This work considers the synthesis of brass instrument sounds using time-domain numerical methods. The operation of such a brass instrument is as follows. The player's lips are set into motion by forcing air through them, which in turn creates a pressure disturbance in the instrument mouthpiece. These disturbances produce waves that propagate along the air column, here described using one spatial dimension, to set up a series of resonances that interact with the vibrating lips of the player. Accurate description of these resonances requires the inclusion of attenuation of the wave during propagation, due to the boundary layer effects in the tube, along with how sound radiates from the instrument. A musically interesting instrument must also be flexible in the control of the available resonances, achieved, for example, by the manipulation of valves in trumpet-like instruments. These features are incorporated into a synthesis framework that allows the user to design and play a virtual instrument. This is all achieved using the finite-difference time-domain method. Robustness of simulations is vital, so a global energy measure is employed, where possible, to ensure numerical stability of the algorithms. A new passive model of viscothermal losses is proposed using tools from electrical network theory. An embedded system is also presented that couples a one-dimensional tube to the three-dimensional wave equation to model sound radiation. Additional control of the instrument using a simple lip model as well a time varying valve model to modify the instrument resonances is presented and the range of the virtual instrument is explored. Looking towards extensions of this tool, three nonlinear propagation models are compared, and differences related to distortion and response to changing bore profiles are highlighted. A preliminary experimental investigation into the effects of partially open valve configurations is also performed.

No description available.

No / An investigation is carried out on the nature of QoS measures for queues with correlated traffic in both discrete and continuous time domains. The study focuses on the single server GI(G)/M-[x]/1/N and GI(G)/Geo([x])/1/N queues with finite capacity, N, a general batch renewal arrival process (BRAP), GI(G) and either batch Poisson, M-[x] or batch geometric, Geo([x]) service times with general batch sizes, X. Closed form expressions for QoS measures, such as queue length and waiting time distributions and blocking probabilities are stochastically derived and showed to be, essentially, time domain invariant. Moreover, the sGGeo(sGGo)/Geo/l/N queue with a shifted generalised geometric (sGGeo) distribution is employed to assess the adverse impact of varying degrees of traffic correlations upon basic QoS measures and consequently, illustrative numerical results are presented. Finally, the global balance queue length distribution of the M-Geo/M-Geo/1/N queue is devised and reinterpreted in terms of information theoretic principle of entropy maximisation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time domain analysis in vector network analyzers (VNAs) is a method to represent the frequency response, stated by the S-parameters, in time domain with apparent high resolution. Among other utilities time domain option from Agilent allows to measure microwave devices into a specific frequency range and down till DC as well with the two time domain mode: band-pass and low-pass mode. A special feature named gating is of important as it allows representing a portion of the time domain representation in frequency domain.   This thesis studies the time domain option 010 from Agilent; its uncertainties and sensitivity. The task is to find the best method to measure the antenna element matching taking care to reduce the influence of measurement errors on the results.   The Agilent 8753ES is the instrument used in the thesis. A specific matching problem in the antenna electric down-tilt (AEDT) previously designed by Powerwave Technologies is the task to be solved. This is because it can not be measured directly with 2-port VNAs. It requires adapters, extra coaxial cables and N-connectors, all of which influences the accuracy. The AEDT connects to the array antenna through cable-board-connectors (CBCs). The AEDT and the CBCs were designed before being put into the antenna-system. Their S-parameters do not coincide with the ones measured after these devices were put in the antenna block.   Time domain gating and de-embedding algorithms are two methods proposed in this thesis to measure the S-parameters of the desired antenna element while reducing the influence of measurement errors due to cables CBCs and other connectors. The aim is to find a method which causes less error and gives high confidence measurements.   For the time domain analysis, reverse engineering of the time domain option used in the Agilent VNA 8753ES is implemented in a PC for full control of the process. The results using time-domain are not sufficiently reliable to be used due to the multiple approximations done in the design. The methodology that Agilent uses to compensate the gating effects is not reliable when the gate is not centered on the analyzed response. Big errors are considered due to truncation and masking effects in the frequency response.   The de-embedding method using LRL is implemented in the AEDT measurements, taking away the influences of the CBCs, coaxial cables and N-connector. It is found to have sufficient performance, comparable to the mathematical model. Error analysis of both methods has been done to explaine the different in measurements and design.

