/library/oar/handle/123456789/39603 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 01:36:53 GMT 2025-12-29T01:36:53Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/40750 Title: Design of a software radio hardware platform for a picosatellite Abstract: In the recent years, space has continued to gain interest from many individuals and institutions, giving them the opportunity to apply their field of expertise in new challenging applications. The development of the CubeSats Standard has allowed universities and other institutions to make satellite design and experimentation a feasible project in terms of costs and development time. The most recent boom in CubeSats technology is the pico-satellite standard, which has a form factor one-eight the size of a typical CubeSats. This comes at a cost of reduced power generation, volume and surface area when it comes to the implementation of the various systems within the satellite. Nevertheless, in any satellite system, no matter the size, a communication platform is required in order for any data to be exchanged. This dissertation presents a preliminary design for the hardware necessary to sustain a software defined radio based communication system which will be used for University of Malta’s (UM) first satellite, UoMBSat-1. The communication system’s minimum requirements were first obtained, keeping in mind the stringent constraints imposed by the PicoSatellite standards as well those imposed by previous sub-system designs. These requirements as well as the constraints were later used to determine the architecture basis for the communication system which will be implemented using off the shelf components. A testing procedure was designed, which ensures that each block could then be sufficiently tested to meet the necessary requirements. Description: B.ENG.ELECTRICAL&ELECTRONIC Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/40750 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/40748 Title: Design of a fault tolerant embedded system for an automotive application Abstract: The use of electronic systems predominates within modern vehicles. Features such as electronic stability control as well as emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles are directly targeted at reducing hazards encountered by drivers. With embedded systems being continually relied upon to provide high levels of safety, the importance of both hardware and software is intensified. This drives the necessity for a well-structured development process for designing, testing and producing such systems. The aim of this project was to study the relevant standards in practice, along with the corresponding development processes used in industry. Reviewing literature pertaining to possible error causes as well as their mitigations provided the knowledge with which to tackle such issues. A design process emphasising reliability was used to modify an existing system with redundant electronic subsystems, developed for an automotive application, such that it would provide an increased level of mission-critical reliability. Various design concepts were considered together with the various requirements that apply to such an application. The resulting system was subject to a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) as a part of the design process which aided in discovering and solving the highest priority threats. The software development process described within the relevant standard was then followed. Along with established software development guidelines and good programming practices, this served to correctly design the software and provide the required documentation. Test plans were drawn out to validate the results of each of the design phases. The final system was compared to a simple system with no software safety measures. The results displayed a significant reduction in invalid outputs provided by the system along with an increased amount of overall errors. This result proved the advantages of redundant systems while highlighting the disadvantages of the corresponding system complexity Description: B.ENG.ELECTRICAL&ELECTRONIC Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/40748 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/40745 Title: Pulsed plasma thrusters for pico satellites Abstract: Pico-satellites are inherently small and typically launched in the low earth orbit (LEO), where they experience a very slow orbital decay as there is very little atmospheric drag. This could lead to problems if the satellite stops functioning as it will be classified as space junk, where it could become a collision hazard for other missions. To solve this problem, the satellite is launched at a meta-stable lower altitude orbit where it will naturally de-orbit in a short time if any malfunctions occur within the satellite. An active propulsion system is required in this scenario to maintain its orbit until it has accomplished the mission. Such thruster can also be used to perform orbital manoeuvres on satellite swarms, which is required in order to place them in their respective formation for maximum effectiveness. The pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) is an electric propulsion system that is mechanically simple and contains a solid propellant. This allows it to occupy a small percentage of the volume, weight and power budget of the pico-satellite. This dissertation discusses the research, design and implementation of a controlled high voltage generation circuit of a PPT for pico-satellites, followed by an investigation on the thrust generating mechanism behind the thruster. The design process involves implementing multiple printed circuit boards (PCB) to resolve any problems caused by the high voltage and the plasma generated, while simulating the electric fields generated by the PPT. The circuits are subjected to experiments at atmospheric pressure and at a high vacuum environment while the thruster is continuously fired. The plasma is found to be accelerating out of the PPT, implying that in line with Newton’s Law, thrust is generated. While examining the thruster, a layer of carbon shorting the PPT electrodes has been discovered, effectively shortening the life span of the thruster. Additionally, a threedimensional (3D) profile of the Teflon surface revealed that propellant ablation took place, increasing the density of the accelerated plasma, which should theoretically generate more thrust. Description: B.ENG.ELECTRICAL&ELECTRONIC Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/40745 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/40658 Title: Automation of a real-time stage followspot Abstract: Followspots play a fundamental role in live theatre performances. These are used to selectively illuminate a particular area on stage, hence drawing the audience attention. Conventional followspots require a manual operator to manoeuvre the beam direction. Such operators need to be skilled and must also have stage knowledge. A steady hand is also required since the slightest errors will be shown (and amplified) on the illumination point. This dissertation deals with a feasible system that automates this manual process, thus ensuring a real-time light tracking system. A robotic lighting fixture, known colloquially in industry as a “moving head” is used to replace the traditional followspot. In this project, the fixture is continuously updated with real-time pan and tilt values to track the position of the actor. In order to find the location of the performer, a reliable positioning system was required. In fact, after analysing several technologies an RF based sensing platform was chosen. To localise the actor, the method of trilateration was applied. The proposed system was developed and tested for accuracy, precision and response characteristics. Finally, the project was tested in a theatre scenario where the system was setup to successfully track and illuminate an actor on stage. Description: B.ENG.ELECTRICAL&ELECTRONIC Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/40658 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z