Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are small-scale devices capable of producing motion using electrical energy as input. In this work, we present the determination of thermal and mechanical properties of SU-8, which is an emerging structural material for MEMS applications. We have experimentally calculated the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity of SU-8 as 29.68 ppm °C−1, 0.17 , and 1.6 , respectively. We observe a non-linear relationship between the input power with the displacement achieved by an SU-8-based thermal actuator because of the hyperelastic behavior of the material. The non-linearity in the experimental results has been explained using the two-parameter Mooney–Rivlin model. With our experimental data, we found the parameters for the uniaxial tensile stress, as Pa and Pa

Abstract

In recent years, semi-transparent building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) technology has attracted attention for its renewable energy utilization. This research aims to develop a methodology for assessing the energy-saving potential of semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) window, which has a complex relationship with daylighting and air conditioning (AC) electricity consumption. A case study has been developed for the composite climate of Hyderabad, India. The study examines four commercially available single and double pane STPV windows and similar non-photovoltaic windows. For evaluation, an automated parametric simulation tool was developed to compute the net electricity consumption (NEC) for a representative model building with different window systems, and several window-to-wall ratios (WWR) and orientations. The result shows benefit in adopting the STPV window system across all directions …

Abstract

Viscosity measurement has wide ranging applications from oil industry to pharmaceutical industry. However, measuring viscosity in real-time is not a facile process. This paper provides an elaborate mathematical model and study of viscosity measurement in real-time using pressure sensors. For a given flowrate, a change in liquid viscosity gives rise to a change in pressure difference across a particular section of the pipe. Hence, by recording the pressure change, viscosity can be calculated dynamically. A mathematical model as well as a finite element analysis model has been presented to determine viscosity from flowrate and pressure difference. A set of pressure sensors can be placed at a fixed distance from each other to get the real- time pressure change, while flowrate can be obtained using a flowmeter. For the finite element analysis, the pressure sensors were placed 60 mm away from each other. The radius of the pipe was 19 mm. A mixture of water and glycerol, with different ratios, was used to provide variable viscosity. Index Terms—Viscosity, Flowrate, Microfluidic channel, Pressure sensor, Real-time measurement

Abstract

Structural engineering plays an essential role in designing, improving, and optimizing an electromechanical system, instinctively affecting its performance. In this study, design optimization, finite element analysis, and experimental evaluation of capacitive pressure sensors were conducted. The air pressure sensing application was demonstrated to characterize different sensors, which include a combination of multiple rectangular cantilevers and diaphragms (square and circular-shaped). After the design improvement, we found that the square and circular diaphragms each with two trapezoidal cantilevers exhibited highest sensitivity to air pressure monitoring among the different investigated designs which combine the square and circular diaphragms with cantilevers. These designs were then selected for further analysis for acoustic pressure monitoring. The sensors were fabricated using the doit-yourself technique with household materials such as post-it paper, posted tape, and foil. Our approach offers an alternative to the conventional cleanroom fabrication technique and uses easily available materials to fabricate affordable sensors. Therefore, this is the first step toward the development of democratized and sustainable electronic devices that are affordable and available to everyone on the internet. Index Terms—Capacitive sensing, air pressure sensing, acoustic pressure sensing, paper electronics, democratized electronics, affordable electronics, structural engineering.

Abstract

An Electric Vehicle (EV) charger, also called Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) is an infrastructure element that supplies electrical energy for recharging EVs. The paper focuses on the design and fabrication of two-wheeler (escooter) electric vehicle charging equipment. Considering the future scenario of mass privatization of EV two-wheelers on Indian roads, the outline discusses the product design based on fabricability, affordability, and ability to mass manufacture. The proposed architecture follows the Level 2 charging standards (240 Volts), and is based on the open charge point protocol (OCPP). The suggested EVCS is constructed considering the safety prerequisites of system administrators, installers, consumers, government agencies and others. The design of EVCS links to three industries: equipment manufacturers, software industry and electric power networks. This paper presents design considerations by elaborating the hardware, software, and protocols followed to design the Level 2 charging standard EVCS. Index Terms—Electric Vehicle (EV), Electric Vehicle Charge Station (EVCS), Web Sockets, Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), Level 2 EV Charging

