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Au sein de l'équipe « Microsystèmes » du LIRMM, plusieurs capteurs ont été développés basés sur des structures mécaniques ou thermiques pour réaliser des fonctions de transduction, et ce dans un contexte d'intégration de capteurs à l'aide de technologies microélectroniques standards (MOS). Ces capteurs sont majoritairement résistifs car simples à concevoir et économiques à fabriquer. Néanmoins, parmi leurs inconvénients majeurs, la consommation et le bruit sont les plus notables. Dans une thèse précédente, un circuit de conditionnement nouveau appelé ‘pont Actif' a été proposé. Ce circuit, présenté comme une ‘alternative' au traditionnel pont de Wheatstone, permet de diminuer le courant consommé tout en offrant une amplification importante du signal. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette thèse est d'évaluer l'intérêt du pont Actif dans une application ‘capteur de température'. La mesure de la température est au cœur de très nombreuses applications. De nombreux instruments ont été mis au point, le plus connu restant le thermomètre à mercure. Aujourd'hui, les capteurs de température sont largement utilisés dans les systèmes de mesure, d'instrumentation ou les systèmes de contrôle. Compte tenu de l'étendu des domaines d'application, proposer, dans un contexte de systèmes embarqués, un capteur de température résistif très faible consommation, très performant et occupant une faible surface reste pertinent aujourd'hui. Après un tour d'horizon des solutions existantes concernant la mesure de la température, la première partie de la thèse introduit les principes de fonctionnement du pont Actif différentiel. Sur cette base, différentes déclinaisons de capteurs de température optimisés en termes de consommation sont proposées, modélisées et caractérisées. Ces études montrent que le point de polarisation du capteur est sensible aux variations du procédé de fabrication. Par conséquent, dans le but de contrôler le point de polarisation, nous avons mis en œuvre une conversion tension-courant. Finalement, le capteur a été intégré dans un modulateur Sigma Delta. Aussi, le principe de fonctionnement général du modulateur et l'implantation de la chaîne capteur à retour numérique sont présentés. Le manuscrit est clos par une synthèse des différents points abordés tout au long de ce travail. / Several sensors using standard microelectronic technologies (MOS) have been developed based on mechanical or thermal structures to perform transduction functions by the ‘Microsystems' Team of the LIRMM. These sensors are mainly resistive thanks to their design simplicity and low cost. However, one of their major problems, power consumption and noise are the most notable. In another thesis, a new conditioning circuit called 'Active Bridge' has been proposed. This circuit, presented as an 'alternative' to the traditional Wheatstone bridge, reduces considerably the power consumption while providing an important signal amplification. In this context, the objective of this thesis is to evaluate the usefulness of the Active Bridge in a temperature sensor application.The temperature measurement is at the heart of many applications. Many instruments have been developed, the best known remaining mercury thermometer. Today, the temperature sensors are widely used in measuring systems, instrumentation and control systems. Given the wide application areas, propose, in the context of embedded systems, a resistive temperature sensor ultra-low power, high performance and small remains relevant.After an overview of the existing solutions for this kind of application, the first part of the thesis introduces the principle of the differential Active Bridge. So, different architectures of temperature sensors optimized in terms of consumption are proposed, modeled and characterized. These studies show the dependency of the operating point of the sensor to the process and mismatch variations process. Therefore, in order to control the operating point, a voltage to current conversion has been implemented. Finally, the sensor has been integrated into a Sigma Delta modulator to implement a digital feedback. Finally, a conclusion of the issues and different results have been discussed as conclusion in this manuscript.