<p>The Discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) method is promising in modeling of realistic multiscale electromagnetic systems. This method defines the basic concept for implementing the communication between multiple domains with different scales.</p><p>Constructing a DGTD system consists of several careful choices: (a) governing equations; (b) element shape and corresponding basis functions for the spatial discretization of each subdomain; (c) numerical fluxes onto interfaces to bond all subdomains together; and (d) time stepping scheme based on properties of a discretized</p><p>system. This work present the advances in each one of these steps.</p><p> </p><p>First, a unified framework based on the theory of differential forms and the finite element method is used to analyze the discretization of the Maxwell's equations. Based on this study, field intensities (<bold>E</bold> and <bold>H</bold>) are associated to 1-forms and curl-conforming basis functions; flux densities (<bold>D</bold> and <bold>B</bold>) are associated to 2-forms and divergence-conforming basis functions; and the constitutive relations are defined by Hodge operators.</p><p>A different approach is the study of numerical dispersion. Semidiscrete analysis is the traditional method, but for high order elements modal analysis is prefered. From these analyses, we conclude that a correct discretization of fields belonging to different p-form (e.g., <bold>E</bold> and <bold>B</bold>) uses basis functions with same order of interpolation; however, different order of interpolation must be used if two fields belong to the same p-form (e.g., <bold>E</bold> and <bold>H</bold>). An alternative method to evaluate numerical dispersion based on evaluation of dispersive Hodge operators is also presented. Both dispersion analyses are equivalent and reveal same fundamental results. Eigenvalues, eigenvector and transient results are studied to verify accuracy and computational costs of different schemes. </p><p>Two different approaches are used for implementing the DG Method. The first is based on <bold>E</bold> and <bold>H</bold> fields, which use curl-conforming basis functions with different order of interpolation. In this case, the Riemman solver shows the best performance to treat interfaces between subdomains. A new spectral prismatic element, useful for modeling of layer structures, is also implemented for this approach. Furthermore, a new efficient and very accurate time integration method for sequential subdomains is implemented.</p><p>The second approach for solving multidomain cases is based on <bold>E</bold> and <bold>B</bold> fields, which use curl- and divergence-conforming basis functions, respectively, with same order of interpolation. In this way, higher accuracy and lower memory consumption are obtained with respect to the first approach based on <bold>E</bold> and <bold>H</bold> fields. The centered flux is used to treat interfaces with non-conforming meshes, and both explicit Runge-Kutta method and implicit Crank-Nicholson method are implemented for time integration. </p><p>Numerical examples and realistic cases are presented to verify that the proposed methods are non-spurious and efficient DGTD schemes.</p> / Dissertation

In this research, a new technique for modeling periodic structures in the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is developed, and the technique is applied to the study of structural color in insects. Various recent supplements to the FDTD method, such as a nearly-perfect plane-wave injector and convolutional perfectly matched layer boundary condition, are used. A method for implementing the FDTD method on a parallel, distributed-memory computer cluster is given. To model a periodic structure, a single periodic cell is terminated by periodic boundary conditions (PBCs). A new technique for incorporating PBCs into the FDTD method is presented. The simplest version of the technique is limited to two-dimensional, singly-periodic geometries. The accuracy is demonstrated by comparing to independent results calculated with a frequency-domain, mode-matching method. The periodic FDTD method is then extended to the more general case of three-dimensional, doubly-periodic problems. This extension requires additional steps and imposes new limitations. The computational cost and limitations of the method are presented. Certain species of butterflies exhibit structural color, which is caused by quasi-periodic structures on the scales covering the wings. Numerical experiments are performed to develop a technique for modeling quasi-periodic structures using the periodic FDTD method. The observed structural color of butterflies is then calculated from the electromagnetic data using