Circuit Board Layout Research Articles

Artificial Intelligence in Electronics and Communication

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) integration has ushered in a new era of innovation and efficiency across numerous industries. One domain where AI is making profound contributions is electronics and communication design. A new era of efficiency, invention, and connectedness has been brought about by the integration of AI into electronic gadgets and communication networks. AI fundamentally transforms the electronics design process from automating schematic design and optimizing component selection to enhancing printed circuit board layouts and predicting failure modes.AI-driven speech recognition technology has improved the accuracy and reliability of voice- activated systems

Design of Half-Bridge Switching Power Module Based on Parallel-Connected SiC MOSFETs for LLC Resonant Converter with Symmetrical Structure and Low Parasitic Inductance

SiC MOSFETs are used in many power conversion applications because of their superior characteristics, such as fast switching speed, low on-resistance, and high operating temperature. In certain high-power systems, SiC MOSFETs are connected in parallel to enhance their current capacity and power efficiency. However, compared with Si-based devices, the current imbalance caused by the parasitic inductance difference becomes more severe when driving SiC MOSFETs in parallel, owing to the fast switching speed. Furthermore, the power loop inductance imbalance that occurs when constructing a half-bridge with parallel SiC MOSFETs has rarely been addressed in previous studies. In this study, a half-bridge switching power module based on parallel-connected SiC MOSFETs is proposed to solve the current imbalance through a symmetric structure of the gate and power loops. The effects of the magnitude and imbalance of the gate and power loop inductances in the half-bridge structure based on parallel-connected devices are also explained. A detailed printed circuit board layout of the proposed switching power module is provided, and the inductance symmetry is verified through simulations. A double-pulse test is conducted to verify the current-balancing capability of the proposed switching power module. In addition, an LLC resonant converter is designed using the proposed switching power module, and the power loss between parallel SiC MOSFETs is compared. The experimental results indicate the total power loss error between the parallel-connected SiC MOSFETs of the proposed power module is only 1.94%.

Wearable solution for health monitoring of car drivers

The need for creative solutions in real-time health monitoring has been highlighted by the rise in health-related incidents involving drivers of motor vehicles. It has led to the development of wearable technology that seamlessly integrates with the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to improve driver safety and healthcare responsiveness. The development of a revolutionary wearable technology system is presented in this study as an innovative approach to vehicle safety and healthcare. This system’s real-time ability to track a driver’s health is a significant development in guaranteeing driver safety and wellness. The study examines the hardware component’s complex design and implementation, particularly concerning the printed circuit board (PCB) layout and electrical schematic. The gadget emphasizes wearability, robustness, affordability, and user-friendliness and is a shining example of valuable and effective medical technology. The research delves deeper into possible improvements for the system, like adding complex algorithms and a user-friendly interface. Enhancing user involvement and system intelligence hopes to maximize the system’s potential for real-time health monitoring. The significance of this study in utilizing Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technology is highlighted by its junction with multiple fields, including electronics, hardware engineering, human-computer interaction, and health informatics. This dissertation emphasizes the potential of wearable technology in bridging the gap between healthcare monitoring and vehicle safety by focusing on real-time health monitoring in the automotive context.

Open Source Embedded System Approach for Decreasing Carbon Footprint of Oldtimers

In the ever-evolving landscape of automotive engineering, the importance of efficient and adaptable engine control is paramount. Open-source Engine Control Unit (OS-ECU) emerges as an innovative, presenting a blend of intricate electronic design and adaptability. This study delves deep into the very heart of OS-ECU, unraveling its printed circuit board (PCB) layout with Through Hole Technology (THT), electronic components, and the harmonious interplay between them. By meticulously exploring these aspects, we aim to understand not only the electronic foundation of OS-ECU but also its practical implications when integrated into a vehicle. Subsequently, the research touches upon the synergy between the electronics Engine Control Unit (ECU) and the accompanying software, shedding light on how they cohesively drive engine performance. Our findings emphasize the transformative potential of open-source electronic solutions like OS-ECU in reshaping and enhancing traditional automotive systems.

ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЕ ПЕЧАТНОЙ ПЛАТЫ C КОНТАКТНЫМ УСТРОЙСТВОМ ДЛЯ КОНТРОЛЯ ПАРАМЕТРОВ СЕРИЙНО-ВЫПУСКАЕМЫХ ТРАНЗИСТОРОВ

The article discusses the design of a printed circuit board of a contact device designed to control the electrical parameters of serial produced transistors. This contact device is a double-sided printed circuit board. The developed electrical circuit diagram of this device is given, the components included in it are listed. The process of designing a printed circuit board, which includes several stages, is described. The topology of a double-sided printed circuit board made using the Altium Designer program is shown. The criteria for the design of this topology are highlighted. The used circuit board layers are described. Next, based on the created Gerber files, using the high-quality production technology of a printed circuit board layout was made. In the future, a printed circuit board made in this way can be used to test the electrical parameters of transistors.

Influence of a PCB Layout Design on the Efficiency of Heat Dissipation and Mutual Thermal Couplings between Transistors

This article presents the results of the investigations concerning the influence of the printed circuit board (PCB) layout design on self and transfer transient thermal impedances characterizing thermal phenomena occurring in the network containing two power MOSFETs. The tested devices have the case D2PAK and are soldered to the PCB using the surface mount technology (SMT). The measurement method is described. The tested transistors are presented with the used PCBs on which they are mounted. The obtained measurement results of the mentioned thermal parameters of the tested transistors operating on all the tested PCBs are shown and discussed. The influence of a cooling area of the tested PCBs on the parameters describing self and transfer transient thermal impedances is analyzed.

Improved Multiphase Interleaved LLC Resonant Converter With Virtual Controllable Voltage Sources

In this article, a simplified virtual controllable voltage sources (SVCVSs) structure for multiphase ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n \ge3$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ) interleaved LLC resonant converter has been proposed. The SVCVS in each phase is constructed by single auxiliary winding of transformer of the nearby as the phase number is <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ge 3$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , hence printed circuit board (PCB) layout of the improved multiphase interleaved LLC resonant converter becomes much simpler. The feasibility of the multiphase interleaved LLC resonant converter with SVCVSs has been illustrated by vector diagrams, and a family of topologies has been derived. Finally, the 12-V/60-A three-phase interleaved LLC converter with VCVSs/SVCVSs has been tested based on a laboratory built-up prototype. Experimental results show that the three-phase converter with SVCVSs can achieve close output current ripple but higher efficiency than the converter with VCVSs.

Design and Performance of Extraordinary Low-Cost Compact Terahertz Imaging System Based on Electronic Components and Paraffin Wax Optics.

Terahertz (THz) imaging is a powerful technique allowing us to explore non-conducting materials or their arrangements such as envelopes, packaging substances, and clothing materials in a nondestructive way. The direct implementation of THz imaging systems relies, on the one hand, on their convenience of use and compactness, minimized optical alignment, and low power consumption; on the other hand, an important issue remains the system cost and its figure of merit with respect to the image quality and recording parameters. In this paper, we report on the design and performance of an extraordinary low-cost THz imaging system relying on a InP Gunn diode emitter, paraffin wax optics, and commercially available GaAs high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with a gate length of 200 nm as the sensing elements in a room temperature environment. The design and imaging performance of the system at 94 GHz is presented, and the spatial resolution in the range of the illumination wavelength (∼3 mm) and contrast of nearly two orders of magnitude is determined. The operation of two models of the HEMTs of the same nominal 20 GHz cut-off frequency, but placed in different packages and printed circuit board layouts was evaluated at 94 GHz and 0.307 THz. The presence of two competing contributions-self-resistive mixing and radiation coupling through the antenna effects of the printed circuit boards-to the detected signal is revealed by the signal dependence on the gate-to-source voltage, resulting in a cross-sectional responsivity of 27 V/W and noise-equivalent power of 510 pW/Hz at 94 GHz. Further routes in the development of low-cost THz imaging systems in the range of EUR 100 are considered.

