Contents

For this test, the Paranormal Activity Recording and Detection System was set up in a room for a night at Dr. Reese's house.  The following folders contain eventful data files from this test run:

• session000084
• session000086
• session000098
• session000110

For this test, the Paranormal Activity Recording and Detection System was set up at a house where suspicious activities led the resident to suspect a paranormal presence in the house.  In the following video segments, the resident describes his experiences:

file	comment
040915_kmp_01.avi	Entire video.
040915_kmp_01b.mpg	Description of strange knocks.
040915_kmp_02b.mpg	Description of ghost (full version).
040915_kmp_02c.mpg	Description of ghost (short version).
040915_kmp_03b.mpg	Reluctance of dog to enter house.

The following files describe the arrangement and function of the various components of the PARDS during this test:

file	comment
041110_bet_02.xls	Schematic drawn in Excel showing component locations.
041030_bet_01d.mpg	Video made at house where the use and location of the components are described.
041030_bet_01.m1v	Shortened version of video with captions and markings. This version is included in the final presentation.

Sensors were only triggered when individuals entered the room and were detected by the motion sensors (for example, during the setup of the system).  The following folders contain the most interesting files from this run:

• session000112
• session000113
• session000115

Additionally, data from the sensors during periods of inactivity (which is usually discarded) was saved.   This data with graphs is in 041031_bet_01.xls .

The software used to capture the video and audio and record the sensor data required testing for validation of proper operation.  Once the functionality was verified, the stability of the software, the effective video frame rate. and the compression speed were evaluated by extended testing sessions.  The video frame rate and the disk space on the system were saved into the files listed in the following table:

test date	file	comment
8/05/2004	040805_dat_01.xls	Mini-ITX, always triggered
8/10/2004	040810_dat_02.xls	Mini-ITX, always triggered
8/11/2004	040811_dat_03.xls	Mini-ITX, always triggered
8/12/2004	040812_dat_04.xls	Mini-ITX, always triggered
8/14/2004	040814_dat_05.xls	Mini-ITX, always triggered
8/15/2004	040815_dat_05.xls	Desktop, always triggered

The frame rate is basically constant, but a certain degree of variation is evident.  The shape of the distribution is approximately normal with a small standard deviation that depends on the platform running the software.  The code was tested on two systems:  (a) a 600 MHz Eden processor and (b) a 1100 MHz Athlon XP.  The processing duties obviously challenge the Athlon system less than the Mini-ITX (Eden) system, causing less variation in the frame rate.

 

 

 

 

In addition to the frame rate, the decrease of disk space on the system is an important performance indicator.  The following two graphs demonstrate the difference in decrease of disk space on the two systems.  The slope in the second plot, approximately -0.7 GB/hr, indicates a real-time compression rate.

       

A concern with packaging the Dallas Semiconductor DS18S20 temperature sensors was the possibility of increasing the response time or changing reading of the sensor.  To quantify any impact, a packaged and a non-packaged temperature sensor were placed into a refrigerator.  When the reading had reached a stable value, the sensors were removed from the refrigerator and the reading was allowed to level off again.   The  following table includes the raw data (text file format, temperatures in hexadecimal).

Raw Data Files

test date	file	comment
11/02/2004	041102_tmp_01.txt	Springfield vs. packaged vs. non-packaged
11/02/2004	041102_tmp_01.txt	Packaged vs. non-packaged
11/02/2004	041102_tmp_01.txt	Packaged vs. non-packaged

The data from these tests are plotted and summarized in the Excel files in the following table.

Excel Files

test date	file	comment
11/02/2004	041102_snr_01.xls	Tests performed on 11/02/2004