Configurable Array Research Articles

An Enhanced Low Power Dual Data Injection Technique for Coarse - Grained Reconfigurable Architecture

oarse-gr ained reconfigurable architectures (CGRA) having a well-organized, more efficient configurable array of processing unit and high speed cache unit. The processing unit performs required arithmetic and logic operations. Now a day’s video processing applications power consumption plays an important role. We propose Double Data Rate Synchronous Memory architecture can address and reduce the power consumption caused by reconfiguration. An input data bits are injecting on the data bus in the interval of low to high and high low clock period. All modules have been designed and implemented in vertex using behavioral level with VHDL coding and to Simulate in Xilinx ISE navigator.

A Novel Near-Field UHF RFID Reader Array Antenna for Configurable Electrically Large Reading Area

In this paper, a novel configurable loop array antenna based on resonator-loaded microstrip lines (RLML) is proposed to enlarge the interrogation zone of the reader antenna for near-field ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) system. The proposed loop array antenna is composed of a number of RLML loop units. By configuration of the RLML loop units sharing a common side with its adjacent RLML loop units which carry reverse-direction flowing current in the ${x}$ -axis and ${y}$ -axis directions, loop array antennas are created to generate a strong and uniform magnetic-field distribution over a large configurable interrogation area. As an example, loop array antennas with $1\,\times \,8$ and $2\,\times \,3$ RLML loop units implemented onto a piece of an FR4 printed circuit board (PCB) are designed, fabricated, and measured. The measured bandwidth ranges from 894 to 964 MHz for a $1\times 8$ array antenna with a reading area of $570 \,\,{\mathrm{ mm}}\times 150\,\,{\mathrm{ mm}}$ and 917–932 MHz for a $2\times 3$ array antenna with a reading area of $270 \,\,{\mathrm{ mm}}\times 240\,\,{\mathrm{ mm}}$ . The reading distances of an $1\times 8$ array antenna for loop-like tag, dipole-like tag, and antimetal tag are achieved up to 22, 42, and 45 mm, respectively. For a $2\times 3$ array antenna, the reading distances of three tags are achieved up to 23, 43, and 40 mm.

Terahertz-Band Ultra-Massive Spatial Modulation MIMO

The prospect of ultra-massive multiple-input multiple-output (UM-MIMO) technology to combat the distance problem at the Terahertz (THz) band is considered. It is well-known that the very large available bandwidths at THz frequencies come at the cost of severe propagation losses and power limitations, which result in very short communication distances. Recently, graphene-based plasmonic nano-antenna arrays that can accommodate hundreds of antenna elements in a few millimeters have been proposed. While such arrays enable efficient beamforming that can increase the communication range, they fail to provide sufficient spatial degrees of freedom for spatial multiplexing. In this paper, we examine spatial modulation (SM) techniques that can leverage the properties of densely packed configurable arrays of subarrays of nano-antennas, to increase capacity and spectral efficiency, while maintaining acceptable beamforming performance. Depending on the communication distance and the frequency of operation, a specific SM configuration that ensures good channel conditions is recommended. We analyze the performance of the proposed schemes theoretically and numerically in terms of symbol and bit error rates, where significant gains are observed compared to conventional SM. We demonstrate that SM at very high frequencies is a feasible paradigm, and we motivate several extensions that can make THz-band SM a future research trend.

Trapping single atoms on a nanophotonic circuit with configurable tweezer lattices

Trapped atoms near nanophotonics form an exciting platform for bottom-up synthesis of strongly interacting quantum matter. The ability to induce tunable long-range atom-atom interactions with photons presents an opportunity to explore many-body physics and quantum optics. Here we implement a configurable optical tweezer array over a planar photonic circuit tailored for cold atom integration and control for trapping and high-fidelity imaging of one or more atoms in an array directly on a photonic structure. Using an optical conveyor belt formed by a moving optical lattice within a tweezer potential, we show that single atoms can be transported from a reservoir into close proximity of a photonic interface, potentially allowing for the synthesis of a defect-free atom-nanophotonic hybrid lattice. Our experimental platform can be integrated with generic planar photonic waveguides and resonators, promising a pathway towards on-chip many-body quantum optics and applications in quantum technology.

