Engineering Commons^™

A High Gain Multi-Stage Operational Amplifier Using Compound Transconductance Element, Chandra Sekhar Acharyulu Durisety

Doctoral Dissertations

The rapid increase in integrated circuit complexity attributed to the advancements in fabrication techniques combined with the increasing demand for consumer applications has created an immense demand for high performance analog systems. These analog systems include high-resolution (≥ 14-bit) and/or high-speed (≥ 1 GHz) ADCs, high- linearity filters and power management circuits. The fundamental limitations in these systems are tied to the constraints imposed by the basic design elements that tend to include amplifiers and reference generators (voltage/current). With continued technology scaling, innovative circuits and design techniques are necessary in achieving high performance analog/mixed-signal systems.

The goal of this research …

Microprocessor Implementation Of Autoregressive Analysis Of Process Sensor Signals, Swetha Priyanka Pakala

Masters Theses

Automated signal analysis can help for effective system surveillance and also to analyze the dynamic behavior of the system such as impulse response, step response etc. Autoregressive analysis is a parametric technique widely used for system surveillance and diagnosis. The main aim objective of this research work is to develop an embedded system for autoregressive analysis of sensor signals in an online fashion for monitoring system parameters. This thesis presents the algorithm, data representation and performance of the optimized microprocessor implementation of autoregressive analysis.

In this work an autoregressive (AR) model is generated as a solution to a linear system …

A Distributed Solution For Visual Sensor Networks To Detect Targets In Crowds, Cheng Qian

Masters Theses

Visual sensor networks (VSNs), a novel concept about fulfilling vision tasks by a network of collaborative visual sensors, has been attracting more and more attentions these days. This thesis introduces some pioneering research on developing a distributed algorithm for VSNs to detect targets in a cluttered scene. The algorithm is aimed to achieve excellent performances on both detection accuracy and energy efficiency.

Based on a statistical model of the cluttered scene, the development starts with a centralized version where all the nodes send visual data to a central node and the central node invokes an iterative prioritization strategy (IPS) to …

“Design, Development And Characterization Of A Thermal Sensor Brick System For Modular Robotics, Nikhil Arun Naik

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the work on thermal imaging sensor brick (TISB) system for modular robotics. The research demonstrates the design, development and characterization of the TISB system. The TISB system is based on the design philosophy of sensor bricks for modular robotics. In under vehicle surveillance for threat detection, which is a target application of this work we have demonstrated the advantages of the TISB system over purely vision-based systems. We have highlighted the advantages of the TISB system as an illumination invariant threat detection system for detecting hidden threat objects in the undercarriage of a car. We have compared …

Fpga Logic Design For Analog-To-Digital-Converter Hardware Utilizing High Speed Serial Data Links, Joshua Brandon Jones

Masters Theses

The Computer Assisted Dynamic Data Monitoring and Analysis System (CADDMAS) used by the aeropropulsion test cells at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) processes a large amount of high bandwidth accelerometer and strain gage data. Data from each sensor must be digitized before being processed by software running on networked computers. This thesis describes some of the original analog-to- digital converter (ADC) hardware used by the CADDMAS as well as some of its limitations. More up-to-date ADC hardware was designed to be used in the CADDMAS to enhance capabilities required by the aeropropulsion test cells. These new capabilities included an increase …

Design And Implementation Of A Complex-Conjugate Shaper And Baseline Restorer For A Silicon-Based Neutron Detector Front-End, Jonathan Lanier Britton

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a CMOS shaper with baseline restoration for use in the silicon-based neutron detector front-end to be used at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The system consists of a voltage-to-current (V-to-I) converter, a four-pole complex-conjugate semi-Gaussian current-input active filter, and a ground-sensing baseline restorer (BLR) operational transconductance amplifier (OTA). The first prototype chip Patara has been fabricated in the TSMC 0.35-micron process, and experimental results show that proper functionality was achieved. The shaper, which is influenced by a real pole prior to the V-to-I converter, has …

