Engineering Commons^™

Printed Triband Terminal Antenna, Matthias John, Max Ammann, R. Farrell

Articles

This paper presents a printed triple-band multibranch monopole for use in modern wireless systems. The antenna is designed to operate in three bands which cover virtually all wireless channels. Parameters of the antenna geometry are varied and the effects of these variations on the impedance bandwidth are shown.

Digital Image Processing, Jonathan Blackledge

Books/Book chapters

Newspapers and the popular scientific press today publish many examples of highly impressive images. These images range, for example, from those showing regions of star birth in the distant Universe to the extent of the stratospheric ozone depletion over Antarctica in springtime, and to those regions of the human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Processed digitally to generate spectacular images, often in false colour, they all make an immediate and deep impact on the viewer’s imagination and understanding.

Professor Jonathan Blackledge’s erudite but very useful new treatise Digital Image Processing: Mathematical and Computational Methods explains both the underlying theory and …

An Electro-Oculogram Based System For Communication And Control Using Target Position Variation, Ronan Fitzmaurice, Ted Burke, Annraoi De Paor

Conference Papers

In this paper we describe a novel mode of human computer interaction based on gaze tracking using the electro-oculogram (EOG). Despite the relative simplicity of recording this signal, it is often discounted as a reliable method of gaze tracking because of problems arising from changing sensitivity and DC drift. We describe an original technique, Target Position Variation (TPV), which addresses this issue by presenting moving icons which, when followed with the eye, create a corresponding pattern in the EOG signal which can be used to infer the correct gaze position and to compensate for variations in sensitivity.

Onset Detection Using Comb Filters, Mikel Gainza, Bob Lawlor, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

A technique for detecting note onsets using FIR comb filters which have different filter delays is presented. The proposed onset detector focuses on the inharmonic characteristics of the onset component and the energy increases of the signal. Both properties are combined by utilising FIR comb filters on a frame by frame basis in order to obtain an onset detection functions, which is suitable for detecting slow onsets. The proposed approach improves upon existing methods in terms of the percentage of correct detections in signal processing.

Non-Negative Tensor Factorisation For Sound Source Separation, Derry Fitzgerald, Matt Cranitch, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

An algorithm for Non-negative Tensor Factorisation is introduced which extends current matrix factorisation techniques to deal with tensors. The effectiveness of the algorithm is then demonstrated through tests on synthetic data. The algorithm is then employed as a means of performing sound source separation on two channel mixtures, and the separation capabilities of the algorithm demonstrated on a two channel mixture containing saxophone, strings and bass guitar.

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Therapeutic Ultrasound Angioplasty, Graham Gavin, M.S. J. Hashmi, Garrett B. Mcguinness

Other resources

Therapeutic ultrasound angioplasty is an emerging minimally invasive cardiovascular surgical procedure that involves the delivery of ultrasonic displacements to the distal-tip of small diameter wire waveguides. The ultrasonic distal-tip displacements affect atherosclerotic plaque and thrombus by direct contact ablation, pressure wave components and cavitation, in addition to an acoustic streaming event around the distal-tip. This study uses experimental and numerical methods to investigate ultrasonic displacements in wire waveguides and the effect the distal-tip displacements have on the surrounding fluid. An experimental therapeutic ultrasound wire waveguide apparatus is described that delivers displacements to the distal-tip of 1.0 mm and tapered 0.35 …

A New Architecture For A Multi Polarized Perpendicularly-Fed Radiating Element, Naftali Herscovici, Francisco Lerma, Max Ammann

Conference papers

Planar printed antennas are often required to be fed by parallel feed-networks, which, when printed on the same substrate as the radiating elements, create mutual coupling, spurious radiation and excite surface waves. This considerably affects the array efficiency. Numerous architectures were proposed in the past; some of them use the multilayer structure (which by itself exhibits low efficiency), or perpendicularly fed structures. The latter consist of a substrate for the radiating element and another substrate which for the feed-network. The paper reviews some of the basic configurations proposed until now, and shows the specific improvements introduced by the proposed architecture.