Technical upgrade and first tests of the experimental device for quasi-2D turbulent electrolyte flow experiment

A major upgrade of the experimental device for quasi-2 dimensional turbulence studies in magnetized electrolyte system is presented. The development has been motivated by the preparation of envisaged new experiments to investigate the effect of boundary walls on 2D turbulence cascades and the study of small vortex interactions with large scale sheared flows. The latter problem is relevant in different basic scientific as well as applied areas such as the reduction of anomalous transport via shear flows in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. The hardware upgrade consists of: (a) significantly larger electrolyte tank able to accommodate up to 2500 permanent magnets and adjustable walls, (b) ensemble of an electronically driven solenoid and a configurable permanent magnet array, (c) highly automatic acquisition and control of the experimental data and parameters. A first experimental test of the upgraded device is also presented.

A Horizontal Azimuth Pattern-Reconfigurable Antenna Using Omnidirectional Microstrip Arrays for WLAN Application

A horizontal azimuth pattern-reconfigurable antenna with configurable parasitic element arrays for WLAN applications is proposed in this paper. It consists of a control board, a central series-fed omnidirectional microstrip array, four configurable parasitic elements, a bottom conducting plate, and a top supporting plate. The omnidirectional microstrip array is adopted as an exciter, around which the four same parasitic element arrays are arranged at four corners. The p-i-n diodes as switches are placed between the parasitic element arrays and the conducting plate to control the fifteen radiation patterns of the proposed antenna. The parasitic element arrays are configured as reflectors or directors by switching the p-i-n diodes on or off. The bandwidth achieved ranges from 5.00 GHz to 5.27 GHz. A gain of 8.52 dBi is obtained when the antenna reaches the maximum gain in the H-plane at 5.2 GHz. Good agreements between the simulated and measured results were observed. The proposed parasitic structure which has the same structure with the driven element can enhance the horizontal azimuth gain of the antenna. Only 4 p-i-n diodes are used to produce up to 15 useful beam configurations with a gain range of 4.56-8.52 dBi at the horizontal azimuth.

Ultraino: An Open Phased-Array System for Narrowband Airborne Ultrasound Transmission.

Modern ultrasonic phased-array controllers are electronic systems capable of delaying the transmitted or received signals of multiple transducers. Configurable transmit-receive array systems, capable of electronic steering and shaping of the beam in near real-time, are available commercially, for example, for medical imaging. However, emerging applications, such as ultrasonic haptics, parametric audio, or ultrasonic levitation, require only a small subset of the capabilities provided by the existing controllers. To meet this need, we present Ultraino, a modular, inexpensive, and open platform that provides hardware, software, and example applications specifically aimed at controlling the transmission of narrowband airborne ultrasound. Our system is composed of software, driver boards, and arrays that enable users to quickly and efficiently perform research in various emerging applications. The software can be used to define array geometries, simulate the acoustic field in real time, and control the connected driver boards. The driver board design is based on an Arduino Mega and can control 64 channels with a square wave of up to 17 Vpp and /5 phase resolution. Multiple boards can be chained together to increase the number of channels. The 40-kHz arrays with flat and spherical geometries are demonstrated for parametric audio generation, acoustic levitation, and haptic feedback.

COMSOL modeling of an integrated impedance sensor in a hanging-drop platform

Event Abstract Back to Event COMSOL modeling of an integrated impedance sensor in a hanging-drop platform Raziyeh Bounik1*, Massimiliano Gusmaroli1, Vijay Viswam1, Mario M. Modena1 and Andreas Hierlemann1 1 ETH Zürich, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Switzerland Motivation Traditional dish-based, two-dimensional cell cultures have limited prediction capability for drug testing, whereas three-dimensional spherical microtissues (spheroids) and organoids much more accurately replicate physiological conditions of cells in the respective tissue [1,2]. Such spheroids can be formed and cultured in microphysiological multi-tissue formats by using the hanging-drop technology as depicted in Fig. 1 [3]. Like most other microfluidic platforms, the hanging-drop platform still requires a microscope for visual inspection and considerable time for doing off-line measurements, as the spheroids/media have to be harvested from the microfluidic device for labeling and chemical analysis. It would be beneficial to have an integrated on-line multi-functional sensor as an additional readout, located directly at the tissue sites in the hanging-drop platform, so that measurements can be performed in situ and without harvesting medium or the tissue and without interrupting the overall culturing process. Material and Methods The proposed sensor chip includes a configurable microelectrode array (2 mm x 2 mm) with integrated impedance spectroscopy readout on a single CMOS chip, that will be used for microtissue growth profiling. A model has been developed and simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics to investigate the effect of physical parameters, such as hanging-drop dimensions, to find an optimal electrode size. Fig. 2 (a) shows the implemented model, which includes a droplet (filled by medium), a microtissue, reference electrode, and an example working electrode. The medium (electrolyte) was modeled with a conductivity of 1.2 S/m, and the microtissue as an insulator with a conductivity of 0.01 S/m. The electrode-electrolyte interface was modeled by a double-layer capacitance of 0.25 F/m2 [4]. Results Fig. 2 (b) shows the current density in the medium while applying a sinusoidal voltage to the reference electrode and measuring the current through the working electrode. Fig. 2 (c) illustrates the effect of the spheroid size on the measured impedance for three electrode sizes, which shows that larger electrodes provide better-quality data for monitoring spheroid growth. Summary and conclusion A COMSOL model of a hanging-drop platform was developed, and the effects of electrodes and hanging-droplet dimensions were investigated. Results showed that in order to monitor the microtissue growth through impedance measurements, working electrodes should be larger than 100 µm × 100 µm. Figure 1 Figure 2 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Financial support through MHV Grant 171267 and ERC Advanced Grant 694829 “neuroXscales” are acknowledged.

