Image Type Water Meter Character Recognition Based on Embedded DSP

In the paper, we combined DSP processor with image processing algorithm and studied the method of water meter character recognition. We collected water meter image through camera at a fixed angle, and the projection method is used to recognize those digital images. The experiment results show that the method can recognize the meter characters accurately and artificial meter reading is replaced by automatic digital recognition, which improves working efficiency

Reconfigurable Architectures and Systems for IoT Applications

abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) has become a popular topic in industry over the recent years, which describes an ecosystem of internet-connected devices or things that enrich the everyday life by improving our productivity and efficiency. The primary components of the IoT ecosystem are hardware, software and services. While the software and services of IoT system focus on data collection and processing to make decisions, the underlying hardware is responsible for sensing the information, preprocess and transmit it to the servers. Since the IoT ecosystem is still in infancy, there is a great need for rapid prototyping platforms that would help accelerate the hardware design process. However, depending on the target IoT application, different sensors are required to sense the signals such as heart-rate, temperature, pressure, acceleration, etc., and there is a great need for reconfigurable platforms that can prototype different sensor interfacing circuits. This thesis primarily focuses on two important hardware aspects of an IoT system: (a) an FPAA based reconfigurable sensing front-end system and (b) an FPGA based reconfigurable processing system. To enable reconfiguration capability for any sensor type, Programmable ANalog Device Array (PANDA), a transistor-level analog reconfigurable platform is proposed. CAD tools required for implementation of front-end circuits on the platform are also developed. To demonstrate the capability of the platform on silicon, a small-scale array of 24×25 PANDA cells is fabricated in 65nm technology. Several analog circuit building blocks including amplifiers, bias circuits and filters are prototyped on the platform, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the platform for rapid prototyping IoT sensor interfaces. IoT systems typically use machine learning algorithms that run on the servers to process the data in order to make decisions. Recently, embedded processors are being used to preprocess the data at the energy-constrained sensor node or at IoT gateway, which saves considerable energy for transmission and bandwidth. Using conventional CPU based systems for implementing the machine learning algorithms is not energy-efficient. Hence an FPGA based hardware accelerator is proposed and an optimization methodology is developed to maximize throughput of any convolutional neural network (CNN) based machine learning algorithm on a resource-constrained FPGA.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 201

Etude et réalisation d'un système de communications par lumière visible (VLC/LiFi). Application au domaine automobile.

The scientific problematic of this PhD is centered on the usage of Visible LightCommunications (VLC) in automotive applications. By enabling wireless communication amongvehicles and also with the traffic infrastructure, the safety and efficiency of the transportation canbe substantially increased. Considering the numerous advantages of the VLC technologyencouraged the study of its appropriateness for the envisioned automotive applications, as analternative and/or a complement for the traditional radio frequency based communications.In order to conduct this research, a low-cost VLC system for automotive application wasdeveloped. The proposed system aims to ensure a highly robust communication between a LEDbasedVLC emitter and an on-vehicle VLC receiver. For the study of vehicle to vehicle (V2V)communication, the emitter was developed based on a vehicle backlight whereas for the study ofinfrastructure to vehicle (I2V) communication, the emitter was developed based on a traffic light.Considering the VLC receiver, a central problem in this area is the design of a suitable sensorable to enhance the conditioning of the signal and to avoid disturbances due to the environmentalconditions, issues that are addressed in the thesis. The performances of a cooperative drivingsystem integrating the two components were evaluated as well.The experimental validation of the VLC system was performed in various conditions andscenarios. The results confirmed the performances of the proposed system and demonstrated thatVLC can be a viable technology for the considered applications. Furthermore, the results areencouraging towards the continuations of the work in this domain.La problématique scientifique de cette thèse est centrée sur le développement decommunications par lumière visible (Visible Light Communications - VLC) dans lesapplications automobiles. En permettant la communication sans fil entre les véhicules, ou entreles véhicules et l’infrastructure routière, la sécurité et l'efficacité du transport peuvent êtreconsidérablement améliorées. Compte tenu des nombreux avantages de la technologie VLC,cette solution se présente comme une excellente alternative ou un complément pour lescommunications actuelles plutôt basées sur les technologies radio-fréquences traditionnelles.Pour réaliser ces travaux de recherche, un système VLC à faible coût pour applicationautomobile a été développé. Le système proposé vise à assurer une communication très robusteentre un émetteur VLC à base de LED et un récepteur VLC monté sur un véhicule. Pour l'étudedes communications véhicule à véhicule (V2V), l'émetteur a été développé sur la base d’un pharearrière rouge de voiture, tandis que pour l'étude des communications de l'infrastructure auvéhicule (I2V), l'émetteur a été développé sur la base d'un feu de circulation. Considérant lerécepteur VLC, le problème principal réside autour d’un capteur approprié, en mesured'améliorer le conditionnement du signal et de limiter les perturbations dues des conditionsenvironnementales. Ces différents points sont abordés dans la thèse, d’un point de vue simulationmais également réalisation du prototype.La validation expérimentale du système VLC a été réalisée dans différentes conditions etscénarii. Les résultats démontrent que la VLC peut être une technologie viable pour lesapplications envisagées

