Oscillators are ubiquitous to radio frequency circuits, where frequency translations and channel selection play a central role in the analogue communications channel. Oscillators also form part of digital systems as a time reference. Typical heterodyne receivers require an intermediate frequency channel. The associated oscillators and variable filters can only be centred perfectly at a single frequency, and degrade performance at the boundaries of the channel. These circuits also require image-rejecting filters and phase-locked loops in order to enable down-conversion. The penalties for these components are increased circuit area and power consumption. A direct down-conversion circuit will reduce the number of components in the system. A requirement added by the structural change is a passive sub-harmonic mixer. Quadrature oscillators may be achieved by cross-coupling two nominally identical LC differential voltage-controlled oscillators. Because of the widespread use of voltage-controlled oscillators in wireless communication systems, the development of comprehensive nonlinear analysis is pertinent in theory and applications. A key characteristic that defines the performance of an oscillator is the phase noise measurement. The voltage-controlled oscillator is also a key component in phase-locked loops, as it contributes to most of the out-of-band phase noise, as well as a significant portion of in-band noise. Current state-of-the-art modulation techniques, implemented at 60 GHz, such as quadrature amplitude modulation, and orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing, require phase noise specifications superior to 90 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset. It has been shown that owing to the timing of the current injection, the Colpitts oscillator tends to outperform other oscillator structures in terms of phase noise performance. The Colpitts oscillator has a major flaw in that the start-up gain must be relatively high in comparison to the cross-coupled oscillator. The oscillation amplitude cannot be extended as in the cross-coupled case. The oscillator’s bias current generally limits the oscillation amplitude. The phase noise is defined by a stochastic differential equation, which can be used to predict the system’s phase noise performance. The characteristics of the oscillator can then be defined using the trajectory. The model projects the noise components of the oscillator onto the trajectory, and then translates the noise into the resulting phase and amplitude shift. The phase noise performance of an oscillator may be improved by altering the shape of the trajectory. The trajectory of the oscillator is separated into slow and fast transients. Improving the shape of the oscillator’s slow manifold may improve its phase noise performance, and improving the loaded quality factor of the tank circuit may be shown to directly improve upon close-in phase noise. The approach followed describes oscillator behaviour from a circuit-level analysis. The derived equations do not have a closed form solution, but are reformulated using harmonic balance techniques to yield approximate solutions. The results from this closed form approximation are very close to both the numerical solutions of the differential equations, as well as the Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis solutions for the same circuits. The derived equations are able to predict the amplitude and frequency in the single-phase example accurately, and are extended to provide a numerical platform for defining the amplitude and frequency of a multiphase oscillator. The analysis identifies various circuit components that influence the oscillator’s phase noise performance. A circuit-level modification is then identified, enabling the decoupling of some of the factors and their interactions. This study demonstrates that the phase noise performance of a Colpitts oscillator may be significantly improved by making the proposed changes to the oscillator. The oscillator’s figure of merit is improved even further. When a given oscillator is set at its optimum phase noise level, the collector current will account for approximately 85% of the phase noise; with the approach in this work, the average collector current is reduced and phase noise performance is improved. The key focus of the work was to identify circuit level changes to an oscillator’s structure that could be improved or changed to achieve better phase noise performance. The objective was not to improve passive components, but rather to identify how the noise-to-phase noise transfer function could be improved. The work successfully determines what can be altered in an oscillator that will yield improved phase noise performance by altering the phase noise transfer function. / The concept is introduced on a differential oscillator and then extended to the multiphase oscillator. The impulse sensitivity function of the modified multiphase oscillator is improved by altering the typical feedback structure of the oscillator. The multiphase oscillator in this work is improved from -106 dBc/Hz to -113 dBc/Hz when considering the phase noise contribution from the tank circuits’ bias current alone. This is achieved by uniquely altering the feedback method of the oscillator. This change alters the noise-to-phase noise properties of the oscillator, reducing phase noise. The improvement in the phase noise does not account for further improvements the modification would incorporate in the oscillator’s limit cycle. For a given tank circuit, supply current and voltage, compared to an optimised Colpitts oscillator, the modifications to the feedback structure proposed in this work would further improve the figure of merit by 9 dB. This is not considering the change in the power consumption, which would yield a further improvement in the figure of merit by 7 dB. This is achieved by relaxing the required start-up current of the oscillator and effecting an improvement in the impulse sensitivity function. Future research could include further modelling of the phase shift in the feedback network, including the transmission lines in the feedback networks using the harmonic balance technique in a numerical form. The feedback technique can also be modified to be applicable to single and differential oscillators. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / National Research Foundation / The Department of Science and Technology, South Africa / GEW Technologies (Pty) Ltd / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

This thesis presents various approaches for race track surface reconstruction based on different algorithms designated for these purposes. In addition to surface reconstruction it also offers proposals for polygon mesh filling in the unscanned areas around the track.