An automated non-destructive testing system for seam bondings in automotive serial production

The joining process of seam bond is used in automobile construction because of the non-visible joints on mounted parts such as doors, hoods or luggage compartment doors. With these components, a structure-providing inner panel is joined with the outer panel, which is visible to the customer. Besides providing stability, particularly in the event of a crash, the joining level is also filled with adhesive to increase the stability and to prevent the ingress of moisture that causes corrosion. These mechanical connections must be tested to ensure that the requirements for proper bonding have been met. As the destructive test used today requires metallographic laboratory with special trained personnel, significant scrap cost and a time consuming process control loop, considerable efforts are being made to develop a capable non-destructive and as far as possible in-line test method. State of the art non-destructive inspection systems for seam bonds are insufficient regarding full part accessibility and reliability in terms of detectability and validation. This paper is focussed on new developed free configurable three-transducer ultrasonic phased array technology including algorithms for data validation and evaluation for an automated process control loop in the automotive car body shop. The paper end with an statistical classification based on an 5-month measurement campaign under industrial in-line conditions. In a first step, a list of possible defects was collected and the detectability in different seam areas was calculated by sound field simulation of the amplitude signals. Second, based on the results from simulation, a measurement setup as excitation sequence was defined. Based on the theoretical findings a inspection system was designed and realized. Within a measurement campaign the inspection system was evaluated in terms of detectability of minimal defect size under non-laboratory conditions. This includes a permanent proof of coupling conditions, monitoring of misalignments, e.g. tilting and surface defects of the car body. In the last step, the testing system is build up and tested within the assembly line. These measurement results show that the identification of common process defects is possible.

Configurable structured array for fabrication of radiation-hardened analog interfaces

The design of a new configurable structured array (CSA) is considered. The CSA is intended for development of multichannel (up to eight channels) integrated circuits of the analog interfaces of sensors. An example of operational amplifier is used to show that circuit synthesis with allowance for radiation-induced variations in characteristics of complementary bipolar transistors may provide minor degradation of parameters of the analog ICs after ionizing irradiation. Electrical schemes of the CSA analog components and experimentally measured parameters are presented.

A 17.5-fJ/bit Energy-Efficient Analog SRAM for Mixed-Signal Processing

An energy-efficient analog SRAM (A-SRAM) is proposed to eliminate redundant analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion in mixed-signal systems, such as neuromorphic chips and neural networks. D/A conversion is integrated into the SRAM readout by charge sharing of the proposed split bitline (BL). Also, A/D conversion is integrated into the SRAM write operation with the successive approximation method in the proposed input–output block. Also, a configurable SRAM bitcell array is proposed to allocate the converted digital data without unfilled bitcells. The multirow access decoder selects multiple bitcells in a single column and configures the bitcell array by controlling the BL switches to split BLs. The proposed A-SRAM is implemented using the 65-nm CMOS technology. It achieves 17.5-fJ/bit energy-efficiency and 21-Gbit/s throughput for the analog readout, which are 64% and 1.3 times better than those of the conventional SRAM followed by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Also, the area is reduced by 91% compared with the conventional SRAM with analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and DAC.