colorimetric theory. Three types of butterflies are considered. The first type are from the Morpho genus. These are typically a brilliant, almost metallic, blue color. The second type is the Troides magellanus, which exhibits an interplay of structural and pigmentary color, but the structural color is only visible near grazing incidence. The final type is the Ancyluris meliboeus, which exhibits iridescence on the ventral side. For all cases, the effects of changing the dimensions of various structural elements are considered. Finally, some earlier work on the design of TEM horn antennas is presented. The TEM horn is a simple and popular antenna, but only limited design information is available in the literature. A parametric study was performed, and the results are given. A complete derivation of the characteristic impedance of the basic antenna is also presented.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis was to make a practical tool for low frequency analysis in room acoustics.The need arises from Acad’s experience that their results from simulations using raytracing software deviate in the lower frequencies when compared to field measurements inrooms. The tool was programmed in Matlab and utilizes the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, which is a form of rapid finite element analysis in the time domain.A number of tests have been made to investigate the practical limitations of the FDTD method, such as numerical errors caused by sound sources, discretization and simulation time. Boundary conditions, with and without frequency dependence, have been analysed bycomparing results from simulations of a virtual impedance tube and reverberation room to analytical solutions. These tests show that the use of the FDTD method appears well suited for the purpose of the tool.A field test was made to verify that the tool enables easy and relatively quick simulations of real rooms, with results well in line with measured acoustic parameters. Comparisons of the results from using the FDTD method, ray-tracing and finite elements (FEM) showed goodcorrelation. This indicates that the deviations Acad experience between simulated results and field measurements are most likely caused by uncertainties in the sound absorption data used for low frequencies rather than by limitations in the ray-tracing software. The FDTDtool might still come in handy for more complex models, where edge diffraction is a more important factor, or simply as a means for a “second opinion” to ray-tracing - in general FEM is too time consuming a method to be used on a daily basis.Auxiliary tools made for importing models, providing output data in the of room acoustic parameters, graphs and audio files are not covered in detail here, as these lay outside the scope of this thesis. / Målet för detta examensarbete var att undersöka möjligheten att programmera ett praktisktanvändbart verktyg för lågfrekvensanalys inom rumsakustik. Behovet uppstår från Acadserfarenhet att resultat från simuleringar med hjälp av strålgångsmjukvara avviker i lågfrekvensområdeti jämförelse med fältmätningar i färdigställda rum. Verktyget är programmerati Matlab och använder Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) metoden, vilket är en typav snabb finita elementanalys i tidsdomänen.En rad tester har genomförts för att se metodens praktiska begräsningar orsakade av numeriskafel vid val av ljudkälla, diskretisering och simuleringstid. Randvillkor, med och utanfrekvensberoende, har analyserats genom jämförelser av simulerade resultat i virtuella impedansröroch efterklangsrum mot analytiska beräkningar. Testerna visar att FDTD-metodentycks fungerar väl för verktygets tilltänkta användningsområde.Ett fälttest genomfördes för att verifiera att det med verktyget är möjligt att enkelt och relativtsnabbt simulera resultat som väl matcher uppmätta rumsakustiska parametrar. Jämförelsermellan FDTD-metoden och resultat beräknade med strålgångsanalys och finita elementmetoden(FEM) visade även på god korrelation. Detta indikerar att de avvikelser Acaderfar mellan simulerade resultat och fältmätningar troligen orsakas av osäkerheter i den ingåendeljudabsorptionsdata som används för låga frekvenser, snarare än av begränsningar istrålgångsmjukvaran. Verktyget kan fortfarande komma till användning för mer komplexamodeller, där kantdiffraktion är en viktigare faktor, eller helt enkelt som ett sätt att få ett”andra utlåtande” till resultaten från strålgångsmjukvaran då FEM-analys generellt är en förtidskrävande metod för att användas på daglig basis.Kringverktyg skapade för t.ex. import av modeller, utdata i form av rumsakustiska parametrar,grafer och ljudfiler redovisas inte i detalj i denna rapport eftersom dessa ligger utanförexamensarbetet.