Design and research of permanent magnet synchronous motor controller for electric vehicle

AbstractPermanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) have high power density, stable output torque, low noise, and good speed regulation performance, making them very suitable for electric vehicle propulsion. In this paper, a PMSM controller, based on Renesas MCU, is designed. To meet the requirements of small size, lightweight, wide speed range, and power generation of the PMSM controller the design has been carried out from three aspects: hardware circuit, structural components, and software algorithm, including electronic component selection, hardware protection circuit, printed circuit board layout, control algorithm, structural strength, and the cooling channel. The controller prototype was produced and an experimental platform was built. The controller efficiency test, generator test, field weakening test, and temperature rise test were carried out. The experimental results verify the rationality of the design scheme. Compared with earlier motor controllers, this controller is small in size, light in weight with low cost.

An open-source automated magnetic optical density meter for analysis of suspensions of magnetic cells and particles.

We present a spectrophotometer (optical density meter) combined with electromagnets dedicated to the analysis of suspensions of magnetotactic bacteria. The instrument can also be applied to suspensions of other magnetic cells and magnetic particles. We have ensured that our system, called MagOD, can be easily reproduced by providing the source of the 3D prints for the housing, electronic designs, circuit board layouts, and microcontroller software. We compare the performance of our system to existing adapted commercial spectrophotometers. In addition, we demonstrate its use by analyzing the absorbance of magnetotactic bacteria as a function of their orientation with respect to the light path and their speed of reorientation after the field has been rotated by 90°. We continuously monitored the development of a culture of magnetotactic bacteria over a period of 5 days and measured the development of their velocity distribution over a period of one hour. Even though this dedicated spectrophotometer is relatively simple to construct and cost-effective, a range of magnetic field-dependent parameters can be extracted from suspensions of magnetotactic bacteria. Therefore, this instrument will help the magnetotactic research community to understand and apply this intriguing micro-organism.

Implementation of an Electronically Based Active Power Filter Associated with a Digital Controller for Harmonics Elimination and Power Factor Correction

This paper introduces simulation study and hardware implementation of a shunt active power filter (SAPF). The SAPF is considered an effective method for improving power quality by enhancing the power factor and reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) for power sources due to nonlinear loads. A digital notch filter is used for extracting the reference current signal. The hysteresis band current controller is used to generate gating switching signals that control the switches of SAPF. The proposed model is constructed using Simulink/MATLAB environment and Proteus VMS, and the performance of the model is tested through a simulation study. The model of SAPF with a digital notch-filter is implemented using the Arduino microcontroller and a printed circuit board (PCB) layout. The model emulating a single-phase SAPF prototype is built and tested in the University of Kafrelshiekh, Faculty of Engineering laboratory. Significant improvements in power quality issues confirm the ability and effectiveness of SAPF, as well as reducing THD to a level less than 5%, which is in proportion to IEEE Std. 519-1992 and IEEE Std. 519-2014. The results emphasize the importance of SAPF to mitigate harmonics problems and enhance power factors.

CNC machine for image and PCB layout drawing

Increment in the number of accidents in the workshops and due to the problems caused by the production of the complex part by traditional machining such as lack of quality and the need of plenty time for the production process and with the advancement of technology, all these demands for Computer Numerical Control machines in industries is rapidly rising. Computer Numerical Control machining is a process used in the manufacturing sector that involves the use of computers to control machine tools without direct human assistance. Computer Numerical Control is a very broad term that encompasses a variety of types of machines all with different sizes, shapes, and functions. Computer Numerical Control has found its applications mainly in lathes, drills, milling machines etc. In this paper, a two-dimensional Computer Numerical Control machine designed and implemented in efficient and low-cost hardware architecture, it is able to draw images/texts. In addition, the idea behind our project is to design and draw Printed Circuit Board layouts based on a low-cost Computer Numerical Control system. The control mechanism of the designed machine is based on using Arduino UNO, Inkscape and the Geode-sender software. The outcome of the paper is to help researchers and designers in the area of Computer Numerical Control machines.

