Dynamic Mutual Capacitive Sensor for Human Interactions.

This dissertation introduces the novel concept of removing the ground conductive plate by utilizing body capacitance as the ground in the capacitive sensor, whereby circuit pressure sensing can occur with only one plate and one dielectric. Additionally, body capacitance sensing was limited to a binary touch-no-touch output, whereas the method presented here can sense various applied pressures. The resulting circuit acts as an antenna that receives local capacitance signals from a human interaction. The advantage of this design is that it allows for both proximity sensing and pressure sensing (once the body part is touching the dielectric material). This setup is ideal for a z-axis dimensional interface for touchscreen devices, as well as pressure sensing palpation or planter region interaction

Aircraft electromagnetic compatibility

Illustrated are aircraft architecture, electromagnetic interference environments, electromagnetic compatibility protection techniques, program specifications, tasks, and verification and validation procedures. The environment of 400 Hz power, electrical transients, and radio frequency fields are portrayed and related to thresholds of avionics electronics. Five layers of protection for avionics are defined. Recognition is given to some present day electromagnetic compatibility weaknesses and issues which serve to reemphasize the importance of EMC verification of equipment and parts, and their ultimate EMC validation on the aircraft. Proven standards of grounding, bonding, shielding, wiring, and packaging are laid out to help provide a foundation for a comprehensive approach to successful future aircraft design and an understanding of cost effective EMC in an aircraft setting

Study of the Interference Affecting the Performance of the Theremin

The theremin is one of the earliest electronic musical instruments. It is named after the Russian physics Professor Lev S. Termen who invented it in 1919. This musical instrument belongs to a very short list of devices which are played without physical contact between the musician and the instrument. theremin players complain about the interference that any object in a radius of approximately 3 meters produces when playing the theremin, modifying the intonation of the instrument. This is a problem when playing in small scenarios, with other musicians which move around it. With the aim of reducing the degree of interference from nearby obstacles, some metallic isolating bars conforming an antenna array can be placed around the theremin pitch antenna. The paper shows different simulations calculated with the commercial software Ansoft HFSS, a tool which allows three-dimensional full wave electromagnetic field simulation, with radio frequencies, millimeter and micro waves, and experimental measures, both showing a reduction in the effect of the interference.Bachiller Martin, MC.; Sastre Martinez, J.; Ricchiuti, AL.; Esteban González, H.; Hernandez Franco, CA. (2012). Study of the Interference Affecting the Performance of the Theremin. International Journal of Antennas and Propagation. 2012:1-9. doi:10.1155/2012/348151S192012Buller, W., & Wilson, B. (2006). Measurement and Modeling Mutual Capacitance of Electrical Wiring and Humans. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 55(5), 1519-1522. doi:10.1109/tim.2006.88029

How to protect a wind turbine from lightning

Techniques for reducing the chances of lightning damage to wind turbines are discussed. The methods of providing a ground for a lightning strike are discussed. Then details are given on ways to protect electronic systems, generating and power equipment, blades, and mechanical components from direct and nearby lightning strikes