An experimental investigation has been undertaken to study operating temperatures and heat fluxes in the cylinder walls and cylinder head of a modern diesel engine. Temperatures were measured under a wide range of speed and torque at more than one hundred locations in the block and cylinder head of the engine employing conventional thermocouples arranged to obtain one-dimensional metal thermal gradients and subsequently deduce the corresponding heat fluxes and surface temperatures. Results observed in the cylinder bores revealed that in addition to heat transferred by convection and radiation from combustion gases, the temperature and heat flux distributions are considerably affected by heat conduction from piston rings and skirt through the oil film, and by frictional heat generated at these components. The heat fluxes and surface temperatures obtained in the cylinder head combined with gas pressure measurements were used to evaluate existing formulae to predict heat transfer coefficients from combustion gases to the chamber walls. The evaluation confirmed the significant variation previously observed between the various methods. As a consequence, a modified correlation has been proposed to estimate the gas-side heat transfer coefficient. This new correlation is considered to be an improved tool for estimating the heat transfer coefficients from combustion gases in modern diesel engines. Additionally, the results observed in the cylinder bores were used to develop a simple model from first principles to estimate the heat transferred from piston rings and skirt to the cylinder wall.

Flame synthesis is a growing field of research aiming at forming new materials and coatings through injection of seed materials into a flame. Accurate prediction of the thermal structure of these flames requires detailed information on the radiative properties and a thorough understanding of the governing combustion processes. The objective of this work is to establish a basic optical diagnostic characterization of different methane-air diffusion flames of different complexity. The basic principles are developed and demonstrated at a rotational symmetric co-flow burner and finally applied to a burner consisting of six clustered microflames which is designed for future flame synthesis work. This work focuses on the demonstration of the optical techniques for characterizing the optical emissions from diffusion flames and of the proposed method for the determination of radiating species properties from these optical measurements. In the co-flow diffusion flame setup, the fuel of methane diluted with nitrogen is provided through an inner tube while the air is applied through an outer duct surrounding the fuel nozzle. Filtered imaging and spectrally resolved measurements of the chemiluminescence of CH* and C2* and of water emission were conducted. A procedure for using the HITRAN database to support the spectroscopic analysis of the water emission was developed. In the six clustered microflames burner setup, the burner consisted of six micro-nozzles arranged in a circle surrounding a central nozzle through which air and TaN seed particles with sizes between 0.3 and 3 μm were injected. Spectrally resolved measurements of the chemiluminescence of CH* and C2* were conducted for temperature measurements. Imaging results obtained from a spectral integration of the molecular emission were compared to results from Japanese collaborators who applied a tomographic analysis method to filtered emission measurements of CH* emission which can yield spatially resolved three dimensional mapping of the flame front. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the integrated band emission of CH* and C2* showed that the emission of both species is generated at the same locations in the flame which are the thin flame sheets shown in the tomography results of CH*. The ratio of the C2* and the CH* emission from the emission spectroscopy measurements was used to determine a local equivalence ratio through empirically derived correlations for premixed flames reported in literature. Rotational and vibrational temperature distributions of CH* and C2* radicals throughout the entire flame were determined from the spectrally resolved emission from CH* and C2*. The temperatures of TaN seed particles were characterized using VIS-NIR emission spectra while varying fuel-air flow rates. The temperature profiles of the particles at various heights above the base of the central nozzle, obtained by their VIS-NIR continuum emission, showed a well-defined constant temperature region that extended well beyond the actual flame front and changed as fuel and oxidizer flow rates were varied. The results demonstrate the ability to control the duration to which seed particles are subjected to high temperature reactions by adjusting fuel and oxidizer flow rates in the clustered microflames burner.

Satellite technology represents the only technique for measuring sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on a global scale. SSTs are important as boundary conditions for climate and atmospheric boundary layer models which attempt to describe phenomena of all scales, ranging from local forecasts to predictions of global warming. Historical use of infrared satellite measurements for SST determination has been based on a theory which assumes that the atmosphere is 'thin', i.e., that atmospheric absorption of infrared radiation emitted from the sea surface has very little effect on the radiant intensity that is measured by satellites. However, a variety of independent radiative transfer models point to the possibility that the so-called 'thin approximation' is violated for humid atmospheres such as those found in the tropics, leading to errors in the retrieved SST that would be unacceptable to those who make use of such products. Furthermore, such tropical regions represent a significant portion of the globe, where coupled ocean-atmosphere disturbances can have global effects (e.g., the tropical Pacific El Nino-Southern Oscillation events). This study evaluates the thin approximation empirically, by combining radiative transfer theory and satellite data from the Eastern Atlantic ocean region studied during the Atlantic Statocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX). Six months of satellite data from May, June, and July of 1983 and 1984 are analyzed. To the degree that the data may be considered representative of globally valid relationships between measured variables, it is shown that the thin approximation is not appropriate for the tropics. This suggests that new methods are necessary for retrieving SSTs from the more humid regions of the globe. / Graduation date: 1993