Quantum simulators by design: Many-body physics in reconfigurable arrays of tunnel-coupled traps

We present a novel platform for the bottom-up construction of itinerant many-body systems: ultracold atoms transferred from a Bose-Einstein condensate into freely configurable arrays of micro-lens generated focused-beam dipole traps. This complements traditional optical lattices and gives a new quality to the field of two-dimensional quantum simulators. The ultimate control of topology, well depth, atom number, and interaction strength is matched by sufficient tunneling. We characterize the required light fields, derive the Bose-Hubbard parameters for several alkali species, investigate the loading procedures and heating mechanisms. To demonstrate the potential of this approach, we analyze coupled annular Josephson contacts exhibiting many-body resonances.

A machine learning approach for gait speed estimation using skin-mounted wearable sensors: From healthy controls to individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Gait speed is a powerful clinical marker for mobility impairment in patients suffering from neurological disorders. However, assessment of gait speed in coordination with delivery of comprehensive care is usually constrained to clinical environments and is often limited due to mounting demands on the availability of trained clinical staff. These limitations in assessment design could give rise to poor ecological validity and limited ability to tailor interventions to individual patients. Recent advances in wearable sensor technologies have fostered the development of new methods for monitoring parameters that characterize mobility impairment, such as gait speed, outside the clinic, and therefore address many of the limitations associated with clinical assessments. However, these methods are often validated using normal gait patterns; and extending their utility to subjects with gait impairments continues to be a challenge. In this paper, we present a machine learning method for estimating gait speed using a configurable array of skin-mounted, conformal accelerometers. We establish the accuracy of this technique on treadmill walking data from subjects with normal gait patterns and subjects with multiple sclerosis-induced gait impairments. For subjects with normal gait, the best performing model systematically overestimates speed by only 0.01 m/s, detects changes in speed to within less than 1%, and achieves a root-mean-square-error of 0.12 m/s. Extending these models trained on normal gait to subjects with gait impairments yields only minor changes in model performance. For example, for subjects with gait impairments, the best performing model systematically overestimates speed by 0.01 m/s, quantifies changes in speed to within 1%, and achieves a root-mean-square-error of 0.14 m/s. Additional analyses demonstrate that there is no correlation between gait speed estimation error and impairment severity, and that the estimated speeds maintain the clinical significance of ground truth speed in this population. These results support the use of wearable accelerometer arrays for estimating walking speed in normal subjects and their extension to MS patient cohorts with gait impairment.

Passive tracking of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) using a low-cost acoustic data collection system

One challenge to harbor security is monitoring and tracking autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) activity. A self-contained low-cost acoustic data collection system (acbox) has been developed and demonstrated for this purpose. The acbox consists of an 8-element configurable off-the-shelf hydrophone array, a data acquisition system, a GPS for timing and navigation, and a computer for data logging and processing. Noise data on the Bluefin SandShark and Bluefin 21-inch AUVs were collected using the configurable array in the Charles River and Massachusetts Bay. From this experiment, AUV noise characteristics were determined. The bearing to the AUV was estimated based on beamformed and frequency filtered data, and compared to logged AUV position. The bearing estimates based on propeller noise were consistent with the reported AUV position. These results for range estimation and filtering bearing were tested to provide improved vehicle localization. Performance in the presence of boat noise was also assessed. Moving forward, this work will be expanded to tracking AUVs from other AUVs for collision-avoidence and behavioral analysis for security monitoring applications. [Work supported by Battelle, DARPA, and Draper.]

An AdaBoost-Based Face Detection System Using Parallel Configurable Architecture With Optimized Computation

With the development of image sensor technology, the AdaBoost-based face detections are widely used in many monitoring sensor networks and mobile-camera-based applications. Fast face detection with high detection accuracy and low power consumption in such kinds of applications is very important. Since the AdaBoost-based face detection exhibits characteristics of data computation in dual direction and data diversity, we propose an AdaBoost-based face detection system using parallel configurable architecture with optimized computation. The architecture consists of parallel configurable arrays and two-level shared memory systems. It achieves dual-direction-based integral image computation that improves parallel processing efficiency and enables the subwindow adaptive cascade classification for data diversity, which further improves the detection efficiency in diverse face detection. Compared with the state-of-the-art works, this work achieves maximal performance of 30 frames/s at 1080p detection speed and extreme low power consumption.

Elliptical frequency diverse array radars: uniform and non-uniform frequency offsets

ABSTRACTIn this paper a new configuration of Frequency Diverse Array (FDA) i.e. Elliptical Frequency Diverse Array (EFDA) has been proposed. The foresaid geometry has been analyzed with a uniform and non-uniform frequency offset. Analysis reveals highly range selective beampatterns with decreasing average side lobe levels (SLL). The paper further investigates tangent hyperbolic function for non-uniform frequency offset scheme in EFDA. Investigation reveals a 3D single maximum beampattern. Furthermore by utilizing the properties of tangent hyperbolic function, a highly configurable type array system is achieved, where beampatterns of three different configurations of FDA can be generated, by just adjusting a single function parameter.