Adequacy Assessment Of The Irish Generation System Including Wind Capacity, William Carr

Masters

Adequacy assessment of generation capacity is a statistical measure of the ability of existing or planned generation plant to meet predicted levels of electrical demand. Complications arise in this calculation because at any point in time the exact level of capacity available is variable due to planned and forced outages. Planned outrages is a term used to describe the period during the year when a generation unit is required to be shut down for maintenance work to be carried out. The duration of this outrage is normally known and its timing can be chosen. Forced outages describe the random failure …

Electronic Speckle Pattern Shearing Interferometry For Nondestructive Testing Of Thermal Sprayed Alloy Coatings, Qiang Xue

Conference Papers

Thermal sprayed coatings have wide engineering applications. There now exists a wide range of destructive and nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for surface coating inspections. This paper describes an application of electronic speckle pattern shearing Interferometry (ESPI) for NDT of thermal sprayed surface coatings. In contrast to other conventional methods such as eddy current,ultrasonic or X-ray, ESPSI allows fast and large survey area inspection. Experimental results of shearographic measurements are presented. Thermal sprayed coatings were tested using ESPI. Delaminations of the coatings were detected and the fringe patterns were captured using this method. It is shown that the shearography technique can …

Design Of Mobile Phone Applications For Point-Of-Care Test Result Validation., John Mcgrory, Owen Lynch, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

Patients with many different conditions are required to take the management of their condition into their own hands and perform Point of Care Testing (POCT) at home. However, this raises quality control issues that would not arise in a clinical setting, since the sample acquisition and testing procedures are not overseen by professional hospital staff. Another major issue, the main focus of this research, is that results from such tests are not clinically validated to ensure that they are plausible for that patient at the time of testing. In hospital, tests taken by clinicians are validated by hi-tech computerised validation …

Theoretical And Experimental Investigations Of Macro-Bend Losses For Standard Single Mode Fibers, Qian Wang, Gerald Farrell, Thomas Feir

Articles

Modeling of macro-bend losses for single mode fibers with multiple cladding or coating layers is presented. Macro-bend losses for standard single mode fibers (SMF28) are investigated theoretically and experimentally, showing that the inner primary coating layer of SMF28 has a significant impact on the bend losses and most of the radiation field is absorbed in the inner primary coating layer of SMF28. The agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental measurements suggests that the so-called elastooptical correction in modeling is not required for SMF28.

Trioson: A Graphical User Interface For Pattern Sonification, Charlie Cullen, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

The TrioSon software allows users to map musical patterns to input data variables via a graphical user interface (GUI). The application is a Java routine designed to take input files of standard Comma Separated Values (CSV) format and output Standard Midi Files (SMF) using the internal Java Sound API. TrioSon renders output Sonifications from input data files for up to 3 user-defined parameters, allocated as bass, chord and melody instruments for the purposes of arrangement. In this manner each parameter concerned is distinguished by its individual instrumental timbre, with the option of rendering any combination of 1 to 3 parameters …

Use Of Advanced Synthesis Tools In Teaching Vlsi Design, Kevin Berwick, Dominic Nardone

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of The Internal Field On The Ir Absorption Spectra Of Small Particles In Case Of 3d, 2d And 1d Size Confinement, Igor I. Shaganov, Tatiana S. Perova, R. Alan Moore, Kevin Berwick

Articles

The spectral properties of composite materials based on small particles under 1D, 2D, and 3D size confinement are described using a combination of dispersive internal field and effective media theory approaches. Calculations performed for a number of crystalline materials have shown that the peak position and intensity of the vibrational band of the material under conditions of 1D, 2D, and 3D size confinement are changed, whereas the bandwidth of the band remains the same. In the case of 3D confinement, the peak position of the spectrum of isolated “mesoparticles” ( ) appears to be very close to the intrinsic frequency …

Current And Future Applications Of Surface Engineering, David Kennedy, Yueqiang Xue, Emilia Mihaylova

Articles

No abstract provided.

