The human vestibular system is responsible for maintaining balance and orientation, and stabilizing gaze during head motion. Head motion is sensed by vestibular sensors and encoded via the firing rate of vestibular neurons. Vestibular disorders can result in dizziness, imbalance, and disequilibrium. Currently there are no therapeutic options for individuals suffering from bilateral vestibular dysfunction. A potential solution is a vestibular prosthesis (VP). This device serves to replace peripheral vestibular organs by sensing angular motion, detected by semicircular canals (SCCs), and linear head motion, detected by the otolith organs, and selectively stimulating the corresponding vestibular afferents. An ideal VP will not only mimic the patient-dependent vestibular neural dynamics, but also consume low power. In this study, three energy-efficient ways to implement the motion encoding function required in a vestibular prosthesis are presented. Both analog and digital signal processing techniques to implement the vestibular signal processing functions are investigated.

ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / The transition of PCM recording from analog to digital recorders was completed at many test ranges more than a decade ago as marked by delivery of data on S-VHS tape, CD-ROM, DVD, ZIP disc, JAZ disc, 8mm tape and DLT tape for low rate data and D-1 cassettes for high rate data. Data then quickly began distribution via the internet and other networks. Analog recorders have remained a necessary legacy for the long transition to convert from analog to digital (PCM) data transmission from the test vehicles. However, the new digital recorder capabilities have removed this requirement to convert the transmissions from the test vehicle. Analog signal and predetection recording on digital recorders has been successfully demonstrated at costs below the existing analog recorders. Application of new techniques in a methodical transition program to the new digital recorders has proven the many benefits of recording wider bandwidths with excellent repeatability. Repeatability issues are primarily in the very low error sources of the processing system because the major analog error sources of the analog tape recorders, analog time code readers, analog demodulators, etc have been greatly reduced. This paper provides test results of recording higher signal rates and bandwidths of the new programs and describes the techniques and implementation through procedures of the Western Range transition from analog to digital recorders. Surprising results show predetection and analog signal recording costs are nearly the same as PCM recording costs due to the price of deliverable media with respect to mission recording requirements.

This work addresses neural and analog computation on reconfigurable mixed-signal platforms. Many engineered systems could gain tremendous benefits by emulating neural systems. For example, neural systems are incredibly power efficient and fault-tolerant. They are also capable of types of computation that we cannot yet match with conventional computers. Neuromorphic engineers typically implement neural computation using analog circuits because they are low-power and naturally model some aspects of neurobiology. One problem with analog circuits is that they are typically inflexible. To address this shortcoming, our lab has developed reconfigurable analog systems known as Field Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAAs). This dissertation consists of two main parts. The first is the implementation of neural and analog circuits on FPAAs. We first implemented an adaptive winner-take-all circuit, which could model attention in neural systems. Next, we modeled the dendrite, which is the conductive tissue that relays inputs from synapses to the neuron cell body. We also implemented a subtractive music synthesizer, perhaps providing the electronic music synthesis community with a good platform for experimentation. Finally, we conducted a number of neural learning experiments on a neuromorphic platform. The second part of this dissertation includes design aspects of new FPAAs, including configurable blocks that can be used as current-mode DACs in a digitally-enhanced FPAA, the RASP 2.9v. We also consider the design of a new neuromorphic platform containing 256 neurons and over 200,000 synapses, many with learning capability. We also created an active delay line that could be used for beamforming or FIR filter applications. In summary, this work adds to the field of reconfigurable systems by both showing how to implement circuits with them and creating new systems based on lessons learned while working with previous systems.

Le concept de Radio Logicielle propose d'intégrer en un seul circuit un émetteur / récepteur RF capable d'émettre et de recevoir n'importe quel signal RF. Cependant, ce concept doit affronter des contraintes technologiques dans le cas des terminaux mobiles. La contrainte principale est la consommation de puissance du terminal. En effet, la conversion analogique numérique qui est la clé de ce système en est aussi le principal verrou technique. Cette thèse présente une architecture de récepteur en rupture avec les architectures classiques afin de surmonter le problème de la conversion analogique numérique. Il s'agit d'un processeur analogique de traitement du signal dédié à la Radio Logicielle intégrale dans la gamme de fréquence 0 à 5GHz. Sa conception et les mesures d'un prototype sont présentées.

