Engineering Commons^™

A Design Methodology For A Multi-Fpga Based Rapid Prototyping System, William Eatherton

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The movement of universities from university-created digital design software to commercial design tools has resulted in a need for a revision of existing rapid prototyping systems. The rapid prototyping system created at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and centered on a FPGA-based board (called the Anyboard), was revised to use Mentor Graphics, a sophisticated industrial EDA tool, rather than board specific software. To provide a guide for future students at UMR and other schools using the Anyboard, an example design was created with Mentor Graphics to route data between a PC bus, SRAMs, and an arithmetic logic unit.

Rank Conditioned Rank Selection Filters For Signal Restoration, Russell C. Hardie, Kenneth E. Barner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A class of nonlinear filters called rank conditioned rank selection (RCRS) filters is developed and analyzed in this paper. The RCRS filters are developed within the general framework of rank selection(RS) filters, which are filters constrained to output an order statistic from the observation set. Many previously proposed rank order based filters can be formulated as RS filters. The only difference between such filters is in the information used in deciding which order statistic to output. The information used by RCRS filters is the ranks of selected input samples, hence the name rank conditioned rank selection filters. The number of …

Microwave Noncontact Examination Of Disbond And Thickness Variation In Stratified Composite Media, Sasan Bakhtiari, Nasser N. Qaddoumi, Stoyan I. Ganchev, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Numerical and experimental results of a microwave noncontact, nondestructive detection and evaluation of disbonds and thickness variations in stratified composite media are presented. The aperture admittance characteristics of a flange mounted rectangular waveguide radiating into a layered, generally lossy dielectric media backed or unbacked by a conducting sheet is modeled. The theoretical implementation is based on a Fourier transform boundary matching technique to construct the field components in each medium, coupled with a stationary form of the terminating aperture admittance of the waveguide. The model can serve as a reliable test bed for real-time examination of layered composite media. Experimental …

Direct Reduced Order Mixed H2/H∞ Control For The Short Take-Off And Landing-Maneuver Technology Demonstrator (Stol-Mtd), William C. Reigelsperger Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

One of the conclusions from the STOL/MTD program was the need for a multivariable method of designing controllers of low order. This research investigated that problem by studying reduced order mixed H₂/H_∞ control theory applied to the STOL Landing configuration which employs both thrust vectoring and the use of a canard. Model matching techniques were used to obtain responses that met handling qualities criteria and reduced pilot workload by decoupling pitch rate and velocity commands. The time responses were found through nonlinear simulation and showed that the full order designs did match the ideal models very well …

Feasibility Analysis For Predicting A Kinetic Kill Zone For Aircraft Homing Missile Defense, Mark E. Ennis

Theses and Dissertations

An extended Kalman filter is used to predict a kinetic kill zone for use in aircraft self defense versus homing missiles. The analysis is limited to an in-the-plane analysis and focuses on finding the model parameters which have the largest impact on the predicted kill zone. No attempt is made to optimize the design of the filter model itself. The analysis computes the kill zone relative to an assumed aircraft trajectory using strictly filter computed statistics. No Monte-Carlo simulations are used throughout the thesis. The filter assumed to be on the evading aircraft, uses an onboard laser radar (ladar) to …

Clustering Techniques In Speaker Recognition, Douglas N. Prescott

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a comparison based on identification rate, of three clustering techniques applied to cepstral features for speaker identification. LBG vector quantization as developed by Linde, Buzo and Gray; is used to provide benchmark performance for comparison with Fuzzy clustering (based on the unsupervised fuzzy partition-optimal number of classes, UFP-ONC algorithm by Gath and Geva) and an Artificial Neural Network, the Multilayer Perceptron. Cepstral features from the TIMIT, King and AFIT93 corpus speaker databases are used to produce speaker-identification classifiers using each of the clustering algorithms. The experiment reported evaluates the speaker identification performance using the 20-dimensional cepstral features …

A Handling Qualities Investigation Of Conventional, Rate Command- Attitude Hold, And Attitude Command-Attitude Hold Response-Types In The Probe And Drogue Air Refueling Task, Michael J. Taschner

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examines the suitability of conventional, rate command/attitude hold (RCAH), and attitude command attitude hold (ACAH) response-types for the probe and drogue air refueling task. Data from a 1974 Calspan handling qualities investigation involving conventional response-types in the probe and drogue air refueling task were analyzed using the Bandwidth and STI Dropback criterions. Flight control laws were developed to achieve twelve superaugmented and two conventional configurations. The NT-33A analog variable stability system was used to simulate a relaxed static stability fighter and the NT-33A programmable digital flight control computer simulated the desired response-types. The handling qualities of the fourteen …

Vegetation Studies Of The Amazon Basin Using Enhanced Resolution Seasat Scatterometer Data, David G. Long, Perry J. Hardin, Peter T. Whiting

