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Am Buffet des Lebens
(2017)
Nachweise für die Stabilität von Regelkreisen, deren Stellgrößen an ihre Begrenzungen gelangen können und bei denen die Regler Integratoren oder andere dynamische Glieder sowie Anti-Windup-Maßnahmen enthalten, sind gewöhnlich sehr aufwändig zu führen. Bei PI-Zustandsreglern, die mittels der in [1] vorgestellten Methode in einem mehrstufigen Verfahren für Regelstrecken entworfen wurden, die bis auf die Stellgrößenbegrenzungen linear sind, lassen sich jedoch äußerst hilfreiche allgemeine Stabilitätsaussagen treffen, die den konkreten Stabilitätsnachweis für das Gesamtsystem– selbst unter Einbeziehung von Beobachtern – erheblich vereinfachen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden die diesbezüglichen, auf Steuerbarkeitsbetrachtungen beruhenden, Zusammenhänge für zeitdiskrete Regelkreise aufgezeigt sowie daraus exemplarisch mittels Ljapunow-Funktionen eine einfache Reglerformel für Zustandsregler abgeleitet, die auch im Begrenzungsfall stabil arbeiten. Ein Beispielaus der elektrischen Antriebstechnik illustriert die Anwendbarkeit der vorgestellten Methode.
Since their dawning, space communications have been among the strongest driving applications for the development of error correcting codes. Indeed, space-to-Earth telemetry (TM) links have extensively exploited advanced coding schemes, from convolutional codes to Reed-Solomon codes (also in concatenated form) and, more recently, from turbo codes to low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The efficiency of these schemes has been extensively proved in several papers and reports. The situation is a bit different for Earth-to-space telecommand (TC) links. Space TCs must reliably convey control information as well as software patches from Earth control centers to scientific payload instruments and engineering equipment onboard (O/B) spacecraft. The success of a mission may be compromised because of an error corrupting a TC message: a detected error causing no execution or, even worse, an undetected error causing a wrong execution. This imposes strict constraints on the maximum acceptable detected and undetected error rates.
Finding clusters in high dimensional data is a challenging research problem. Subspace clustering algorithms aim to find clusters in all possible subspaces of the dataset where, a subspace is the subset of dimensions of the data. But exponential increase in the number of subspaces with the dimensionality of data renders most of the algorithms inefficient as well as ineffective. Moreover, these algorithms have ingrained data dependency in the clustering process, thus, parallelization becomes difficult and inefficient. SUBSCALE is a recent subspace clustering algorithm which is scalable with the dimensions and contains independent processing steps which can be exploited through parallelism. In this paper, we aim to leverage, firstly, the computational power of widely available multi-core processors to improve the runtime performance of the SUBSCALE algorithm. The experimental evaluation has shown linear speedup. Secondly, we are developing an approach using graphics processing units (GPUs) for fine-grained data parallelism to accelerate the computation further. First tests of the GPU implementation show very promising results.
The need to measure basic aerosol parameters has increased dramatically in the last decade. This is due mainly to their harmful effect on the environment and on public health. Legislation requires that particle emissions and ambient levels, workplace particle concentrations and exposure to them are measured to confirm that the defined limits are met and the public is not exposed to harmful concentrations of aerosols.
Background: The electrical field (E-field) of the biventricular (BV) stimulation is essential for the success of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with cardiac insufficiency and widened QRS complex. 3D modeling allows the simulation of CRT and high frequency (HF) ablation.
Purpose: The aim of the study was to model different pacing and ablation electrodes and to integrate them into a heart model for the static and dynamic simulation of BV stimulation and HF ablation in atrial fibrillation (AF).
Methods: The modeling and simulation was carried out using the electromagnetic simulation software. Five multipolar left ventricular (LV) electrodes, one epicardial LV electrode, four bipolar right atrial (RA) electrodes, two right ventricular (RV) electrodes and one HF ablation catheter were modeled. Different models of electrodes were integrated into a heart rhythm model for the electrical field simulation (fig.1). The simulation of an AV node ablation at CRT was performed with RA, RV and LV electrodes and integrated ablation catheter with an 8 mm gold tip.