The general aim was to explore factors influencing the normal variation and measurement of body temperature. Additional aims were to study morbidity, mortality and the clinical presentation of pneumonia and predictors for survival in elderly nursing-home residents. Two hundred and thirty seven non-febrile nursing home residents (aged 66-99 years) and 87 healthy adults (aged 19-59 years) were included. In elderly individuals, the morning ear and rectal body temperature was measured at baseline and pneumonia and survival was observed at one- two and three-year. In healthy adults the rectal, ear, oral and axillary temperature were measured simultaneously on one morning and repeated measurements were performed in three subjects. Overall, the range of normal body temperature was wider then traditionally stated. In elderly nursinghome residents, functional and cognitive impairment and BMI < 20 were related to a lower body temperature and medication with analgesics to a higher. Compared to adults < 60 years elderly persons had a higher average ear and a lower rectal temperature. Men and postmenopausal women < 60 years had lower body temperature than premenopausal women. The repeated measurements showed a wide individual variability irrespective of the site of measurement, and that replicated measurements do not improve accuracy. When comparing the rectal temperature with oral, ear and axillary readings the average difference was > 0.5°C with a wide individual variation. The yearly incidence of nursing-home acquired pneumonia varied between 6.9% and 13.7%. Functional impairment, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and male sex were related to a higher risk of acquiring pneumonia and presenting non-specific symptoms were common. Age and functional impairment predicted mortality, irrespective of gender, while cerebral vascular insult, a lower body mass index and malnutrition in women and heart disease, COPD, medication with sedatives and mortality rate index in men were gender specific predictors. Surviving women had a higher baseline body temperature than non-surviving, while no such difference was found in men. When assessing body temperature, it is important to consider the site of measurement, technical design, operator technique, age and gender and, in elderly nursing-home residents, physical and cognitive impairment, body constitution and medication with analgesics. The best approach is to use an unadjusted mode, without adjusting to another site. To prevent a delayed diagnosis of pneumonia, one should be aware of a low baseline body temperature and lack of specific clinical symptoms in elderly nursing-home residents. Preserving and/or improving functional, cognitive, nutritional status and preventing agitation and confusion would improve survival in nursing-home residents.

The goal of this thesis is to develop an algorithm to process infrared images and achieve automatic identification of moving subjects with fever. The identification is based on two main features: the distinction between the geometry of a human face and other objects in the field of view of the camera, and the temperature of the radiating object. Infrared thermography is a remote sensing technique used to measure temperatures based on emitted infrared radiation. Applications include fever screening in major public places such as airports and hospitals. Current accepted practice of screening requires people to stay in a line and temperature measurements are carried out for one person at a time. However in the case of mass screening of moving people the accuracy of the measurements is still under investigation. An algorithm constituting of image processing to threshold objects based on the temperature, template matching and hypothesis testing is proposed to achieve automatic identification of fever subjects. The algorithm was first tested on training data to obtain a threshold value (used to discriminate between face and non face shapes) corresponding to a false detection rate of 5%, which in turn corresponds to 85% probability of detection using Neyman-Pearson criterion. By testing the algorithm on several simulated and experimental images (which reflect relevant scenarios characterizing crowded places) it is observed that it can be beneficially implemented to introduce automation in the process of detecting moving subjects with fever.

