FPGA Based Powertrain Control for Electric Vehicles

In this article an FPGA based solution for the advance control of multi-motor EVs was proposed. The design was build around a powertrain IP Core library containing the most relevant functions for the EV operation: motor torque and flux regulation, energy loss minimization and vehicle safety. Due to the parallel, modularity and reconfigurability features of FPGAs, this library can be reused in the development of several control architectures that best suits the EV powertrain configuration (single or multi-motor) and functional requirements. As proof of concept, the powertrain library was employed in the design of minimal control system for a bi-motor EV prototype and implemented in a low cost Xilinx Spartan 3 FPGA. Experimental verification of the control unit was provided, showing reasonable consumption metrics and illustrating the energy benefits from regenerative braking

FPGAs in Industrial Control Applications

The aim of this paper is to review the state-of-the-art of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technologies and their contribution to industrial control applications. Authors start by addressing various research fields which can exploit the advantages of FPGAs. The features of these devices are then presented, followed by their corresponding design tools. To illustrate the benefits of using FPGAs in the case of complex control applications, a sensorless motor controller has been treated. This controller is based on the Extended Kalman Filter. Its development has been made according to a dedicated design methodology, which is also discussed. The use of FPGAs to implement artificial intelligence-based industrial controllers is then briefly reviewed. The final section presents two short case studies of Neural Network control systems designs targeting FPGAs

Efficient Algorithms for Large-Scale Image Analysis

This work develops highly efficient algorithms for analyzing large images. Applications include object-based change detection and screening. The algorithms are 10-100 times as fast as existing software, sometimes even outperforming FGPA/GPU hardware, because they are designed to suit the computer architecture. This thesis describes the implementation details and the underlying algorithm engineering methodology, so that both may also be applied to other applications

A systematic approach for integrated product, materials, and design-process design

Designers are challenged to manage customer, technology, and socio-economic uncertainty causing dynamic, unquenchable demands on limited resources. In this context, increased concept flexibility, referring to a designer s ability to generate concepts, is crucial. Concept flexibility can be significantly increased through the integrated design of product and material concepts. Hence, the challenge is to leverage knowledge of material structure-property relations that significantly affect system concepts for function-based, systematic design of product and materials concepts in an integrated fashion. However, having selected an integrated product and material system concept, managing complexity in embodiment design-processes is important. Facing a complex network of decisions and evolving analysis models a designer needs the flexibility to systematically generate and evaluate embodiment design-process alternatives. In order to address these challenges and respond to the primary research question of how to increase a designer s concept and design-process flexibility to enhance product creation in the conceptual and early embodiment design phases, the primary hypothesis in this dissertation is embodied as a systematic approach for integrated product, materials and design-process design. The systematic approach consists of two components i) a function-based, systematic approach to the integrated design of product and material concepts from a systems perspective, and ii) a systematic strategy to design-process generation and selection based on a decision-centric perspective and a value-of-information-based Process Performance Indicator. The systematic approach is validated using the validation-square approach that consists of theoretical and empirical validation. Empirical validation of the framework is carried out using various examples including: i) design of a reactive material containment system, and ii) design of an optoelectronic communication system.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Allen, Janet K.; Committee Member: Aidun, Cyrus K.; Committee Member: Klein, Benjamin; Committee Member: McDowell, David L.; Committee Member: Mistree, Farrokh; Committee Member: Yoder, Douglas P

Evolvable Smartphone-Based Point-of-Care Systems For In-Vitro Diagnostics

Recent developments in the life-science -omics disciplines, together with advances in micro and nanoscale technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to tackle some of the major healthcare challenges of our time. Lab-on-Chip technologies coupled with smart-devices in particular, constitute key enablers for the decentralization of many in-vitro medical diagnostics applications to the point-of-care, supporting the advent of a preventive and personalized medicine. Although the technical feasibility and the potential of Lab-on-Chip/smart-device systems is repeatedly demonstrated, direct-to-consumer applications remain scarce. This thesis addresses this limitation. System evolvability is a key enabler to the adoption and long-lasting success of next generation point-of-care systems by favoring the integration of new technologies, streamlining the reengineering efforts for system upgrades and limiting the risk of premature system obsolescence. Among possible implementation strategies, platform-based design stands as a particularly suitable entry point. One necessary condition, is for change-absorbing and change-enabling mechanisms to be incorporated in the platform architecture at initial design-time. Important considerations arise as to where in Lab-on-Chip/smart-device platforms can these mechanisms be integrated, and how to implement them. Our investigation revolves around the silicon-nanowire biological field effect transistor, a promising biosensing technology for the detection of biological analytes at ultra low concentrations. We discuss extensively the sensitivity and instrumentation requirements set by the technology before we present the design and implementation of an evolvable smartphone-based platform capable of interfacing lab-on-chips embedding such sensors. We elaborate on the implementation of various architectural patterns throughout the platform and present how these facilitated the evolution of the system towards one accommodating for electrochemical sensing. Model-based development was undertaken throughout the engineering process. A formal SysML system model fed our evolvability assessment process. We introduce, in particular, a model-based methodology enabling the evaluation of modular scalability: the ability of a system to scale the current value of one of its specification by successively reengineering targeted system modules. The research work presented in this thesis provides a roadmap for the development of evolvable point-of-care systems, including those targeting direct-to-consumer applications. It extends from the early identification of anticipated change, to the assessment of the ability of a system to accommodate for these changes. Our research should thus interest industrials eager not only to disrupt, but also to last in a shifting socio-technical paradigm