Holographic Patterning Of Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer Surface, Izabela Naydenova, Emilia Mihaylova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

The patterning of an acrylamide-based photopolymer surface by holographic recording is studied. The patterns are induced by light alone and no post-processing is required. Periodic surface modulation is observed in addition to a volume phase grating. An investigation has been carried out using white light interferometry into the dependence of the amplitude of the photo induced surface relief modulation on the spatial frequency, intensity of recording and sample thickness. The observed dependencies indicate that the diffusion of material during the holographic recording plays a major role in surface relief formation. The possibility for inscription of surface relief patterns opens the …

Optimum Design Of The Printed Strip Monopole, Max Ammann, Matthias John

Articles

A monopole antenna, printed on low-cost laminate and fed by a microstrip line, is examined. These types of antennas are becoming popular in view of their broad bandwidth and low-profile structure, enabling easy integration as a terminal antenna. The move away from a classical ground plane (with normal radiator) is one of the attractive features of these antennas, but the full effects of the radiator and ground plane being on opposite sides of the same laminate are often not investigated. The effect of these ground planes on the impedance bandwidth and radiation pattern is investigated experimentally and numerically.

Evaluating The Impact Of Production Scheduling On Tool Performance, Amr Arisha, Paul Young

Conference papers

Scheduling of a semiconductor manufacturing facility is one of the most complex tasks encountered. Confronted with a high technology product market, semiconductor manufacturing is increasingly more dynamic and competitive in the introduction of new products in shorter time intervals. Simulation provides an effective decision support tool in scheduling of semiconductor manufacturing. Simulation model was developed as a risk assessment tool for one of the implant process area. The model examines the impact of production schedule on tool performance by testing different production scenarios. Production ramping, local buffer capacity, product sequence and product mix seem to be influential factors of the …

Smith Predictor Structure Stability Analysis Using Mikhailov Stability Criterion, Pauline Sourdille, Aidan O'Dwyer, Eugene Dermot Coyle Professor

Conference papers

As is well known, stability is an important requirement for control systems. Due to the nature of time-delay processes, common methods to evaluate stability may be difficult to use. In 1938, Mikhailov proved a frequency response criterion, which is sufficient and necessary for the stability of processes described by known n-th order constant coefficient linear differential equations. This paper presents the Mikhailov method and the application of this method to a Smith predictor structure controlled by a PI controller.

Pid Controller Tuning Of Networked Computer Based Control Systems, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

This contribution discusses the use of PID controller tuning rules to assist in the implementation of network computer based control systems. Such systems typically have a variable time delay associated with the transfer of information. PID controller tuning rules can be directly implemented with minimal capital investment.

Maintaining A Balance At Undergraduate Degree Level In The Teaching Of Automation And Classical Control Systems, Eugene Coyle, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

Advances in the past decade in the development and application of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Automation Systems in both high technology industrial plants and in the more mainstream manufacturing sectors, has heightened the importance of ensuring that undergraduate degree programme syllabi are designed to adequately cater for the teaching and training of students in automation. Prior to this growth in automation, delivered syllabi in Control Systems on most Electrical Engineering programmes had a theoretical rigour, reflecting the mathematical nature of the topic. A major challenge currently facing departmental lecturing staff and programme coordinators is that of the design of …

Design Of A Wireless System For Patient-Hospital Communciation And Result Validation In Point Of Care Testing, John Mcgrory, Owen Lynch, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

This paper discuses mobile phone (cell phone) and wireless applications for linking patients who manage their healthcare outside the hospital using point of care testing (POCT) to hospital information systems (HIS). Certain medical conditions require patients to manage their healthcare by performing on themselves POC testing and act faithfully on the result. This raises quality control issue, as these POC samples and testing procedures are not independently overseen by professional hospital staff. In hospitals, samples taken by clinicians are validated by hi-tech computerised validation systems to ensure plausibility, before physicians rely on them. Patients in the home must often use …

Information Delivery On Mobile Devices Using Contour Icon Sonification, Charlie Cullen, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

This paper examines the use of musical patterns to convey information, specifically in the context of mobile devices. Existing mechanisms (such as the popularity of the Morse code SMS alert) suggest that the use of musical patterns on mobile devices can be a very efficient and powerful method of data delivery. Unique musical patterns based on templates known as Contour Icons are used to represent specific data variables, with the output rendering of these patterns being referred to as a Sonification of that data. Contour Icon patterns mimic basic shapes and structures, thus providing listeners with a means of categorising …

Information Delivery On Mobile Devices Using Boolean Sonification Patterns, Charlie Cullen, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