A Resource Efficient Localized Recurrent Neural Network Architecture And Learning Algorithm, Daniel Borisovich Budik

Masters Theses

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are widely acknowledged as an effective tool that can be employed by a wide range of applications that store and process temporal sequences. The ability of RNNs to capture complex, nonlinear system dynamics has served as a driving motivation for their study. RNNs have the potential to be effectively used in modeling, system identification and adaptive control applications, to name a few, where other techniques fall short. Most of the proposed RNN learning algorithms rely on the calculation of error gradients with respect to the network weights. What distinguishes recurrent neural networks from static, or feedforward …

Using Physical Compilation To Implement A System On Chip Platform, Pradeep M. Chimakurthy

Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis was to setup a complete design flow involving physical synthesis. The design chosen for this purpose was a system-on-chip (SoC) platform developed at the University of Tennessee. It involves a Leon Processor with a minimal cache configuration, an AMBA on-chip bus and an Advanced Encryption Standard module which performs decryption.

As transistor size has entered the deep submicron level, iterations involved in the design cycle have increased due to the domination of interconnect delays over cell delays. Traditionally, interconnect delay has been estimated through the use of wire-load models. However, since there is no physical …

Temperature Dependent Analytical Modeling, Simulation And Characterizations Of Hemts In Gallium Nitride Process, Hasina F. Huq

Doctoral Dissertations

Research is being conducted for a high-performance building block for high frequency and high temperature applications that combine lower costs with improved performance and manufacturability. Researchers have focused their attention on new semiconductor materials for use in device technology to address system improvements. Of the contenders, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and diamond are emerging as the front-runners.

GaN-based electronic devices, AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs), are the leading candidates for achieving ultra-high frequency and high-power amplifiers. Recent advances in device and amplifier performance support this claim. GaN is comparable to the other prominent material options for high-performance …

Automated Design Space Exploration For Digital Hardware, Jonathan Logan Turnmire

Masters Theses

Hardware design in VHDL can be a tedious and daunting task. One of the final steps is to realize the design in hardware. Whether targeting a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), some time needs to be spent optimizing the design to meet project requirements. This paper details the use of the Synplicity physical synthesis toolsets for FPGAs on the UT Solaris workstation cluster, evaluation of the Synplicity physical synthesis toolsets to determine their efficacy in achieving multiple solutions over the power-delay-area design space and evaluation of the Liberator toolset for ASIC design to …

Simulation Of Power System Response To Reactive Power Compensation, Pierre Alexander Boheme

Masters Theses

The demand of power in theUnited Stateshas doubled in the last decade. The constant increase in power flow has saturated the existing infrastructure. Modern advances in technology are changing the way utility industry increases the transmission of power throughout the country. Distributed Energy Resources are constantly improving their reliability and power capabilities.

This thesis will simulate the response of the power system to reactive power injection. The testing will take place in the Reactive Power Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The facility is an initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy to facilitate the development of new resource technologies. …

A Low Noise Cmos Charge-Sensitive Preamplifier With Pole/Zero Compensation For A Neutron Detection System, Steven Curtis Bunch

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a low noise CMOS charge sensitive preamplifier with pole/zero compensation for a neutron detector to be installed on the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge, TN. The first prototype chip has been fabricated using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.35 µm process. The system contains a preamplifier, an active resistive feedback network, a pole/zero compensation network, and the first real pole input to the shaper system. Experimental results of the system show that proper functionality was achieved. The preamplifier is noise dominant with only 540 rms electron noise at 5 pF detector …

System-On-Chip Design And Test With Embedded Debug Capabilities, Tushti Marwah

Masters Theses

In this project, I started with a System-on-Chip platform with embedded test structures. The baseline platform consisted of a Leon2 CPU, AMBA on-chip bus, and an Advanced Encryption Standard decryption module. The basic objective of this thesis was to use the embedded reconfigurable logic blocks for post-silicon debug and verification.

