Other Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons^™

Discrete Alarm Clock, Travis Moore, Collin Barth

Electrical Engineering

The standard alarm clock, as used daily by millions worldwide, has clear room for modification and improvement. This paper documents an implementation that rectifies many of these flaws. Improvements include adjustable snooze length, an IR remote for ease of use, and an RF headset for discrete alarm use or potential incorporation into a device much like a hearing aid. The processes involved in creating a digital alarm clock, as well as the obstacles met in the implementation of the enhanced design, are detailed within.

Development Of Wind Tunnel For Laboratory Wind Turbine Testing, Danny Alexander Zepeda

Electrical Engineering

A wind tunnel with a 0.5 HP motor was purchased by Cal Poly Electrical Engineering Department from Hampden for $16,000. It can only simulate winds of up to 10 MPH. The tunnel has a manual dial that controls the wind speed. It also measures the voltage and current output with an analog measure display. This wind tunnel was expensive and unfortunately cannot achieve very high wind speeds. For this reason, a similar wind tunnel with more potential and with a smaller budget was proposed to be built for use in the Sustainable Energy Lab. The new wind tunnel that was …

Audio-Triggered El Wire Sequencer, Benjamin (Ben) Paik

Electrical Engineering

“Development of an Audio-Triggered EL Wire Sequencer” California Polytechnic State University 2011, Ben Paik and John Oliver, Ph.D. (advisor)

The purpose of this project is to investigate and develop a method for switching electroluminescent wire (EL wire) such that it can be activated by some audio source. EL wire is essentially a coaxial capacitor that luminesces when an alternating electric field excites the insulating phosphor layer in the wire (a 100Vp, 1kHz AC source is sufficient for this). The system involves the EL wire, a six channel sequencer to switch the EL wire, an method for processing the audio signal, …

Low-Power Self-Sustaining Schedule Display, Samuel (Sam) August

Electrical Engineering

The completed project is an Amazon Kindle, powered by a USB solar charger, running a student designed program to display a weekly schedule for a faculty member. The purpose of the project was to design a sustainable electronic schedule display for use outside a faculty office. It was designed in the hopes that faculty members could more easily update their schedules, and possibly allow for students to schedule appointments. The program was designed using Java and the solar-charger was designed using a solar cell, Schottky diode, and a USB to micro-B USB cable.

Wireless Sensor Network For Energy And Environmental Monitoring: Helping Old Buildings Go Green, Jacob Power

Electrical Engineering

Today, the rising cost of energy and social trend of “going green” has put increasing pressure on commercial property owners to improve the efficiency of their investments. There is good reason for this, too. In the State of California, office buildings represent the single largest user of energy in the commercial sector. This project consisted of the design, implementation, construction, testing, and deployment of a wireless sensor network for energy and environmental monitoring in retrofit commercial office installations. The analyzed data generated by this system can be used by building management and owners to identify areas of inefficiency within the …

Rfid Home And Office Automation System: Based On Localized Room Entry, Nolan Clark

Electrical Engineering

Design and build a proof of concept model demonstrating an application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for use in a home or office lighting automation system. The system provides new means for reducing energy consumption through active light switching based on simplified location tracking. Often lighting systems use motion sensors and timers to determine when a person enters or leaves a room, but these platforms are based purely on motion meaning “no motion, no light.” The RFID based system utilizes medium range RFID readers and tags located at doorways or narrow passageways in the environment to provide a general …

Bridgeless Active Power Factor Correction Using A Current Fed Push Pull Converter, Jeramie Seth Bianchi

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Bridgeless Active Power Factor Correction

Using a Current Fed Push Pull Converter

Jeramie Seth Bianchi

Switched Mode Power Supplies have become increasingly popular for efficient methods of delivering power to an assortment of electronic devices. This thesis proposes a method of using a current fed push pull converter to provide active power factor correction and rectification in a single stage. While most AC-DC converters utilize a bridge rectifier to convert AC-DC and then perform DC-DC conversion, the proposed circuit will utilize its output diodes to perform rectification, thus eliminating the need for a bridge rectifier. This circuit will also …