Results: The RV and LV stimulation were performed simultaneously at amplitude of 3 V at the LV electrode and 1 V at the RV electrode, each with a pulse width of 0.5 ms. The far-field potentials generated by the BV stimulations were perceived by the RA electrode. The far-field potential at the RA electrode tip was 32.86 mV. A far-field potential of 185.97 mV resulted at a distance of 1 mm from the RA electrode tip. AV node ablation was simulated with an applied power of 5 W at 420 kHz at the distal 8 mm ablation electrode. The temperature at the catheter tip was 103.87 ° C after 5 s ablation time, 44.17 ° C from the catheter tip in the myocardium and 37.61 ° C at a distance of 2 mm. After 10 s, the temperature at the three measuring points described above was 107.33 ° C, 50.87 ° C, 40.05 ° C and after 15 seconds 118.42 ° C, 55.75 ° C and 42.13 ° C.
Conclusions: Virtual heart and electrode models as well as the simulations of electrical fields and temperature profiles allow the static and dynamic simulation of atrial synchronous BV stimulation and HF ablation at AF. The 3D simulation of the electrical field and temperature profile may be used to optimize the CRT and AF ablation.
In this paper we present the implementation of a model-predictive controller (MPC) for real-time control of a cable-robot-based motion simulator. The controller computes control inputs such that a desired acceleration and angular velocity at a defined point in simulator’s cabin are tracked while satisfying constraints imposed by working space and allowed cable forces of the robot. In order to fully use the simulator capabilities, we propose an approach that includes the motion platform actuation in the MPC model. The tracking performance and computation time of the algorithm are investigated in computer simulations. Furthermore, for motion simulation scenarios where the reference trajectories are not known beforehand, we derive an estimate on how much motion simulation fidelity can maximally be improved by any reference prediction scheme compared to the case when no prediction scheme is applied.
Heart rhythm model and simulation of electrophysiological studies and high-frequency ablations
(2017)
Background: The simulation of complex cardiologic structures has the potential to replace clinical studies due to its high efficiency regarding time and costs. Furthermore, the method is more careful for the patients’ health than the conventional ways. The aim of the study was to create an anatomic CAD heart rhythm model (HRM) as accurate as possible, and to show its usefulness for cardiac electrophysiological studies (EPS) and high-frequency (HF) ablations.
Methods: All natural heart components of the new HRM were based on MRI records, which guaranteed electronic functionality. The software CST (Computer Simulation Technology, Darmstadt) was used for the construction, while CST’s material library assured genuine tissue properties. It should be applicable to simulate different heart rhythm diseases as well as various diffusions of electromagnetic fields, caused by electrophysiological conduction, inside the heart tissue.
Results: It was achievable to simulate normal sinus rhythm and fourteen different heart rhythm disturbance with different atrial and ventricular conduction delays. The simulated biological excitation of healthy and sick HRM were plotted by simulated electrodes of four polar right atrial catheter, six polar His bundle catheter, ten polar coronary sinus catheter, four polar ablation catheter and eight polar transesophageal left cardiac catheter (Fig.). Accordingly, six variables were rebuilt and inserted into the anatomic HRM in order to establish heart catheters for ECG monitoring and HF ablation. The HF ablation catheters made it possible to simulate various types of heart rhythm disturbance ablations with different HF ablation catheters and also showed a functional visualisation of tissue heating. The use of tetrahedral meshing HRM made it attainable to store the results faster accompanied by a higher degree of space saving. The smart meshing function reduced unnecessary high resolutions for coarse structures.
Conclusions: The new HRM for EPS simulation may be additional useful for simulation of heart rhythm disturbance, cardiac pacing, HF ablation and for locating and identification of complex fractioned signals within the atrium during atrial fibrillation HF ablation.
Im Jahr 1504 verlor der deutsche Ritter Gottfried („Götz“) von Berlichingen seine
rechte Hand. Schon während seiner Genesung dachte er daran, die Hand zu ersetzen,
und beauftragte bald darauf die erste Handprothese, die sogenannte „Eiserne Hand“.