Noise is a circumstance of ordinary life and mainly originated by continually growing dynamic and the rapid development of society. In the industrial environment there are noise-intensive parts that influence the condition of present operators negatively. Thus, measures of noise abatement have been investigated intensely by industrial companies as well as federal agencies. As a subdomain of fluid power pneumatics is especially known for characteristic noise emission by the use of air as power transmission. The transient decompression of air from pressure levels up to 8 bar and partly high flow rates nearby sonic speed cause the emergence of direct airborne noise at vent ports of pneumatic components. The following paper outlines the mechanisms that induce the emission of high sound pressure levels. In order to achieve reproducible results a test bench for varying pneumatic standard components is introduced. Based on a selection of those components results are compared to standardized measurement procedures whether fulfilling the standardizations’ requirements. In conclusion, two benefits are achieved. Firstly, standardization is derived enabling neutral comparison of standard pneumatic components’ noise emission. Secondly, the measures can be evaluated to determine the most promising way to redesign pneumatic components of lower noise emissions.

Electromagnetically driven dosing pumps are suitable for metering any kind of liquid in motor vehicles in a precise manner. Due to the working principle and the pump design, an undesired noise occurs when the armature reaches the mechanical end stops. The noise can be reduced by an adequate self-learning control of the supply energy using a position estimation and velocity control. Based on preliminary investigations /1/, a method for noise reduction is realised by using a user-friendly, tiny and cost-efficient hardware, which enables a use in series manufacturing. The method requires only a voltage and current measurement as input signals. The core of the hardware is an 8-bit microcontroller with 8 kilobytes flash memory including necessary peripherals. A smart software development enables an implementation of the entire noise reduction method onto the tiny flash memory.

Development of thin films has allowed for important improvements in optical, electronic and electromechanical devices within micrometer length scales. In order to grow thin films, there exist a wide variety of deposition techniques, as each technique offers a unique set of advantages. The main challenge of thin film deposition is to reach smallest possible dimensions, while achieving mechanical stability during operating conditions (including extreme temperatures and external forces, complex film structures and device configurations). Silicon carbide (SiC) is attractive for its resistance to harsh environments, and the potential it offers to improve performance in several microelectronic, micro-electromechanical, and optoelectronic applications. The challenge is to overcome presence of high defect densities within structure of SiC while it is grown as a crystalline thin film. For this reason is important to monitor levels of residual stress, inherited from such grown defects, and which can risk the mechanical stability of SiC- made thin film devices. Stoney's equation is the theoretical foundation of the curvature method for measuring thin film residual stress. It connects residual film stress with substrate curvature through thin plates bending mechanics. Important assumptions and vii simplifications are made about the film-substrate system material properties, dimensions and loading conditions; however, accuracy is reduced upon applying such simplifications. In recent studies of cubic SiC growth, certain Stoney's equation assumptions are violated in order to obtain approximate values of residual stress average. Furthermore, several studies have proposed to expand the scope of Stoney's equation utility; however, such expansions demand of more extensive substrate deflection measurements to be made, before and after film deposition. The goal of this work is to improve the analysis of substrate deflection data, obtained by mechanical profilometry, which is a simple and inexpensive technique. Scatter in deflection data complicates the use of simple processes such as direct differentiation or polynomial fitting. One proposed method is total variation regularization of differentiation process; and results are promising for the adaptation of mechanical profilometry for complete measurement of all components of non-uniform substrate curvature.