Wireless Communications And Cognitive Radio Transmissions Under Quality Of Service Constraints And Channel Uncertainty, Sami Akin

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this thesis, we study wireless communications and cognitive radio transmissions under quality of service (QoS) constraints and channel uncertainty. Initially, we focus on a time-varying Rayleigh fading channel and assume that no prior channel knowledge is available at the transmitter and the receiver. We investigate the performance of pilot-assisted wireless transmission strategies. In particular, we analyze different channel estimation techniques, including single-pilot minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation, and causal and noncausal Wiener filters, and analyze efficient resource allocation strategies. Subsequently, we study the training-based transmission and reception schemes over a priori unknown, Rayleigh fading relay channels in which the fading …

Examination Of Chaotic Signal Encryption And Recovery For Secure Communication Using Hybrid Acousto-Optic Feedback, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Mohammed A. Al-Saedi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Generation of chaos from acousto-optic (A-O)Bragg cell modulators with an electronic feedback has been studied for over 3 decades. Since an acousto-optic Bragg cell with zeroth- and first-order feedback exhibits chaotic behavior past the threshold for bistability, such a system was recently examined for possible chaotic encryption of simple messages (such as a low-amplitude sinusoidal signal) applied via the bias input of the sound cell driver. Subsequent recovery of the message signal was carried out via a heterodyne-type strategy employing a locally generated chaotic carrier, with threshold parameters matched to the transmitting Bragg cell.

In this paper, we present numerical …

Software Verification For A Custom Instrument Using Vectorcast And Codesonar, Christina Dawn Ward

Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis is to apply a structured verification process to a software package using a set of commercially available verification tools. The software package to be verified is adapted from a project that was developed to monitor an industrial machine at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and includes two major subsystems. One subsystem, referred to as the Industrial Machine Monitoring Instrument (IMMI), connects to a machine and monitors operating parameters using common industrial sensors. A second subsystem, referred to as the Distributed Control System (DCS), interfaces between the IMMI and a personal computer, which provides a human …

Monitoring Civil Infrastructure Using Image Template Matching, Vikram Mukesh Patel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an active area of research devoted to systems that can autonomously and proactively assess the structural integrity of civil structures. This thesis explores the possibility of monitoring civil structures using image template matching and low-cost embedded data acquisition. By acquiring several consecutive images of a structure, one can determine if movement in the structure has occurred. This information can be analyzed to determine long-term changes within a structure, which can then be used to proactively prioritize maintenance, reduce maintenance costs, and prevent structural failure. This will allow structures to be maintained based on objective data …

Design Of A High-Voltage, Differential Drive Bradbury-Nielsen Gate Amplifier With Ultra-High Slew Rate And Input Isolation, Kevin Christopher Omoumi

Masters Theses

To isolate and study various components of a nuclear reaction, elaborate equipment must be developed to aid in this process. This thesis presents the design and implementation of an ultra-high slew rate Bradbury-Nielsen gate driver circuit with high-voltage input isolation. This design will be used in a multi-pass time-of-flight isomer spectrometer and separator application integrated into an overall instrument called the Oak Ridge Isomer Spectrometer and Separator (ORISS). The output drive signals of this circuit are transmitted through a vacuum feed-through system to supply the necessary signals to the Bradbury-Nielsen gate contained within the vacuum. A differential driving signal with …

Classification System For Impedance Spectra, Carl Gordon Sapp

Masters Theses

This thesis documents research, methods, and results to satisfy the requirements for the M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Tennessee. This thesis explores two primary steps for proper classification of impedance spectra: data dimension reduction and effectiveness of similarity/dissimilarity measure comparison in classification. To understand the data characteristics and classification thresholds, a circuit model analysis for simulation and unclassifiable determination is studied. The research is conducted using previously collected data of complex valued impedance measurements taken from 1844 similar devices. The results show a classification system capable of proper classification of 99% of data samples with well-separated …

An Exploration Of Knowledge And Skills Transfer From A Formal Software Engineering Curriculum To A Capstone Practicum Project, Ray Bareiss, Ed Katz