Soft Tactile Sensors for Mechanical Imaging

Tactile sensing aims to electronically capture physical attributes of an object via mechanical contact. It proves indispensable to many engineering tasks and systems, in areas ranging from manufacturing to medicine and autonomous robotics. Biological skin, which is highly compliant, is able to perform sensing under challenging and highly variable conditions with levels of performance that far exceed what is possible with conventional tactile sensors, which are normally fabricated with non-conforming materials. The development of stretchable, skin-like tactile sensors has, as a result, remained a longstanding goal of engineering. However, to date, artificial tactile sensors that might mimic both the mechanical and multimodal tactile sensory capabilities of biological skin remain far from realization, due to the challenges of fabricating spatially dense, mechanically robust, and compliant sensors in elastic media. Inspired by these demands, this dissertation addresses many aspects of the challenging problem of engineering skin-like electronic sensors. In the first part of the thesis, new methods for the design and fabrication of thin, highly deformable, high resolution tactile sensors are presented. The approach is based on a novel configuration of arrays of microfluidic channels embedded in thin elastomer membranes. To form electrodes, these channels are filled with a metal alloy, eutectic Gallium Indium, that remains liquid at room temperature. Using capacitance sensing techniques, this approach achieves sensing resolutions of 1 mm$^{-1}$. To fabricate these devices, an efficient and robust soft lithography method is introduced, based on a single step cast. An analytical model for the performance of these devices is derived from electrostatic theory and continuum mechanics, and is demonstrated to yield excellent agreement with measured performance. This part of the investigation identified fundamental limitations, in the form of nonmonotonic behavior at low strains, that is demonstrated to generically affect solid cast soft capacitive sensors. The next part of the thesis is an investigation of new methods for designing soft tactile sensors based on multi-layer heterogeneous 3D structures that combine active layers, containing embedded liquid metal electrodes, with passive and mechanically tunable layers, containing air cavities and micropillar geometric supports. In tandem with analytical and computational modeling, these methods are demonstrated to facilitate greater control over mechanical and electronic performance. A new soft lithography fabrication method is also presented, based on the casting, alignment, and fusion of multiple functional layers in a soft polymer substrate. Measurements indicate that the resulting devices achieve excellent performance specifications, and avoid the limiting nonmonotonic behavior identified in the first part of the thesis. In order to demonstrate the practical utility of the devices, we used them to perform dynamic two-dimensional tactile imaging under distributed indentation loads. The results reflect the excellent static and dynamic performance of these devices. The final part of the thesis investigates the utility of the tactile sensing methods pursued here for imaging lumps embedded in simulated tissue. In order to facilitate real-time sensing, an electronic system for fast, array based measurement of small, sub-picofarad (pF) capacitance levels was developed. Using this system, we demonstrated that it is possible to accurately capture strain images depicting small lumps embedded in simulated tissue with either an electronic imaging system or a sensor worn on the finger, supporting the viability of wearable sensors for tactile imaging in medicine. In conclusion, this dissertation confronts many of the most vexing problems arising in the pursuit of skin-like electronic sensors, including fundamental operating principles, structural and functional electronic design, mechanical and electronic modeling, fabrication, and applications to biomedical imaging. The thesis also contributes knowledge needed to enable applications of tactile sensing in medicine, an area that has served as a key source of motivation for this work, and aims to facilitate other applications in areas such as manufacturing, robotics, and consumer electronics.Ph.D., Electrical Engineering -- Drexel University, 201

Design and simulation of a microgrid used in a more electric aircraft

Electric mobility plays a crucial role in energy transition. Nowadays, full electric cars are already a reality, but it is not the same for aircrafts. Moving towards electric aircraft implies numerous benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, cost savings, maintenance, noise pollution and safety. More electric aircraft (MEA) is the next step between traditional and full electric aircraft. In a MEA, almost all the pneumatic and hydraulic actuators have been replaced by electric drives. Due to this fact, aircraft power systems are becoming more complex, hence the importance of protections and a control strategy. That is why power electronics are essential in this new era of transportation. This project consists in the design and simulation of an aircraft microgrid including its generators, power converters, loads and protections. The microgrid architecture is based on a variable frequency distribution topology used by commercial planes such as Boeing 787. In the literature review chapter, some aspects regarding the state of the art are discussed such as power generation and distribution strategies, MEA characteristics or weight reduction. A lot of research is being done with DC power distribution systems for aircrafts. Basically, because it is the lightest power architecture topology. An important chapter of this dissertation addresses the design and simulation of a solid-state circuit breaker. It is an innovative design that has not yet been published. The simulation has been done using Simulink. It has been useful to show the interactions between the components of the microgrid and its way of operating. Some characteristics such as harmonics, rated values and voltage and current ripples have been checked using DO-160G industrial aircraft standard. The results have shown that essential parameters meet the standards required by DO160-G under normal operation. It has been demonstrated that the system can extinguish and isolate different faults in more than acceptable time

Avionics system design for high energy fields: A guide for the designer and airworthiness specialist

Because of the significant differences in transient susceptibility, the use of digital electronics in flight critical systems, and the reduced shielding effects of composite materials, there is a definite need to define pracitices which will minimize electromagnetic susceptibility, to investigate the operational environment, and to develop appropriate testing methods for flight critical systems. The design practices which will lead to reduced electromagnetic susceptibility of avionics systems in high energy fields is described. The levels of emission that can be anticipated from generic digital devices. It is assumed that as data processing equipment becomes an ever larger part of the avionics package, the construction methods of the data processing industry will increasingly carry over into aircraft. In Appendix 1 tentative revisions to RTCA DO-160B, Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment, are presented. These revisions are intended to safeguard flight critical systems from the effects of high energy electromagnetic fields. A very extensive and useful bibliography on both electromagnetic compatibility and avionics issues is included