Low Noise Balanced Homodyne Detector for Quantum Noise Measurement

The research of quantum noise in the interaction of laser and atoms plays a critical role in quantum optical experiments. The measurement of quantum noise is mainly based on the balanced homodyne detection method. Here, we reported a balanced homodyne detector with low noise, high gain, and high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) at the wavelength of 795 nm. By optimizing the selection of components and printed circuit board (PCB) layout, a minimum electronic noise of &#x2212;96.7 dBm is obtained. Over the range of 1 MHz to 5 MHz, we get a flat CMRR above 59 dB and a linear gain regime, which can enable a shot noise measurement with the laser power of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$100~\mu \text{w}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The developed detector can be used in quantum coherent experiments with a weak probe laser of power down to tens of microwatts.

Thermal design optimization of electronic circuit board layout with transient heating chips by using Bayesian optimization and thermal network model

This paper describes a method combining Bayesian optimization (BO) and a lumped-capacitance thermal network model that is effective for speeding up the thermal design optimization of an electronic circuit board layout with transient heating chips. As electronic devices have become smaller and more complex, the importance of thermal design optimization to ensure heat dissipation performance has increased. However, such a thermal design optimization is difficult because various trade-offs associated with packaging and transient temperature changes of heat-generating components must be considered. This study aims to improve the performance of thermal design optimization by artificial intelligence. BO using a Gaussian process was combined with the lumped-capacitance thermal network model, and its performance was verified. As a result, BO successfully found the ideal circuit board layout as well as particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) could. The CPU time for BO was 1/5 and 1/4 of that for PSO and GA. In addition, BO found a non-intuitive optimal solution in approximately 7 min from 10 million layout patterns. It was estimated that this was 1/1000 of the CPU time required for analyzing all layout patterns.

Layout-Based Ultrafast Short-Circuit Protection Technique for Parallel-Connected GaN HEMTs

Gallium-nitrideenhancement-mode high-electron-mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs) help to achieve high-power-density converter circuits due to their superior efficiency, higher switching speed, and small package size. However, increased switching speed results in a sharp increase in short-circuit (SC) current under a shoot-through fault with respect to other type of devices. GaN HEMTs can withstand the SC current only for several hundred nanoseconds. Therefore, fast SC protection solutions are critical for protecting power circuits. In this article, the voltage induced by high slew rate of SC current on the high-frequency power loop inductance resulting from the printed circuit board (PCB) layout is sensed to implement an ultrafast short-circuit protection technique. The proposed technique does not increase circuit parasitics and provides flexibility in layout design that makes it suitable for parallel-connected GaN HEMTs, which requires symmetric layout design for equal current sharing. A multipulse test is conducted under 1.56-MHz switching frequency, 400-V dc- bus voltage, and 40-A load current by using parallel-connected GaN HEMTs in a half-bridge configuration to verify the robustness and reliability of the proposed protection technique. Experimental results show that the proposed protection technique can detect SC fault within 40 ns and fault is completely cleared with a soft turn-off in 250 ns.

Stochastic estimation of total radiated power from PCB signal/PDN layout using EMI radiation resistance

In this article, a stochastic model is proposed for estimation of electromagnetic radiated emission from printed circuit board (PCB) layout. Considering the arbitrary nature of the PCB layout by radiation resistance, the radiated power density is estimated analytically. The model employs stochastic passing signals as layout trace excitation. The approach is conducted on a designed and fabricated test board. The total radiated power from the PCB layout can be as high 11.5 nW in 2.4GHz–2.5 GHz and 2.8uW in 1 MHz to 3 GHz. An important achievement of the model is its fast estimation of total radiated power for a given PCB layout, rather time/cost consuming experimental measurements and software simulations. For the designed test board, the full-wave simulation time lasts 5 h, while the proposed mathematic model gives the result within 30s on a device with Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB RAM. The approach can be considered as a fast and preliminary verification step in estimation of radiated emission from PCB layout.