Jahre später wurde die aufwändigere zweite „Eiserne Hand“ gebaut. Wir haben die erste
Prothese auf der Basis früherer Literaturdaten von
Quasigroch (1982) mit Hilfe von 3-D
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) rekonstruiert. Dazu mussten einige Abmessungen angepasst
und ein paar Annahmen für das CAD-Modell gemacht werden. Die historische passive
Prothese des Götz von Berlichingen ist für die moderne Neuroprothetik interessant, da sie
eine Alternative zu komplexen invasiven Brain-Machine-Interface-Konzepten darstellen
könnte, wo diese Konzepte nicht notwendig, möglich oder vom Patienten gewünscht sind.
Streustrahlung in der Ultraschall-Computertomographie zur Verifizierung der Echtheit von Perlen
(2017)
This paper describes a new analysis method developed to distinguish real from fake
pearls using non-ionizing, non-destructive ultrasound computed tomography (USCT): In the USCT Shepp-Logan-filtered time-of-flight image, a fake pearl shows irregular, asymmetric
scattering of ultrasound, whereas the pattern in a natural pearl is regular and symmetric.
We strongly assume that pattern recognition of the scattering of ultrasound cannot only
play an important role in verifying pearls, but also in testing other materials and tissues in
(bio-)medical engineering. Furthermore, and most importantly, this new approach could
be helpful for a variety of clinical diagnoses using high-resolution 3D-USCT, such as the
detection of X-ray-negative micro-calcifications in early breast cancer. Moreover looking
at scattering patterns in dedicated positron emission tomography systems may promote
new developments in nuclear medicine diagnostics.
In this study, we tested the function of a replica of the over 500-year-old original of the
famous Franconian Imperial Knight Götz von Berlichingen’s first “iron hand”, which we
reconstructed by computer-aided design (CAD) and recently printed using a multi-material
3D printer. In different everyday tasks, the artificial hand prosthesis proved to be remarkably
helpful. Thus, the hand could hold a wine glass, some grapes, or a smartphone. With a
suitable pencil, even writing was possible without any problem. Although for all these
functions the healthy other hand was necessary to assist at the beginning, the artificial hand
is an astonishing mechanical aid with many possibilities. Therefore, in certain cases, the
non-invasive approach of a passive mechanical hand replacement, which is an individual,
quick and cheap solution due to modern 3D printing, may always be worth considering
also for today’s requirements.
The Bluetooth community is in the process to develop mesh technology. This is highly promising as Bluetooth is widely available in Smart Phones and Tablet PCs, allowing an easy access to the Internet of Things. In this paper work, we investigate the performance of Bluetooth enabled mesh networking that we performed to identify the strengths and weaknesses. A demonstrator for this protocol has been implemented by using the Fruity Mesh protocol implementation. Extensive test cases have been executed to measure the performance, the reliability, the power consumption and the delay. For this, an Automated Physical Testbed (APTB), which emulates the physical channels has been used. The results of these measurements are considered useful for the real implementation of Bluetooth; not only for home and building automation, but also for industrial automation.
In dieser Bachelor Arbeit wird die Realisierung und messtechnische Analyse dreier Delta-Sigma-Modulatoren vorgestellt. Zwei der drei Modulatoren sind mit diskreten Bauteilen realisiert, ein dritter als integrierte Schaltung. Bei den diskret realisierten Modulatoren handelt es sich um Modulatoren 1. und 2. Ordnung, der als integrierte Schaltung verbaute Modulator ist ein Modulator 7. Ordnung.
Die Messdaten werden mithilfe eines Mikrocontrollers aufgezeichnet und am Computer mit MATLAB ausgewertet. Für die Auswertung der Modulatoren wird jeweils der Signalrauschabstand und die harmonische Verzerrung des Signals ermittelt. Zusätzlich wird bei jeder Messung eines Modulators das Spektrum des Signals ermittelt und dargestellt. Bei den beiden diskreten Modulatoren ergibt sich bei den Messungen ein Signalrauschabstand von 54 dB bis 56 dB, bei dem als integrierte Schaltung implementierten Delta-Sigma-Modulator wird ein Wert von 70 dB bis 76 dB erreicht. Für die harmonische Verzerrung der Signale wird beim Modulator 1. Ordnung ein Wert von 64 dB, beim Modulator 2. Ordnung 72 dB und beim 7. Ordnung 91 dB gemessen.