Ray Bareiss

Students at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley complete a team-based practicum project for an industrial sponsor as the capstone of their master’s education in software engineering. Over time, the faculty member who typically serves as advisor for such projects has been disturbed by the failure of several student teams to transfer some relevant knowledge and skills from the formal curriculum to the relatively unstructured practicum project environment. We conducted a survey of all 2010 software engineering students to ascertain the most significant selfreported shortcomings. This paper presents the survey data and then discusses the results in terms of a theory of …

Scalar Em Beam Propagation In Inhomogeneous Media, John M. Jarem, Partha P. Banerjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In the previous chapter, we reviewed some of the mathematical preliminaries that will be useful later on in the text. In this chapter, we discuss some of the basic concepts of scalar wave propagation, and discuss an important numerical method, called the beam propagation method (BPM), to study propagation in linear media and in media with induced nonlinearities. Furthermore, we also discuss propagation through induced gratings, both transmission and reflection type, in order to assess energy coupling between participating waves. Finally, we introduce readers to an important characterization method, called the z-scan method, which is often used to determine the …

Binary And Core-Shell Nanoparticle Dispersed Liquid Crystal Cells For Metamaterial Applications, George Nehmetallah, Rola Aylo, Partha P. Banerjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We theoretically explored the feasibility of a tunable metamaterial using binary as well as core-shell nanoparticle dispersed liquid crystal cells in the infrared and optical regimes. Owing to the spatial variation of the permittivity of the liquid crystal host upon the application of a bias voltage, the host was decomposed into a layered medium and the effective refractive index recalculated for each layer due to the distribution of polaritonic and plasmonic nanoparticles.

The scattering, extinction, and absorption of such a nanoparticle dispersed liquid crystal cell were also found. Depending on the applied voltage bias across the liquid crystal host, the …

Imirok: Real-Time Imitative Robotic Arm Control For Home Robot Applications, Heng-Tze Cheng, Zheng Sun, Pei Zhang

Zheng Sun

Training home robots to behave like human can help people with their daily chores and repetitive tasks. In this paper, we present Imirok, a system to remotely control robotic arms by user motion using low-cost, off-the-shelf mobile devices and webcam. The motion tracking algorithm detects user motion in real-time, without classifier training or predefined action set. Experimental results show that the system achieves 90% precision and recall rate on motion detection with blank background, and is robust under the change of cluttered background and user-to-camera distance.

Leveraging Mobile Context For Effective Collaboration And Task Management In Disaster Response, Faisal Luqman, Martin L. Griss

Martin L Griss

Collaboration and task management is challenging in distributed, dynamically-formed teams, typical in large scale disaster response scenarios. Ineffective collaboration may result in poor performance and possible loss of life. In this paper, we present Overseer, an agent-based system that exploits context information from mobile devices to facilitate collaboration and task allocation. We describe our system architecture and show how mobile context can be used to create dynamic role-based assignments to support collaboration and effective task management.

Software And Critical Technology Protection Against Side Channel Analysis Through Dynamic Hardware Obfuscation, John R. Bochert

Theses and Dissertations

Side Channel Analysis (SCA) is a method by which an adversary can gather information about a processor by examining the activity being done on a microchip though the environment surrounding the chip. Side Channel Analysis attacks use SCA to attack a microcontroller when it is processing cryptographic code, and can allow an attacker to gain secret information, like a crypto-algorithm's key. The purpose of this thesis is to test proposed dynamic hardware methods to increase the hardware security of a microprocessor such that the software code being run on the microprocessor can be made more secure without having to change …

Effects Of Cyclic Prefix Jamming Versus Noise Jamming In Ofdm Signals, Amber L. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Signal jamming of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal is simulated in MATLAB. Two different means of jamming are used to see, which is a more efficient way to disrupt a signal using the same signal power. The first way is a basic additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) jammer that equally jams the entire signal. The second way is an AWGN jammer that targets only the cyclic prefix (CP) of the signal. These two methods of jamming are simulated using different channel models and unknowns to get varying results. The three channel models used in the simulations are the no …