Trick or Heat? Manipulating Critical Temperature-Based Control Systems Using Rectification Attacks

Temperature sensing and control systems are widely used in the closed-loop control of critical processes such as maintaining the thermal stability of patients, or in alarm systems for detecting temperature-related hazards. However, the security of these systems has yet to be completely explored, leaving potential attack surfaces that can be exploited to take control over critical systems. In this paper we investigate the reliability of temperature-based control systems from a security and safety perspective. We show how unexpected consequences and safety risks can be induced by physical-level attacks on analog temperature sensing components. For instance, we demonstrate that an adversary could remotely manipulate the temperature sensor measurements of an infant incubator to cause potential safety issues, without tampering with the victim system or triggering automatic temperature alarms. This attack exploits the unintended rectification effect that can be induced in operational and instrumentation amplifiers to control the sensor output, tricking the internal control loop of the victim system to heat up or cool down. Furthermore, we show how the exploit of this hardware-level vulnerability could affect different classes of analog sensors that share similar signal conditioning processes. Our experimental results indicate that conventional defenses commonly deployed in these systems are not sufficient to mitigate the threat, so we propose a prototype design of a low-cost anomaly detector for critical applications to ensure the integrity of temperature sensor signals.Comment: Accepted at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), 201

BALANCING ROBOT USING CONTROL SYSTEM

This project presents a Single Wheel Balancing Robot. Basically, the main idea of the project is to balance a structure on a wheel using motor. The wheel will balance the structure forward and backward, trying to make the structure not to fall. This project will involve with a precise weight distributed fabricated structure and a very fast control systems controlling the motor thus the robot itself. The objective of the project is to balance the robot structure using control system methods, which is simulated using the MATLAB software and interface with the robot using Quanser systems. The objective also consists of solving the control problems using control systems theory such as Root Locus and Proportional-Integral-Differential, proving the effectiveness of the theory in fast response control systems. The student's main mission of the project is to fabricate a good robot structure with a very stable center of gravity, study the basic and various type of controller techniques, studythe robot components (motor, encoderand etc), study and experiment the Quanser interface module, interface the fabricated robot structure with MATLAB using Quanser systems, and proceed with balancing the structure. Thesecond mission is to test the complete system with studied control systems and control troubleshooting. Lastly a technical paper will be produced regarding the results of the real simulation

Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) prototype with Raspberry Pi

With globalisation and the thirst for connectivity across society, the demand placed on wireless infrastructure and the associated resource is growing exponentially. Very soon this resource will reach saturation point, due to the finite bandwidth available in the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. A method of countering the impending saturation needs to be found. That method can be Visible Light Communication (VLC). Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) is a research field within VLC that utilises the visible light band within the electromagnetic wave spectrum. This band is 10,000 times larger than the RF band and cannot be ‘leased’ or saturated with users. Light waves can be modulated to carry an enormous amount ofsimultaneous data, at speeds faster than current consumer equipment can handle. This Dissertation describes in detail the research, construction and testing of a Li-Fi prototype using Raspberry Pi. The prototype is compact, low cost, uses accessible components and provides a solid foundation for other students to follow on with further work in this field. The prototype successfully demonstrates the principle of Visible Light Communication and shows the viability of using Python for coding, SPI for data transfer and lists suitable electronic components to process bit-wise data signals. The prototype shows that while it is possible to use addressable LED’sas the transmitting element, the Dissertation concludes that they are not suitable outside of a heavily constrained environment

Development of a MATLAB/Simulink - Arduino environment for experimental practices in control engineering teaching

This project presents the steps followed when implementing a platform based on MATLAB/Simulink and Arduino for the restoration of digital control practices. During this project, an Arduino shield has being designed. Along with this, a web page has also been created where all the material done during all this project is available and can be freely used. So anyone interested on doing a project can have a starting point instead of starting a project from scratch, which most of times this results hard to implement. Taking all this into account, the document is structured in the following manner. The first chapter talks about the hardware used and designed. The second one explains the software used and the configurations done on the laboratory’s PCs. After that, the web page Duino-Based Learning is explained, where you can find the five projects carried out in the "Control Automàtic" subject with their corresponding results. In this section too, as an additional research, the implemented indirect adaptive control will be explained, where the parameter estimation has been done by the Recursive Least Square algorithm. The last four sections before presenting the conclusions of the work, correspond to a satisfaction questionnaire done to the teachers that have used the setup, the costs and saves of the project, the environmental impact and the planning of the project respectively

Cost-Effective and Energy-Efficient Techniques for Underwater Acoustic Communication Modems

