Signal Wires Research Articles

Investigation of High-Speed Dynamic Transmission Error Testing Using Gear Strain

The difficulties of testing the dynamic transmission errors of gears in complex environments, such as high-speed operations or situations with oil contamination, and the limited variety of available testing methods have been recognized as issues which this study endeavors to tackle. In this study, a testing method for evaluating high-speed dynamic transmission errors of spur gears through the use of strain sensors is proposed. To reduce the interference of environmental noise on testing signals, physical measures, such as the use of copper foil to shield signal wires and the grounding of data acquisition equipment, were implemented during the testing process. Utilizing wavelet decomposition to distinguish between the high- and low-frequency components of the testing signals, the transmission error of gears during high-speed operation was calculated. After confirming the feasibility of the stress–strain stiffness approach in gear transmission error testing using the magnetic grid method, tests on modified and non-modified gears at various speeds and loads were carried out. The two types of test data were processed and evaluated to determine the effect of speed and load on gear dynamic transmission error. It was possible to conduct research on the testing technique of gear dynamic transmission errors utilizing strain sensors, which provides a new, fast, simple, and practical testing strategy for gear transmission error testing.

Single-Line Multi-Channel Flexible Stress Sensor Arrays.

Flexible stress sensor arrays, comprising multiple flexible stress sensor units, enable accurate quantification and analysis of spatial stress distribution. Nevertheless, the current implementation of flexible stress sensor arrays faces the challenge of excessive signal wires, resulting in reduced deformability, stability, reliability, and increased costs. The primary obstacle lies in the electric amplitude modulation nature of the sensor unit's signal (e.g., resistance and capacitance), allowing only one signal per wire. To overcome this challenge, the single-line multi-channel signal (SLMC) measurement has been developed, enabling simultaneous detection of multiple sensor signals through one or two signal wires, which effectively reduces the number of signal wires, thereby enhancing stability, deformability, and reliability. This review offers a general knowledge of SLMC measurement beginning with flexible stress sensors and their piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric sensing mechanisms. A further discussion is given on different arraying methods and their corresponding advantages and disadvantages. Finally, this review categorizes existing SLMC measurement methods into RLC series resonant sensing, transmission line sensing, ionic conductor sensing, triboelectric sensing, piezoresistive sensing, and distributed fiber optic sensing based on their mechanisms, describes the mechanisms and characteristics of each method and summarizes the research status of SLMC measurement.

A hybrid solution for spatial light modulators with a large space-bandwidth product: opinion

Increasing the space-bandwidth product of spatial light modulators incurs severe issues in terms of power consumption, mutual crosstalk, and control signal wiring. In this opinion article, we propose a novel system to overcome these challenges by marrying energy-efficient modulators in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and a meta-optical beam aggregator. This hybrid approach can significantly improve the space-bandwidth product, theoretically up to 1013 Hz · pixel, which is several orders of magnitude higher than the state-of-the-art.

Key4hep Software Stack for Detector Studies

Detector optimisation and physics performance studies are an integral part of the development of future collider experiments. The Key4hep project aims to design a common set of software tools for future, or even present, High Energy Physics projects. Based on the iLCSoft and FCCSW frameworks an integrated solution for detector simulation, reconstruction and analyses is being developed. This presentation will give a short overview of the major ingredients of the Key4hep turnkey software; the common event datamodel – EDM4hep, the Gaudi based event processing framework, some dedicated packages developed on top of these, and the use of the Spack package manager, which enables installations on a variety of platforms. A first example highlights the synergies that were already achieved by the collaboration of the different collider communities (CEPC, CLIC, FCC, ILC). It shows the seamless integration of fast simulation with Delphes and the LCFIplus vertexing processor from iLCSoft. This combination is possible due to EDM4hep, the processor wrapper (k4MarlinWrapper), and the k4SimDelphes framework integration in Key4hep. As a second example, the multi-threaded execution of the iLCSoft processors in the Gaudi framework making use of the k4MarlinWrapper will be showcased. The third example will demonstrate the execution of a multi-threaded simulation of a drift chamber in the CEPC experiment. The chosen application will take information of primary ionizations generated by an incident charged particle as input and will create the waveform as the final output, which represents the signal collected by the chamber’s signal wire. The simulation algorithm is based on a neural network model which can be used to simulate the effects from the ionization electron’s drift and avalanches. Using these examples we review some of the challenges and issues that we encountered as well as how they were addressed in the end. We close with a brief discussion of the next steps for the Key4hep project.