This report is the result of a Master’s Degree Thesis done at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, during October 2014 to April 2015. The project was commissioned by Lidl in collaboration with Stockholms Stad and Integrated Transport Research Labs at KTH, and is a part of the Off-peak project. The Aim of the project was to help Lidl perform quieter street unloadings during off-peak hours. The unloading, today, is done with electrical pedestrian trucks and roll containers. Information was gathered about the current equipment and the current method of unloading was studied through observations. There were three problematic areas identified: the uneven ground, the hardware and the user. These were studied further on a pedestrian truck which was borrowed from Lidl for the thesis work. A market study was performed to see what solutions existed on the market. Information was also gathered on Off-peak projects in other cities and what the benefits of such projects could be. Study visits were made to Toyota-BT in Mjölby and Karnag in Täby to gather further knowledge. A meeting was held with K.Hartwall at Integrated Transport Research Lab to discuss their current solutions. The three problematic areas were discussed during a midterm meeting. Two of them were selected for future work: an add-on module to keep the fork carriage from rattling and an aid for the drivers of the trucks that shows the noise level. Many iterations of brainstorming, testing and evaluating led to the final results. The testing showed that the module that was supposed to keep the fork carriage from rattling didn’t have the desired results. The choice was then made to develop a spring solution to keep the forks from bouncing of each other. This led to the development of a leaf spring solution that is mounted on the underside of the fork carriage. The development of an aid for the drivers led to the Noise Advisor which is a sound level meter that sits on the side of the trucks mast and gives visual feedback to the driver. / Denna rapport är resultatet av ett examensarbete utfört på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, KTH, från oktober 2014 till april 2015. Projektets uppdragsgivare var Lidl och det utfördes i samarbete med Stockholms Stad och Integrated Transport Research Labs på KTH, som en del av Off-peak projektet. Målet med projektet var att hjälpa Lidl utföra tystare gatulossningar under off-peak tider. Lossningen idag sker med hjälp av elektriska ledtruckar samt rullburar. En bakgrundsstudie genomfördes där den nuvarande utrustningen och metoden för gatulossning studerades genom observationer på plats. Då identifierades tre problemområden: den ojämna marken, utrusningen och användaren. Dessa studerades vidare på en ledtruck och några rullburar som lånades in från Lidl. En marknadsundersökning utfördes för att se vilka lösningar som redan fanns på marknaden. Andra off-peak projekt i andra städer studerades och vilka fördelar de medförde. Studiebesök gjordes på Toyota-BT i Mjölby och Karnag i Täby för att samla ytterligare kunskap. Ett möte hölls med K.Hartwall på Integrated Transport Research Lab för att diskutera deras nuvarande lösningar. De tre problemområdena diskuterades under ett avstämmningsmöte som hölls i mitten av projektet. Då valdes två av dessa områden: en tilläggsmodul som ska motverka att gaffeln skramlar och en dosa som ger feedback till förare om ljudnivån när hen kör den. Många iterationer av brainstorming, tester och utvärderingar ledde till det slutliga resultatet. Testen visade att påbyggnadsmodulen, som var tänkt att förhindra gaffeln från att skramla, inte gav något bra resultatet. Då gjordes valet att utveckla en lösning som med hjälp av en fjäder förhindrar att gafflarna slår mot varandra. Detta ledde till utvecklingen av en lösning med en bladfjäder som monteras på undersidan av gaffeln. Utvecklingen av ett hjälpmedel till förarna ledde till Noise advisor som är en ljudnivåmätare som sitter på sidan av ledtrucken och ger en visuell feedback till föraren.

In recent years, reconfigurable devices are developing fast because of its flexibility and less development cost. But intrinsic shortcomings of reconfigurable devices, for example, high power, low speed, etc. induce difficulties in complex designs realizations. So people began to consider combination of ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) and reconfigurable device on a single chip, which is SOPC (System on Programmable Chip). SOPC can not only decrease development risk and timing to market, but also be used in different applications, especially of products that keep varying, for example, communication and network products. Dynamically reconfiguration means reconfigurable device of the chip can be reconfigured repeatable, and performs different functions at different times. Compared with static reconfiguration, dynamic reconfiguration can use the reconfigurable device more thoroughly. It‟s a hot spot of research in the world, especially in reconfigurable computing. This paper mainly concludes my research work in reconfigurable SOPC in 3 major parts: hardware, software and application. The following works and innovations are completed: 1. SOPC hardware system architecture design and discussion. Helps to define the system architecture and design goals. The design of EBI controller which is used in the SOPC. The integration of the blocks in the system. 2. The building-up of the SOPC system-level verification and block-level verification environment. The set-up of the hardware-software co-simulation environment. The post-layout simulation and formal verification tasks. We propose an innovative automated regression system. The system helps to achieve the same simulation coverage (95%) and the total simulation time is reduced by approximately 30%. 3. SOPC software design, including the OS kernel porting, drivers design and application design. The design of the PowerPC initialization program and UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter), reconfiguring communication driver programs. Writing the test-cases which are specialized for the system verification and hardware testing. 4. Being the co-designer of the novel bus macro based on the FDP reconfigurable logic core. And we realize the whole reconfigurable system based on this bus macro. 5. The reconfigurable application research based on Reconfigurable Logic Core. The reconfigurable image filter designed implemented on FDP300K Reconfigurable Logic Core device. Using self-design Reconfigurable Logic Core internal bus macro to implement the partial reconfigurable system. The test results showed that the reconfigurable filter has the feature of fast configuration speed and good output image quality.