Faculty Publications

The Seasat-A scatterometer (SASS) was designed to measure the near-surface wind field over the ocean by inferring the wind from measurements of the surface radar backscatter. While backscatter measurements were also made over land, they have been primarily used for the calibration of the instrument. This has been due in part to the low resolution of the scatterometer measurements (nominally 50 km). In a separate paper the present authors introduced a new method for generating enhanced resolution radar measurements of the Earth's surface using spaceborne scatterometry. In the present paper, the method is used with SASS data to study vegetation …

Laser Resonators Using Tiered Fresnel Mirrors, Bruce Dale Ulrich

Dissertations and Theses

A reflective Tiered Fresnel Zone Plate, herein called a Tiered Fresnel Mirror TFM, with a focal length on the order of a meter is studied for use as the mirror(s) in a Fabry-Perot interferometer type of laser. The relative phase transition within the individual zones (ideally smooth from zero to pi) is stair-stepped or tiered in the longitudinal direction of the mirror. Within an individual zone the step height is constrained to a constant whereas the width of the tiers are monotonically decreased when traversing radially outward so that the overall profile follows the ideal smooth curve. The effectiveness of …

Ultrafast Dynamics In Field-Enhanced Saturate Absorbers, J. R. Karin, R. J. Helkey, Dennis J. Derickson, R. Nagarajan, D. S. Allin, J. E. Bowers, R. L. Thornton

Electrical Engineering

Absorption recovery dynamics of GaAs/AlGaAs field-enhanced waveguide saturable absorbers are studied by pump-probe differential transmission measurements. We compare the response of bulk and single quantum well absorbers at different reverse bias levels and pump powers, and find an ultrafast transient in the response, followed by a slower rise before the final recovery. The absorption fully recovers after a few picoseconds, which is an important result for mode-locked lasers.

Classification Using Set-Valued Kalman Filtering And Levi's Decision Theory, T.K. Moon, Scott E. Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of using Levi's expected epistemic decision theory for classification when the hypotheses are of different informational values, conditioned on convex sets obtained from a set-valued Kalman filter. The background of epistemic utility decision theory with convex probabilities is outlined and a brief introduction to set-valued estimation is given. The decision theory is applied to a classifier in a multiple-target tracking scenario. A new probability density, appropriate for classification using the ratio of intensities, is introduced.

Epistemic Decision Theory Applied To Multiple-Target Tracking, T. K. Moon, Scott E. Budge, W. C. Stirling, J. B. Thompson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A decision philosophy that seeks the avoidance of error by trading off belief of truth and value of information is applied to the problem of recognizing tracks from multiple targets (MTT). A successful MTT methodology should be robust in that its performance degrades gracefully as the conditions of the collection become less favorable to optimal operation. By stressing the avoidance, rather than the explicit minimization, of error, the authors obtain a decision rule for trajectory-data association that does not require the resolution of all conflicting hypotheses when the database does not contain sufficient information to do so reliably. This rule, …

Electromagnetic Characteristics Of Superquadric Wire Loop Antennas, Michael A. Jensen, Yahya Rahmat-Samii

Faculty Publications

The analysis of antenna configurations in the form of a generalized superquadric loop, which includes circular, elliptical and rectangular loop geometries, is presented in this paper. Use of a Galerkin form of the moment method with piecewise sinusoidal subsectional basis and testing functions provides rapid numerical convergence and accurate representation of the antenna current. A convenient parametric representation for the superquadric curve is developed to allow a subsectional formulation using curved wire segments, rather than the commonly employed piecewise linear segments, to construct the geometry. Both magnetic frill and delta gap source models are implemented to allow a detailed study …

Epistemic Decision Theory Applied To Multiple-Target Tracking, Wynn C. Stirling, T. K. Moon, S. E. Budge, J. B. Thompson

Faculty Publications

A decision philosophy that seeks the avoidance of error by trading off belief of truth and value of information is applied to the problem of recognizing tracks from multiple targets (MTT). A successful MTT methodology should be robust in that its performance degrades gracefully as the conditions of the collection become less favorable to optimal operation. By stressing the avoidance, rather than the explicit minimization, of error, the authors obtain a decision rule for trajectory-data association that does not require the resolution of all conflicting hypotheses when the database does not contain sufficient information to do so reliably. This rule, …

Human Visual System Modelling : Analysis Of Evoked Potential Dynamics, Zongqi Hu

Dissertations

The visual evoked potential (VEP) reflects the electrical activity in the cerebral cortex due to visual stimulation. It contains information on signal processing in the visual pathways from the retina, through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) to the cortical level. Although the VEP is generated by various sources in the multi-layer neural network, the functions of some neuronal mechanisms and the transfer characteristics of particular pathways can be revealed and analyzed by use of carefully designed stimuli (Zemon & Ratliff, 1984; Zemon, Victor & Ratliff, 1986). This dissertation focuses on studies of the visual evoked potential as a composite of …