Bio-Inspired Controller on an FPGA Applied to Closed-Loop Diaphragmatic Stimulation.

Cervical spinal cord injury can disrupt connections between the brain respiratory network and the respiratory muscles which can lead to partial or complete loss of ventilatory control and require ventilatory assistance. Unlike current open-loop technology, a closed-loop diaphragmatic pacing system could overcome the drawbacks of manual titration as well as respond to changing ventilation requirements. We present an original bio-inspired assistive technology for real-time ventilation assistance, implemented in a digital configurable Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The bio-inspired controller, which is a spiking neural network (SNN) inspired by the medullary respiratory network, is as robust as a classic controller while having a flexible, low-power and low-cost hardware design. The system was simulated in MATLAB with FPGA-specific constraints and tested with a computational model of rat breathing; the model reproduced experimentally collected respiratory data in eupneic animals. The open-loop version of the bio-inspired controller was implemented on the FPGA. Electrical test bench characterizations confirmed the system functionality. Open and closed-loop paradigm simulations were simulated to test the FPGA system real-time behavior using the rat computational model. The closed-loop system monitors breathing and changes in respiratory demands to drive diaphragmatic stimulation. The simulated results inform future acute animal experiments and constitute the first step toward the development of a neuromorphic, adaptive, compact, low-power, implantable device. The bio-inspired hardware design optimizes the FPGA resource and time costs while harnessing the computational power of spike-based neuromorphic hardware. Its real-time feature makes it suitable for in vivo applications.

Perspectives of Application of New Chips of Analog Master Slice Array and Configurable Structured Array of Crystals in Sensor Systems

Summary information on existing integrated circuits (IC) analog master slice array (MSA) and configurable structured array (CSA) crystals of domestic and foreign production-oriented applications in sensor systems, including robots for various purposes, and aircraft are reduced. The parameters of the new integrated circuits MSA (AGAMC-2.1) and CSA (MH2XA010), as well as the prospects of designing on their basis of radiation-resistant IC for analog signal processing and interfaces of sensors of different physical kind.

Tangent hyperbolic circular frequency diverse array radars

Frequency diverse array (FDA) with uniform frequency offset (UFO) has been in spot light of research for past few years. Not much attention has been devoted to non-UFOs in FDA. This study investigates tangent hyperbolic (TH) function for frequency offset selection scheme in circular FDAs (CFDAs). Investigation reveals a three-dimensional single-maximum beampattern, which promises to enhance system detection capability and signal-to-interference plus noise ratio. Furthermore, by utilising the versatility of TH function, a highly configurable type array system is achieved, where beampatterns of three different configurations of FDA can be generated, just by adjusting a single function parameter. This study further examines the utility of the proposed TH-CFDA in some practical radar scenarios.

Coarse-to-fine dot array marker detection with accurate edge localization for stereo visual tracking

We present a coarse-to-fine dot array marker detection algorithm which can extract dot features with high accuracy and low uncertainty. The contribution of this paper is twofold: one is a configurable dot array marker detection framework which enables real-time multi-marker tracking with compact marker size (coarse detection); the other is a closed-form sub-pixel edge localization method including the formulation and the implementation (fine localization). The marker pattern together with the dot contours is detected in a fast but coarse way for efficiency consideration, using simple thresholding and hierarchical contour analysis. If the marker pattern matches with one of predefined marker descriptors, sub-pixel edge point localization of the dot contour is performed within the detected marker region by searching the zero-crossing in the convolution of the marker image with a Laplacian-of-Gaussian (LoG) kernel. A closed-form solution is proposed to localize the “true” edge point in a 3×3 neighborhood of a candidate pixel by solving a quartic equation. The dot center is finally extracted by ellipse fitting and re-ordered according to an orientation indicator. The algorithm was evaluated against both synthetic and real image data, and also in real applications where stereo visual trackers were implemented using the proposed marker detection algorithm. Experimental results show that (1) the marker detection algorithm yielded a feature detection error of less than 0.1 pixel with real-time performance; (2) the uncertainties in both localizing static 2-D dot features and 3-D pose tracking were obviously reduced by performing the sub-pixel localization; and (3) the feasibility of the marker tracking under stereo laparoscopic views was confirmed in an in vivo animal experiment.