2015-16 Collected FYP Proposals

8/17/2019 2015-16 Collected FYP Proposals

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Faculty of Engineering, Final Year Project Proposal

OPTIMIZATION OF A DC MICROGRIDSupervisor(s): Mr. Alexander Micallef, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial

Electrical Power Conversion

Co-supervisor (ifany):

N/A

ProblemBackground

Electrical power grids traditionally use AC voltages and this preferencehas also migrated to the development of AC microgrids. As an alternativeoption, DC microgrids have attracted increasing interest in recent yearsdue to the advantages of low converter cost and simpler control with noreactive power and synchronization concerns. In addition, a higher portionof energy sources (eg: PV's, Fuel cells) and energy storage technologies(eg: batteries, super-capacitors) are dc by nature. Various applications fordc microgrids have been reported, including all-electric ships, more-electric aircrafts, data centers, and residential complexes.

This project is a continuation of previous work.

ProjectObjective(s):

• Simulations of parallel DC-DC converters• Simulations of secondary control to optimize the operation of the

parallel converters• Evaluation of different strategies for centralized and distributed

optimization techniques.• Experimental implementation of the designed control algorithms

Project Resources • Equipment/Software/Literature: Simulink/PLECS

Industrial Partnersinvolved:

N/A

Expected ProjectDeliverables:

• Complete simulation model implemented in Simulink/PLECS of theDC microgrid.

• Analysis of the performance optimization algorithms.• Robustness comparision of the algorithms• Experimental Implementation• Final advantages and disadvantages of the implementations

Studentbackground /interest:

• Power Electronics• Control Theory (Design of PID controllers, Stability analysis)• Communications Theory

IP Issues N/A

Ethical and DataProtection Issues

N/A


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INVESTIGATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF A LINEAR DRIVEIN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

Supervisor(s): Dr Cedric Caruana, [email protected], Dept. of IndustrialElectrical Power Conversion


N/A

ProblemBackground

Industrial applications such as pick and place require linear motion.Traditionally, linear motion has been obtained from rotary motion usingappropriate transmission devices like belt and pulley, rack and pinion andscrew systems. Linear motors provide the option of directly generatingthe thrust force required for linear movement. This allows linear drives toachieve higher operating speeds and dynamic response.The aim of this project is to tune and test the performance of a linearservomotor drive operating a permanent magnet tubular motor.


• To revamp an existing linear motor test rig.• To enable the different operating modes of the drive and tune for high

performance• Software modelling of selected industrial applications requiring linear

motion• Experimental test of the drive emulating selected industrial

applications• Data capture and analysis of drive performance

Project Resources • The drive, motor and the most of the required interfacing hardwareare available.


N/A


• Functional linear motor test rig with data logging capability• Tuned drive for operation under different control modes• Emulation tests of relevant industrial applications• Analysis of drive performance


• Electromechanical Drives• Power Electronics• MATLAB/SIMULINK•

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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INVESTIGATION OF SUPERCAPACITOR ENERGY STORAGEFOR NETWORK INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY



Dr John Licari, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical PowerConversion

ProblemBackground Significant effort is being directed nowadays for increasing the integrationof renewable energy sources (RES) on power networks. RES, in general,produce a fluctuating output power due to the variation of the naturalresource. Energy storage has been proposed as a potential solution tomitigate resulting adverse effects on the network. Various storagetechnologies exist, with varying power– and storage– densities.Supercapacitors are short–term storage devices with high energy– andpower– densities along with other attractive characteristics, including longcycle life and high efficiency. This renders them suitable for short termwind output power smoothing and low voltage ride through.The aim of this project is to model a super–capacitor based energystorage system and analyse its performance in combination with windenergy conversion.


• Characterization of a supercapacitor• Development of a software model of a super–capacitor based energy

storage system with its associated control• Software model of a wind energy conversion system using fully rated

converters with scalar control for the grid side converter• Integration of the energy storage system and WECS to power network• Case study of driving the energy storage system to smoothen the net

power flow to the grid

Project Resources • The software models will be in PSCAD (available).


N/A


• Literature review on super–capacitor based energy storage systems• Characterisation of a supercapacitor• Derivation of the relevant parameters for selected published super–

capacitor models• Software model of supercapacitor energy storage system integrated

with wind energy• Analysis of the performance of the supercapacitor energy storage

system in the considered case study


• Electrical Power Systems• Power Electronics• Electrical Machines• Software Modelling (PSCAD)

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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TEST OF THYRISTOR SOFT STARTER PERFORMANCE UNDERDIFFERENT LOADS



N/A

ProblemBackground Despite the relatively simpler technology, thyristor soft starters still find alarge number of applications in industry. Soft starters limit the startingcurrent of induction motors, consequently also the starting torque henceavoiding excessive mechanical stress on the shaft. A number of softstarters tailored for specific applications are present on the market. Sincethe soft starter manufacturer has no control on the connected load, it isessential to test the performance of the starters for different loadcharacteristics.This project is a continuation of a previous project. It will revamp anexisting load dynamometer rig and use it to test the performance ofdifferent soft starters.


• Revamp an existing load dynamometer rig• Emulate different kinds of load• Model soft starter phase angle control• Experimental test of various soft starters under different emulated

loads• Investigate the soft starters’ behaviour at the end of the start ramp

Project Resources • Equipment/Software/Literature: Dynamometer rig (already available)


• Carlo Gavazzi (Malta) Ltd

Expected Project

Deliverables:

• Functional dynamometer rig

• Software model of thyristor soft starters’ phase angle control• Analysis and comparison of tested soft starters under emulated loads• Detailed analysis of the behavior at the end of the start ramp


• Electrical Machines• Power Electronics• Software modelling (MATLAB/Simulink)

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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ENERGY ANALYSIS OF A COMMERCIAL/PUBLIC BUILDINGSupervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Cyril Spiteri Staines, [email protected], Dept. of

Industrial Electrical Power Conversion


Dr. Ing. John Licari, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical PowerConversion

ProblemBackground

Energy audits are carried out to give an idea of the expected energyperformance of buildings. However to get a real-time detailed energyperformance of a building sub-metering needs to be used. Using strategicallylocated sub-meters, the energy consumed by different loads during differentseasons of the year can allow for accurate determination of the savings that canbe achieved by applying energy efficiency measures.


• Liaise with ESI w.r.t. how the sub-metering shall be implemented in thebuilding’s sub panels

• Aid ESI with the setting up of the communications required for the data to begathered by a central unit

• Analysis of data over two seasons• Basic simulation of building energy consumption• Statistical analysis of data with proper confidence levels taken into account• Recommendations on possible energy efficiency measures that could be

implemented

Project Resources • Budget: Equipment shall be provided by ESI• Indicate source of funds: ESI• Equipment/Software/Literature:


• ESI


• Monitoring System Setup• Data Collection and Analysis• Simulation of energy usage


• Background needed:• Electrical Power• Communications• Electrical Energy Utilisation (Building Services)

IP Issues □ The project has patent possibilities; please specify.


Please tick if any of the following apply.□ The project has data protection issues; please specify. □ The project has ethical issues; please specify. □ The project involves human subjects; please specify.

These issues arecurrently being discussed

with ESI and theKnowledge Transfer

Office. If the issues arenot resolved the thesisproposal might have to

be modified or withdrawn.


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GREEN GYM - REGENERATING POWER TO THE GRID VIAEQUIPMENT

Supervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Cyril Spiteri Staines, [email protected], Dept. ofIndustrial Electrical Power Conversion


N/A

Problem

Background

Most Gyms use a lot of electrical energy to keep their surroundings cool due to

the heat loss from exercising persons. A small percentage of this energy can berecuperated by using the exercise equipment itself to generate electricity. Thisis especially true for equipment like rowing machines and exercise bikes wherepowers of around 500W can be obtained from alethic, fit and healthy persons.The project shall focus on how existing equipment could be retrofitted to makethe Gym greener and more energy efficient.


• Review of exercise equipment that can be modified/retrofitted for grid-connection

• Modelling of human power curves, electrical generator and grid-connectedinverter for different difficulty levels using SIMULINK

• Construction of basic laboratory system set-up as a basis for continuing thisresearch

Project Resources • Equipment/Software/Literature: MATLAB/SIMULINK


N/A


• System Simulation• Hardware set-up


• Background needed:• Power Electronics• Electrical Machines• Microcontrollers

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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SIMULATION OF SMART DOMESTIC GRID/STAND-ALONEENERGY SYSTEM

Supervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Cyril Spiteri Staines, [email protected], Dept. ofIndustrial Electrical Power Conversion

Co-supervisor (if any): Dr. Ing. John Licari, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical PowerConversion

Mr. Alex Micallef, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical Power

Conversion

Problem Background Domestic PV Systems are currently installed using a fit-and-forget approach inwhich these are permanently connected to the electrical grid. However for lowfeed-in tariffs it would make more sense to store the excess PV energy andconsume it during low generation periods. When making such a decision onemust keep in mind that the larger the storage, the more expensive is the system.Thus does it make sense to store energy in these scenarios? There is also thescenario where the customer has to be completely self-sufficient (rural areas),how can the energy be stored and used? What about the seasonal variation ofthe loads? This project shall address such issues and propose the mosteconomically feasible set-up by making use of a smart control method which willallow loads to be supplied with a certain pre-programmed priority. This projectshall be the ‘intelligence’ behind the on-going project of a grid-connected/stand-

alone PV system with load prioritization (In 2014/15 a wireless powermeasurement set-up with controllable loads was developed).

Project Objective(s): • Review of stand-alone systems with the possibility of grid-connection• Review of typical domestic electrical load profiles• High level modelling of the storage and grid connected system in SIMULINK• Modelling of seasonal loads of domestic house hold for varying population

(IES software)• Development of Control algorithm for optimization of energy usage,

optimization of energy cost and load prioritization for stand-alone operation.(With the aim to use the optimum energy storage size).

Project esources • Equipment/Software/Literature: MATLAB/SIMULINK and IES

!ndustrial Partnersinvolved:

N/A

"#pected Project$eliverables:

• System Simulation• Load Modelling• Control Algorithm Development

Student background %interest:

• Background needed:• Power Electronics• Electrical Power• Renewable Energy

!P !ssues N/A

"t&ical and $ataProtection !ssues

N/A


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MPPT CONTROL OF A DC/DC CONVERTER FOR A VAWTSupervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Cyril Spiteri Staines, [email protected], Dept. of

Industrial Electrical Power Conversion

Co-supervisor (if any): N/A

Problem Background Most DC/DC input stages of commercially available grid-connected inverters donot allow for optimum setting of the MPPT operating point of micro-windturbines. This project shall focus on the construction of a DC/DC converter andits control for a 3kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT).

Project Objective(s): • Analyse the wind power profile of the VAWT• Research and select the best power converter topology for the existing

VAWT vis-à-vis the grid-connected inverter available.• Develop modelling of the VAWT and DC/DC converter in SIMULINK• Construction of the DC/DC Converter• Control of the DC/DC Converter

Project esources • Equipment/Software/Literature: MATLAB/SIMULINK


N/A


• System Simulation• Hardware set-up


• Background needed:• Power Electronics• Electrical Machines• Microcontrollers• Control Systems

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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THE ANALYSES AND DESIGN OF AN EFFICIENT LOW POWERLED LIGHT SOURCE

Supervisor(s): Prof. Joseph Cilia , [email protected], Dept. of Industrial ElectricalPower Conversion


Problem Background The LED ‘s as a light source are becoming increasingly attractive. One ofthe upcoming issues is the HF transformers which tend to have lowquality filtering due their size. At low powers the 50Hz standardtransforemer might offer a good alternative.

Project Objective(s): • To evaluate, test and compare different power supplies for drivingLEDs

• To consider different low power LED designs for domestic andindustrial applications.

• To build prototypes and compare efficiencies

Project esources • Altern Ltd. , Abertax Kemtronics• Equipment/Software/Literature – available


• Altern Ltd. , Abertax Kemtronics


• An evaluation and comparison of existing and designed low powerLED light sources


• Interest in power electronics• Harmonic analysis and thermal considerations

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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THE DESIGN OF A FAST CHARGER

Supervisor(s): Prof. Joseph Cilia , [email protected], Dept. of Industrial ElectricalPower Conversion


Problem Background There is an increase in the interest of fast chargers. However fastcharging tends to increase the temperature of the battery due to theformation of gas bubbles thereby reducing the plate conductive surfacearea. These bubbles can be reduced by temporary discharging a highcurrent from the battery into a load.

Project Objective(s): • To evaluate, test and compare different charging regimes• To design a setup to allow fast charging with discharge possibilities• To build a prototype charger and test it

Project esources • Abertax Quality Ltd.• Equipment/Software/Literature – available


• Abertax Quality Ltd.


• An evaluation of fast charging methods and a prototype fast chargingsetup.


• Interest in power electronics• Interest energy storage

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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THE DESIGN, BUILDING AND TEST OF A SMART LOADSupervisor(s): Prof. Joseph Cilia , [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical

Power Conversion


Problem Background In rural electrification where the grid is not available, there are instanceswhere a variable load is required to consume any excess energy that isgenerated from renewable energy sources. In order for the voltage andfrequency to remain stable a variable load is required to consume anyexcess energy being generated. This load is the resistance of a waterheater element which has to be controlled to ensure that there is anenergy balance between generation and consumption.

Project Objective(s): • To evaluate, test and compare existing technologies• To design a cost effective solution that is able to communicate with an

existing power flow monitor.• To build a prototype and test it in an existing smart system.

Project esources • Sponsored by Abertax Kemtronics• Equipment/Software/Literature – available


• Abertax Kemtronics


• An evaluation and comparison of existing and built smart load


• Interest in power electronics, microprocessor and renewable energy

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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POWER QUALITY ANALYSIS IN AN INDUSTRIAL SETUPSupervisor(s): Dr. Ing. John Licari, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical Power

Conversion

Co-supervisor (if any): Prof. Dr. Cyril Spiteri Staines, [email protected], Dept. of IndustrialElectrical Power Conversion

Problem Background A power system can have various types of disturbances which can result intomultitude of problems for both the end users and the utility. In order to identifypotential difficulties that may arise due to such disturbances a Power Qualityanalysis is conducted.

In this project a Power Quality analysis will be carried out on a number ofdifferent small to medium sized industrial setups.

Project Objective(s): • Monitoring power quality variables in all sites using a data logger• Analyse the data such as harmonics, power factor, etc…• Identification of potential problems that might be present• Simulation of mitigation solutions for any problems encountered• Recommendations on how to improve the power quality and other energy

efficiency measures

Project esources • Equipment/Software/Literature: Software provided by Department


• Prime Ltd, Andrews Feeds Malta Ltd, Small Hotel


• Monitored data of all industrial premises• Analysis of the data• Simulation of mitigations solutions for the problems encountered


• Background needed:• Power Electronics• Power Systems• Power Quality

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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IMPROVEMENT OF POWER QUALITY OF WIND TURBINESTHROUGH A SMART BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE

Supervisor(s): Dr. Ing. John Licari, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial Electrical PowerConversion

Co-supervisor (if any): Dr. Cedric Caruana, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial ElectricalPower Conversion

Problem Background Wind energy is an intermittent source of renewable power due to the variabilitynature of the wind resource. This leads to a fluctuating power output which ishighly undesired for balancing supply and demand. On one hand, when theavailable wind power is higher than the load demand it can be stored to besupplied back when wind power is lower than the load demand. Batteries andsuper-capacitors are two types of energy storage devices currently beinginvestigated for such applications. The work will focus on the utilization of abattery energy storage to provide quick response to load variations and performother power quality improvements.

Project Objective(s): • Develop a model of the storage device and integrate it into a wind turbinemodel (wind turbine model will be provided)

• Develop a smart control system for the energy storage device to accomplishthe task mentioned above

• Simulation and Analysis of the system

Project esources • Equipment/Software/Literature: IEPC


N/A


• Storage device model• Control system design• Simulation of the system• Analysis of the system

Student background %

interest:

• MATLAB/SImulink• Electrical Power• Power Electronics• Power Quality

!P !ssues N/A


N/A


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CONTROL ELECTRONICS DESIGN FOR XY PLOTTER Supervisor(s): Dr. Ing. Reiko Raute, [email protected], Dept. of Industrial

Electrical Power Conversion


Problem Background Stepper motors are used for very simple, but effective position systems.Typical application are printers and plotters. The project shalldemonstrate such application. A mechanical XY-plotter kit is availablewith two stepper motors. The power electronic circuit to supply the motorswith the correct voltage needs to be designed and build. Thesynchronised movement of the two stepper motors shall be controlled bya central micro controller unit.

Project Objective(s): • Designing and building stepper motor control circuitry• Design micro controller control system to control XY plotter movement• Firmware development for microcontroller to draw figures with plotter

Project esources • Computer for interfacing (available)• Oscilloscope with isolated voltage and current probes


N/A


• Prototype of plotter stepper motor control electronics


• Power Electronics• Electrical Machines, Stepper motor• Microcontroller programming

!P !ssues


N/A

N/A


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TOUCH LESS SENSOR FOR ROTOR POSITIONMEASUREMENT

Supervisor(s): Dr. Ing. Reiko Raute, [email protected], Dept. of IndustrialElectrical Power Conversion


Problem Background Encoders or resolvers are usually used for a rotor position measurementof motors. These measurement devices are usually rather expensive andconsist of many fine mechanical components. Furthermore thesemeasurement devices need to be mounted to the rotor shaft with greatprecision. Any misalignment may cause serious damage. Manysemiconductor manufacturers recently developed magnetic positionmeasurement integrated circuits (ICs). These ASICs have dataprocessing features included and provide simple digital interfaces thatcan be directly connected to a micro controller. The advantage is thatthese devices are rather cheap and the position signal is touch lessdetected from a magnetic field.The task of this project is to build a small demo board with such a touchless position measurement IC and interface it to a microcontroller. Thisdemo measurement system shall be installed to a motor with encoder.

The performance of the rotor position measurement system shall becompared with the encoder result.

Project Objective(s): • Building demo board with touch less position measurement IC• Implement interface with micro controller• Do performance tests under several conditions (speed,

misalignments, magnetic field deviations)

Project esources • Computer for interfacing (available)


N/A


• Touch less rotor position measurement system


• Electrical Machines• Microcontroller

!P !ssues


N/A

N/A


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A MULTI-POINT DIFFERENTIAL GNSS SYSTEMSupervisor(s): Dr Ing. Andrew Sammut, [email protected], Dept. of

Electronic Systems Engineering


N/A

ProblemBackground

Todays ever expanding industry of personal navigators, smartphones andtablet computers seems to have trivialised the problem of positioningones location on the surface of the Earth, be it a dense city, out in a

desert or in the middle of the ocean. Yet accurate information regardingthe position of a body, be it in the aerospace, marine, automotive and ofcourse the consumer industry continues to be one of the most challengingproblems for design engineers. Realistically speaking, system thatprovide positional information with uncertainties below 15-20m RMS arehard to come by, even in complex systems which make use of multi-channel GNSS receivers, navigation grade inertial sensors and high-endDSP-based processors and demanding data-fusion algorithms. Thebottom line is that knowing one’s position with high accuracy in the sub-metre range is no easy feat, particularly when working within a tightbudget. Such accuracies are quickly becoming of high interest,particularly with the industries looking at high levels of automation suchas automatic taxiing, take-off and landing systems for aircraft, urbannavigation for automobiles and automatic ship berthing. This is even more

pronounced when considering unmanned and unsupervised applicationsthat evidently enforce more stringent requirements on reliabilityperformance.


This project therefore addresses the matter of high accuracy positioningthrough the design of a low cost technique that solely makes use ofGNSS as the primary source for positioning. This is achieved through theapplication of differential corrections, which attempts to drastically reducethe common mode errors seen between the roving receiver and a numberof fixed reference base stations. The principle is that of having referencestation, with a known accurately surveyed position, take pseudorangemeasurements from the GNSS satellites in view and use this informationto generate correction signals which, once transmitted to the rovingreceiver through an adequate digital datalink, can compensate for the

errors when computing its position fix.

• Review the mathematical formulation involved in generating thecorrection signals (Final Year Project 2011/12)

• Review the hardware implementation of a typical base station androving station (Final Year Project 2013/14)

• Implement embedded code to enable single-point and multi-pointdifferential corrections, verify operation and compare the positionalaccuracy and performance.

Project Resources • Department resources


N/A


• An embedded algorithm capable of receiving GNSS signals andcalculating and transmitting GNSS error correction signals

• An embedded algorithm capable of receiving GNSS signals as wellas multiple error correction signals and computing a position fix

• A report comparing the performance of standalone GNSS as againstsingle-point and multi-point differential corrections over diverse


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conditions.


• Solid foundation in mathematics, electronic design and algorithms.• Microprocessors and interfacing.• Programming in JAVA, C++, C

IP Issues No IPR restrictions are envisioned.


N/A


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IDENTIFICATION OF PCB AND SOLDER-JOINT DEFECTSTHROUGH X-RAY INSPECTION

Supervisor(s): Dr Ing. Andrew Sammut, [email protected], Dept. ofElectronic Systems Engineering


N/A

ProblemBackground

The era of electronic miniaturization has brought about with it the need forx-ray inspection of multilayer circuit boards and board assemblies in orderto investigate, in a non-destructive manner, the locations and quality ofsolder joints that cannot be inspected visually. The demands are various,ranging from the inspection of circuit tracks and buried vias on innercircuit board layers, as well as the inspection of solder joints, particularlyfor leadless packages, for confirmation of the quality of the solder joint. Inorder to achieve this, x-ray inspection systems typically having anexcitation voltage in the order of 100-200kV are required. Identifying thetypes of faults from the images acquired requires careful tuning ofexposure time and x-ray focal point. The resulting images requireinterpretation based on a good understanding of the physics involved in x-ray imaging.


The purpose of this project is to investigate the quality of solder joints forsome of the most popular electronic packages including BGA, LGA, QFN,PLCC, chip-type as well as through-hole components and, from theimages captured, define criteria in order to distinguish a good solder jointfrom a bad one. This process involves the production of a set ofprototype boards onto which various components of different packagetypes are to be mounted. Components are then to be assembled usingdifferent temperature profiles and under different conditions in order tosimulate solder joints of various qualities. Following inspection under anx-ray microscope, the quality of the solder joints could be determinedthrough manual interpretation of the resulting images. The criteria to beconsidered include percentage voiding due to air bubbles, bridging of

joints due to surplus solder, dry joints typically due to contamination orinsufficient solder as well as misalignment of components. From theseimages, a set of criteria could be established allowing classification of anassembly as acceptable or defect.

Project Resources Department resources


N/A


1) A set of prototype boards for assembly of various package types

2) A set of test cases to simulate solder joints of various quality levels

3) A set of images defining the criteria for classification of an assembly as

acceptable or defect

4) A set of images detailing typical defects in an assembly


• Solid foundation in electronic design• Interest in electronic manufacturing• Programming in MATLAB, C++, C

IP Issues No IPR restrictions are envisioned


N/A


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DATA FUSION FOR ACCURATE UAV NAVIGATIONSupervisor(s): Ing. Brian Zammit, [email protected], Dept. of Electronic

Systems Engineering


N/A

ProblemBackground

A number of low cost navigation sensors such as satellite based sensorsand inertial measurement units are available for use on small UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAVs). The real-time performance of these sensors canbe improved by using multi-sensor fusion techniques to enable accuratenavigation of the vehicle or provide telemetry data for ground stations.


• This project will implement a data fusion system to be installed on aUAV with the objective of improving the performance of low coststandalone sensors.

Project Resources • Any additional hardware related to the UAV platform will be providedby the Institute of Aerospace Technologies.

• Equipment/Software/Literature: Microcontrollers and Dedicatedhardware such as transceivers.

Industrial Partnersinvolved: N/A


• Literature review of data fusion techniques.• Design and development of data fusion system, simulation of data

fusion techniques and initial testing on a UAV platform.


• Microcontrollers, circuit design.

IP Issues N/A

Ethical and DataProtection Issues N/A


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DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A RACE CAR DATANETWORK

Supervisor(s): Ing. Brian Zammit, [email protected], Dept. of ElectronicSystems Engineering


N/A

ProblemBackground

The UoM SAE racing car requires an infrastructure to enable thecommunication between all on-board sensors and devices. Theinfrastructure needs to enable a high traffic flow with focus on thereliability and stability of the setup. It is therefore required to assessstandard architectures and select an appropriate one that takes intoaccount these requirements. A prototype of the selected architecture willbe constructed and tested.


• A review of available communication protocols for automotiveapplications.

• The identification of a suitable technology for the UoM SAE race car.• The construction of the physical layer of the network.• Testing of the communication performance using emulated sensor

inputs.

Project Resources • Equipment/Software/Literature: Microcontrollers and Dedicatedhardware such as transceivers.


N/A


• Deliverable 1 – A literature review of automotive data networks.• Deliverable 2 – A low cost network design providing reliable data

transfer at acceptable rates.• A hardware prototype of the network.


• Interest in automotive applications, sensor communication,microcontrollers.

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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THE STUDY TO OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM TRANSMITTED RADIOFREQUENCY POWER FROM A LOW POWER SINGLE OF A

DOUBLE TRANSISTOR AND TO STUDY THE BEST ANTENNAARRANGEMENT IN LOOP OR WHIP FORM

Supervisor(s): Prof. Carmel Pule’, [email protected], Dept. of Electronic SystemsEngineering


N/A

ProblemBackground

There are many oscillators and coupling systems and antennas incommunications whose aim is to radiate power in the form of a MagneticField, Comparison needs to be done to get an idea of what makes anefficient system


Many circuits and antennas produce different efficiencies, the objective isto design and built suitable radiating circuits including matched antennasand to decide the maximum radiation that can be achieved from agiven power input.

Project Resources The normal components found in a laboratory plus the ability to wind coilsand match them to a given impedance and voltage requirements to thecomponents used, Ingenuity of building antennas is beneficial. Thoughthe project tends to be very practical, all that is built must be analyzedthrough simulations and mathematics.


This is a pure research project and it is an aim of improving and fullyunderstanding all components of an oscillator and a radiating elements.Coupling of the oscillator to the radiating element will be givenimportance.


A working proposition is expected. It is intended that the powerconsumption will be about 200 milliwatts. A number of oscillators andantennas are to be built and compared and the ideas that deliver themaximum efficiency will be incorporated in one best system.

Studentbackground/interest:

The student should have a good attitude towards learning, trying, andtrying again in practical terms with the ability to simulate and analyze in amathematical sense. Intuition and fully understanding of electricalcomponents in many forms, other than simulation and mathematics is agood asset to have in this project.

IP Issues N/A


There are no concerns about Data and Ethical protection apart from thefact that radiating energy will be limited to about 200 milliwatts to protectthe environment.


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THE STUDY TO FIND THE BEST SHAPE POSSIBLE FOR THEQUENCHING FUNCTION OF A SUPER-REGENERATIVE

RECEIVER



N/A

ProblemBackground

Sensitivity in receivers for a long range is obtained by designing areceiver with a system which is on the verge of continuous oscillation. Asthis is never possible a system which quenches itself to operate such thatit oscillates and then stops is to be aimed at. The function in which theoscillator is started and stopped is of great interest and decides theperformance of the circuit to have selectivity and sensitivity.


The intention of the project is to design and construct a workingproposition, study different forms of quenching and measure theparameters which are to be aimed at so as to produce a good receivingsystem with a long range. The frequency of operation has to be below100 megahertz.

Project Resources The equipment required is the standard equipment found in an electroniclaboratory while the consumables are normal low power transistors suchas the BC108, BF 51 and the other passive components to include self-made inductors and mutually coupled inductors for matching.


No industrial partners are in mind at present but the unit can be used inin collaboration with schools which include the subjects as Design andTechnology in which familiarity with such units would be of benefit topotential engineering students in the Education department.

Expected ProjectDeliverables: A working proposition is expected with the additional monitoring pointssuch that the system can be fully analyzed with respect to the operationand also any modifications to show the variety and diversity of the superregeneration function in such classical receiving units.


Rather than student background and experience an good attitude towardsresearch and learning is an advantage. The student would be required toexperiment in past philosophies of electronics and the difficulties incurredin high frequency receiving units. Anyone who is willing to build systemswith enough patience to experiment and notice the detail of functionswould enjoy this project.

IP Issues N/A.

Ethical and DataProtection Issues It is not envisaged that there will be any concern regarding this issue.


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THE USE OF MICROCONTROLLERS TO CHANGE CONTROLOF GOZO FERRY BOATS FROM TWO STICK TO A SINGLE

STICK CONTROL SYSTEM



N/A

ProblemBackground

Ferry boats with frequent short trips are required to be highlymaneuverable and so the control stick movement has to be mentally easyand correspond to the required actions of the ferry.


The Project entails the building of a control system whereby the surfacewatercraft in a model form about one to two meters long will be able tomove ahead and astern, sideways and turn on the same spot, and /or acombination of all these possibilities all from the movement of a singlestick.The use of a GPS system to stabilize and to navigate the ferry from onelocation to another would also be included.

Project Resources The practical resources involves the combination of microcontrollers tosensors on the stick which will be routed to control the motors /rudders atthe bow and the stern of the ferry and permutated the actions to achieveall the controls mentioned. The selection of the microcontroller, motorsand servos will be from standard equipment. GPS card is to be decodedto produce the latitude and longitude and to act as reference for thecontrols to follow and override the pilot when necessary.


No industrial partners are involved but both the Gozo Channel line andthe local Maritime Army Section might be interested.


The objective is to deliver a practical working proposition, software orhardware driven which will prove the point that a single stick is better thanthe two sticks available on the three modern Gozo Ferries/ships.


The student should have a good electronics, software background and beable to handle the practical side of applying hardware and software usinga system based design. The construction of the model itself would betackled by the supervisor.

IP Issues There are no patents expected at the time, but the future work mayinclude the possibility.


The project has no data protection requirements. The project has noethical issues involved. The project will be tackled by human subjects andno monkeys and no animal cruelty will be involved.


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THE USE OF SWITCHES TO TRANSFER A LOW PASS FILTERINTO A BAND PASS FILTER


Co-supervisor (if

any):

N/A

ProblemBackground

Designing a band pass filter is laborious in effort and time and to be ableto simply transfer a low pass filter to any frequency is very attractive toany designer.


The Project entails the building of a system which consists of low passfilters which are switched at a high frequency about which the filtercharacteristic is to be transferred. The question of the sampling violationtheorem is overcome through using a multiple path system whichsamples the incoming signal at different phases and all together theinformation is regenerated and reconstructed at the output. The mainobjective of the project is to study the effect of sampling the outputwaveform during the first sampling procedure, were the frequencywarping of the filter is expected to be different for each position ofsampling a second time.

Project Resources The practical resources are the use of fast oscillators, samplers andmultiplexers and a series of low pass RC filters. Simulation using softwareis expected on a normal fast computer. Discreet, integrated andmicrocontroller system may be used.


No industrial partners are involved but filtering is a general subject whichcould interest many industrial applications. This could be looked upon asa pure research project.


The objective is to deliver a practical working proposition, software orhardware which will prove that the sampling of the sample would result in

warping the frequency domain which resembles that used in DigitalFilters.


The student should have a good electronics, software background and beable to handle the practical side of applying hardware and software usinga system based design

IP Issues There are no patents expected at the time, but the future work mayinclude the possibility.


The project has no data protection requirements. The project has noethical issues involved. The project will be tackled by human subjects andno monkeys and no animal cruelty will be involved.


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PC CONTROLLED STRESS PATH TRIAXIAL CELL SYSTEMPART 2

Supervisor(s): Ing. Evan J. Dimech, [email protected], Department ofElectronics Systems Engineering


Perit Adrian Mifsud, [email protected], Department of CivilStructural Engineering

ProblemBackground

Triaxial testing is a common method to measure the mechanicalproperties of deformable solids such as soils (sands, clay), rock and othergranular materials and powders. Through a current final year project, theDepartment of Electronics Systems Engineering and the Faculty ofArchitecture and the Built Environment have started to build a PCcontrolled stress path triaxial system. The main aim of this current yearproject was to utilize and upgrade the existing stress path testingapparatus to new system requirements by designing and buildingadditional hardware and software so as to make the triaxial system PCcontrolled.

The entire system mainly consists of different subsystems utilizing thefollowing components: triaxial cell, load cell, pressure controller (the

pressure controller consists of three sub-pressure controllers namely forthe cell pressure, the back pressure and the axial pressure), a porepressure transducer and a displacement transducer. The system controland data acquisition are to be conducted via a PC. Through the currentfinal year project most of the required mechanical, electrical andelectronic hardware was developed. Hence the emphasis of this final yearproject will be to bring together the already developed system hardwareand software, design and build any remaining hardware and implement asoftware test platform for the various required soil testing scenarios.


• Review the existing state of the art stress path triaxial cell systems.• Review the work done throughout the current thesis.• Design and develop the remaining mechanical, electronic and

electrical system hardware components.• Design and develop a PC based software test platform for the control

and data acquisition of the different soil triaxial tests.

Project Resources • Resources (Equipment/Software/Literature): Available within theDepartment of Electronics Systems or made available by the Facultyof Architecture and Built Environment.

Other Partnersinvolved:

• Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Malta

Expected Project

Deliverables:

• D1: Design and develop the remaining Stress Path Triaxial Cell

System hardware, including electrical, electronic and mechanicalhardware.• D2: Bring together the different triaxial sub-system hardware

components to a functional system• D3: Design and develop the control and data acquisition test software

for the different soil tests conducted by the stress path triaxial system.


• Skillful in analogue and digital electronics design• Good skills in mechanical systems design.• Skillful in embedded system design


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• Good programming skills, mainly C and NI Labview.• A solid interest in multidisciplinary mechanical, electrical and

electronic system design.• Good hardware and software implementation skills.

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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AN INDUSTRIAL CABLE INSULATION TESTER

Supervisor(s): Ing. Marc Anthony Azzopardi, [email protected],Dept. of Electronic Systems Engineering


N/A

Problem

Background:

High impedance precision sensors such as pH probes require high

performance cables to conduct pico-ampere currents and milli-volt potentialswith minimal losses and triboelectric charge injection to dedicatedinstruments. However, such cables are prone to damage duringmanufacturing that could alter their prized characteristics. Therefore theseneed to be fully tested prior to shipping to end customers.For this purpose, a well-established manufacturer of such instrumentationwishes that a semi-automated test rig be designed and constructed toconduct batch testing of such cables. The system needs in-built intelligenceto conduct the tests in a uniform fashion, giving repeatable results. It needs tosafeguard the operator from any high voltages while monitoring the testconditions and flagging damaged cables to the operator. The test rig shouldcater for logging of test results and transferring associated data to an existingLabview controller over RS485 cables.

This is primarily a hardware development project!

ProjectObjective(s):• To review the nature of the technical problem presented by the client.• To generate and evaluate a number of potential electronic tester solutions• To design digital and analogue circuitry required to test batches of cables• To develop microcontroller logic to run tests in a semi-automated fashion.• To conduct a performance assessment of the system.• To improve functionality and robustness as required.

Project Resources • Electronic materials provided by Industrial Partner.• Resources (Equipment/Software/Literature) available in the Department


• ProMinent Fluid Controls Ltd.• BLB 907-912 Bulebel Industrial Estate. Zejtun ZTN 3000. Malta


• Deliverable 1: A working prototype of the complete system.• Deliverable 2: Full documentation describing the system.


• Excellent first-hand experience with embedded systems• Good skills in analogue instrumentation electronics.• Good programming skills for embedded systems.• An interest in multidisciplinary electronic system design.• Self-motivation and ambition to convert a concept into a prototype that

meets a client’s expectations.• Good technical skills and experience in hardware implementation

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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AN UNMANNED AERIAL/GROUND HYBRID VEHICLE



N/A

ProblemBackground:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs)are currently being used for surveillance and defence and are provinginvaluable in search and rescue missions. UAVs have the capability to movethrough large distances in 3D space, while UGVs have lower minimum powerrequirements and better dexterity while manoeuvring on surfaces. Thisproject aims to combine the attributes of both types of robots into a hybridvehicle that is better suited for a wider range of missions.

For this purpose, a novel vehicle configuration will be investigated and thebasic controls, actuators, power management, and sensory systems will bedeveloped into a platform that paves the way for future research in thisdirection. The resulting embedded system needs to be developed with a viewfor further expansion and must lend itself for high performance control.

This is primarily a hardware development project! ProjectObjective(s):

• Develop an architecture for a UAV-UGV hybrid robot design.• Develop an embedded system for the flight controller.• Design and implement all the digital and analogue circuitry required.• Design and build the required motor driver.• Design and interface an Inertial Measurement Unit.• Develop some basic control algorithms to test the robot.

Project Resources • Budget: < €600 (only indicative)• Source of funds: Student Funded.• Resources (Equipment/Software/Literature) available in the Department.


N/A


• D1: A preliminary prototype of the hybrid robot• D2: A flight controller / ground locomotion unit• D3: A functional test of all major subsystems.


• Previous practical experience involving robotic embedded systems.• Interest in sensors, interfacing, mechatronics, and of course robotics.• Excellent programming skills for embedded systems.• An interest in multidisciplinary electronic system design.• Self motivation and ambition to convert a concept into a prototype.

IP Issues • Potential IPR restrictions are envisioned


N/A


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A SWARM ROBOTICS DEMONSTRATOR



N/A

Problem

Background:

A large number of relatively simple robotic agents can be controlled in a way

to collectively achieve a holistic result that is beyond the capability of anyindividual robotic agent. Such swarm behaviour is frequently demonstrated innature and offers numerous advantages as opposed to a centralized controlsystem. These algorithms, although achievable on large scale devices arechallenging to implement on simple robotic agents with limited onboardenergy storage and processing power, which leaves much room for research.The objective of this project is to efficiently implement swarm algorithms tocontrol a number of custom-built robotic agents with limited processingpower. The agents will be made to demonstrate collective self-organizingbehaviour as governed by the distributed swarm intelligence algorithmchosen.A certain amount of hardware customization might be required in order tobetter match the agent’s attributes to the algorithm. In addition, a certainamount of computer simulations will also be required to test the effectiveness

of the implemented algorithm.This is primarily an algorithm development project! ProjectObjective(s):

• Conduct a detailed literature review on the subject.• Improve existing robotic agent hardware to suit the algorithm as necessary.• Maximize and assess the computational capacity of each agent.• Investigate a number of interesting distributed algorithms that exhibit self

organizing behaviour.• Simulate & evaluate the said algorithms using multi-threaded programming.• Generate and evaluate a number of promising algorithms.• Demonstrate self-organizing behaviour of many autonomous agents by

downloading one or two such algorithms into the agents.• Improve functionality and robustness as necessary.

Project Resources • Budget: < €500 (only indicative)• Source of funds: Student Funded• Resources (Equipment/Software/Literature) available in the Department


N/A


• D1: Detailed literature review on swarm robotics for micro-bots• D2: Enhanced Robotic Agent Hardware• D3: Algorithms and test results


• Excellent first-hand experience with embedded systems• Excellent programming skills for embedded systems.• Good skills in analogue and digital electronics.• An interest in multidisciplinary electronic system design.• Good technical skills and experience in hardware implementation



N/A


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ELECTRO-MYOGRAPHIC SIGNAL CAPTURE



N/A

ProblemBackground:

Electromyography (EMG) is the study of electrical signals produced byskeletal muscles when activated. These signals are often detected by

electrodes placed on the skin, and using signal conditioning circuits, theseare isolated, amplified and digitized for further analysis. In recent years,electromyography has increased in popularity as it is useful in manyapplications such as prostheses control and the diagnosis of certainneuromuscular disorders. However, the quality of the signal obtained ishighly dependent on the electrodes themselves and the circuitry followingthem, putting great emphasis on the performance of analogue electronics.The aim of this project is to investigate effective methodologies of obtainingEMG signals, and hence design a multichannel EMG signal capturingsystem. Cost must be given special consideration, as reliable, low costEMG acquisition systems have a widespread potential for general purposehuman machine interfacing (HMI). In such systems, error detection,reliability, comfort, adaptability and price are key.

This is primarily a hardware development project!

Project Objective(s): • Conduct a detailed literature review on the subject.• Obtain multi-channel signals from different parts of the human body anddigitize the signal into a high resolution representation using an ADC.

• Analyze a number of EMG capture circuit designs• Design and construct a high performance EMG signal capturing system• Minimize noise ingress and cross talk between electrodes.• Use a microcontroller and/or FPGA to manipulate the signals obtained.• Design a system which can be easily used in next generation

technologies.


Industrial Partners: N/A


• D1: Analysis of different EMG capturing Systems• D2: Design and test of a high performance EMG capturing System

Student background / interest:

• Highly proficient in analogue electronics, signal conditioning, PCB design• Good general programming skills for embedded systems.• An interest in multidisciplinary electronic system design.• Self motivation and ambition to convert a concept into a prototype• Good technical skills and experience in hardware implementation


Ethical and Data

Protection Issues

⌧ The project involves human subjects; please specify: Designer may wish

to test low-voltage (battery-operated) measuring equipment on himself .


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DIRECT DIGITAL SYNTHESIS FUNCTION GENERATOR USINGAN FPGA



N/A

ProblemBackground:

Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) is a technique which leverages the versatilityof computer controlled digital-to-analogue converters (DACs), combined withanalogue electronics, to create an arbitrary waveform from a single and fixedfrequency reference clock. DDS is useful due to its ability to construct andcontrol waveforms over a large range of frequencies with high precision andaccuracy. It has numerous applications in test and measurement equipment,as well as communications.The aim of the project is that of achieving the highest output frequencypossible from the reference clock, while minimizing artefacts. The focus is on;designing an efficient and fast algorithm; establishing a high throughputconnection between the peripherals making up the system; achieving goodSNR at the output of the system and then transmitting this signal via anoptimal transmission cable and connection. The performance will beassessed in terms of SNR at the output under various frequencies and

arbitrary waveforms.This is primarily a hardware development project! ProjectObjective(s):

• To review existing designs of similar systems;• To design and implement the digital controller for the function generator;• To design and implement the analogue interface/filtering circuitry;• To conduct a performance assessment of the system;• To produce a simple API for accessing the features of the platform and set

the required parameters for proper system functionality;• To improve functionality & robustness as required in a practical instrument.


Industrial Partnersinvolved: N/A


• Deliverable 1: A prototype DDS function generator• Deliverable 2: An easy to use API to set the required waveform to be

generated by the function generator.


• Excellent first-hand experience with embedded systems• Good skills in analogue and high speed digital electronics.• Good programming skills for embedded systems, especially VHDL.• An interest in multidisciplinary electronic system design.• An interest in high frequency PCB design.• Self motivation and ambition to convert a concept into a prototype• Good technical skills and experience in hardware implementation

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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MID-AIR OBSTACLE DETECTION

Supervisor(s): Dr Inġ . Kenneth Chircop, [email protected], Dept. ofElectronic Systems Engineering


Prof. In ġ . David Zammit-Mangion, [email protected],Institute of Aerospace Technologies

ProblemBackground

In contrast with commercial air transport, Remotely Piloted AircraftSystems (RPAS) do not usually transmit their position with onboardtransponders like ADS-B leading to lack of situational awareness.Consequently, the probability of mid-air collisions between RPAS is everincreasing with the growth of such uncontrolled air traffic.

This thesis aims at developing an onboard mid-air obstacle detectionsystem using a visible spectrum and/or an IR camera. The work involvesthe identification, adaptation and implementation of obstacle detectionalgorithms on an FPGA module following successful development inMATLAB. The work shall also include the interfacing of the cameras withthe system.


• To identify, adapt and simulate object detection algorithms insoftware.

• To implement a real-time mid-air object detection system on anFPGA.

Project Resources • MATLAB, Vivado, and departmental electronics design instruments.


• Partners, if any


• Mid-Air obstacle detection system


• Digital Electronics Design using FPGAs• Real-time systems• Image Processing

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ADS-B RECEIVER, DECODER ANDSURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS

Supervisor(s): Professor Ing. David Zammit-Mangion, [email protected], Institute of Aerospace Technologies


Dr. Ing. Kenneth Chircop, [email protected], Dept .ofElectronic Systems Engineering

ProblemBackground The market for low-cost unmanned aerial systems (UASs) is growing andcheap, yet robust technology will be a key enabler to allow theintroduction of such systems into operation. The project will involve theconstruction and testing of an ADS-B system that will receive data inputfrom a transponder (an external system that will be provided). ADS-B is adata message standard through which aircraft data such as speed andposition is transmitted. Through the reception and processing of ADS-Bdata, a virtual radar plot of aircraft in the vicinity can be constructed.ADS-B is the emerging technology on which aircraft surveillance in airtraffic control is expected to be based in future. The system that will bedeveloped in this project will be microprocessor based and will also needto act as a data concentrator that integrates air and navigational sensordata. Algorithms that decode, as required, the transponder output data,track the movement of aircraft in the vicinity and provide an output in an

appropriate format will be developed in the project. The work will need tocater for data outages, filtering and other signal processing as required,as well as handle data from sensors such as those associated with airdata (speed, altitude, etc) and position (GPS or similar) and prepare anADS-B message prior to its transmission by an appropriate transpondersystem.


• To develop a smart microprocessor based ADS-B receiver/decodersystem

• To incorporate a data concentrator and ADS-B OUT functionality inthe microprocessor system

• To test and evaluate the system developed

Project Resources Department resources


• 6pm


• An electronic system that is capable of decoding and generating ADS-B messages and act as a data acquisition system

• Demonstration of operation of the system developed


• Multidisciplinary activities that involve, amongst others,instrumentation, electronic system design, digital system interfacing,microprocessor applications & system integration

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AIRCRAFT AUTOMATIC TAXI CONTROLSYSTEM




ProblemBackground The automation of the taxi phase of flight in large fixed-wing transportcategory aircraft remains one of the only phases of operation that is notyet automated. With the advent of the introduction of electric traction oncommercial airplanes, the prospect of automating ground movement inthe airport is gathering interest in industry.This project will focus on the adaptation of a control algorithm developedas an MSc thesis (Zammit C., 2014) , its implementation on amicrocontroller board, interfacing with inertial sensors and systemintegration on board a radio controlled vehicle that needs to be adapted tohost the proposed system.


• To adapt existent algorithms and implement them on a microcontroller• To interface sensors and drivers (hobby radio-control type electric

motors and servos) with the microcontroller• To integrate and test the system on a hobby radio-control type vehicle

Project Resources • Resources for consumable electronic components (major equipmentalready available)


• None


• An electronic system that is capable of controlling a vehicle• Demonstration of operation of the system developed


• Multidisciplinary activities that involve, amongst others,instrumentation, control theory, electronic system design,microprocessor applications & system integration

IP Issues N/A


N/A


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AN AUTOPILOT SYSTEM FOR A QUADROTOR




ProblemBackground

The aim of the project is to develop an autopilot system for a quadrotor.The work will involve the development of the necessary control algorithmsand their implementation on a microcontroller together with the interfacingwith the necessary inputs and outputs. The autopilot will primarily berequired to maintain steady conditions commanded by the operator andconduct simple manoeuvres such as tilt and translational motion.The work will involve the prototyping and validation of algorithms inMATLAB; their implementation on a microcontroller system; design andconstruction of the electronic interfacing (hardware and software,including filtering) associated with inertial sensors, electric motors andradio control receiver; system integration and flight test.


• To develop an autopilot system for a quadrotor• To implement appropriate control and interface algorithms• To test and evaluate the system developed, including in flight test

Project Resources • Resources for consumable electronic components.


N/A


• An autopilot system that works

Studentbackground /

interest:

• Multidisciplinary activities that involve, amongst others, control theory,instrumentation, electronic system design, digital system interfacing,

microprocessor applications & system integration

IP Issues N/A


N/A


36/69


INSTRUMENTATION OF AN AERO ENGINE




ProblemBackground

Hobby (radio control) aero engines are simple and have noinstrumentation that allow monitoring of their operating conditions. Thisproject is associated with instrumenting an aero engine to provideengineering and operational data during operation.The work will involve developing a microprocessor based system formeasuring parameters such as rpm, fuel flow, and cylinder temperature,data logging for eventual download and data evaluation and providingreal time monitoring to alert of any impending failure. The work can beexpanded to also measure, for example, thrust and power output so thatcharacterization of some engine performance parameters can beobtained. Although the system is primarily intended for test-bench use, itwill be developed into an airborne system to fly on small fixed wing radiocontrolled airplanes and may be flown in the time frame of the project.Consequently, the electronic hardware design will need to cater forreliable operation in environments of vibration and stress.


• To develop a data acquisition system for a hobby grade aero engine

Project Resources • Resources for consumable electronic components


N/A


• A data acquisition system that works


• Multidisciplinary activities that involve, amongst others,instrumentation, electronic system design, digital system interfacing,microprocessor applications & system integration

IP Issues N/A


N/A


37/69


NON-PHOTOREALISTIC RENDERING OF SCENESSupervisor(s): Ms. Alexandra Bonnici, [email protected], Dept. of Systems

& Control Engineering


N/A

ProblemBackground Research in computer graphics (CG) has been involved in the generationof synthetic imagery and historically, the approach adopted in CG is thecreation of scenes that are as realistic as possible, with algorithms lookinginto the physical optic laws to render the illumination effects on objectswithin the scene in a manner that is as close to reality as possible, withthe ultimate test being the ability of fooling a human judge into believingthat a computer generated image is a photograph of a scene.

The focus of CG has however shifted from the need of realism to theneed of representation and visualisation of complex scenes such thatthese can be communicated to observers as effectively as possible. Thus,the task of CG is no longer the creation of just realistic images but ratherthat of creating imagery that is useful and beautiful as well as physicallyrealistic. For this reason, CG algorithms are looking at cognitive sciences,

the fields of art and graphic design and illustration rather than optics.Here the challenge lies in the representing abstracted and structureinformation in a manner that is useful and aesthetic, hence the field ofnon-photorealistic rendering (NPR) .

One aspect of NPR is to create alternative representations of scenescaptured by digital photography. Here scene images are typically pre-processed using for example edge detection to find lines that exhibitchanges in illumination intensity across the scene. These may beweighted according to the cognitive and perceptual significance they havein the scene, using theories such as the Gestalt rules of perception.Artistic expression used by illustrators and artists, for example changes inline thickness according to the significance of the line, are then used torepresent these edges in the image, thus creating a new image from the

scene that is physically realistic but rendered in such a way that retainsonly the relevant structural shape of the scene.


• To perform a literature review of NPR techniques• To review artistic cues that are used in line drawings• To use these cues to present an alternative representation of a scene.

Project Resources N/A


• Literature review of existing NPR algorithms• Algorithm that obtains the structural information from a scene• Algorithm that represents this information in an NPR manner

Studentbackground/interest:

• Signal Processing with interest in image processing


N/A


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CONTEXT CLASSIFICATION OF SCENESSupervisor(s): Ms. Alexandra Bonnici, [email protected], Dept. of Systems



N/A

ProblemBackground

Scene Recognition is a key process in the human visual system, withhumans being able to understand the context of the scene presented tothem quickly and efficiently, irrespective of the number of objects, their

different poses, colours, shadows or texture.Scene recognition is traditionally performed by progressive reconstructionof the input scene fro local measures such as edges, corners andsurfaces, but more recently, researchers are suggesting that recognitionof real world scenes may be initiated by encoding the global configurationof the scene, bypassing all details and local features to focus on theholistic cues of the scene.

The human visual system uses both modalities: local and globalinformation from the scene are used to recognise the scene category. Forthis reason, representations of both the local and global features couldprovide for an improved machine categorisation of scenes. Local andglobal features may be obtained from Fourier-like transforms such as thediscrete cosine transform among others which use different sinusoidalfrequencies to represent different levels of detail in the image. Machinelearning algorithms, such as support vector machines can then be usedto learn the classification of the local and global features obtained fromthe images, such that new scenes according to the category to whichthey belong.

Such research has various applications in computer vision most notably inrobotic navigation systems, the systematic organisation of large imagedatabases as well as context based search and retrieval.


• To obtain a set of local and global features from a scene• To be able to classify the scene according to some set criteria



• Literature review of suitable descriptors that can be used to describelocal and global features of a scene

• Literature review on machine learning algorithms that can be used tocategorise the scene features

• Algorithm that extracts some local and global discriminatory featuresfrom a scene

• Algorithm that provides the classification of scenes into theirrespective categories


• Signal Processing with interest in image processing• Interest in computational intelligence


N/A


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OPTICAL MUSIC RECOGNITION OF PIANO SHEET MUSICSupervisor(s): Ms. Alexandra Bonnici, [email protected], Dept. of Systems



N/A

ProblemBackground

The musical score arose from the need to record and pass from onegeneration to the other music expression in a manner that is more reliablethan aural tradition. Music notation has been adapted and improved over

the ages since the very first time that music was written down to themodern representation in use today. Music notation is highly symbolic,containing mixture of lines, note heads, markings for note durations andexpression, all arranged in such a manner that a musician mayunderstand the rhythm, pitch and expression of the musical score.

With cheaper digitisation media available, optical music recognition (OMR) became a researched area with value to musical and scientificcommunities alike. Optical music recognition opens opportunities forautomated and time saving methods for changing paper-based musicscores into a machine readable symbolic format that is used by musicsoftware, allowing the translation of the musical score into other notations,such as Braille, as well as increasing the interaction between the scoreand multimedia, allowing playback and musical analysis. Of particular

interest is the possibility of allowing a music scholar to assess his/herexecution of a musical piece with what is actually written in the score.

Optical music recognition requires the use of pre-processing techniquessuch as binarisation and line detection to enhance the quality of themusical score for further processing. This would typically involve musicalsymbol segmentation and recognition, using techniques such as HiddenMarkov Models . The musical symbols must the be re-organised intomeaningful groups such that the reconstruction of the musical notationmay take place, representing the musical score in a format such as MIDI which may be ported to musical software or digital instruments.


• To understand the issues involved in optical music recognition inorder to develop algorithms that may extract the symbols present in a

musical score• To extract the information encoded within these symbols andrepresent it in formats that can be used by digital instruments orsoftware.



• Literature review of existing optical musical recognition systems,including pre-processing techniques that can be used for musicalscores and symbol recognition algorithms that are useful forrecognition of musical symbols

• Algorithm that extracts symbolic information from printed musicalsheets

• Algorithm that changes this symbolic information into MIDI format


• Signal Processing with interest in image processing• Interest in computational intelligence• Musical knowledge is NOT required


N/A


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3D INTERPRETATION OF DRAWINGS WITH ARTISTIC CUESSupervisor(s): Ms. Alexandra Bonnici, [email protected], Dept. of Systems



N/A

ProblemBackground

Drawings have an important role in communication of ideas to otherpersons. Sketches of 3D objects are however, potentially geometricallyambiguous, since the representation of drawn objects in the 3D space

may have multiple valid interpretations. Humans overcome theseambiguities, partly by using preconceived geometric concepts but alsothrough other cues that may be present in the drawing. To this extent,artists and designers often include artistic cues to help in the portrayal ofgeometric intent. Such cues may include the use of shading and shadowsas well as the use of thick, bold lines for object edges which are closer tothe observer and thinner lines for edges further away from the observer,thus introducing an impression of depth in the drawing.

Machine interpretation of pen-and-paper drawings is therefore aninteresting and challenging problem and attempts to create interpretationsof the sketched objects that is similar to the human interpretation of thesame sketch. In current research carried out within the department ofSystems and Control Engineering, the artistic cues are being used todistinguish between the different geometric interpretations of the edge,namely, distinguishing between convex , concave , and occluding edgesbased on the shading cues that are present in the drawing and labellingthe edges accordingly. While such a distinction serves to give an idea ofthe overall geometric shape of the drawing, the labels alone do notgenerate a 3D interpretation of the drawing.

These labels can however be used to provide an initial inflation of thedrawing and such an initial inflation may be used as an initial startingpoint in conjunction with other 3D interpretation algorithms described inthe literature to obtain the full 3D interpretation of the drawing. Suchalgorithms however, are based mainly on geometric constraints and donot take into consideration the artistic depth cues that are present in thedrawing. To this extent, the aim of this project will be to investigate howthese artistic depth cues can be used in conjunction with existing 3Dinterpretation algorithms to obtain 3D models from drawings that matchthe designer's intent.


• To understand the different depth cues that may be present in adrawing

• To use these depth cues to obtain a 3D interpretation of a drawing



• Literature review of existing 3D interpretation algorithms• A study of different depth cues that are used in sketches• Algorithm that obtains 3D models from the 2D sketches


• Signal Processing with interest in image processing


N/A

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2015-16 Collected FYP Proposals

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