With an always-increasing need for higher integration, the wireless industry poses challenges regarding miniaturization and high performance circuitry. In addition, the solutions require compatibility with the rest of the design for integration and manufacturing. The present work depicts the progress toward a novel, high quality, one-pole filter-resonator operating in the 5.6-5.8 GHz range. Quality factors up to 640 are demonstrated on Silicon planar structures with volume of 177 mm³. Further size reduction yielded a volume of 24.5 mm³ and a quality factor of 186.

<p> The projected increase in air traffic density has led to the development of NextGen that is expected to revolutionize the way the NAS is currently functioning. For NextGen to be implemented successfully, it is important to understand the humanautomation relationship within a complex system. Controllers will have to rely on automated tools to successfully manage aircraft in their sector. Increasing human trust in automation can lead to an increase in automation acceptance and its proper use. However, we are not aware of any research studies that have attempted to directly train individuals to trust automation. We report on an attempt to train 8 novice air traffic controllers to trust the automated NextGen tools in a radar internship course. Although the results were not statistically significant, the trend in the data suggests that it may be possible to train trust in automation.</p>

This thesis describes the use of the genetic algorithm to facilitate the design process of a fuzzy logic based controller. The basic mechanics of both the fuzzy logic control system and the genetic algorithm are presented for establishing the foundation of this research. A detailed design process to integrate the fuzzy logic controller and the genetic algorithm is disclosed. Software is developed to simulate the dynamics of a two-link planar manipulator, and a multiple-link fuzzy logic control (MLFLC) system is developed to control a non-linear robotics system. In this work, the genetic algorithm technique is used to design both the Universe of Discourse of some of the control variables and also the shape and location of membership functions. As a result, the system is able to maintain control with moderate errors. The most important contribution of this work is that it demonstrates the effectiveness of using genetic algorithms to optimize fuzzy logic control systems.

Two sensors that have been proposed for use on a space robot are cameras and radar. Considered individually, neither of these sensors provides enough information for a computer to derive a good surface description of a remote object. Their combination, however, can produce a complete surface model. The lack of atmosphere in space presents special problems for optical image sensors. Frequently, edges are lost in shadow and surface details are obscured by diffraction effects caused by specularly reflected light. An alternate sensor for space robotic applications is microwave radar. The polarized radar cross-section (RCS) is a simple, well-understood, microwave measurement that contains limited information about a scattering object's surface shape. These two data sets are fused through an error minimization procedure. First, an incomplete surface model is derived from the camera image. Next, the unknown characteristics of the surface are represented by some parameter. Finally, the correct value for this parameter is computed by iteratively generating theoretical predictions to the RCS and comparing them to the observed value. A theoretical RCS may be computed from the surface model in several ways. One such RCS prediction technique is the method of moments. The method of moments can be applied to an unknown surface only if some shape information is available from an independent source. Here, the camera image provides the necessary information. When the method of moments is used to predict the RCS, the error minimization algorithm will converge in most cases. By combining the microwave and optical information in this way, the shapes of some three-dimensional objects have been accurately recovered. Simulations and experiments were performed on plates, ellipsoids, and an arbitrary curved object. Simulations show that error in the recovered shapes is very small when the RCS measurement error is not too large. Experiments prove that the RCS can be measured within this tolerance. In general, this investigation has shown the usefulness of sensor fusion applied to the shape reconstruction problem in space. Furthermore, a specific framework has been developed and proved effective for integrating the two types of sensors that are typically found on space vehicles.

This thesis details the development of the Miniaturized Electrostatic DUal top-hat Spherical Analyzer (MEDUSA) instrument, including calibration, simulation, and data processing software. MEDUSA combines two-species observations with state-of-the-art miniaturization to achieve a low-cost, compact instrument capable of making the measurements that will be required in the future. Calibration of the instrument was performed during November 1997 and July 1998. In order to better understand the characteristics of the instrument, it was also modeled in detail with a modified 2.5 dimensional raytracing code. The production processing software is designed to archive the data into the standard Instrument Data File Set (IDFS) format of the Southwest Data Display and Analysis System (SDDAS). MEDUSA has so far proven itself to be a reliable, low-cost instrument capable of making the scientific measurements required for a better understanding of the behavior of the near-Earth particle environment.

<p> Manufacturers, specifically small machine shops, find it difficult to compete with the capabilities of large manufacturers. If these small shops are not certified to a recognized standard such as AS9100, sales become even harder.</p><p> Small businesses need assistance in understanding and achieving the certifications requirements for a quality management system (QMS), which requires management's commitment and total buy-in for a proper implementation plan that involves the entire staff.</p><p> The objective of this project is to develop a quality manual that outlines the total process for the implementation of an AS9100 QMS. The author has researched various guidance documents that provide an understanding of the requirements, ownership, targets, and steps for applying appropriate resources. </p><p> A Gap analysis has been completed to determine the status of the QMS and identify what actions should be taken. Documents and processes have been developed with input from the management team, leading to a successful certification process.</p>

Thèse (M.Sc.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2008. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: B, page: 3932. Adviser: Yuanhui Zhang. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-142) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This thesis offers the design and improvement of a 2 GHz to 20 GHz low noise amplifier (LNA) utilizing pHEMT technology. The pHEMT technology allows the LNA to generate a boosted signal at a lower noise figure (NF) while consuming less power and achieving smooth overall gain. The design achieves an overall gain (S21) of ≥ 10 dB with an NF ≤ 2 dB while consuming ≤ 30 mA of power while using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components.

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