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It is often required in communication and navigation systems to be able to receive signals from multiple stations simultaneously. A common practice to do this is to use multiple hardware resources; a different set of resources for each station. In this thesis, a Coherent Amplitude Modulated (AM) receiver system was developed based on Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology enabling reception of multiple signals using hardware resources needed only for one station. The receiver system architecture employs Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) to share the single hardware resource among multiple streams of data. The architecture is designed so that it can be minimally modified to support any number of stations. The Verilog Hardware Description Language (HDL) was used to capture the receiver system architecture and design. The design and architecture are initially validated using HDL post-synthesis and post-implementation simulation. In addition, the receiver system architecture and design were implemented to a Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology prototyping board for experimental testing and final validation.

Marine renewable energy promises to provide a significant contribution to the future electricity supply. It is estimated that 17% of today's UK electricity demand could be generated from wave and tidal sources. The ambition to harvest this resource is in the public interest, as it eases the pressures on energy security, holds the potential to reduce carbon emissions and has the prospect to create a new UK industry sector worth £15 billion. From an engineering perspective, marine energy is one of the least developed renewable energy technologies and has to be regarded as unproven. The reliability of components and devices in the harsh marine environment is one of the main engineering challenges. Reliability assessments and the assurance of acceptable reliability levels are dependant on the adequacy of failure information, which is scantily available for marine energy. This thesis shows that large failure rate uncertainties impede the reliability assessment for wave energy converters and how a suite of experimental, numerical and statistical methods can be applied to improve scarcely available reliability information. The analysis of component load conditions identifies fatigue as failure mode of concern and the fatigue life of mooring lines and marine power cables is quantified in a floating wave energy application. A Bayesian statistical approach and dedicated service-simulation component testing is proposed, and implemented to improve the quality of reliability estimates and to provide relevant data and assurance. The methods presented, along with the results, will assist reliability assessment and design during early development stages, and will inform the prediction of maintenance requirements during operation. Reliable marine energy systems will be the technical enabler for the successful transition of prototype devices to a commercially viable marine energy industry.

Suite à l’évolution de la réglementation relative aux dispositifs de retenue pour enfants en juillet 2013, une campagne d’évaluation expérimentale a permis de constater que la situation des plus jeunes impliqués dans un choc latéral était particulièrement critique. Pour y remédier, une méthodologie originale a été développée dans le but de dimensionner les matériaux d’absorption d’énergie « idéaux » à intégrer aux sièges-auto au niveau des zones d’impact de la tête, de l’épaule et du bassin. Une étude paramétrique basée sur ce concept a alors consisté à piloter la retenue de ces trois segments corporels dans le but de minimiser, soit les critères réglementaires (mannequins Q0 et Q1), soit les critères biomécaniques (modèle hybride Q0-6WOC). Les recommandations issues de cette étude ont ensuite été appliquées à un dispositif de retenue existant afin de l’optimiser en choc latéral. Après avoir vérifié que les valeurs d’accélération linéaire résultante de la tête et de HPC étaient bien inférieures aux seuils imposés par la réglementation, un modèle par Eléments Finis (EF) du siège-auto optimisé a été développé puis validé en situation dynamique. Finalement, après couplage de ce modèle EF du dispositif de retenue optimisé avec le modèle hybride Q0-6WOC, il a été montré que les résultats de simulation numérique en choc latéral étaient deux fois plus faibles que ceux obtenus avec le dispositif de retenue de référence. / Following changes in Child Restraint System (CRS) regulation in July 2013, an experimental CRS evaluation campaign has been conducted. Then, it has been noticed that the situation amongst the youngest involved in side impact was particularly critical. An original methodology has been therefore developed in order to define the “best” energy absorption materials to use in child seats for head, shoulder and pelvis areas. A parametric study in which the restraint of each body segments was independently piloted has then been conducted. The aim was to minimize either regulatory criteria of Q0 and Q1 dummies, or biomechanical criteria based on Q0-6WOC hybrid model. Those recommendations have thereafter been applied to improve an existing child restraint system under side impact. First, it has been checked that resultant linear acceleration of the head and HPC criteria were below regulation limits. Second, Finite Element (FE) model of the optimized car seat has been created and validated in several dynamical steps. Third, both reference child restraint system and optimized child seat has been evaluated in side impact with Q0-6WOC hybrid model. Finally, it has been showed that technical changes helped to cut in half the biomechanical results.

Tato práce se zabývá vytvořením lokalizačního a navigačního systému mobilního robota pro vnitřní prostředí pomocí frameworku ROS. Stručně je zde představen projekt, v rámci kterého diplomová práce vznikla, a jeho cíle. V rešeršní části je v krátkosti popsán ROS framework, simulační prostředí Gazebo a senzory, kterými robot disponuje. Následuje vytvoření modelu robota a simulačního prostředí, v němž jsou vyzkoušeny lokalizační, navigační a další rutiny. V experimentální části je provedeno testování senzorů a popsáno využití jejich výstupů. Následně jsou upraveny a otestovány algoritmy ze simulace na reálném robotovi. V závěru jsou popsány vytvořené vzdělávací minihry. Hlavním výstupem této práce je funkční stavový automat, který umožňuje manuální ovládání, zadávání cílů pro navigaci a v případě potřeby zajistí autonomní nabití robota.

Die zweite Chemnitzer Brennstoffzellenkonferenz wurde vom Innovationscluster HZwo und dem Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik IWU durchgeführt. Ausgewählte Fachbeiträge und Präsentationen werden in Form eines Tagungsbandes veröffentlicht. / The second fuel cell conference was initiated by the innovation cluster HZwo and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology. Selected lectures and presentations are published in the conference proceedings.