Introduction to FPGA design

This paper presents an introduction to digital hardware design using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). After a historical introduction and a quick overview of digital design, the internal structure of a generic FPGA is discussed. We then describe the design flow, i.e., the steps needed to go from design idea to actual working hardware. Digital signal processing is an important area where FPGAs have found many applications in recent years. Therefore a complete section is devoted to this subject. The paper finishes with a discussion of important peripheral concepts essential for success in any project involving FPGAs

Palmo : a novel pulsed based signal processing technique for programmable mixed-signal VLSI

In this thesis a new signal processing technique is presented. This technique exploits the use of pulses as the signalling mechanism. This Palmo 1 signalling method applied to signal processing is novel, combining the advantages of both digital and analogue techniques. Pulsed signals are robust, inherently low-power, easily regenerated, and easily distributed across and between chips. The Palmo cells used to perform analogue operations on the pulsed signals are compact, fast, simple and programmable

Experiencing Political Advertising Through Social Media Logic: A Qualitative Inquiry

The allocation of political advertising in social media is rising in Western campaigns. Yet audiences, unlike those of television advertising, are no longer isolated and passive consumers of linear discourses from politicians; users can now interact, share, and merge political advertising with other messages. Literature has dealt with the effects of such affordances separately, yet not in an integrative, holistic way that makes it possible to observe how they interact with each other. Hence, this article explores qualitatively how users experience, engage with, and make sense of political advertising in social media, and how its affordances mediate the attitudes, responses, and meanings users bring to political advertising and its sponsors. Under the lenses of the theory of social media logic, which points out the properties of social media - popularity, programmability, datafication, and connectivity - that structure users' experiences, we conducted six focus group sessions with Mexican users (n = 34) during the 2021 federal campaigns. Findings show the fuzziness of digital advertising for users, which blurs with other formats like infographics or memes, the crucial role of individual linkages for advertising attention and attitude formation, a mismatch between the platform's political feed and citizens' information needs, and the tactics users perform to tame or avoid political content, disengaging them from campaigns

Critical parameters and performance tests for the evaluation of digital data acquisition hardware

Recent developments of digital data acquisition systems allow real-time pre-processing of detector signals at a high count rate. These so-called pulse processing digitizers are powerful and versatile instruments offering techniques which are important for nuclear security, critical infrastructure protection, nuclear physics and radiation metrology. Certain aspects of digital data acquisition affect the performance of the total system in a critical way and therefore require special attention. This report presents a short introduction to digital data acquisition, followed by a discussion of the critical parameters which affect the performance in the lab and in the field. For some of the parameters, tests are proposed to assess the performance of digital data acquisition systems. Good practices are offered to guide the selection and evaluation of digital data acquisition systems. More general performance criteria which are not specifically related to digital data acquisition systems are discussed separately.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

10281 Abstracts Collection -- Dynamically Reconfigurable Architectures

From 11.07.10 to 16.07.10, Dagstuhl Seminar 10281 ``Dynamically Reconfigurable Architectures \u27\u27 was held in Schloss Dagstuhl~--~Leibniz Center for Informatics. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Advanced sensors technology survey

This project assesses the state-of-the-art in advanced or 'smart' sensors technology for NASA Life Sciences research applications with an emphasis on those sensors with potential applications on the space station freedom (SSF). The objectives are: (1) to conduct literature reviews on relevant advanced sensor technology; (2) to interview various scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government who are knowledgeable on this topic; (3) to provide viewpoints and opinions regarding the potential applications of this technology on the SSF; and (4) to provide summary charts of relevant technologies and centers where these technologies are being developed

An Ultra Low-Power Programmable Voltage Reference for Power-Constrained Electronic Systems