Le concept de Radio Logicielle propose d’intégrer en un seul circuit un émetteur / récepteur RF capable d’émettre et de recevoir n’importe quel signal RF. Cependant, ce concept doit a?ronter des contraintes technologiques dans le cas des terminaux mobiles. La contrainte principale est la consommation de puissance du terminal. En e?et, la conversion analogique numérique qui est la clé de ce système en est aussi le principal verrou technique. Cette thèse présente une architecture de récepteur en rupture avec les architectures classiques a?n de surmonter le problème de la conversion analogique numérique. Il s’agit d’un processeur analogique de traitement du signal dédié à la Radio Logicielle intégrale dans la gamme de fréquence 0 à 5GHz. Sa conception et les mesures d’un prototype sont présentées. / Many technological bottlenecks prevent from realizing a Software Radio (SR) mobile terminal. The old way of building radio architectures is over due to the numerous communication standards a single handeld terminal have to address nowadays. This thesis exposes a disruptive SR receiver: a Sampled Analog Signal Processor (SASP) is designed and brought into play to perform downconversion and channel presort. It processes analog voltage samples in order to recover in baseband any RF signal emitted from 0 to 5GHz. An analog Fast Fourier Transform achieves both frequency shifting and ?ltering. A prototype using 65nm CMOS technology from STMicroelectronics is here presented and measured.

This work considers alternative strategies to mainstream digital approaches to signal processing - namely analog and neuromorphic solutions, for increased computing efficiency. In the context of a speech recognizer application, we use low-power analog approaches for the signal conditioning and basic auditory feature extraction, while using a neuromorphic IC for building a dendritic classifier that can be used as a low-power word spotter. In doing so, this work also aspires to posit the significance of dendrites in neural computation.

This thesis presents a solid state approach to the ion detection system used in the back-end of modern mass spectrometers. Although various techniques already exist to detect ions – even with the sensitivity of a single particle, the existing techniques require high voltage or lower operation temperature to counteract the noise inherent in the system. The suggested design presents an alternative to the more popular detection system whereby the requirement of high operation voltage or low operation temperature can be precluded. This is made possible through the gate capacitance of a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET). This thesis presents the design that utilizes the MOSFET as an ion signal amplifier; including the simulation and silicon testbench results.

No description available.

There is an ever increasing demand for higher spectral usage in wireless communication, radar and imaging systems. Higher spectral efficiency can be achieved using components that are aware of system environment and adapt suitably to the operating conditions. In this regard, radio frequency (RF) signal analysis is of paramount interest. Emergence of dispersive delay networks (DDN) has led to the significant development of microwave analogue-signal processing (ASP) and analysis. DDN causes displacement of spectral components in time domain, relative to the frequency dependant group delay response. The main challenge in the design of DDN in this context is in achieving broad bandwidth with high group delay dispersion (GDD). In this regard, all-pass networks (APN) have been explored as a potential wide-band DDN owing to the possibility of controlling the magnitude of loss characteristics without affecting the dispersion in group delay response. The synthesis procedure of lumped element APN using approximation methods is well known at audio frequencies. Most of these use operational amplifier and cannot be extended directly to RF. There is no generalised closed form analytical procedure at RF for the synthesis of APN with the required GDD. In this regard, this dissertation presents the design and implementation of all-pass networks as wide-band dispersive delay networks at radio frequencies. In this work, we begin by analysing the signal propagation through a DDN with a linear group delay response over a broad bandwidth. It is found that the signal experiences expansion of pulse width, reduction of its peak amplitude and a temporal displacement of the spectral components. Analytical expressions derived help initial synthesis of group delay response required for various ASP applications. As the first step towards implementation at RF, a single stage APN is designed using surface mount devices (SMD). This design approach takes into account practical issues such as parasitic due to mounting pads, available component values, physical dimensions, self-resonance frequency (SRF) and finite Q factor of the components used. Full wave simulation of the design with transmission line pads and components is carried out. This implementation is useful for frequencies up to the component SRF, generally about 5 GHz. This design approach makes the circuit footprint independent of frequency and the performance is limited only by the Q factor of the adopted technology. The Q factor affects the loss characteristics with a negligible effect on group delay response in the frequency band of interest. In order to extend the APN design for high group delay, a novel board level implementation is developed consisting of both lumped SMD components and distributed elements. The implementation results in a lower sensitivity of group delay performance to the commercially specified component value tolerances than the approach using all SMD components. It has been experimentally verified that the measured group delay is 2.4 ns at 1.85 GHz, which is thrice that reported in other approaches. The implementation has a reduced circuit footprint and is attractive in practical applications as it is a single layer micro strip realisation with less complex fabrication procedure and fewer components to assemble. As an extension of this towards wideband cascaded APN, an iterative design procedure is developed to achieve a monotonous group delay response over a broad bandwidth. The approach facilitates cascading of multiple stages of lumped APN with different resonance frequency and peak group delay to obtain linear and non-linear group delay responses with both positive and negative GDD. Circuits with both positive and negative GDD are required for various ASP applications such as compressive receivers and the present approach is unique in obtaining both the responses, not possible with many other RF dispersion techniques. Circuit models have been simulated by cascading transfer function responses of the individual APNs. The design is further extended for SMD implementation. To validate the above approach, a two stage APN is designed in the frequency range [0.5 - 1] GHz for a linear GDD of ±6 ns/GHz. Two negative GDD APNs are further cascaded to obtain a four stage implementation with an overall GDD of -12 ns/GHz. The experimental results are compared with full wave simulations for validation. The design using lumped SMD components has greatly improved the performance in terms of GDD with a reduced circuit footprint and lower insertion loss than previously reported approaches. As practical examples, the ASP modules are experimentally demonstrated using the fabricated APN. Frequency discrimination of two input frequencies with a frequency resolution of 500 MHz is demonstrated. Higher GDD results in higher separation of frequency components in time domain. Pulse compression and magnification is also demonstrated for different wideband LFM input signals. The dispersion effects of amplitude reduction, pulse width expansion and frequency chirping are thereby validated experimentally. In summary, the approaches presented in this dissertation enable the design of wideband all-pass networks to introduce dispersion delays over wide bandwidths, opening up the possibility for their use in analogue signal processing at radio frequencies. Some of these applications have been experimentally demonstrated and validated using time frequency analysis.