Design and optimization of buoy mooring with single-point cable for seafloor observatories

For long-term mooring buoy observatories in the deep sea far from the coasts, we design the hybrid system, named Mooring Buoys Observation System with Benthic Electro-optical-mechanical Cable (MBOSBC). The Electro Optical Mechanical (EOM) cable connects the sea surface buoy, and benthic observation node, as the transmission link of information and power. Different from the traditional buoy mooring, Mooring Buoys Observation System needs to accomplish the energy and data transmission between the seabed and the sea surface. The EOM cable is utilized for mooring, and it is the crucial link to ensure the long-term and effective work of the system and energy / data transmission. EOM cable plays the role of mooring tether of MBOSBC. Since the EOM cable has to experience higher loads under most environmental conditions for long terms. It is often happened that, the EOM cable is not broken, but the power supply core wire and signal wire have broken or failed, while the buoy is subjected to wind, wave and current load. This puts forward the requirements for the design of bearing load and mooring style for the mooring EOM cable. This paper gives the idea of mooring design of buoy, and this paper provide the design criteria of the single point mooring buoy with EOM cable. We compare the dynamics properties and mooring line type under different external environmental load, and the mooring style is optimized. Finally, the dynamic properties and mooring line type during the system deployment process is discussed.

Development of a Universal Module for Connecting Sensors to the CAN-bus for the Formula Student Electric Car

The ways to reduce the number of wires suitable for the main control unit were considered. A block diagram of the algorithm of actions of the created special device is proposed, which allows minimizing the number of wires. The format of CAN-messages containing data from all polled sensors and an electrical circuit diagram is presented. A general view of the developed device is presented, which made it possible to reduce the number of signal wires running through the entire vehicle to two pieces.

고속철도 신호기계실의 접지전류 개선 효과에 관한 연구

Through construction of high-speed railways and railway electrification projects in Korea, individual(or independent) grounding methods were replaced with common grounding methods. Common grounding methods can eliminate potential difference between equipments connected with common grounding wires, but the wires are used as return current paths such as rails. A track circuit cable consists of signal wires and shielding conductors, and connects track circuit devices installed along tracks, transmitters and receivers located in a signal machine room. Shielding conductors at one end of the track circuit cable are connected to the common earth wire, and the conductor at the other end are connected to a grounding terminal of the signal machine room. It was confirmed through measurements that impulse surge current invades to the signal machine room through shield conductors of a track circuit cable connected to grounding wires. Also, it was confirmed that steel frame grounding was used as a path for another impulse surge current to enter the room. Therefore, in this paper, the ground current status of the signal room is analyzed, the improvements of grounding facilities in the signal room are listed, and the improvement effects of the ground current are presented.

Enabling self-shape estimation of composite structures using distributed microfabricated strain gauge networks

In this study, smart multifunctional composites (SMC) were developed to enable state estimation of structures in terms of the deformations at distributed locations due to applied loads and temperature gradients. The SMC was composed of a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite plate and an embedded microfabricated sensor network of densely distributed strain gauges. The microfabricated sensor network, with serpentine signal wires connecting the sensing elements, was manufactured on a 100 mm diameter silicon wafer using integrated circuit batch processing techniques. The robustness of the SMC was investigated and verified through shape estimation under mechanical loads and temperature gradients applied to the SMC. The mechanical load was applied to the SMC with fixed boundaries on four edges. The temperature gradient was applied to the SMC with simple supports on the four corners of the SMC plate by applying a uniform temperature on one side while controlling the temperature of the other side close to the room temperature. The results show that the SMC provides the shape of the deformed structure under loads with high resolution. Moreover, a numerical analysis of the SMC implemented in ABAQUS demonstrates a close correlation between the estimated deformed shape and the simulated structure allowing the potential establishment of a digital twin. The SMC can be customized based on different requirements and applications by selecting the type, number, and locations of the sensors. The shape and state of the structure obtained from the SMC during operation can be used for online control, autonomy, decision-making, and maintenance.

