/library/oar/handle/123456789/11956 2025-11-13T00:24:50Z 2025-11-13T00:24:50Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/12196 2016-09-28T09:44:15Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Home monitoring system Abstract: The idea for home automation has existed since the introduction of electricity inside houses. The appliances found inside a consumer’s home can be interfaced directly with each other through the use of one micro-controlled device, which is able to monitor important factors such as lighting, temperature control and security control, amongst other factors. The aim of this project is to implement the idea of home automation, on a small-scale model of a house through the use of an FPGA board, which can be programmed to perform various functions and interface it with an electrical circuit that mimics an ordinary house electrical system. Through the use of a high level language such as VHDL, the FPGA is programmed to interface all sensors implemented in the circuity, provide the end-user constant monitoring of environmental factors and, according to these factors, appliances will be switched on accordingly with minimal voltage, in order to prevent energy wastage. The user will also have the ability to control these appliances manually instead of allowing every component to be controlled automatically. The project will also implement a security system that allows maximum security of the house, mainly when the house is left unoccupied. This dissertation will clearly bring out the benefits of having an automated system implemented inside one’s house. Description: B.SC.IT(HONS)

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/12192 2018-04-23T07:44:18Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Body monitoring system Abstract: Cutting edge technology is continuously being developed and used in hospitals and clinics. Patients are being monitored with advanced sensors using the latest technology. These include sensors which monitor vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen levels in blood and body temperature. Such sensors provide useful data which is used for better patient diagnosis. The project aims at producing an FPGA module, which allows human vital signs to be monitored in real time by both user and medical personnel. The main task is that of interfacing sensors to the FPGA and developing a communication interface which allows remote monitoring. Advances in low cost sensors allow a network of body monitoring sensors to be created. Interfacing these sensors together with an FPGA and adding the ability to transmit the data recorded provides real time monitoring with the ability of remote access. The patient‟s body can be monitored from virtually anywhere with the network capability of the system. In addition, given the small dimensions and cost of both the FPGA and sensors an inexpensive, small, portable and non-invasive monitoring device can be created. Description: B.SC.IT(HONS)

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/12190 2018-05-14T10:16:35Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Design and implementation of passive microstrip circuits Abstract: The radio and microwave frequency spectrums permit high-speed data transmission over communication lines and media. The ever increasing high frequency applications must cater for certain losses and effects which come into play in such scenarios. Electronic circuits operating beyond 1 GHz are difficult to realize with discrete components because the wavelength becomes comparable with the physical element dimensions, resulting in various losses that severely degrade the circuit performance. Thus, the lumped component circuits must be converted into distributed element realizations. This work consisted in the design, simulation and implemention of passive microstrip circuits. In particular, narrowband and broadband quarter wavelength transformers and microwave filters were considered. The passive microstrip designs were targeted to operate correctly in the microwave frequency spectrum whilst making sure that maximum power transfer is preserved. As a general rule, the design procedure consisted of an initial calculation of the geometry of the microstrip sections based on the transformation of lumped element circuits into distributed element circuits, followed by verification and optimisation via circuit and electromagnetic simulators. The designed passive microstrip devices were then fabricated and implemented on an FR-4 printed circuit board. Following the implementation, they were characteristed and tested in terms of the scattering parameters, in order to determine the amount of reflection and transmission of energy over a wide range of frequencies. Prior to the actual implementation of the microstrip passive circuit designs, a number of microstrip transmission line characteristics were analysed and studied, in order to guarantee that the quality and response of the fabricated transmission line sections was close enough to that of the electromagnetic simulated counterparts. This was also aided by means of a developed estimation algorithm impelmented in MATLAB. The designed and measured passive microstrip circuits exhibit a performance which is in good agreement to the simulation results. Description: B.SC.IT(HONS)

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/12186 2016-09-28T09:03:43Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: MEMS based resonators Abstract: One of the first resonators to reach Signal to noise ratios of 150 dB for Global System Mobile communication purposes was a square extensional plate MEMS resonator [1]. Typical resonators like such, have been incorporated into applications such as signal filtering, time referencing as well mechanical and motion sensing. This is possible due to the very high reference frequencies they are able to produce, in no small part because of their small size. The key concept regarding such devices lies in the topological as well as the material based structure, where through these properties, structures can be impelled to undergo different resonance modes, thus opening a wide range of possibilities for integrating these structures with other circuit components. For ideal resonators that exhibit high selectivity for particular frequencies and thus have a more pronounced and narrow bandwidth around this selective region, it is still necessary to incorporate electronic propriety and determine qualitatively how such a resonator can be most effectively applied. Thus by determining the parameters required for a MEMS resonator architecture to produce particular effects, the previously mentioned aim can be achieved. Which is why, for this dissertation, a MEMS resonator was tested through CoventorWare using finite element analysis, and replicated using MEMS+. The simulation results for either software were then compared with each other, after which the model created in MEMS+ was then exported to Cadence Virtuoso. Further analysis was then carried out to determine what factors could contribute to a more desired behaviour from the device, in terms of its Q-factor and the implied frequency selective region, as well as what applications could arise from it as a result. Description: B.SC.IT(HONS)

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z