Investigation Of Reduced Hypercube (Rh) Networks : Embedding And Routing Capabilities, Michalis A. Sideras

Theses

The choice of a topology for the interconnection of resources in a distributed-memory parallel computing system is a major design decision. The direct binary hypercube has been widely used for this purpose due to its low diameter and its ability to efficiently emulate other important structures. The aforementioned strong properties of the hypercube come at the cost of high VLSI complexity due to the increase in the number of communication ports and channels per node with an increase in the total number of nodes. The reduced hypercube (RH) topology, which is obtained by a uniform reduction in the number of …

Performance Modeling Of High Data Rate Ring Networks Using Stochastic Petri Nets, Le Zhong

Theses

This thesis has proposed a performance analysis method for Carrier Sensing Multiple Access Ring Network (CSMA) based on Petri net methodologies. The method can offer more accurate results than traditional queuing methods, but less than simulation results. In the CSMA network access protocol is studied in this thesis, when a passing message is detected by a station, it stops transmitting immediately in order to avoid a collision.

A generalized stochastic Petri nets model is made first, then the SPNP package is used to do the analysis. The analysis results show that even at a very heavy load fraction of near …

Fabrication Of Micron-Sized Mirror/Cantilever Silicon Devices For Crosspoint Switching Arrays, Yasser A. Abdel-Aziez

Theses

This thesis describes the fabrication of micron-sized vertical mirrors at the end of horizontal cantilevers, that are electrostatically controlled. The mirrors, 40x 40 μm with thicknesses of 1.5-6 μm, were made by using the etch resistance to 40% KOH etchant of <111> planes and oxide stripes. The cantilever beams, 100 to 350 μm long and 0.44 to 0.81 μm thick, were fabricated using the etch resistance of heavily doped boron layers to 10% KOH at 50 °C. Two technologies to introduce the boron layers were investigated. The ion implantation approach was based on thick oxide/photoresist masking. A maximum doping of 2.5 …

A Hybrid Low Bit-Rate Video Codec Using Subbands And Statistical Modeling, Ferhat Cakrak

Theses

A hybrid low bit-rate video codes using subbands and statistical modeling is proposed in this thesis. The redundancy within adjacent video frames is exploited by motion estimation and compensation. The Motion Compensated Frame Difference (MCFD) signals are decomposed into 7 subbands using 2-D dyadic tree structure and separable filters. Some of the subband signals are statistically modeled by using the 2-D AR(1) technique. The model parameters provide a representation of these subbands at the receiver side with a. certain level of error. The remaining subbands are compressed employing a classical waveform coding technique, namely vector quantization (VQ).

It is shown …

Design And Implementation Of Fuzzy Logic Controller For A Process Control Application, Sujit S. Nerurkar

Theses

Many industrial applications of fuzzy logic control have been reported. This thesis studies and reports the problems associated with the Heat-exchanger temperature control via conventional PID control implemented with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and provides an example of design and implementation of fuzzy logic controllers (FLC's) for a Heat exchanger in a Water for Injection (WFI) system.

After a basic FLC was designed and tested, it is shown how its rule base evolved to achieve superior performance by utilizing additional low-cost sensing information in the process and its environment. A method for the implementation of FLC's into the existing PLC …

Application Of The Wavelet Transform To Biomedical Signals, Karl O. Hauck

Theses

The basic concepts and fundamentals of the wavelet signal representation were examined. The orthonormal wavelet was selected for this project after being compared to various types of wavelets. The orthonormal wavelet was chosen due to the equal time and frequency resolution exhibited in the wavelet coefficients. Programs were written in Matlab to implement the orthonormal wavelet in developing wavelet coefficients for a given signal. The programs include the conditions for an orthonormal wavelet in and which produce the wavelet filters g(n) and h(n). The wavelet filters were then incorporated into another program that applied Mallat's multiresolution algorithm for a given …

Transient Behavior Of An Adaptive Synchronous Cdma Receiver, Bin Zhu

Theses

A steepest descent algorithm is used to update the adaptive weights of a two-stage synchronous Code-Division Multiple-Access (CDMA) receiver that was proposed recently. An issue of the adaptive CDMA system - the convergence and stability property of the receiver is investigated in this thesis.