The System-on-Chip platform was designed at the register transistor level and implemented in a 180-nm IBM process. Test logic instrumentation was done with DAFCA (Design Automation for Flexible Chip Architecture) Inc. pre-silicon tools. The design was then synthesized using the Synopsys Design Compiler and placed and routed using Cadence SOC …

Thermoelectrics For Cooling Power Electronics, Michael Ralf Starke

Masters Theses

To increase the efficiency and reduce emissions, the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), fuel cell vehicle (FCV), and electric vehicle (EV) types were developed. All these vehicle types rely on power electronics (PEs) to function. Yet, the reliability and performance of PEs are directly related to the operating temperature. Therefore, cooling is considered an option to reduce the operating temperature.

An examination of multiple cooling methods including conventional cooling, direct and indirect cooling, and spray cooling shows that the use of thermoelectric (TE) modules has multiple justifications including reliability, thermal control, operation in harsh conditions, and the non-application of refrigerants. Nevertheless, …

A Class-E Inductive Powering Link With Backward Data Communications For Implantable Sensor Systems, Mohammad Ahsanul Adeeb

Masters Theses

The design and implementation of a wireless power and data transfer system based on inductive coupling, having the potential to be used in numerous implantable bio-medical sensors and systems, is presented. The system consists of an external (primary) unit and an internal (secondary) unit. The external unit incorporates a high-efficiency switch-mode Class-E amplifier operating at ~200 kHz for driving the primary coil. The secondary unit consists of a parallel resonant coil followed by the power recovery circuitry. Means for backward data communication from the internal to the external unit over the same pair of coils has been realized using a …

Migration From Teleoperation To Autonomy Via Modular Sensor And Mobility Bricks, Roselyne Dalanda Barreto

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the teleoperated communications of a Remotec ANDROS robot have been reverse engineered. This research has used the information acquired through the reverse engineering process to enhance the teleoperation and add intelligence to the initially automated robot. The main contribution of this thesis is the implementation of the mobility brick paradigm, which enables autonomous operations, using the commercial teleoperated ANDROS platform. The brick paradigm is a generalized architecture for a modular approach to robotics. This architecture and the contribution of this thesis are a paradigm shift from the proprietary commercial models that exist today. The modular system of …

Optimization Of The Mod-Viii One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma Reactor® For Surface Energy Treatment, Truman Andrew Bonds

Masters Theses

A plasma reactor system has been developed to provide roll-to-roll surface treatment of fabrics and films using an air plasma. Effects of air plasma surface treatment at one atmosphere can include etching, cleaning, sterilization, disinfection, and increasing surface energy, all without the use of chemical inputs and with minimal toxic by-products. Webs can be continuously and uniformly treated by proper control of gas flow, electrode configuration, plasma parameters, fabric speed, and fabric tension. Tests conducted in this work focused on raising the surface energy of PET and HDPE using various electrode configurations. For industrial applications, the exposure time required to …

Vector Control And Experimental Evaluation Of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors For Hevs, Timothy Adam Burress

Masters Theses

The 2004 Toyota Prius exceeded sales expectations and led the automotive industry to realize that there is a healthy market for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The Prius uses two interior permanent magnet motors to manipulate power flow throughout the drive system. Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are most suitable for HEVs and full electric vehicles due to their high efficiency, high power density, and fast dynamic response. This thesis will present vector control theory for PMSMs, with focus on interior permanent magnet motors.

The primary 50kW drive motor and inverter of the 2004 Toyota Prius Synergy drive system was removed …

Design Of An Active Stereo Vision 3d Scene Reconstruction System Based On The Linear Position Sensor Module, Julie Anne Morris

Masters Theses

Active vision systems and passive vision systems currently exist for three-dimensional (3D) scene reconstruction. Active systems use a laser that interacts with the scene. Passive systems implement stereo vision, using two cameras and geometry to reconstruct the scene. Each type of system has advantages and disadvantages in resolution, speed, and scene depth. It may be possible to combine the advantages of both systems as well as new hardware technologies such as position sensitive devices (PSDs) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to create a real-time, mid-range 3D scene reconstruction system.

