Front-End Design Guidelines for Infotainment Systems

This paper presents a set of front-end design guidelines intended to provide a starting point to designers of user interfaces for infotainment systems. The proposed approach suggests guidance on four dimensions inferred from state of the art such as crucial to achieve well designed automotive interfaces: a) Design; b) Interaction; c) Security; and d) Connectivity. Guidelines were thought by integrating conceptual-insights from Graphic Design; User Centered Design; Human-Machine Interfaces; Usability; and Human-Computer interaction. Additionally, were specified and structured to be used also as a comparing tool (Like Heuristic- Evaluation technique) to analyze front-end of existent infotainment systems. Said duality allowed to revise the pertinence of the proposal through a case study where 30 participants (25 regular users and 5 technicalexperts) compared suggested guidelines’ specification against interactions provided by the front–end of Mazda Connect© infotainment System. Obtained results suggested that setting of proposed guidelines was compatible with participants’ perceptions facilitating to identify pain-points on current design; thus, proposed guidance could scaffold base-insights for new front-end designs

Biopotentials acquisition front-end design

La monitorización del funcionamiento del corazón se realiza generalmente por medio del análisis de los potenciales de acción generados en las células responsables de la contracción y relajación de este órgano. El proceso de monitorización mencionado consta de diferentes partes. En primer lugar, se adquieren las señales asociadas a la actividad de las células cardíacas. La conexión entre el cuerpo humano y el sistema de acondicionamiento puede ser implementada mediante diferentes tipos de electrodos – de placa metálica, de succión, top-hat, entre otros. Antes de la adquisición la señal eléctrica recogida por los electrodos debe ser acondicionada de acuerdo a las especificaciones de la entrada de la tarjeta de adquisición de datos (DAQ o DAC). Básicamente, debe amplificar la señal de tal manera que se aproveche al máximo el rango dinámico del cuantificador. Las características de ruido del amplificador requerido deben ser diseñadas teniendo en cuenta que el ruido interno del amplificador no afecte a la interpretación del electrocardiograma original (ECG). Durante el diseño del amplificador se han tenido en cuenta varios requisitos. Deberá optimizarse ña relación señal a ruido (SNR) de la señal entre la señal del ECG y el ruido de cuantificación. Además, el nivel de la señal ECG a la entrada de la DAQ deberá alcanzar el máximo nivel del cuantificador. También, el ruido total a la entrada del cuantificador debe ser despreciable frente a la mínima señal discernible del ECG Con el objetivo de llevar a cabo un diseño electrónico con esas prestaciones de ruido, es necesario llevar a cabo un minucioso estudio de los fundamentos de caracterización de ruido. Se han abarcado temas como la teoría básica de señales aleatorias, análisis espectral y su aplicación a la caracterización en sistemas electrónicos. Finalmente, todos esos conceptos han sido aplicados a la caracterización de las diferentes fuentes de ruido en los circuitos con amplificadores operacionales. Muchos prototipos de amplificadores correspondientes a diferentes diseños han sido implementados en placas de circuito impreso (PCB – Printed Board Circuits). Aunque el ancho de banda del amplificador operacional es adecuado para su implementación en una ‘protoboard’, las especificaciones de ruido obligan al uso de PCB. De hecho, los circuitos implementados en PCB son menos sensibles al ruido e interferencias que las ‘protoboard’ dadas las características físicas de ambos tipos de prototipos

User Interface and RF-Front End Design for Radio Direction Finding-Miniature Unmanned Air Vehicles (RDF-MUAV)

Radio direction finding perform better at high altitude due to greater line of sight coverage. In this paper, the radio direction finding-miniature unmanned air vehicles (RDF-MUAVs) platform able to localize the beacon by accessing the direction of signal and report it back to the ground station immediately, improving search and rescue operations. RDF-MUAV system divided into four major part; RF front end design; RF software design; ground station design; and user interface (UI). This paper focuses on two out of the four major parts, which designing a good UI and RF front end to be integrated into the system. The UI is designed using Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP) architecture in Raspberry Pi platform that can display accurate data obtained from RDF-MUAVs. The UI is based on HTML which is lightweight, modifiable and can be accessed through smartphone, tablets, or personal computer. In the antenna design, phase direction finder method is chosen. The rotation of antenna can be done by moving the UAV to obtain the bearing to the source signal. Proposed type of antenna is Yagi-Uda antenna due to its high gain and relatively small size. The folded dipole is chosen as the driven element of the antenna due to its bandwidth characteristics and directivity. Result shows the function-al bandwidth is 200MHz which can accept electromagnetic waves from 500MHz to 600MHz and 900MHz to 1000MHz. Overall, the design implementations provide a feasible system in search and rescue operation