Oxide Nanostructured Coating for Power Lines with Anti-Icing Effect

This paper presents the results of the development of a technology to obtain a nanostructured coating for the protection of overhead wires and the possibility of their application in the electric power industry. The paper provides an analysis of available data on methods of combating ice in different countries, ways to protect the surface of metals from environmental influences, and new materials used for protection. We studied the possibility of using a protective nanostructured coating to protect overhead wires. A technology for obtaining a protective nanostructured coating based on silicon oxide and methods for applying it to the wire of overhead lines are proposed. The analysis of the elemental composition and surface morphology of overhead line wires with protective coating is carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The influence of the nanostructured coating on the high-frequency signal bandwidth and wire resistance using a PCIe-6351 data acquisition board, equipped with a BNC-2120 terminal module generating a frequency signal were determined using the National Instruments LabVIEW software package. The subject of the study was a 110 kV overhead power line with a protective coating developed in this work. By analyzing the calculation, we obtained the operating requirements of the developed nanostructured coating. As a result, we developed a protective coating satisfying the working conditions and investigated its properties. In the final phase of the experiment, we tested the electrical characteristics of overhead wires with the developed protective coating.

(Invited) Innovations in Transistor Architecture and Device Connectivity Options for Advanced Logic Scaling

We report on vertically stacked nanosheet (NS) FET devices as the most promising candidates to replace finFETs, discussing some of their key features and potential extension and/or alternative options to help preserve the power, performance, area, and cost (PPAC) logic roadmap for advanced sub-5nm technology nodes, being also attractive for cold computing. In addition, given the increased complexity and cost in back-end-of-line processing, to take full advantage of the scaling performance benefits at transistor level it has also become ever more pressing to address signal and power wiring bottlenecks. The concept of moving power delivery to the wafer’s backside has been gaining traction and we will thus also explore it in this work by combining logic and 3D technologies and assess its feasibility by evaluating the impact of 3D processing on device characteristics.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STRUCTURAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF THE ADAPTIVE THREE-PIPE HEAT EXCHANGER FOR ANIMAL ROOM

As a result of the research, an adaptive three-pipe heat exchanger was developed, containing coaxially installed pipes, a condensate drain pipe, an exhaust shaft passing through the outer pipe, a supply fan, an exhaust fan, distribution openings, an air filter, and a duct electric heater. The adaptive three-pipe heat exchanger is additionally equipped with servo drives with dampers, temperature sensors, air velocity sensors installed on all distribution openings, an air quality sensor located in the room, a control unit that is connected to the supply fan, exhaust valve by means of signal wires. heater, servo drives, temperature sensors, air speed sensors and air quality sensor As a result of theoretical studies, confirmed experimentally (correlation coefficient R = 0.98), a method was developed and based on it an algorithm for determining the area of holes in the air duct of an adaptive three-pipe heat exchanger for livestock buildings was developed . It has been established that the distance between the holes gradually decreases to a certain value in the opposite direction of the air flow. However, there is a slight reduction in distance at the end of the heat exchanger duct due to the backflow of air that collides with the plugged end.