Finally, the modem developed has been tested experimentally in laboratory (aquatic environment) showing that can communicates at different data rates (100..1200 bps) compared to state-of-the-art research modems. The software used include LabVIEW, MATLAB, Simulink, and Multisim (to test the electronic circuit built) has been employed.Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) are widely used in many applications related to ecosystem monitoring, and many more fields. Due to the absorption of electromagnetic waves in water and line-of-sight communication of optical waves, acoustic waves are the most suitable medium of communication in underwater environments. Underwater acoustic modem (UAM) is responsible for the transmission and reception of acoustic signals in an aquatic channel. Commercial modems may communicate at longer distances with reliability, but they are expensive and less power efficient. Research modems are designed by using a digital-signal-processor (DSP is expensive) and field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA is high power consuming device). In addition to, the use of a microcontroller is also a common practice (which is less expensive) but provides limited computational power. Hence, there is a need for a cost-effective and energy-efficient UAM to be used in budget limited applications. In this thesis different objectives are proposed. First, to identify the limitations of state-of-the-art commercial and research UAMs through a comprehensive survey. The second contribution has been the design of a low-cost acoustic modem for short-range underwater communications by using a single board computer (Raspberry-Pi), and a microcontroller (Atmega328P). The modulator, demodulator and amplifiers are designed with discrete components to reduce the overall cost. The third contribution is to design a web based underwater acoustic communication testbed along with a simulation platform (with underwater channel and sound propagation models), for testing modems. The fourth contribution is to integrate in a single module two important modules present in UAMs: the PSK modulator and the power amplifier

Fuzzy control systems for thermal processes: synthesis, design and implementation

A completed case study on fuzzy logic control of thermal processes has been carried out using a professional laboratory oven for industrial purpose as an experimental test rig. It involved system engineering design analysis, control synthesis, and implementation as well as application software and signal interface design and development. The resulting expertise and lessons learned are reported in this contribution. The structure of PD type of fuzzy logic controllers is closely discussed along with synthesis issues of membership functions and knowledge rule base. Special software was developed using Microsoft Visual Studio, C++ and Visual basic for GUI for a standard PC platform. The application software designed and implemented has four modules: FIS editor, Rule Editor, Membership Function Editor and Fuzzy Controller with Rule Viewer. Quality and performance of the overall fuzzy process control system have been investigated and validated to fulfill the required quality specification

Control system implementation on an AFM prototype

Tese de Mestrado Integrado, Engenharia Física, 2022, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de CiênciasThis work deals with the implementation of a fine and coarse tip-sample distance control as well as with the tuning of several other features that will make one AFM prototype more user friendly. The main goal was to design and integrate a PI (Proportional-Integral) Analog Controller with digitally controllable gains. The development of the controller started by identifying and characterizing the system, with emphasis on the Z-axis Scanner’s response, which in turn allowed to build models for all the different components that make up the AFM. The PI Controller’s gains were arranged to be independently tuned via a digital potentiometer in conjunction with an analog multiplexer. The digital potentiometer provides a fine gain adjustment while the analog multiplexer increments the gains by an order of magnitude. These devices receive instructions from a microcontroller. In parallel, several other important enhancements were carried out, which include an implementation of an Auto-Approach functionality that automatically approaches the probe and sample without crashing onto each other. In order to achieve this, it was conducted an experimental study of the instrument’s motorized coarse motion structure. All the new features developed here were integrated in the existing prototype via the Arduino platform. To interface the signals outputted by the AFM circuitry and the microcontroller, as well as providing robust tolerance against faulty use, additional circuitry was included. This allows the reading of important signals within the instrument’s context, such as the deflection signal, amplitude signal and controller output. By taking advantage of the microcontroller’s features, it was designed a voltage source that serves as an adjustable setpoint via the PWM outputs from the Arduino. Finally, it was design and developed a GUI providing the user direct control of the tasks mentioned above and also displaying some quantitative and qualitative data, acquired by the microcontroller, about the state of the AFM

Wireless sensors and IoT platform for intelligent HVAC control

Energy consumption of buildings (residential and non-residential) represents approximately 40% of total world electricity consumption, with half of this energy consumed by HVAC systems. Model-Based Predictive Control (MBPC) is perhaps the technique most often proposed for HVAC control, since it offers an enormous potential for energy savings. Despite the large number of papers on this topic during the last few years, there are only a few reported applications of the use of MBPC for existing buildings, under normal occupancy conditions and, to the best of our knowledge, no commercial solution yet. A marketable solution has been recently presented by the authors, coined the IMBPC HVAC system. This paper describes the design, prototyping and validation of two components of this integrated system, the Self-Powered Wireless Sensors and the IOT platform developed. Results for the use of IMBPC in a real building under normal occupation demonstrate savings in the electricity bill while maintaining thermal comfort during the whole occupation schedule.QREN SIDT [38798]; Portuguese Foundation for Science & Technology, through IDMEC, under LAETA [ID/EMS/50022/2013

Discrete time control of a push-pull power converter

The objective is the design of a discrete time controller in a push-pull power converter. The work figures out the issues related to the migration of the analog control to the digital one in power converters and both simulation and experimental results are performed to obtain a comparative evaluation of both proposals.This work apply digital control techniques in a DC/DC push-pull power converter. Sections include converter modelization, control design, simulations, implementation and experimental results