Electrolyte-Gated Field-Effect Transistors Based on Oxide Semiconductors: Fabrication and Modeling
(2017)
Background: R-wave synchronised atrial pacing is an effective temporary pacing
therapy in infants with postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia. In the technique
currently used, adverse short or long intervals between atrial pacing and ventricular
sensing (AP–VS) may be observed during routine clinical practice.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse outcomes of R-wave synchronised
atrial pacing and the relationship between maximum tracking rates and AP–VS
intervals.
Methods: Calculated AP–VS intervals were compared with those predicted by experienced
pediatric cardiologist.
Results: A maximum tracking rate (MTR) set 10 bpm higher than the heart rate (HR)
may result in undesirable short AP–VS intervals (minimum 83 ms). A MTR set 20 bpm
above the HR is the hemodynamically better choice (minimum 96 ms). Effects of either
setting on the AP–VS interval could not be predicted by experienced observers. In our
newly proposed technique the AP–VS interval approaches 95 ms for HR > 210 bpm
and 130 ms for HR < 130 bpm. The progression is linear and decreases strictly
(− 0.4 ms/bpm) between the two extreme levels.
Conclusions: Adjusting the AP–VS interval in the currently used technique is complex
and may imply unfavorable pacemaker settings. A new pacemaker design is advisable
to allow direct control of the AP–VS interval.
With increasing flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) devices in operation, like the most versatile unified power flow controller (UPFC), the AC/DC transmission flexibility and power system stability have been suffering unprecedented challenge. This paper introduces the user-defined modeling (UDM) method into the UPFC dynamic modeling process, to deal with the challenging requirements of power system operation. This has also been verified using a leading-edge stability analysis software named DSATools TM in the IEEE-39 bus benchmark system. The characteristics of steady-state and dynamic responses are compared and analyzed under different conditions. Furthermore, simulation results prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed UPFC in terms of both the independent regulation of power flow and the improvement of transient stability.
How can manufacturers or service companies provide better services with connected products, without having acquired a powerful IT infrastructure nor the competences for software development?
Today companies can appeal to a relocated-IT-infrastructure provider, which is called Cloud.
Consequently, they do not have to manage and take care of the safety/security aspect, the updates and the breakdown of the infrastructure internally, as those are all managed by the provider.
It is possible to outsource the development of the software of the connected product to an external company. However, the question now is how fast this company can juggle from one Cloud to another in order to fulfil their clients wishes?
neverMind offers a solution based on a multi-protocols-platform linking the different connected products to a multitude of Clouds without having to redesign the whole communication stack/building block for each change in the Cloud-solution. This is the object of my thesis.
The development follows the V-Model, the first steps to understand the complexity of the project were the realisation of the product technical and architectural specifications. The last step before the Implementation was to design in details the progress and the process of every parts of the platform.
The outcome of the requirements analysis led me to divide the project in two parts:
• a “General Interface” acting as a gateway between the Client-application and “Cloud-modules”
• the “Cloud-modules” themselves.
So far, the specifications are drown up; the General Interface and a client example are coded, as well as a first Cloud-module template.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) ist ein modernes Mehrträgermodulationsverfahren, das sich gut an die besonderen Eigenschaften eines Mobilfunkkanals mit zeitvarianter Mehrwegeausbreitung anpassen kann. Es eignet sich aufgrund seines Aufbaus vor allem für Breitbandübertragungen und wird in vielen aktuellen Funksystemen wie LTE, WLAN, DVB-T usw. eingesetzt. In DSL wird die Basisbandvariante von OFDM eingesetzt, die „Discrete Multitone Transmission (DMT)“ genannt wird. Viele Aussagen über OFDM lassen sich auch auf DMT übertragen.
Moduliert wird mit Hilfe der inversen Fouriertransformation, die viele Unterträger parallel verarbeitet und am Schluss aufsummiert. Dies hat den Nachteil einer hohen Signalfluktuation, die bei Verstärkern zu Problemen führt.
Reale Verstärker haben eine nichtlineare Verstärkungskennlinie mit einer maximalen Ausgangsamplitude. Wird diese überschritten, wird das Signal abgeschnitten (geclippt). Dies hat sowohl vermehrte Bitfehler aufgrund des Orthogonalitätsverlustets der Unterträgersignale zueinander zur Folge, als auch eine erhöhte Außerbandabstrahlung.
Eine mögliche Lösung besteht darin, die Aussteuerung des Verstärkers klein zu halten. Daraus resultieren jedoch erhöhte Kosten und eine verringerte Energieeffizienz. Man ist daher bemüht die Signalfluktuation möglichst gering zu halten. Eine Maßzahl für die Amplitudenschwankungen ist das Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR).
Um das PAPR zu senken, gibt es eine ganze Reihe unterschiedlicher Verfahren. In dieser Arbeit werden die gängigsten davon vorgestellt und das Interleavingverfahren, die Tone Reservations (TR) und das Active Constellation Expanding (ACE) genauer untersucht.
In dieser Thesis wird die Visualisierung der Stammdaten der MARKANT Handels und
Service GmbH (MARKANT) überarbeitet. Zu Beginn wird auf die Firma MARKANT,
die aktuelle Lösung der Visualisierung und die daraus resultierenden Probleme eingegangen.
In der Thesis wird zunächst ein generisches Diagramm erstellt, welches Daten,
die eine hierarchische Ordnung haben, zeichnet. Darauf aufbauend soll als Beispiel, das
Organigramm der Firma MARKANT, mit allen Anforderungen, umgesetzt werden.
Um das Ziel zu erreichen, wird eine Marktübersicht eingeholt und die Frameworks
verglichen. Nachdem eine engere Auswahl getroffen ist, sollen die Frameworks hinsichtlich
der Visualisierung genauer evaluiert werden.
Nach der Wahl des Frameworks wird eine Konzeption erstellt, bei der auf einen neuen
Technologiestack, sowie auf die Bedienbarkeit des Diagrammes durch den Endanwender
eingegangen wird.
Anhand der erstellten Konzeption werden die verschiedenen Funktionen des Diagrammes
implementiert. Ein neuer Stack wird aufgebaut und an das System der Firma
MARKANT angepasst.
Abschließend zeigt ein Vergleich zwischen der alten und der neuen Visualisierung auf,
was in der Thesis erreicht wurde.
Implementierung von schnellen Algorithmen auf Basis der FFT in einem digitalen Signalprozessor
(2017)
In dieser Bachelor-Thesis geht es um die Weiterentwicklung des bestehenden Laborversuchs „Schnelle Algorithmen auf Basis der FFT“ des Labors „Digitale Signalverarbeitung“. Dieser Versuch wird momentan mit einem digitalen Signalprozessor (TMS320C6713) umgesetzt. Dabei sollen eine schnelle Faltung, sowie Erweiterungen der bestehenden Software, welche mit dieser zusammenhängen, implementiert werden. Des Weiteren sollen Verbesserungen und Korrekturen an dem bestehenden Projekt vorgenommen werden. Um herauszufinden, was bereits implementiert ist, wird das bestehende Projekt zunächst analysiert. Anschließend wird die schnelle Faltung mit dem für das Labor benötigten Funktionsumfang implementiert. Zudem werden darüber hinaus Erweiterungen der Software umgesetzt, wie z.B. eine Sprachauswahl.
Im Rahmen dieser Abschlussarbeit wurde evaluiert, welche Hardware-Plattform für Einsteiger im Bereich der System-on-Chip (SoC) Field-Programmable-Gate-Arrays (FPGAs) (SoC-FPGAs)geeignet ist, speziell Altera Cyclone V SoC. Dabei wurde die Vorgehensweise sowie die benötigten Programme, die für die Entwicklung benötigt werden, ermittelt. Als Beispiel Applikation diente hier die Bildverarbeitung. Die Hardware-Plattform soll es ermöglichen, dass diese von Programmierern im Bereich der Bildverarbeitung genutzt werden kann, ohne dass diese sich um die Hardware kümmern müssen. Zusätzlich sollte evaluiert werden, ob und wie man den FPGA benutzen kann, um Algorithmen auf der Hardware auszuführen, und so einen Performance Gewinn zu erhalten.
Für die Thesis stand zu Beginn ein Hardware-Paket, bestehend aus einem FPGA-SoC-Board, Kamera-Modul sowie TFT-Display zur Verfügung. Dieses Paket stellte sich als nicht geeignet heraus, da die Hersteller entweder keine oder nur mangelhafte Dokumentation zu den Modulen bereitstellten.