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2009

Topics include: A Deep Space Network Portable Radio Science Receiver; Detecting Phase Boundaries in Hard-Sphere Suspensions; Low-Complexity Lossless and Near-Lossless Data Compression Technique for Multispectral Imagery; Very-Long-Distance Remote Hearing and Vibrometry; Using GPS to Detect Imminent Tsunamis; Stream Flow Prediction by Remote Sensing and Genetic Programming; Pilotless Frame Synchronization Using LDPC Code Constraints; Radiometer on a Chip; Measuring Luminescence Lifetime With Help of a DSP; Modulation Based on Probability Density Functions; Ku Telemetry Modulator for Suborbital Vehicles; Photonic Links for High-Performance Arraying of Antennas; Reconfigurable, Bi-Directional Flexfet Level Shifter for Low-Power, Rad-Hard Integration; Hardware-Efficient Monitoring of I/O Signals; Video System for Viewing From a Remote or Windowless Cockpit; Spacesuit Data Display and Management System; IEEE 1394 Hub With Fault Containment; Compact, Miniature MMIC Receiver Modules for an MMIC Array Spectrograph; Waveguide Transition for Submillimeter-Wave MMICs; Magnetic-Field-Tunable Superconducting Rectifier; Bonded Invar Clip Removal Using Foil Heaters; Fabricating Radial Groove Gratings Using Projection Photolithography; Gratings Fabricated on Flat Surfaces and Reproduced on Non-Flat Substrates; Method for Measuring the Volume-Scattering Function of Water; Method of Heating a Foam-Based Catalyst Bed; Small Deflection Energy Analyzer for Energy and Angular Distributions; Polymeric Bladder for Storing Liquid Oxygen; Pyrotechnic Simulator/Stray-Voltage Detector; Inventions Utilizing Microfluidics and Colloidal Particles; RuO2 Thermometer for Ultra-Low Temperatures; Ultra-Compact, High-Resolution LADAR System for 3D Imaging; Dual-Channel Multi-Purpose Telescope; Objective Lens Optimized for Wavefront Delivery, Pupil Imaging, and Pupil Ghosting; CMOS Camera Array With Onboard Memory; Quickly Approximating the Distance Between Two Objects; Processing Images of Craters for Spacecraft Navigation; Adaptive Morphological Feature-Based Object Classifier for a Color Imaging System; Rover Slip Validation and Prediction Algorithm; Safety and Quality Training Simulator; Supply-Chain Optimization Template; Algorithm for Computing Particle/Surface Interactions; Cryogenic Pupil Alignment Test Architecture for Aberrated Pupil Images; and Thermal Transport Model for Heat Sink Design

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

Small business innovation research. Abstracts of 1988 phase 1 awards

Non-proprietary proposal abstracts of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA are presented. Projects in the fields of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robots, computer sciences, information systems, data processing, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered

An efficient telemetry system for restoring sight

PhD ThesisThe human nervous system can be damaged as a result of disease or trauma, causing conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Most people try pharmaceuticals as a primary method of treatment. However, drugs cannot restore some cases, such as visual disorder. Alternatively, this impairment can be treated with electronic neural prostheses. A retinal prosthesis is an example of that for restoring sight, but it is not efficient and only people with retinal pigmentosa benefit from it. In such treatments, stimulation of the nervous system can be achieved by electrical or optical means. In the latter case, the nerves need to be rendered light sensitive via genetic means (optogenetics). High radiance photonic devices are then required to deliver light to the target tissue. Such optical approaches hold the potential to be more effective while causing less harm to the brain tissue. As these devices are implanted in tissue, wireless means need to be used to communicate with them. For this, IEEE 802.15.6 or Bluetooth protocols at 2.4GHz are potentially compatible with most advanced electronic devices, and are also safe and secure. Also, wireless power delivery can operate the implanted device. In this thesis, a fully wireless and efficient visual cortical stimulator was designed to restore the sight of the blind. This system is likely to address 40% of the causes of blindness. In general, the system can be divided into two parts, hardware and software. Hardware parts include a wireless power transfer design, the communication device, power management, a processor and the control unit, and the 3D design for assembly. The software part contains the image simplification, image compression, data encoding, pulse modulation, and the control system. Real-time video streaming is processed and sent over Bluetooth, and data are received by the LPC4330 six layer implanted board. After retrieving the compressed data, the processed data are again sent to the implanted electrode/optrode to stimulate the brain’s nerve cells

Proceedings of the First PhD Symposium on Sustainable Ultrascale Computing Systems (NESUS PhD 2016)

Proceedings of the First PhD Symposium on Sustainable Ultrascale Computing Systems (NESUS PhD 2016) Timisoara, Romania. February 8-11, 2016.The PhD Symposium was a very good opportunity for the young researchers to share information and knowledge, to present their current research, and to discuss topics with other students in order to look for synergies and common research topics. The idea was very successful and the assessment made by the PhD Student was very good. It also helped to achieve one of the major goals of the NESUS Action: to establish an open European research network targeting sustainable solutions for ultrascale computing aiming at cross fertilization among HPC, large scale distributed systems, and big data management, training, contributing to glue disparate researchers working across different areas and provide a meeting ground for researchers in these separate areas to exchange ideas, to identify synergies, and to pursue common activities in research topics such as sustainable software solutions (applications and system software stack), data management, energy efficiency, and resilience.European Cooperation in Science and Technology. COS