Selective Patterning of Conductive Elastomers Embedded With Silver Powders and Carbon Nanotubes for Stretchable Electronics

Stretchable electronics are becoming popular due to their high adaptability to various environments and durability against external forces. We propose a method of designing and fabricating stretchable electronics using a multi-material conductive elastomer structure embedded with silver (Ag) powders and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). While the Ag-based polymer is used for highly conductive electrical connections, such as electrodes and signal wires, the CNTs-based polymer can be formed to be electrical components, such as resistors and sensors, due to the relatively high resistivity. Stretchable electronics composed of different types of conductive polymers have several advantages, such as noise reduction by separating signal wires from sensing components, target-specific sensing with free wire routing, and construction of fully stretchable electronics with various passive elements. In this paper, we describe the design and the fabrication of the proposed stretchable electronics with experimental characterization on the performance. We also demonstrate applications that take advantage of the proposed method, including a wearable strain sensor, an array of soft strain gauges with a rosette configuration, and a fully stretchable circuit composed of soft components, such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors. All the application devices are fabricated only by simple laser cutting.

Liquid metal droplet shuttling in a microchannel toward a single line multiplexer with multiple sensors

Multiple sensors and actuators integrated in a small space, especially an elongated thin structure, require equivalent number of signal lines between microdevices, but there is limited space for signal wires. Thus, we propose a mechanism using a single microchannel where a liquid metal droplet moves and shuttles. A shuttling droplet switches multiple terminals of signal lines along a microchannel based on a traditional switching mechanism using a liquid metal droplet. Electrically conductive gallium alloy liquid metals (Galinstan) can flow in a microchannel due to their fluidity. The terminals consist of opposing electrode pairs in a microchannel. A change in a variable impedance connected to a terminal as a pseudo sensor can be read when a droplet flows in and connects electrode pairs. This paper presents switching and addressing objective terminals of chromium electrodes by a shuttling conductive droplet (500 µm in diameter and 10 mm long) in a microchannel (500 µm in diameter and 100 mm long). A demonstrated simple mechanism enables communication between multiple microdevices along a microchannel. We anticipate wide application of proposed mechanism toward a multiplexer, especially in microfluidic devices because of the advantages of utilizing microchannels as common microstructures for both microdevices and signal lines.

Washable, Sewable, All-Carbon Electrodes and Signal Wires for Electronic Clothing

Smart wearable electronic accessories (e.g., watches) have found wide adoption; conversely, progress in electronic textiles has been slow due to the difficulty of embedding rigid electronic materials into flexible fabrics. Electronic clothing requires fibers that are conductive, robust, biocompatible, and can be produced on a large scale. Here, we create sewable electrodes and signal transmission wires from neat carbon nanotube threads (CNTT). These threads are soft like standard sewing thread, but they have metal-level conductivity and low interfacial impedance with skin. Electrocardiograms (EKGs) obtained by CNTT electrodes were comparable (P > 0.05) to signals obtained with commercial electrodes. CNTT can also be used as transmission wires to carry signals to other parts of a garment. Finally, the textiles can be machine-washed and stretched repeatedly without signal degradation. These results demonstrate promise for textile sensors and electronic fabric with the feel of standard clothing that can be incorporated with traditional clothing manufacturing techniques.

Energy Harvesting Methods in Aviation

Each modern aircraft use a large number of sensors, which task is to sense various operating parameters. These are subsequently sent to the appropriate computer to processes them. Because the sensors are very often located in remote parts of the aircraft, their power and signal wires have to be quite long. Moreover, the large number of wires and conductors complicates the design of the aircraft, especially their placement and clamping in non-pressurized parts and near fuel tanks. For these reasons, it is more convenient to use sensors with own power supply and which use a wireless communication with a computer. Today, most of remotely located sensors use electrochemical voltage sources, however these have environmental and reliability issues. The solution is to use sensors that generate their own energy. This article points out the possibility of using on-board sensors with energy harvesting technology.