Sonification is the means by which non-speech audio can be used to convey information. Existing work has produced methods for delivering information in a wide range of fields, and recent work has considered the huge potential of mobile devices for Sonification. Boolean Sonification is a method of defining two related musical patterns as boolean conditions (true/false, yes/no etc.), such that one is considered contrary to the other by the listener. The final pattern set ideally comprises of two musical events that are closely enough related as to be considered a group, yet distinct enough to be perceived as separate entities. …

Adaptive Voip Playout Scheduling: Assessing User Satisfaction, Miroslaw Narbutt, Andrew Kelly, Liam Murphy, Philip Perry

Articles

Delay and packet loss dramatically affect the quality of a voice-over-IP (VoIP) call and depend on the playout buffer scheme implemented at the receiver. The choice of playout algorithm can’t be based on statistical metrics without considering the perceived end-to-end conversational speech quality. The authors present a method for evaluating various playout algorithms that extends the Emodel concept by estimating user satisfaction from time-varying transmission impairments. This article evaluates several playout algorithms and shows a correspondence between their results and those obtained via statistical loss and delay metrics.

A Novel Framework For Radio Resource Management In Ieee 802.11 Wireless Lans, Mark Davis, Tristan Raimondi

Conference papers

In this paper we address the need to characterize and quantify resource usage in IEEE 802.11 WLANs in order to support radio resource management. We present a compact and intuitive framework for performance characterization and resource utilization that is based upon the concept of MAC bandwidth components. These MAC bandwidth components are directly related to the transmission rate and serve to quantify the resource requirements associated with accessing the wireless medium. We also introduce a graphical technique for presenting these MAC bandwidth components that illustrates how WLAN stations interact in contending for access to the wireless medium. We demonstrate the …

An Acoustic Fluid-Structure Simulation Of A Therapeutic Ultrasound Wire Waveguide Apparatus, Graham Gavin, M. Hashmi, Finbar Dolan, Garret Mcguinness

Conference Papers

The use of high-power low-frequency ultrasound transmitted down small diameter wire waveguides is an emerging technology that may have potential in the treatment of complicated atherosclerotic plaques in cardiovascular surgery. This form of energy delivery results in vibrating the distal-tip of the wire waveguide disrupting material by means of direct contact ablation and also cavitation, pressure waves and acoustic streaming in the surrounding fluid. This work describes a numerical acoustic fluid-structure model of the ultrasound wire waveguide and blood surrounding the distal tip. The structural analysis of the model predicts the natural frequencies of the waveguide and shows the extent …

Shifted Non-Negative Matrix Factorisation For Sound Source Separation, Derry Fitzgerald, Matt Cranitch, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

A shifted non-negative matrix factorisation algorithm is derived, which offers advantages over previous matrix factorisation techniques for the purposes of single channel source separation. It represents a sound source as translations of a single frequency basis function. These translations approximately correspond to notes played by an instrument. Results are presented for a set of synthetic data, and on a single channel recording of piano and clarinet. Though the system is aimed at musical recordings, the techniques can be applied to any data which contains shifted versions of an underlying factor, and so the algorithm could possibly be used in other …

Simulation In Semiconductor Manufacturing Facilities, Amr Arisha, Paul Young

Conference papers

Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most complex industries in terms of technology and manufacturing procedure. The life cycle of a semiconductor facility (FAB) has many phases, in their life cycle including capacity planning, new products introduction, variation of products/technologies, and decline phase. The complexity of the manufacturing and the external forces from markets and technology growth make predicting the effects of changes in the manufacturing system problematic. Simulation, if used correctly, is a powerful hands-on tool which may be used to give a better insight of the effect of engineering/management decisions on the performance of the manufacturing system. While …

Optimization Of Impedance Bandwidth For The Printed Rectangular Monopole Antenna, Matthias John, Max Ammann

Articles

This paper describes a printed rectangular-plate monopole fed by microstrip line. The effect of varying the plate width, feed-gap height, and feedline width on the impedance bandwidth is examined. It is shown that for a fixed ground-plane size, that optimization of these parameters can yield an impedance bandwidth ratio of 4.3:1, without using any broadbanding techniques.