This adaptive synchronous CDMA receiver uses a decorrelator at the first stage and adopts a neural network which acts as an interference canceler at the second stage. It can achieve near-optimum performance. Furthermore, its computational complexity is just a square function of the number of users. The only requirement is the knowledge of the users' signature …

An Adaptive Fusion Model For Distributed Detection Systems With Unequiprobable Sources, Yuzheng Zhang

Theses

In a traditional communication system, a single sensor such as a radar or a sonar is used to detect targets. Since the reliability of a single sensor is limited, distributed detection systems in which several sensors are employed simultaneously have received increasing attention in recent years. We consider a distributed detection system which consists of a number of independent local detectors and a fusion center. Chair and Varshney have derived an optimal decision rule for fusing decisions based on. the Baysian criterion. To implement such a rule, the probability of detection P_D and the probability of false alarm …

Fast Point Pattern Matching By Heuristic And Stochastic Optimization Techniques, Ashish Agrawal

Theses

This work is concerned with one of the methodologies used in the final stages of machine vision: the matching of model point patterns to observed point patterns. Conventional search methods not only fail to arrive at the optimal match, but are also computationally expensive and time consuming. To arrive at the optimal pattern match, stochastic and heuristic optimization as the search technique, exploiting Simulated Annealing (SA), Evolutionary Programming (EP) and Mean Field Annealing (MFA), are explored in detail. A comparison of results obtained using SA versus "hill-climbing" and "exhaustive search" techniques, and results of EP are presented. The relative effectiveness …

An On-Line Approach For Evaluating Trigonometric Functions, Rajesh Amin

Theses

This thesis investigates the evaluation of trigonometric functions based on an on-line arithmetic approach. On-line algorithms have been developed to evaluate the sine and cosine functions. Error analysis and heuristics are carried out to arrive at a minimal error algorithm based on the series expansion of the sine and cosine function.

A logical design based on the algorithm is presented where the unit is designed as a set of basic modules. A detailed bit slice design of each module is also presented. A simulator was designed as an experimental tool for synthesis of the on-line algorithms, and a tool for …

Coordination Of Time-Overcurrent Relays For High-Speed Power Line Protection, Nicos Charalambous

Theses

A properly coordinated protection system is essential to ensure that an electricity distribution network can operate within its requirements, regarding the safety of a power system. Automatic operation is necessary to isolate faults on a power system in a minimum time. The study of time coordination of relays suggests improved ways of power line protection. The protection must be sensitive enough to operate when a fault occurs under minimum fault conditions, yet be stable enough not to operate when its associated equipment is carrying the maximum rated current, which may be a short-time value. A power system is used as …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Wsi2/P-Si And Tasi2/P-Si Devices, Anitha Kodali

Theses

Thin films Silicides of Tungsten and Tantalum have become very important for IC manufacturing. W and TaSi₂ films were deposited on silicon substrates by CVD and Co-sputtering techniques respectively. These films have been characterized using current-voltage technique. The analysis of the obtained experimental measurements has been performed in the light of Schottky-Mott theory. The effects of annealing were studied using Rapid Thermal Processing technique in the temperature range of 500 to 700°C, in nitrogen atmosphere at a constant pressure of 5x10^-6 ton for a duration of 30 seconds.The increase in annealing temperature resulted in the formation of ohmic …

A Graphical Tool For Timed Petri Nets Using Object Oriented Programming, Baopu Liu

Theses

The objective of this effort is to develop a computer tool for drawing, editing and simulating Timed Petri Nets using object oriented programming. The developed C++ based Timed Petri Net Simulation Tool, TimedPNT, is capable of simulating discrete systems with both deterministic and stochastic delays. Preselection is used for conflict resolution. Performance and utilization results are automatically collected. XView™ Toolkit is used for building the TimedPNT's interactive graphical interface in compliance with AT&T's OPENLOOK® standard on a SunSparc™ IPX running SunOSTM 4.1.2. Compliance with the X Window standard makes the developed tool portable to other X Window based systems.

Performance Of National Research And Education Network While Transmitting Healthcare Information Data, Bhavesh Mahendra Shukla

Theses

National Research and Education Network(NREN) is a first step in the process of building a National Information Infrastructure(NII). NII will ultimately lead to Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network(B-ISDN), a network which will support global exchange of voice, data, images and video.

NREN will evolve out of present National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET), also known as Interim NREN. At present NSFNET operates at 45 MBits/sec. By 1996, there are plans to boost the data rate to 155 MBits/sec and to 620 MBits/sec by the turn of century.

In this thesis, present actual NSFNET is simulated using software simulation tool Networkll.5. The …

Measurement Of Heart Rate Variability Using Correlation Dimension And Entropy, Su Zhang

Theses

Heart rate variability regulation is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Disorders of the autonomic nervous system may cause the loss of heart rate variability. Two new approaches, correlation dimension and entropy, based on ideas from nonlinear dynamics, have been applied to studying heart rate variability. The correlation dimension measures the extent of correlation between the data points. The entropy measures the amount of information needed to specify the state of a system. The interbeat interval signal (1BI) from eighteen subjects (nine normal controls and nine patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) ) have been analyzed and compared. The results …