Integrated IR Modulator with a Quantum Cascade Laser

This paper presents an infrared pulsed modulator into which quantum cascade lasers and a current driver are integrated. The main goal of this study was to determine the capabilities of a new modulator design based on the results of its electrical model simulation and laboratory experiments. A simulation model is a unique tool because it includes the electrical performance of the lasing structure, signal wiring, and driving unit. In the laboratory model, a lasing structure was mounted on the interfacing poles as close to the switching electronics as possible with direct wire bonding. The radiation pulses and laser biasing voltage were registered to analyze the influence of laser module impedance. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the quantum cascade laser (QC laser) design strongly influenced the shape of light, driving current, and biasing voltage pulses. It is a complex phenomenon depending on the laser construction and many other factors, e.g., the amplitude and time parameters of the supplying current pulses. However, this work presents important data to develop or modify numerical models describing QC laser operation. The integrated modulator provided pulses with a 20–100 ns duration and a frequency of 1 MHz without any active cooling. The designed modulator ensured the construction of a sensor based on direct laser absorption spectroscopy, applying the QC laser with spectral characteristics matched to absorption lines of the detected substances. It can also be used in optical ranging and recognition systems.

A New Method for Crosstalk Prediction Between Triple-twisted Strand (Uniform and Non-uniform) and Signal Wire based on CDBAS-BPNN Algorithm

This paper proposes a novel crosstalk prediction method between the triple-twisted strand (uniform and non-uniform) and the signal wire, that is, using back-propagation neural network optimized by the beetle antennae search algorithm based on chaotic disturbance mechanism (CDBAS-BPNN) to extract the per unit length (p.u.l) parameter matrix, and combined with the chain parameter method to obtain crosstalk. Firstly, the geometric model and cross-sectional model between the uniform triple-twisted strand and the signal wire are established, and the corresponding model between the non-uniform triple-twisted strand and the signal wire is obtained by the Monte Carlo (MC) method. Then, the beetle antennae search algorithm based on chaotic disturbance mechanism (CDBAS) and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) are combined to construct a new extraction network of the p.u.l parameter matrix, and the chain parameter method is combined to predict crosstalk. Finally, in the verification and analysis part of the numerical experiments, comparing the crosstalk results of CDBAS-BPNN, BAS-BPNN and Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) algorithms, it is verified that the proposed method has better accuracy for the prediction of the model.

Sensitivity and low-energy response of the Small Anode Germanium well detector with ceramic insert

A Small Anode Germanium (SAGe) detector was recently installed in the Shallow Underground Laboratory (SUL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The unique electrode structure and the short signal wire length in the detector guarantees superior energy resolution than traditional well detectors. The detector is inside an ultra-low background graded lead shield and is fitted with a CosmicGuardTM cosmic veto background reduction system. In this work, the capabilities of this SAGe well detection system were explored using samples with broad characteristics (a Heisenberg cube and individual samples containing 161Tb and 140Ba). The results demonstrate impeccable sensitivity of the system to resolve low-energy complex spectra and provide trustworthy activity estimates by correcting for cascade summing effects.

Failure Analysis of a Circuit with AC Noise in the Output Signal

A failure analysis process of a circuit with AC (alternating current) noise in the output signal is presented. To find out the root of the failure, the circuit principle and the layout of the circuit were analyzed, and it was found that the layout design was not unreasonable. Specifically, the output signal wire is too close to the clock signal wire, which results in the coupling crosstalk. To eliminate the coupling crosstalk, serval measures including the filter design, replacement of resistor, and layout optimization were adopted. This work has reference significance for the anti-interference design of circuits.

Structural and transport properties of Cu/Ta(N)/Cu interfaces in vertical interconnects

We use first-principles calculations to investigate the structural and transport properties of various Cu/Ta(N)/Cu interface stacks, which are representative of the metal interfaces located at the bottom of vertical interconnects in state-of-the-art back-end-of-line technology. In particular, we consider approximately 2-nm thick layers of several different Ta-based barrier layers sandwiched between two Cu(111) layers, including TaN, α-Ta, β-Ta, and a bilayer TaN/α-Ta structure. Our results highlight that the bilayer Cu/TaN/α-Ta/Cu structure shows both an attractive combination of low electrical resistance and superior dielectric adhesion. We also find that inelastic phonon transport across the interface structures is largely determined by the frequency overlap of the bulk-like phonon density of states of each metal layer. Our results are fed into a simple interconnect performance benchmarking model based on a single-driver signal wire, where we find that metal barrier optimization can result in a net 2.5% stage delay reduction without comprising reliability.