A ciência na qual se estuda a deformação de um fluido no qual é aplicada uma tensão de cisalhamento é conhecida como reologia e o equipamento utilizado para a realização dos ensaios é chamado de reômetro. Devido a impraticabilidade de uso de reômetros comerciais, diversos pesquisadores desenvolveram reômetros capazes de analisar suspensões de macropartículas, baseados nos mesmos princípios de funcionamento dos equipamentos já existentes. Em alguns casos, a medição do torque do motor é realizada pela aquisição da tensão, uma vez que esta é proporcional ao torque. Entretanto, para melhor compreensão do resultado e para evitar a possibilidade de conclusões precipitadas, vê-se necessária correta interpretação do sinal elétrico, precisando avaliar qual frequência do sinal é relevante para o ensaio e, também, qual a melhor taxa de amostragem. Além da aquisição, para que o ensaio reológico seja realizado com precisão, é indispensável ótimo controle da taxa ou tensão do motor e uma alternativa é a utilização de um servomotor e um servoconversor. No caso desse ser comercial é essencial saber configurá-lo. Para facilitar o usuário leigo, alguns pesquisadores desenvolveram softwares para controle do equipamento e análise dos dados. Assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo propor uma metodologia para compreender o sinal aquisitado de um reômetro servo controlado e desenvolvimento do software de análise para o tratamento dos dados obtidos a partir de ensaios reológicos. Verificou-se a melhor configuração do servocontrolador, a melhor taxa de amostragem, de no mínimo 20 amostras/segundo, e, também, desenvolveu-se um filtro digital passa-baixa do tipo FIR para remover a frequência indesejada. Além disso, foi desenvolvido um software utilizando uma rotina em Matlab e uma interface gráfica do usuário (Graphical User Interface - GUI), para o pós-processamento dos dados para auxiliar o usuário leigo no tratamento e interpretação do resultado, que se mostrou eficaz. / Rheology is the study of the behavior of material in fluid state. Rheometer is the equipment used to perform rheological measurements. Because of the impracticability of commercial rheometer, many researchers have developed rheometer able to analyze macro particles suspension, based on the principle of operation of the existing equipment. In some cases, measurement of the motor torque is performed by acquiring voltage signal, since is proportional to torque. However, for better understanding of the rheological results, it is necessary to understand the electrical signal, evaluating which signal frequency is relevant and what is the best sample rate. In addition, for an accurate rheological testing, it is essential a precise control of the shear rate or shear stress of the motor and a good alternative is the use of a servomotor and a drive. In the case of the drive being commercial, it is essential to know how to configure it. To turn rheometer user-friendly, some researchers have developed software to control the equipment and to analyze data. Thus, this dissertation propose a methodology to understand the electrical signal of a servo controlled rheometer and development of analysis software to process the data obtained from rheological tests. It has been found the best configuration of the servo drive, minimum sampling rate of 20 samples/second, and development of a low pass digital filter to remove unwanted frequency. In addition, was developed a software using a Matlab routine and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to assist the user in the processing and interpretation of the result.