Along with rapid development of sensing and communication technology, Internet of Things (IoTs) has enabled a tremendous number of applications in health care, agriculture, and industry. As the fundamental element, the wireless sensing node, such as radio tags need to be operating under micro power level for energy autonomy. The evolution of electronics towards highly energy-efficient systems requires joint efforts in developing innovative architectures and circuit techniques. In this dissertation, we explore ultra-low power circuits and systems for micropower wireless sensing in the context of IoTs, with a special focus on radio interfaces and sensor interfaces. The system architecture of UHF/UWB asymmetric radio is introduced firstly. The active UWB radio is employed for the tag-to-reader communication while the conventional UHF radio is used to power up and inventory the tag. On the tag side, an ultra-low power, high pulse swing, and power scalable UWB transmitter is studied. On the reader side, an asymmetric UHF/UWB reader is designed. Secondly, to eliminate power-hungry frequency synthesis circuitry, an energy-efficient UWB transmitter with wireless clock harvesting is presented. The transmitter is powered by an UHF signal wirelessly and respond UWB pulses by locking-gating-amplifying the sub-harmonic of the UHF signal. 21% locking range can be achieved to prevent PVT variations with -15 dBm injected power. Finally, radio-sensing interface co-design is explored. Taking the advantage of RC readout circuit and UWB pulse generator, the sensing information is directly extracted and transmitted in the time domain, exploiting high time-domain resolution UWB pulses. It eliminates the need of ADC of the sensor interface, meanwhile, reduces the number of bits to be transmitted for energy saving. The measurement results show that the proposed system exhibits 7.7 bits ENOB with an average relative error of 0.42%. / <p>QC 20160412</p>

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this work we investigate a new method to measure the electric field of ultrafast laser pulses by extending a known measurement technique, ptychography, in the spatial domain to the time domain which we call time domain ptychography. The technique requires the measurement of intensity spectra at different time delays of an unknown temporal object and a known probe pulse. We show for the first time by measurement and calculation that this technique can be applied with excellent results to recover both the amplitude and phase of a temporal object. This technique has several advantages, such as fast convergence, the resolution is limited by the usable measured spectral bandwidth and the recovered phase has no sign ambiguity. We then extend the technique to pulse characterization where the probe is derived form the temporal object by filtering meaning the probe pulse is also unknown, but the spectrum of the probe pulse must be the same as the spectrum of the temporal object before filtering. We modify the reconstruction algorithm, now called ptychographic iterative reconstruction algorithm for time domain pulses (PIRANA), in order to also reconstruct the probe and we show for the first time that temporal objects, a.k.a laser pulses, can be reconstructed with this new modality. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie werk het ons ’n nuwe metode ondersoek om die elektriese veld van ’n ultravinnige laser puls te meet deur ’n bekende meettegniek wat gebruik word in die ruimtelike gebied, tigografie, aan te pas vir gebruik in die tyd gebied genaamd tyd gebied tigografie. Die tegniek vereis die meting van ’n reeks intensiteit spektra by verskillende tyd intervalle van ’n onbekende ‘tyd voorwerp’ en ’n bekende monster puls. Ons wys vir die eerste keer deur meting en numeriese berekening dat hierdie tegniek toegepas kan word met uitstekende resultate, om die amplitude en fase van ’n ‘tyd voorwerp’ te meet. Hierdie tegniek het verskeie voordele, die iteratiewe proses is vinnig, die resolusie van die tegniek word bepaal deur die spektrale bandwydte gemeet en die fase van die ‘tyd voorwerp’ word met die korrekte teken gerekonstrueer. Ons het hierdie tegniek uitgebrei na puls karakterisering waar die monster pulse afgelei word, deur ’n bekende filter te gebruik, van die onbekende ‘tyd voorwerp’ nl. die inset puls. Ons het die iteratiewe algoritme wat die ‘tyd voorwerp’ rekonstrueer aangepas om ook die monster puls te vind en ons wys dat ons hierdie metode suksesvol kan gebruik om laser pulse te karakteriseer