Wideband Modeling of DC-DC Buck Converter with GaN Transistors

The general wideband modeling method of the power converter is presented on the example of DC-DC buck converter with GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT). The models of all basic and parasitic components are briefly described. The two methods of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout parameter extraction are presented. The results of simulation in Saber@Sketch simulation software and measurements are compared. Next, the model of the converter is reduced to obtain one lumped inductance of the input filter PCB for the analytical prediction of transistor turn-off ringing frequency and overvoltage. The practical use of the model is presented for sizing optimal capacitance of snubber.

Tailoring insulation surface conductivity for surface partial discharge mitigation

It is an urgent requirement to suppress surface partial discharge (PD) activities of dielectrics for modern electrical and electronic devices. Here, we introduce a method to mitigate the surface PD in a manner of tailoring insulation surface conductivity. A surface coating with a conductivity ranging from 10−13 to 10−10 S is developed to regulate the surface charge migration in the vicinity of the triple junction and to suppress effectively the surface PD activity. The excellent performance of this coating provides an approach for surface PD suppression at DC voltage, which has great application potential in the insulation design of DC electric power equipment, DC generators, power electronic devices, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and various integrated electrostatic sensors and actuators.

Digitalization of production in Altium Designer software

A method for modeling and printed circuit board layout in the form of a 3D model in one of the digital solutions designed for this task, Altium Designer, is proposed. The practical significance of the work is the study of the basic software libraries in terms of their creation, filling and application when working with the project, as well as of the algorithm for constructing an electrical circuit in the Altium Designer program, layout and design of the simplest circuit on the board. In the course of the work, the algorithm and rules for creating a library of three-dimensional models of components, a library containing conditional graphic designations of the corresponding components, a schematic diagram of the device, a three-dimensional model of the board and the construction of conducting tracks on it are described. The components and circuits used in the work are publicly available on the Internet, which allows anyone to work over the entire algorithm for studying and honing the skills of designing printed circuit boards, both by students studying at a higher educational institution and by fully-fledged specialists. This work can be used not only for teaching students in the field of electronic device development in terms of their design and for organizing laboratory work, but also for creating and designing real devices both in production and within a higher educational institution, for example, for creating a laboratory bench. The introduction and study of this software is carried out at the Department of Radio-Electronic Systems and Complexes of one of the leading engineering universities of the Russian Federation — the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

Development of Wireless Sensor Device for Machine English Oral Pronunciation Noise Detection

There is often noise in spoken machine English, which affects the accuracy of pronunciation. Therefore, how to accurately detect the noise in machine English spoken language and give standard spoken pronunciation is very important and meaningful. The traditional machine‐oriented spoken English speech noise detection technology is limited to the improvement of software algorithm, mainly including speech enhancement technology and speech endpoint detection technology. Based on this, this paper will develop a wireless sensor network based on machine English oral pronunciation noise based on air and nonair conduction, reasonably design and configure air sensors, and nonair conduction sensors to deal with machine English oral pronunciation noise, so as to improve the naturalness and intelligibility of machine English speech. At the hardware level, this paper mainly optimizes the AD sampling, sensor matching layout, and internal hardware circuit board layout of the two types of sensors, so as to solve the compatibility problem between them and further reduce the hardware power consumption. In order to further verify or evaluate the performance of the machine spoken English speech noise detection sensor designed in this paper, a machine spoken English training system based on Android platform is designed. Compared with the traditional system, the training system can improve the intelligence of machine oriented oral English noise detection algorithm, so as to continuously improve the accuracy of system detection. The machine English pronunciation is adjusted and corrected by combining the data sensed by the sensor, so as to form a closed‐loop design. The experimental results show that the wireless sensor sample proposed in this paper has obvious advantages in detecting the accuracy of machine English oral pronunciation, and its good closed‐loop system is helpful to further improve the accuracy of machine English oral pronunciation.