With MEG, the tiny magnetic fields produced by neuronal currents within the brain can be measured completely non-invasively. But the signals are very small (~100 fT) and often obscured by spontaneous brain activity and external noise. So, a recurrent issue in MEG data analysis is the identification and elimination of this unwanted interference within the recordings. Various strategies exist to meet this purpose. In this thesis, two of these strategies are scrutinized in detail. The first is the commonly used procedure of averaging over trials which is a successfully applied data reduction method in many neurocognitive studies. However, the brain does not always respond identically to repeated stimuli, so averaging can eliminate valuable information. Alternative approaches aiming at single trial analysis are difficult to realize and many of them focus on temporal patterns. Here, a compromise involving random subaveraging of trials and repeated source localization is presented. A simulation study with numerous examples demonstrates the applicability of the new method. As a result, inferences about the generators of single trials can be drawn which allows deeper insight into neuronal processes of the human brain. The second technique examined in this thesis is a preprocessing tool termed Signal Space Separation (SSS). It is widely used for preprocessing of MEG data, including noise reduction by suppression of external interference, as well as movement correction. Here, the mathematical principles of the SSS series expansion and the rules for its application are investigated. The most important mathematical precondition is a source-free sensor space. Using three data sets, the influence of a violation of this convergence criterion on source localization accuracy is demonstrated. The analysis reveals that the SSS method works reliably, even when the convergence criterion is not fully obeyed. This leads to utilizing the SSS method for the transformation of MEG data to virtual sensors on the scalp surface. Having MEG data directly on the individual scalp surface would alleviate sensor space analysis across subjects and comparability with EEG. A comparison study of the transformation results obtained with SSS and those produced by inverse and subsequent forward computation is performed. It shows strong dependence on the relative position of sources and sensors. In addition, the latter approach yields superior results for the intended purpose of data transformation.

The question “who infected whom” is a perennial one in the study of infectious disease dynamics. To understand characteristics of infectious diseases such as how many people will one case produce over the course of infection (the reproductive number), how much time between the infection of two connected cases (the generation interval), and what factors are associated with transmission, one must ascertain who infected whom. The current best practices for linking cases are contact investigations and pathogen whole genome sequencing (WGS). However, these data sources cannot perfectly link cases, are expensive to obtain, and are often not available for all cases in a study. This lack of discriminatory data limits the use of established methods in many existing infectious disease datasets. We developed a method to estimate the relative probability of direct transmission between any two infectious disease cases. We used a subset of cases that have pathogen WGS or contact investigation data to train a model and then used demographic, spatial, clinical, and temporal data to predict the relative transmission probabilities for all case-pairs using a simple machine learning algorithm called naive Bayes. We adapted existing methods to estimate the reproductive number and generation interval to use these probabilities. Finally, we explored the associations between various covariates and transmission and how they related to the associations between covariates and pathogen genetic relatedness. We applied these methods to a tuberculosis outbreak in Hamburg, Germany and to surveillance data in Massachusetts, USA. Through simulations we found that our estimated transmission probabilities accurately classified pairs as links and nonlinks and were able to accurately estimate the reproductive number and the generation interval. We also found that the association between covariates and genetic relatedness captures the direction but not absolute magnitude of the association between covariates and transmission, but the bias was improved by using effect estimates from the naive Bayes algorithm. The methods developed in this dissertation can be used to explore transmission dynamics and estimate infectious disease parameters in established datasets where this was not previously feasible because of a lack of highly discriminatory information, and therefore expand our understanding of many infectious diseases.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal processing has been the subject of intense research in the past years, due to its strategic place in the detection of several cardiac pathologies. However, ECG signal is frequently corrupted with different types of noises such as 60Hz power line interference, baseline drift, electrode movement and motion artifact, etc. In this thesis, a hybrid two-stage model based on the combination of wavelet decomposition and artificial neural network is proposed for ECG noise reduction based on excellent localization features: wavelet transform and the adaptive learning ability of neural network. Results from the simulations validate the effectiveness of this proposed method. Simulation results on actual ECG signals from MIT-BIH arrhythmia database [30] show this approach yields improvement over the un-filtered signal in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).