Divergent Thinking in Front-End Design

The “front end” of the design requires divergent thinking during concept generation and problem definition as engineers both explore the initial problem from multiple perspectives and consider alternative solutions. Divergent thinking encourages engineers to explore a wide variety of options throughout a design process to support the development of innovative products. Typically, divergent thinking is a focus during concept generation as engineers explore a wide variety of different, potential solutions to a problem. Mechanical engineers in particular find it challenging to consider multiple ideas during concept generation and often become fixated on a particular concept or type of concept, limiting solution exploration. Studies have explored aspects of engineers’ practices and struggles in concept generation, but little research has addressed the approaches mechanical engineers use without direction and how to support them in readily adopting best practices. Less recognized in the divergence occurs during problem definition. One way that problems are defined in design is by developing a novel technology and then identifying potential problems to address with the specific technology, a process I define as “solution mapping.” Designers must follow diverging paths in making and testing assumptions about potential problems they can solve with their technology. However, how to perform solution mapping is neither obvious nor addressed in engineering education; consequently, engineers find it challenging to recognize opportunities for their solutions. Resources addressing this process are limited in terms of existing research, empirically-based strategies, and educational tools to support solution mapping. My collection of empirical studies examined differing approaches to divergence during design and developed empirically-derived design tools to support divergent thinking in concept generation and problem definition. Within concept generation, I studied novice mechanical engineers’ approaches to generation, development, and selection, and examined the impact of an asynchronous learning intervention. I also studied engineering practitioners’ divergent thinking approaches in concept generation. In problem definition, I studied design strategies for solution mapping through practitioner interviews and developed an evidence-based design tool to aid in divergent thinking. Then, I tested the solution mapping design tool with novice engineers. As a result of my studies, I identified specific factors that limit and promote divergent thinking in engineering design. Novice engineers during concept generation came up with assumed requirements that limited their solution exploration by generating early evaluation criteria. Practitioners in solution mapping minimized risk taking and explored possible problems only within their area of expertise, reducing the number of problems they considered. In both concept generation and solution mapping, providing direction and scaffolding through empirically-derived design tools promoted divergent thinking. My research has direct implications for engineering design and education. Engineers and educators need to promote divergent thinking by considering multiple pathways to successful design outcomes. Designers can follow a problem-first or technology-first process, and the design environment affects how designers approach their task. Engineering design educators can provide explicit direction and guidance in both concept generation and problem definition processes to support engineers in achieving success at these front-end phases of design processes, improving design outcomes.PHDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149892/1/leejinw_1.pd

Front-End design with a database interface

Treball realitzat conjuntament amb la Hamburg University of Applied Sciences: Bachelor Thesis based on the examination and study regulations for the Bachelor of Engineering degree programmeInformation Engineering at the Department of Information and Electrical Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg Supervising examiner : Prof. Dr. Ing Franz Schubert Second examiner : Prof. Dr. Martin ZapfThis Bachelor Thesis is about the creation of a complete web server that can be used by the team of the Smart Heat-Grid Hamburg to manage the different projects and libraries that they have, and specially to parameterize simulation models. This last thing should be done in a view with a HTML canvas and different draggable elements using Javascript. It is important to have a friendly and flexible web interface in order to make the correct simulations for developing the intelligent smart heat grid for this big project. It was needed to select a programming language (Python, using the Django framework) and different tools that can be used in other projects of the centre because they will be related to this work. The server is created with Nginx in a PC with Ubuntu located at the server room of the CC4E building, in Bergedorf, Hamburg. It must have a connection with the existing PostgreSQL database of the CC4E where all the data will be stored