Active systems usually reconstruct long-range scenes so that a measurable …

A Generalized Instantaneous Nonactive Power Theory For Parallel Nonactive Power Compensation, Yan Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

Although the definitions of active power and nonactive power in a three-phase sinusoidal power system have been accepted as a standard, it has been an issue on how to define instantaneous nonactive power in power systems with non-sinusoidal or even non- periodic voltage and/or current.

This dissertation summarizes these nonactive power theories, and a generalized instantaneous nonactive power theory is presented. By changing the parameters in the instantaneous active current and nonactive current definitions, this theory is valid for power systems with different characteristics. Furthermore, other nonactive power theories can be derived from this generalized theory by changing parameters.

This …

An Evaluation Of The Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter Topology For Direct-Drive Synchronous Wind Farm Applications, Gerald Robert Callison

Masters Theses

A key driver in the recent success of wind has been engineering advances that have lead to improved economics. Many of these advances have centered on power electronic converters, which feature a rectifier that converts the uncontrolled alternating current output of a wind generator to direct current, and an inverter, which converts that direct current back to a controlled alternating current synchronized with the power grid to which the wind generator is connected. Most of the inverters on today’s market use the full-bridge topology, which features six power electronic switches per wind turbine. The purpose of this thesis is to …

Design And Test Of An Event Detector And Locator For The Reflectoactive™ Seals System, Brad J. Stinson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to research, design, develop and test a novel instrument for detecting fiber optic loop continuity and spatially locating fiber optic breaches. The work is for an active seal system called ReflectoActive™ Seals whose purpose is to provide real time container tamper indication.

A Field Programmable Gate Array was used to implement a loop continuity detector and a spatial breach locator based on a high acquisition speed single photon counting optical time domain reflectometer. Communication and other control features were added in order to create a usable instrument that met defined requirements. A host graphical …

Simulation Study Of Digitized Enhanced Feher Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (Efqpsk), Fall Bernard Taylor

Masters Theses

Digitized enhanced Feher quadrature phase-shift keying (EFQPSK) can be realized with a set of parameters that define its efficiency relative to analog EFQPSK and quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK). Both sampling frequency and quantization play a significant role in developing an EFQPSK signal that resembles its analog counterpart in spectral efficiency, envelope fluctuation, and BER. Sampling frequency and quantization can be used to determine spectral efficiency as compared to analog EFQPSK and QPSK. Through simulation, this study compares and quantifies trade-offs between spectral efficiency, envelope fluctuation, and BER. By quantifying the trade-off between these parameters, system designers can quickly determine how …

Towards A Universal Multi-Standard Rf Receiver, Yongping Han

Masters Theses

Future wireless communication market calls for the need of an extreme compact wireless device that can easily access to all the available services at any time and at any location with minimum power consumption and cost. The key is to find a multi-standard wireless receiver that can cover all the service specifications while keeping redundant components to minimum. Reconfigurable concept is right fit the need. In this thesis, a fully integrated universal multi-standard receiver using low-cost CMOS technology has been proposed based on the survey for different wireless receiver specifications and optimum architectures. Tunable receiver building blocks such as filters, …

The Development Of A Capacitance-Based Biotelemetry System For Implantable Applications, Calum John Johnson

Masters Theses

Most modern biomedical implants implement some form of communications link between the implant and the outside world. This biotelemetry link has many requirements such as data bandwidth and power consumption. Designing an appropriate link that meets these requirements is one of the most significant engineering challenges associated with these implants. Communications methods that are currently used for this link include standard Radio Frequency (RF) approaches, inductively coupled approaches, and load modulation approaches. This thesis describes the development of a unique capacitance-based biotelemetry system for implantable applications. This system consists of two distinct parts: the implanted transmitter and the external body-mounted …