Abstract

Muscle weakening is a common consequence of stroke and can result in a reduction in physical activity of the affected body part. Therapy includes a range of physical exercises that will help the patients restore and build physical strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and stability. In order to analyze and recognize the activity and movement of hands while performing these exercises, we have developed a 4 × 4 flexible pressure sensor matrix to quantize the performance and progress of a patient undergoing physiotherapy. We have also developed an artificial intelligence (AI) based algorithm to determine the accuracy of positioning by the patients. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm gives a mean error of 0.103 cm in detecting the position of load, compared to a mean error of 0.704 cm using mathematical analysis. With this system, a patient can be asked to move a weight to a particular location (as part of regular physiotherapy) and the pressure sensor matrix can be used to calculate error in positioning along with the time taken to complete the task. Advantages of the proposed pressure sensor matrix are cost effectiveness, facile fabrication, high sensitivity, robustness and flexibility

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for modulating light using a tunable light modulation device . The tunable light modulation devices comprises an elastomer structure including at least one elastomer layer , a compliant electrode network of con ducting fibers arranged on a first surface of the at least one elastomer layer , a patterned electric conductor arranged on a second surface of the at least one elastomer layer opposite the first surface . The patterned electric conductor includes a plurality of individually - addressable sections , and the com pliant electrode network is configured to compress the at least one elastomer layer in the presence of an electric field between the compliant electrode network and one or more of the individually - addressable sections of the patterned elec tric conductor to produce a voltage - dependent roughening of the at least one elastomer layer .

Abstract

The growing need for localization has created an array of alternative approaches to GNSS, based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ultra-Wideband, etc. Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is one such technology that has garnered tremendous attention due to its low power and long-range capabilities. Many attempts to achieve localization using LoRaWAN have been made till now, based on a variety of techniques such as Angle of Arrival (AoA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA), Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI). In this paper, we present a novel, standalone localization approach by developing a collaborative, TDoA-based methodology using LoRaWAN. The server determines the target node location by means of TDoA measurements from the target node to the gateways. The introduction of an additional stationary node allows the synchronization of the gateways without utilizing GNSS, either inbuilt or external. The cooperation between target node, synchronization node and server, is the innovative feature which makes this approach attractive for GNSS-free localization. Further, we explore the effects of timing resolution, time-on-air, and duty cycle constraints on the localization error. Finally, the distribution of error in a triangle of gateways situated approximately 8.6 kilometers apart is simulated in ideal Line of Sight (LoS) conditions, showing the maximum error to be around 23 meters

Abstract

Detection of color change is an important tool used in several analytical chemistry processes in various industries such as biomedical, diagnostics, agriculture, food processing, and so on. In this study, we present an automated color detection system to perform qualitative analysis of liquid reagents. Many of the available techniques for colorimetric applications make use of expensive, high-resolution digital cameras. We have developed a simple low-cost system based on a light emitting diode (LED) and light-dependent resistor (LDR) pair to obtain information about the color of a liquid reagent. This system has been compared with a camera-based system for color detection. The LED-LDR system provides information about the color of an object by obtaining relative intensities of red, green, and blue (RGB) light reflected by the object in a sequential process. The system was tested by obtaining color information for different concentrations of potassium permanganate solution and by determining the endpoint of a titration experiment. This versatile system can be used for many other colorimetric measurements, for example, the amount of dissolved ammonia in water using Nesslers reagent (potassium tetraiodomercurate).

Abstract

Most of the sensors that measure physical variables such as humidity, strain, motion, temperature, and pressure are designed based on the variation of capacitance or the resistance of a circuit entity. This paper presents a 12-bit combined resistance and capacitance to digital converter (RCDC) to analyze and process the information from these sensors. The read-out circuit first converts the capacitance or resistance to an analog voltage, followed by conversion to digital data using a successive approximation (SAR) type analog to digital converter (ADC). The circuit has been designed based on the 180 nm CMOS technology. The capacitance to digital converter (CDC) circuit covers a wide range of capacitance from 30 pF to 100 pF with a 17 fF resolution, whereas the resistance to digital converter (RDC) circuit covers a range of resistance from 1 Ω to 30 Ω and has a resolution of 7 mΩ. The 12-bit CDC and RDC have a measurement time of 20 μs and show a non-linearity of 0.66% and 0.57%, respectively. Index Terms—analog to digital converter; capacitance to dig- ital converter; resistance to digital converter; read-out circuit; successive approximation