TY - CHAP A1 - Niemüller, Tim A1 - Ferrein, Alexander A1 - Beck, Daniel A1 - Lakemeyer, Gerhard T1 - Design principles of the component-based robot software framework Fawkes T2 - Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots N2 - The idea of component-based software engineering was proposed more that 40 years ago, yet only few robotics software frameworks follow these ideas. The main problem with robotics software usually is that it runs on a particular platform and transferring source code to another platform is crucial. In this paper, we present our software framework Fawkes which follows the component-based software design paradigm by featuring a clear component concept with well-defined communication interfaces. We deployed Fawkes on several different robot platforms ranging from service robots to biped soccer robots. Following the component concept with clearly defined communication interfaces shows great benefit when porting robot software from one robot to the other. Fawkes comes with a number of useful plugins for tasks like timing, logging, data visualization, software configuration, and even high-level decision making. These make it particularly easy to create and to debug productive code, shortening the typical development cycle for robot software. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17319-6_29 N1 - Second International Conference, SIMPAR 2010, Darmstadt, Germany, November 15-18, 2010 SP - 300 EP - 311 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Niemüller, Tim A1 - Ferrein, Alexander A1 - Lakemeyer, Gerhard T1 - A Lua-based behavior engine for controlling the humanoid robot Nao T2 - RoboCup 2009: Robot Soccer World Cup XIII N2 - The high-level decision making process of an autonomous robot can be seen as an hierarchically organised entity, where strategical decisions are made on the topmost layer, while the bottom layer serves as driver for the hardware. In between is a layer with monitoring and reporting functionality. In this paper we propose a behaviour engine for this middle layer which, based on formalism of hybrid state machines (HSMs), bridges the gap between high-level strategic decision making and low-level actuator control. The behaviour engine has to execute and monitor behaviours and reports status information back to the higher level. To be able to call the behaviours or skills hierarchically, we extend the model of HSMs with dependencies and sub-skills. These Skill-HSMs are implemented in the lightweight but expressive Lua scripting language which is well-suited to implement the behaviour engine on our target platform, the humanoid robot Nao. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11876-0_21 N1 - 13th RoboCup International Symposium, Graz, Austria, June/July, 2009 SP - 240 EP - 251 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ferrein, Alexander A1 - Steinbauer, Gerald T1 - On the Way to High-Level Programming for Resource-Limited Embedded Systems with Golog T2 - Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots N2 - In order to allow an autonomous robot to perform non-trivial tasks like to explore a foreign planet the robot has to have deliberative capabilities like reasoning or planning. Logic-based approaches like the programming and planing language Golog and it successors has been successfully used for such decision-making problems. A drawback of this particular programing language is that their interpreter usually are written in Prolog and run on a Prolog back-end. Such back-ends are usually not available or feasible on resource-limited robot systems. In this paper we present our ideas and first results of a re-implementation of the interpreter based on the Lua scripting language which is available on a wide range of systems including small embedded systems. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17319-6_23 N1 - Second International Conference, SIMPAR 2010, Darmstadt, Germany, November 15-18, 2010 SP - 229 EP - 240 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Rens, Gavin A1 - Varzinczak, Ivan A1 - Meyer, Thomas A1 - Ferrein, Alexander T1 - A Logic for Reasoning about Actions and Explicit Observations T2 - AI 2010: Advances in Artificial Intelligence N2 - We propose a formalism for reasoning about actions based on multi-modal logic which allows for expressing observations as first-class objects. We introduce a new modal operator, namely [o |α], which allows us to capture the notion of perceiving an observation given that an action has taken place. Formulae of the type [o |α]ϕ mean ’after perceiving observation o, given α was performed, necessarily ϕ’. In this paper, we focus on the challenges concerning sensing with explicit observations, and acting with nondeterministic effects. We present the syntax and semantics, and a correct and decidable tableau calculus for the logic Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17432-2_40 N1 - 23rd Australasian Joint Conference, Adelaide, Australia, December 7-10, 2010 SP - 395 EP - 404 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Geimer, Konstantin A1 - Sauerborn, Markus A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Schmitz, Mark A1 - Göttsche, Joachim T1 - Test facility for absorber specimens of solar tower power plants T2 - Advances in Science and Technology N2 - The Solar-Institute Jülich (SIJ) has initiated the construction of the first and only German solar tower power plant and is now involved in the accompanying research. The power plant for experimental and demonstration purposes in the town of Jülich started supplying electric energy in the beginning of 2008. The central receiver plant features as central innovation an open volumetric receiver, consisting of porous ceramic elements that simultaneously absorb the concentrated sunlight and transfer the heat to ambient air passing through the pores so that an average temperature of 680°C is reached. The subsequent steam cycle generates up to 1.5 MWe. A main field of research at the SIJ is the optimization of the absorber structures. To analyze the capability of new absorber specimens a special test facility was developed and set up in the laboratory. A high-performance near-infrared radiator offers for single test samples a variable and repeatable beam with a power of up to 320 kW/m² peak. The temperatures achieved on the absorber surface can reach more than 1000°C. To suck ambient air through the open absorber - like on the tower - it is mounted on a special blower system. An overview about the test facility and some recent results will be presented. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AST.74.266 N1 - 5th Forum on New Materials : CIMTEC 2010, Montecatini Terme, Italy 13-18 June 2010. Part C VL - 74 SP - 266 EP - 271 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Baech ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Gerhards, Michael A1 - Belloum, Adam A1 - Berretz, Frank A1 - Sander, Volker A1 - Skorupa, Sascha T1 - A history-tracing XML-based provenance framework for workflows T2 - The 5th Workshop on Workflows in Support of Large-Scale Science N2 - The importance of validating and reproducing the outcome of computational processes is fundamental to many application domains. Assuring the provenance of workflows will likely become even more important with respect to the incorporation of human tasks to standard workflows by emerging standards such as WS-HumanTask. This paper addresses this trend by an actor-based workflow approach that actively support provenance. It proposes a framework to track and store provenance information automatically that applies for various workflow management systems. In particular, the introduced provenance framework supports the documentation of workflows in a legally binding way. The authors therefore use the concept of layered XML documents, i.e. history-tracing XML. Furthermore, the proposed provenance framework enables the executors (actors) of a particular workflow task to attest their operations and the associated results by integrating digital XML signatures. KW - workflow KW - provenance KW - framework KW - containers KW - humans KW - synchronization KW - libraries KW - history KW - concrete KW - XML Y1 - 2010 SN - 978-1-4244-8989-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/WORKS.2010.5671873 N1 - The 5th Workshop on Workflows in Support of Large-Scale Science, 14 Nov. 2010, New Orleans, USA PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bouquegneau, Christian A1 - Kern, Alexander A1 - Rousseau, Alain T1 - Lightning safety guidelines N2 - This paper introduces lightning to the layman, noting the right behaviour in front of thunderstorms as well as protective measures against lightning. It also contributes to the prevention of lightning injuries and damages. This report was prepared by the authors inside the AHG1 Group for IEC TC81 (Lightning Protection). Y1 - 2010 N1 - Ground´2010 & 4th LPE, International Conference on Grounding and Earthing & 4th International Conference on Lightning Physics and Effects, Salvador - Brazil, November, 2010 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Börner, Sebastian A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Hendrick, P. A1 - Recker, E. T1 - Control system modifications for a hydrogen fuelled gas-turbine T2 - Proceedings of ISROMAC 13 Y1 - 2010 SN - 978-1-617-38848-4 N1 - 13th International Symposium on Transport Phenomena and Dynamics of Rotating Machinery 2010 (ISROMAC-13), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, April 4-7, 2010 SP - 665 EP - 670 PB - Curran CY - Red Hook, NY ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kern, Alexander A1 - Frentzel, Ralf A1 - Behrens, Jörg T1 - Simulation of the transient voltages in the auxiliary power network of a large power plant in case of a direct lightning strike to the high-voltage overhead transmission line N2 - Large power plants can be endangered by lightning strikes with possible consequences regarding their safety and availability. A special scenario is a lightning strike to the HV overhead transmission line close to the power plant's connection to the power grid. If then additionally a so-called shielding failure of the overhead ground wire on top of the overhead transmission line is assumed, i.e. the lightning strikes directly into a phase conductor, this is an extreme electromagnetic disturbance. The paper deals with the numerical simulation of such a lightning strike and the consequences on the components of the power plant's auxiliary power network connected to different voltage levels. KW - power generation KW - surges KW - conductors KW - arresters KW - power transmission lines KW - lightning Y1 - 2010 SN - 978-88-905519-0-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ICLP.2010.7845756 N1 - 2010 30th International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP), 13-17 Sept. 2010, Cagliari, Italy SP - 749-1 EP - 749-7 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kern, Alexander A1 - Schelthoff, Christof A1 - Mathieu, Moritz T1 - Probability of lightning strikes to air-terminations of structures using the electro-geometrical model theory and the statistics of lightning current parameters N2 - Planning the air-terminations for a structure to be protected the use of the rolling-sphere method (electro-geometrical model) is the best way from the physics of lightning point-of-view. Therefore, international standards prefer this method. However, using the rolling-sphere method only results in possible point-of-strikes on a structure without giving information about the probability of strikes at the individual points compared to others. KW - atmospheric modeling KW - probability distribution KW - lightning protection KW - standards KW - planning Y1 - 2010 SN - 978-88-905519-0-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ICLP.2010.7845757 N1 - 2010 30th International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP), 13-17 Sept. 2010, Cagliari, Italy SP - 750-1 EP - 750-8 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER -