Analog Instruments Research Articles

EUROCODE 8 DESIGN RESPONSE SPECTRA EVALUATION USING THE K-NET JAPANESE DATABASE

The Eurocode 8 (EC8) currently proposes two standard shapes for the design response spectra. Type 1 spectra are enriched in long period and are suggested for high seismicity regions. Conversely, Type 2 spectra are proposed for low to moderate seismicity areas (like France), and exhibit both a larger amplification at short period, and a much smaller long period contents, with respect to Type 1 spectra. These propositions, however, were constrained using few events mostly recorded on analogical instruments. In the present study, we use the Japanese high quality digital K-net array in order to evaluate the proposed ECS response spectra. Furthermore, all K-net stations have geotechnical characterisation. We first constructed a database of shallow events, depth less than 25 km, to avoid subduction related records. The database spans six years of seismicity from 1996 until 2003. Thus, 591 events were selected with moment magnitude between 4 and 7.3, recorded at 691 stations, giving a total of 6812 two horizontal components accelerograms. Using these records, we computed spectral ground-motion prediction equations and we used them to review the shape of the proposed EC8 spectra. In particular, we studied the plateau-PGA ratio level, the period interval where this plateau is constant, and site amplification effects. The results show surprisingly that the Type 2 rock better envelope the Japanese data. Another interesting observation is that the K-net data corresponding to all soil classes are rich in short periods around 0.1 s. This characteristic has not been observed in other worldwide databases. Normalised empirical predictions show a widening of the plateau as the soil conditions degrade. This suggests that the Type 2 EC8 spectra do not cover enough the long periods for EC3-soil classes C, D and E. Finally, the computed ground-motion prediction equations show that the peak ground acceleration (PGA) is nearly invariant to the soil conditions. Soil effects are mainly seen in the shape and plateau level.

An On-Chip Spectrum Analyzer for Analog Built-In Testing

This paper presents an analog built-in testing (BIT) architecture and its implementation. It enables the frequency response and harmonic distortion characterizations of an integrated device-under-test (DUT) through a digital off-chip interface. External analog instrumentation is avoided, reducing test time and cost. The proposed on-chip testing scheme uses a digital frequency synthesizer and a simple signal generator synchronized with a switched capacitor bandpass filter. A general methodology for the use of this structure in the functional verification of a DUT is also provided. The circuit-level design and experimental results of an integrated prototype in standard CMOS 0.5 ?m technology are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed BIT technique.

Design and Analysis of a Smart Multi Purpose Electronic Nose System

An electronic nose system for multi application purposes is designed and tested. Our hardware design allows various types of sensors to be used for different applications. The system is capable of being interfaced to both analog and digital instruments with special filtering devices that isolate the system from surrounding signals. The design of the system is distinguished through the use of two logic controlled micro fans that stabilize the system atmosphere, which surrounds the smelling sensor and also serves an important function of removing any adsorbed odors on the surface of the sensor. Comprehensive mathematics are used to design and describe each part of the presented system, which allows methodical development and changes of the system parameters for future advances. Testing of the hardware was carried out under computer control using various TGS sensors such as TGS822, and TGS824 and TGS30. Database based software with neural network facility was designed to interface the built hardware and to process the electronic nose signals before being classified.

Processing of strong-motion accelerograms: needs, options and consequences

Recordings from strong-motion accelerographs are of fundamental importance in earthquake engineering, forming the basis for all characterizations of ground shaking employed for seismic design. The recordings, particularly those from analog instruments, invariably contain noise that can mask and distort the ground-motion signal at both high and low frequencies. For any application of recorded accelerograms in engineering seismology or earthquake engineering, it is important to identify the presence of this noise in the digitized time-history and its influence on the parameters that are to be derived from the records. If the parameters of interest are affected by noise then appropriate processing needs to be applied to the records, although it must be accepted from the outset that it is generally not possible to recover the actual ground motion over a wide range of frequencies. There are many schemes available for processing strong-motion data and it is important to be aware of the merits and pitfalls associated with each option. Equally important is to appreciate the effects of the procedures on the records in order to avoid errors in the interpretation and use of the results. Options for processing strong-motion accelerograms are presented, discussed and evaluated from the perspective of engineering application.

Tripping On Wires: The Wireless Body: Who is Improvising?

The author has been tripping on wires onstage and offstage for half a century of technological change in music. She has observed the trajectory of the disembodiment of music from analog instruments to tape to laptop computer performance. The process of disembodiment that began millennia ago with the use of instruments that distanced the musical use of voice, hands and feet with the body in resonance has accelerated in the 20th century to a crisis point. How do musicians, composers and audiences relate with the disconnected body and disembodied music? The call now seems to be to reintegrate the body with technology. The solution seems to indicate that the technology and body will merge in a re-embodied wireless future.

Report on a workshop on electromagnetic induction methods for UXO detection and discrimination

To decrease cost and increase reliability and efficiency of unexploded ordnance (UXO) environmental remediation, government research and development programs and industry efforts seek to establish a practice of UXO location using modern digital survey systems, sound geophysical survey procedures, and postprocessing of data for enhanced detection and discrimination. The new practice will replace most traditional “mag and flag” type UXO location surveys that typically use analog instruments, where all detected targets (anomalies) must be investigated (i.e., excavated). Several factors, both technical and nontechnical, drive and justify the change in practice: (1) digital data allow maintenance of a permanent record of the locations of targets and sensor signatures over targets; (2) digital data will typically have higher dynamic range (hence higher signal-to-noise ratios) than the analog data that rely on audio or visual output; (3) digital data allow and facilitate postprocessing to enhance signatures for ...

Terrestrial analogs to Mars: The NRC community decadal report

In 2001, the US National Research Council, at the request of NASA, initiated a broad community survey of the current state of solar system exploration seeking recommendations for the coming decade. One of the studies was on Terrestrial Analogs to Mars. It is well recognized that interpretations of Mars must begin with the Earth as a reference. The most successful comparisons have focused on understanding geologic processes on the Earth well enough to extrapolate to Mars’ environment. Over the next decade, we will be entering a new phase of Mars study as the era of reconnaissance global mapping is ending and we begin to focus on detailed analysis at the regional to outcrop level. Recommendations from the Terrestrial Analogs to Mars community panel included: process studies at analog sites, field workshops, instrument and operations tests, and laboratory measurements. Coordinated deployment of airborne, spaceborne, field instrumentation, and personnel to several sites to test instruments and technology intended for Mars and to provide data for ongoing studies of terrestrial geologic processes relevant to Mars was the most important area recommended for support. Field workshops should be continued and expanded and could also include operation of field instruments, modeled after the Marsokhod field tests at Silver Lake and this workshop. Laboratory studies are needed to determine more fully the physical, spectral, and electromagnetic characteristics of Mars analog materials. Data archives were recommended to collect, document, and make available via the Web existing terrestrial data relevant to Mars studies. The establishment of Mars analog sites would also support human exploration objectives and could be used for effective outreach to better engage the public in the exploration of Mars.

Assessment of the effects of noise suppression in digital hearing aids

The effect of a new digital hearing aid (Beltone-Lumina D71HP) with noise suppression was evaluated in comparison to analog hearing aids. The study comprised of 10 patients that were wearing the instruments for two periods of 1 month. For one period, the noise-suppression system was switched on and switched off for the other period in random order. The performance was evaluated by speech in noise tests (SPIN tests) and by the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire. Results showed significant improvements compared to analog instruments. The effect of the noise-suppression system on speech understanding in noise was small, but the positive effect was confirmed by the APHAB questionnaire for the background noise (BN) category.

Digital and analogue instrumentation: testing and measurement

A substantial update of his earlier IEE book, Modern Electronic Test and Measuring Instruments, the author provides a state-of-the art review of modern families of digital instruments. For each family he covers internal design, use and applications, highlighting their advantages and limitations from a practical application viewpoint.The book also treats new digital instrument families such as DSOs, Arbitrary Function Generators, FFT analysers and many other common systems used by the test engineers, designers and research scientists.

Dispute settlement corner: United States – Section 110(5) of the US Copyright Act, Recourse to Arbitration under Article 25 of the DSU: would've or should've? Impaired benefits due to copyright infringement

This dispute between the European Communities and the United States originated when the United States amended its copyright law in a way that nullified and impaired certain benefits promised to the European Communities under the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs). Article 9.1 of TRIPs requires all WTO members to comply with Articles 1 through 21 of the Berne Convention of 1971. Among the provisions of the Berne Convention thus incorporated into the TRIPs Agreement is one that grants to authors of literary and artistic works the exclusive right to authorize ‘the public communication by loudspeaker or any analogous instrument transmitting, by signs, sounds or images, the broadcast of the work’, and another that grants to authors of dramatic and musical works the exclusive right to authorize ‘any communication to the public of the performance of these works’.

What is a poor quality strong-motion record?

Some accelerograms are affected by non-standard recording and digitization problems that mean they are often not used in strong-motion studies. These non-standard problems cannot be corrected by the standard processing techniques that remove low and high-frequency noise from the time-history. Records from analogue instruments are more prone to these problems but even records from digital instruments, which are becoming increasingly common, can be affected by such errors. Since all strong-motion data is valuable it is important to know whether any useful information can be obtained from accelerograms that are affected by such problems. This article examines whether strong-motion records from analogue instruments that are missing their initial part due to late triggering of the instrument and also strong-motion records from digital instruments with low A/D converter resolution can be used for response spectral studies. It is found, by simulating such errors on high-quality strong-motion records, that good response spectral ordinates can be obtained from such `poor-quality' records within the period range of most engineering interest.

US – Section 110(5) Copyright Act: United States – Section 110(5) of the US Copyright Act, Recourse to Arbitration under Article 25 of the DSU: Would’ve or Should’ve? Impaired Benefits due to Copyright Infringement

This dispute between the European Communities and the United States originated when the United States amended its copyright law in a way that nullified and impaired certain benefits promised to the European Communities under the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs). Article 9.1 of TRIPs requires all WTO members to comply with Articles 1 through 21 of the Berne Convention of 1971. Among the provisions of the Berne Convention thus incorporated into the TRIPs Agreement is one that grants to authors of literary and artistic works the exclusive right to authorize “the public communication by loudspeaker or any analogous instrument transmitting, by signs, sounds or images, the broadcast of the work,” and another that grants to authors of dramatic and musical works the exclusive right to authorize “any communication to the public of the performance of these works.”1

Earthquake Data Recorded by the MEMS Accelerometer: Field Testing in Idaho

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) operates 26 seismic stations remotely located in southeastern Idaho and 25 strong-motion accelerographs located at critical facilities at the INEEL site. The INEEL seismic network has recently upgraded standard analog instrumentation at all of its seismic stations to digital recording systems. Seismic data are transmitted to a central recording laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho using 900 MHz wireless modems. INEEL has also chosen digital recording systems to replace the 25 analog film-recording strong-motion accelerographs. INEEL chose to field-test the Applied MEMS, Inc. model SF1500A tri-axial accelerometer1 with the digital recording system for suitability in earthquake ground-motion recording. In this note we report on the results of our field tests. MEMS (Micro ElectroMechanical Systems) sensors are miniature sensors made in wafer fabrication facilities similar to semiconductor foundries. Many types of commercial MEMS accelerometers exist and are used for a wide range of applications such as air bag systems, detecting industrial vibrations, and strong-motion recording. The Applied MEMS, Inc. model SF1500A is an analog force-feedback accelerometer featuring a variable capacitance, silicon bulk-micromachined acceleration sensor, and a custom low-power mixed-signal integrated circuit. The custom design results in a very lownoise, low-distortion sensor with high bandwidth, dynamic range, stability, and robustness (Figure 1). The SF1500A accelerometer can withstand shock impacts up to 1,500 g and has a demonstrated operating temperature range from –40°C to +85°C. The nominal bandwidth is from DC to 1.5 kHz with a …

Platonic Relations

Platonic Relations

Digital Hearing Aids: Current “State-of-the-Art”

Digital Hearing Aids: Current “State-of-the-Art”

The performance of digital registers of temperature and air humidity in a standardized meteorological shelter - a preliminary comparative study aiming its use in Field works

Neste trabalho é feita comparação da temperatura e da umidade relativa do ar obtida a partir de instrumentos minirregistradores digitais e dos instrumentos analógicos tradicionalmente empregados em observações meteorológicas. Todos estiveram submetidos à mesma condição ambiente de um abrigo meteorológico padrão durante um mês. Conclui-se que as séries obtidas apresentam atributos distintos e que, tomadas determinadas precauções, são compatíveis e comparáveis apenas para os valores médios diários, horários e/ou mensais

An analogue instrument for the measurement of respiratory impedanceusing the forced oscillation technique

The successful development of non-invasive assisted ventilation via anasal mask has led to the requirement for improved methods of monitoring therespiratory system. Measurements of respiratory impedance during assistedventilation using acoustic methods are showing considerable promise inproviding this clinical data.The method involves imposing very low amplitude acoustic oscillations onto thespontaneous or assisted respiratory airflow. The subsequent interaction withthe respiratory system modifies the pressure and flow relationship of theforced oscillations. The ratio of pressure to flow can be used to measure inreal time the absolute value of respiratory input impedance. As a result aversatile, non-invasive and repeatable profile of respiratory mechanics isobtained. Using a 5 Hz conventional forced oscillation frequency, data highlysensitive to airflow obstruction and capable of tracking mechanical events andresponses become available to the clinician. Recent studies with ventilatedand sleeping subjects confirm future potential for the forced oscillationtechnique in vivo.We describe an instrument named the respiratory impedance monitor (5 Hz), whichutilizes the forced oscillation technique (FOT). This fully developed deviceis designed in accordance with agreed international clinical guidelines.Comparative clinical data from normal subjects and patients with chronicobstructive pulmonary disease is presented.

Digital pulse processing: New possibilities in portable electronics

In this paper we discuss the advantages that digital processors have, compared to traditional analog spectrometers, and present some of the opportunities these offer for next generation portable instruments. We begin with a comparison of the topologies of analog and digital instruments and then show how digital processors' ability to operate on pulse specific information is applied to two example cases: ballistic deficit correction in large Ge detectors and particle identification in CsI(Tl) scintillators. Finally, we examine the power budget of existing XIA instruments and show an easy path to lower power portable devices in the future.

Terrain measurement using automated digital photogrammetry

Introduction Photogrammetry has traditionally provided a means of generating three-dimensional spatial data to represent terrain surfaces, which complements traditional ground-based surveying methods. Although techniques such as airborne laser scanning (Lohr 1998) and synthetic aperture radar (Hogg et al. 1993; Vencatasawamy et al. 1998) have developed, photogrammetry remains the primary method of generating topographic maps (Wolf 1983; Capes 1998). One important advantage of photogrammetry is the flexibility of scale that allows application to imagery acquired from ground, air and space. Indeed, a new generation of high (i.e. 1 m) resolution satellite sensors (Capes 1998) is likely to further increase the potential applications of photogrammetry. Despite many advantages, there have been several problems with the application of photogrammetry using traditional methods. Most significantly, there was the requirement to use an expensive and complex photogrammetric stereoplotter. This ensured that the measurement process was slow and generally required the skills of an experienced operator, particularly if results of the highest accuracy were to be obtained. Rapid developments in computing hardware and software have allowed the science of photogrammetry to develop rapidly during the last ten years (Gruen 1994; Atkinson 1996; Greve 1996). These developments have radically eased many of the problems and limitations associated with traditional analogue instrumentation. Use of a purely numerical or analytical solution provides flexibility, which assists in two important ways. Satellite imagery, oblique aerial photography and ground-based imagery can be used, in addition to the more traditional vertical aerial perspective. Similarly, imagery acquired using

Foundation fieldbus economics comparison

This paper will provide a life cycle cost comparison between installations of three different control system configurations. 1. Conventional analogue instruments. 2. HART™ protocol instruments with a parallel asset management system. 3. Foundation fieldbus installation. Engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and ongoing maintenance costs will be included as part of the analysis. Data for the analysis includes equipment from multiple manufacturers so a range of expected expenses will also be provided to indicate the sensitivity of the economic calculations to supplier. All calculations will be based on the median equipment values.