This paper proposes a novel architecture for the generation of a programmable voltage reference: the background- calibrated (BC)-PVR. Our mixed-signal architecture periodically calibrates a static ultra low-power voltage reference generator, from an accurate bandgap reference. The portion of the chip used for the calibration can be powered down with a programmable duty-cycle. The system aims to fully exploit the small temperature derivative vs time DT of several application domains to minimize the average current consumption. The BC-PVR has been designed and implemented in TSMC 55-nm CMOS technology, and it achieves the largest reported programming reference output ◦range [0.42 - 2.52] V, over the temperature range [-20 , 85] C. The duty-cycle mode allows nanoampere current consumption, and the large design flexibility permits to optimize the system performance for the specific application. These features make the BC-PVR very well-suited for power-constrained electronic systems

Design and development of a very flexible and completely programmable pain control stimulator

L'utilisation des stimulations nerveuses s'est vue accorder une attention sans cesse croissante, durant les dernières années, comme une méthode de traitement sécuritaire, efficace et facile a utiliser pour contrôler la douleur. La publication par Melzack et Wall de la théorie du mécanisme de contrôle de la douleur (Gate Control Theory of pain) et son application par Shealy pour trailer la douleur chronique en utilisant les stimulations électriques, ont été Ie point de départ de plusieurs travaux de recherche visant à déterminer la meilleure fa9on d'utiliser cette technique de traitement et a concevoir Ie système approprie pour 1'appliquer. Cette théorie stipule que Ie mécanisme qui gère les sensations de la douleur, peut être contrôlé a 1'aide de stimulations artificielles du système périphérique. En effet, des stimulis électriques appliques convenablement peuvent interférer avec les messages des sensations de la douleur transmise vers Ie centre nerveux principal et ainsi réduire la perception de la douleur. L'objectif de ce travail de recherche est de concevoir et implémenter un système de stimulations de la colonne vertébrale, très avancé et complètement programmable, base sur la théorie du mécanisme de contrôle de la douleur énoncée par Melzack et Wall. Le système peut être utilisé comme un traitement de choix pour certaines douleurs chroniques rebelles qui ne peuvent être soignées par un traitement conventionnel. Ce système délivre des stimuli électriques contrôlés a un ensemble de fibres nerveuses de la colonne vertébrale sélectionnées convenablement. La stimulation de ces fibres module les messages de la douleur diriges vers Ie cerveau.Abstract: The objective of this research project is to design and to implement an advanced full programmable spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system, based on Melzack and Wall gate control theory of pain. The system can be used as a treatment of choice for certain intractable chronic pain not responding to conventional treatment. The system delivers controlled electrical stimuli to some properly selected nerve fibers along the spinal cord. The stimulation of these nerve fibers modulates pain messages being transmitted to the brain. This thesis presents the design and implementation of the basic component of the system, which is the dedicated microprocessor, as well as the other functional parts that have been integrated together to get a miniaturized implantable device provided with appropriate programming and operating tools. The spinal cord stimulation system described here is mainly composed of three parts: two external units and a surgically implanted module. The first external part consists of a computer-based system with completely graphical software and appropriate hardware interface, intended for the physician to program and to adjust the internal part. The patient, in order to control stimulation at his convenience, will use the second external unit. As for the implanted part, this one is built around a powerful mixed-signal ASIC, which is mounted together with appropriate demodulation and power recovery circuits, a memory (EEPROM), and a few peripheral discrete components. Communication of power and data between external and internal parts is achieved through a transdermal inductive link. The system proposed is very user-friendly and unique in its way of operation, providing an unlimited flexibility and complete external programmability. In fact, it is the only miniaturized system providing the user with the possibility to get different stimulation algorithms simultaneously making it more adaptable to the conditions and the state of the patient. It also provides several original features that make it possible to perform a wide range of stimulation algorithms and to generate an unlimited number of stimulus waveforms. As examples, we can mention the possibility of using combined stimuli through simultaneous stimulation over two channels, the possibility of generating complex current pulse shapes, and the access to a greater number of stimulation parameters."--Résumé abrégé par UMI