Als geeignete Hardware wurde das DE0-Nano-SoC von der Firma Terasic gewählt. Das verwendete Kamera–Modul sowie Display–Modul stammt ebenfalls von Terasic. Diese Module bieten den Vorteil, dass sie auch mit anderen Boards von Terasic kompatibel und gut dokumentiert sind und es Beispiel-Programme für diese Module gibt. Für die gewählte Hardware-Plattform wurde ein IP-Core für die Kommunikation mit der Kamera, sowie ein IP-Core für die Berechnung von Bayer-Raw-Format in das 16 bit(565)-RGB-Format entworfen und implementiert. Die Funktion der IP-Cores wurde mit Hilfe von Simulationen verifiziert.
Es wurden die Arbeitsschritte und Abläufe ermittelt, die nötig sind, um das System vom embedded Linux zu programmieren und mit den IP-Cores zu kommunizieren.
Exploiting Dissent: Towards Fuzzing-based Differential Black Box Testing of TLS Implementations
(2017)
The Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol is one of the most widely used security protocols on the internet. Yet do implementations of TLS keep on suffering from bugs and security vulnerabilities. In large part is this due to the protocol's complexity which makes implementing and testing TLS notoriously difficult. In this paper, we present our work on using differential testing as effective means to detect issues in black-box implementations of the TLS handshake protocol. We introduce a novel fuzzing algorithm for generating large and diverse corpuses of mostly-valid TLS handshake messages. Stimulating TLS servers when expecting a ClientHello message, we find messages generated with our algorithm to induce more response discrepancies and to achieve a higher code coverage than those generated with American Fuzzy Lop, TLS-Attacker, or NEZHA. In particular, we apply our approach to OpenssL, BoringSSL, WolfSSL, mbedTLS, and MatrixSSL, and find several real implementation bugs; among them a serious vulnerability in MatrixSSL 3.8.4. Besides do our findings point to imprecision in the TLS specification. We see our approach as present in this paper as the first step towards fully interactive differential testing of black-box TLS protocol implementations. Our software tools are publicly available as open source projects.
In this study, a high-performance controller is proposed for single-phase grid-tied energy storage systems (ESSs). To control power factor and current harmonics and manage time-shifting of energy, the ESS is required to have low steady-state error and fast transient response. It is well known that fast controllers often lack the required steady-state accuracy and trade-off is inevitable. A hybrid control system is therefore presented that combines a simple yet fast proportional derivative controller with a repetitive controller which is a type of learning controller with small steady-state error, suitable for applications with periodic grid current harmonic waveforms. This results in an improved system with distortion-free, high power factor grid current. The proposed controller model is developed and design parameters are presented. The stability analysis for the proposed system is provided and the theoretical analysis is verified through stability, transient and steady-state simulations.
Message co chairmen
(2017)
The paper describes the hardware and software architecture of the developed multi MEMS sensor prototype module, consisting of ARM Cortex M4 STM32F446 microcontroller unit, five 9-axis inertial measurement units MPU9255 (3D accelerometer, 3D gyroscope, 3D magnetometer and temperature sensor) and a BMP280 barometer. The module is also equipped with WiFi wireless interface (Espressif ESP8266 chip). The module is constructed in the form of a truncated pyramid. Inertial sensors are mounted on a special basement at different angles to each other to eliminate hardware sensors drifts and to provide the capability for self-calibration. The module fuses information obtained from all types of inertial sensors (acceleration, rotation rate, magnetic field and air pressure) in order to calculate orientation and trajectory. It might be used as an Inertial Measurement Unit, Vertical Reference Unit or Attitude and Heading Reference System.
Climate change and resultant scarcity of water are becoming major challenges for countries around the world. With the advent of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in the last decade and a relatively new concept of Internet of Things (IoT), embedded systems developers are now working on designing control and automation systems that are lower in cost and more sustainable than the existing telemetry systems for monitoring. The Indus river basin in Pakistan has one of the world's largest irrigation systems and it is extremely challenging to design a low-cost embedded system for monitoring and control of waterways that can last for decades. In this paper, we present a hardware design and performance evaluation of a smart water metering solution that is IEEE 802.15.4-compliant. The results show that our hardware design is as powerful as the reference design, but allows for additional flexibility both in hardware and in firmware. The indigenously designed solution has a power added efficiency (PAE) of 24.7% that is expected to last for 351 and 814 days for nodes with and without a power amplifier (PA). Similarly, the results show that a broadband communication (434 MHz) over more than 3km can be supported, which is an important stepping stone for designing a complete coverage solution of large-scale waterways.