The goal of this thesis is to develop an algorithm to process infrared images and achieve automatic identification of moving subjects with fever. The identification is based on two main features: the distinction between the geometry of a human face and other objects in the field of view of the camera, and the temperature of the radiating object. Infrared thermography is a remote sensing technique used to measure temperatures based on emitted infrared radiation. Applications include fever screening in major public places such as airports and hospitals. Current accepted practice of screening requires people to stay in a line and temperature measurements are carried out for one person at a time. However in the case of mass screening of moving people the accuracy of the measurements is still under investigation. An algorithm constituting of image processing to threshold objects based on the temperature, template matching and hypothesis testing is proposed to achieve automatic identification of fever subjects. The algorithm was first tested on training data to obtain a threshold value (used to discriminate between face and non face shapes) corresponding to a false detection rate of 5%, which in turn corresponds to 85% probability of detection using Neyman-Pearson criterion. By testing the algorithm on several simulated and experimental images (which reflect relevant scenarios characterizing crowded places) it is observed that it can be beneficially implemented to introduce automation in the process of detecting moving subjects with fever.

Laser spot welding on a stainless steel plate was investigated numerically and experimentally. A numerical method was applied to predict the dimensions of fusion zone and temperature distribution in the welding process. In the numerical approach, a three-dimensional heat source equation is used to model laser beam intensity distribution, which is assumed to be a Gaussian distribution in the radial direction and exponential decay in the penetration direction. The parameters of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser spot welding include pulse energy, pulse duration, and incident angles of laser beam. Experiments were also conducted in the study. The characteristic lengths of welded spot were measured by metallographic method, and then, the dynamical behavior of the laser welding process was visualized by a high-speed video camera. Finally, the temperature variations during the laser-spot welding process were measured by an infrared pyrometer system. It is demonstrated that the numerical results by proposed model agree well with experimental observations in predicting the characteristic lengths of welded spots. From this study, it is found that weld dimensions is a strong function of incident angles of laser beam, laser energy, and pulse duration time.

My project was to develop a hardware and software platform consisting of client nodes and a base station interconnected wirelessly. The nodes collect physical data for their local environment - I implemented a temperature measurement and a battery level reading. These measurements were placed in a packet which was then relayed via other nodes to the base station. The base station is attached to a USB dongle to a computer which collects the data and stores it into a log file for later analysis. In designing such a network, my goal was to learn about routing protocols, take key concepts learned in classes, such as different modulation schemes and the study of wireless degradation in various environments due to reflections and interference, and explore an implementation of a commercial wireless system. Such a system could be modified to fit a multitude of applications such as environmental data collection for farmers, low power networks for data communication for disaster recovery teams, or sensor networks or implemented in a house to collect data over long period and analyze variances in different regions and implement automated control through a feedback loop. To implement my code, I used TI’s EZ430-RF2500. This development kit contains the TI MSP430F2274, a 16MHz, 16 bit RISC processor which in active mode only pulls 270µA. The MSP430F2274 is coupled with a TI CC2500 which is a 2.4GHz RF transceiver used to communicate with the other devices. The EZ430-RF2500 connects to the computer via a USB dongle with proprietary firmware loaded which allows for programming and serial communication with the computer. I built a network using three devices; one connected to a laptop acting as the access point and two remote devices powered by two AAA batteries acting as the end devices or clients. I performed a study of packet success rates in different environments, specifically inside a residential home, outside in a residential neighborhood and in a rural area. In close ranges (distances less than 50’) there were no noticeable differences in performance between the three environments. I could not exceed 50’ inside the residential environment due to the size of the tested house. Beyond 50’ in the two outside environments, the results surprisingly did not differ greatly; successful transmissions were accomplished at distances only 10’ further in Town Lake; that is that successful transmissions were capable up to 95’ at Town Lake and 85’ in my uban neighborhood. As a representative finding, in the urban environment, the clients were successfully transmitting at an 80% success rate at 80’ pulling 84.48mW (26.4mA at 3.2V) while transmitting with 2-FSK. / text