Stitched transmission lines for wearable RF devices

With the rapid growth and use of wearable devices over the last decade, the advantages of using portable wearable devices are now been utilised for day to day activities. These wearable devices are designed to be flexible, low profile, light-weight and smoothly integrated into daily life. Wearable transmission lines are required to transport RF signals between various pieces of wearable communication equipment and to connect fabric based antennas to transmitters and receivers; the stitched transmission line is one of the hardware solutions developed to enhance the connectivity between these wearable devices. Textile manufacturing techniques that employ the use of sewing machines alongside conductive textile materials can be used to fabricate the stitched transmission line. In this thesis the feasibility of using a sewing machine in fabrication of a novel stitched transmission line for wearable devices using the idea of a braided coaxial cable have been examined. The sewing machine used is capable of a zig-zag stitch with approximate width and length within the range of 0-6 mm and 0-4mm respectively. The inner conductor and the tubular insulated layer of the stitched transmission lines were selected as RG 174, while the stitched shields were made up of copper wires and conductive threads from Light Stiches®. For shielding purpose, the structure is stitched onto a denim material with a conductive thread with the aid of a novel manufacturing technique using a standard hardware. The Scattering Parameters of the stitched transmission line were investigated with three different stitch angles 85°,65° and 31° through simulation and experiments, with the results demonstrating that the stitched transmission line can work usefully and consistently from 0.04 4. The extracted Scattering parameters indicated a decrease in DC loss with increased stitch angle and an increase in radiation loses, which tends to increase with increase in frequency. The proposed stitched transmission line makes a viable transmission line but a short stitch length is associated with larger losses through resistance. The DC losses observed are mainly influenced by the resistance of the conductive threads at lower frequencies while the radiation losses are influenced by the wider apertures related to the stitch angles and increase in frequency along the line. The performances of the stitched transmission line with different stitch patterns, when subjected to washing cycles and when bent through curved angles 90° and 180° were also investigated and results presented. ii Also, the sensitivity of the design to manufacturing tolerances was also considered. First the behaviour of the stitched transmission line with two different substrates Denim and Felt were investigated with the results indicating an insignificant increase in losses with the Denim material. Secondly, the sensitivity of the design with variations in cross section dimensions was investigated using numerical modelling techniques and the results showed that the impedance of the stitched transmission line increases when the cross sectional dimensions are decreased by 0.40 and decreases when the cross sectional dimensions are increased by 0.40. Equally, repeatability of the stitched transmission line with three different stitch angles 85°,65° and 31° were carried out. The results were seen to be consistent up to 2.5, with slight deviations above that, which are mainly as a result of multiple reflections along the line resulting in loss ripples. The DC resistance of the stitched transmission line with three different stitch angles 85°,65° and 31° corresponding to the number of stitches 60,90 and 162 were computed and a mathematical relationship was derived for computing the DC resistance of the stitch transmission line for any given number of stitches. The DC resistance computed results of 25.6Ω,17.3Ω and 13.1Ω, for 31°,65° and 85° stitch angles, indicated an increase in DC resistance of the stitch with decrease in stitch angle which gives rise to an increase in number of stitches. The transfer impedance of the stitched transmission line was also computed at low frequency (<1) to be =(0.24+1.09)Ω, with the result showing the effectiveness of the shield of the stitched transmission line at low frequency (<1

Design and development of a low-voltage DC domestic power supply system

Thesis (Master of Engineering (Electrical)) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2018Much effort is spent in regulating the power quality in alternating current power supplies for electronic devices. Many electronic devices, however, do not use alternating current, but rather direct current. The output of most small scale renewable energy systems are also direct current, so it can be connected to the loads more efficiently by eliminating the inverter stage. In a circuit with a number of rectification stages the conversion losses can add up to a significant amount. By reducing the number of conversion stages or possibly eliminating some of the stages the overall system could be more efficient. The purpose of this dissertation is to present the simulation design and results of a direct current distribution system, containing common household appliances connected to a direct current grid supply and a renewable energy source. A bottom-up design approach is used where a list of household appliances with their voltage needs is identified and the distribution voltage is then selected based on the voltage needs. The distribution system is modelled using Matlab and Simulink software. Results show that common household loads can be supplied directly with direct current, from either a main direct current grid supply, or a renewable energy system with direct current output. This direct current distribution system is compared to two other systems: (1) Existing alternating current system and (2) Hybrid system (converting alternating current to direct current for distribution in the house). The three systems are compared to each other in terms of power efficiency and material cost. The existing alternating current system is shown to be the most efficient, with an average power efficiency of 87.85 %. The second most efficient system is the hybrid system with average power efficiency of 86.95 %, and the least efficient of the three is the direct current distribution system with 86.45 %. The main reason why the direct current system is less efficient is because of the high input power of the microwave oven when connected to a direct current supply. The direct current system is more efficient than the alternating current system if the microwave oven load is taken out of both. Future work will involve more detailed operational and transient state simulations of the loads in the direct current system. Another recommendation is to find a direct current design for supplying the microwave oven load that does not incur large losses. A final recommendation is to build a practical test set-up of the direct current system in order to analyse the practical aspects of a residential direct current distribution system