Due to climate change and scarcity of water reservoirs, monitoring and control of irrigation systems is now becoming a major focal area for researchers in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are rapidly finding their way in the field of irrigation and play the key role as data gathering technology in the domain of IoT and CPS. They are efficient for reliable monitoring, giving farmers an edge to take precautionary measures. However, designing an energy-efficient WSN system requires a cross-layer effort and energy-aware routing protocols play a vital role in the overall energy optimization of a WSN. In this paper, we propose a new hierarchical routing protocol suitable for large area environmental monitoring such as large-scale irrigation network existing in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The proposed protocol resolves the issues faced by traditional multi-hop routing protocols such as LEACH, M-LEACH and I-LEACH, and enhances the lifespan of each WSN node that results in an increased lifespan of the whole network. We used the open-source NS3 simulator for simulation purposes and results indicate that our proposed modifications result in an average 27.8% increase in lifespan of the overall WSN when compared to the existing protocols.
eTPL: An Enhanced Version of the TLS Presentation Language Suitable for Automated Parser Generation
(2017)
The specification of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol defines its own presentation language used for the purpose of semi-formally describing the structure and on-the-wire format of TLS protocol messages. This TLS Presentation Language (TPL) is more expressive and concise than natural language or tabular descriptions, but as a result of its limited objective has a number of deficiencies. We present eTPL, an enhanced version of TPL that improves its expressiveness, flexibility, and applicability to non-TLS scenarios. We first define a generic model that describes the parsing of binary data. Based on this, we propose language constructs for TPL that capture important information which would otherwise have to be picked manually from informal protocol descriptions. Finally, we briefly introduce our software tool etpl-tool which reads eTPL definitions and automatically generates corresponding message parsers in C++. We see our work as a contribution supporting sniffing, debugging, and rapid-prototyping of wired and wireless communication systems.
A novel approach of a test environment for embedded networking nodes has been conceptualized and implemented. Its basis is the use of virtual nodes in a PC environment, where each node executes the original embedded code. Different nodes run in parallel, connected via so-called virtual channels. The environment allows to modifying the behavior of the virtual channels as well as the overall topology during runtime to virtualize real-life networking scenarios. The presented approach is very efficient and allows a simple description of test cases without the need of a network simulator. Furthermore, it speeds up the process of developing new features as well as it supports the identification of bugs in wireless communication stacks. In combination with powerful test execution systems, it is possible to create a continuous development and integration flow.
The low cost and small size of MEMS inertial sensors allows their combination into a multi sensor module in order to improve performance. However the different linear accelerations measured on different places on a rotating rigid body have to be considered for the proper fusion of the measurements. The errors in measurement of MEMS inertial sensors include deterministic imperfection, but also random noise. The gain in accuracy of using multiple sensors depends strongly on the correlation between these errors from the different sensors. Although for sensor fusion it usually assumed that the measurement errors of different sensors are uncorrelated, estimation theory shows that for the combination of the same type of sensors actually a negative correlation will be more beneficial. Therefore we describe some important and often neglected considerations for the combination of several sensors and also present some preliminary results with regard to the correlation of measurements from a simple multi sensor setup.
A novel approach of a testbed for embedded networking nodes has been conceptualized and implemented. It is based on the use of virtual nodes in a PC environment, where each node executes the original embedded code. Different nodes are running in parallel and are connected via so-called virtual interfaces. The presented approach is very efficient and allows a simple description of test cases without the need of a network simulator. Furthermore, it speeds up the process of developing new features.
The IEEE 1588 precision time protocol (PTP) is a time synchronization protocol with sub-microsecond precision primarily designed for wired networks. In this letter, we propose wireless precision time protocol (WPTP) as an extension to PTP for multi-hop wireless networks. WPTP significantly reduces the convergence time and the number of packets required for synchronization without compromising on the synchronization accuracy.