurrences of this class that are deduced, respectively, from the model statistical distribution and from the observed statistical distribution, the provision as prediction of the datum to be preloaded into the cache memory, of at least one predicted address where the datum to be preloaded is contained, this predicted address being constructed on the basis of the most deficient class identified.

Abstract: A method for controlling an electronic circuit, characterised in that it comprises a step of feedback control of a current voltage-frequency operating point relative to a reference curve of a voltage-frequency domain of operation associated with the circuit, to bring the circuit from a first operating point to a second operating point, said reference curve linking said first and second operating points in an optimal trajectory relative to a boundary of said domain.

Abstract: A method for automatically focusing a camera comprising an image sensor, at least one lens configured to project an image onto the sensor and an actuator configured to modify a focusing parameter of the lens, comprises: a first phase of controlling the actuator in an open loop so the focusing parameter successively takes a plurality of predefined values, images being acquired for each value of the focusing parameter and a sharpness indicator being calculated on the basis of each image; and a second phase of controlling the actuator in a closed loop to maximize the sharpness indicator, the second closed-loop control phase being implemented by making use of a control law and starting conditions determined on the basis of the sharpness indicators calculated during the first phase. A system for automatically focusing a camera for implementing the method, and a camera equipped with such a system is provided.