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In this study, we propose an implementation method of the Encoder Data (EnDat) interface master for slave encoders using only a configurable logic block (CLB) and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) integrated into microcontroller units. By programming the CLB device to execute logic functions and finite state machines designed for the EnDat interface master operation, we realize the EnDat and SPI clocks that are required for the EnDat interface master operation. This approach is cost-efficient because additional hardware components, such as a field-programmable gate array or a complex programmable logic device, are unnecessary for the master implementation. We build a one-axis feed drive system that is powered by an AC motor and equipped with an EnDat linear encoder for measuring table speed and position. By performing various experiments for table position and speed control based on the built feed drive system, we verify the performance and practical usefulness of the implemented EnDat interface master. The maximum EnDat clock frequency without the propagation delay compensation is achieved by 2 MHz, which can cope with 16 kHz control cycle frequency. The usefulness is demonstrated by showing the table speed and position control performance that are acceptable in real applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on experimented space projects run by universities, offering an effective design process to improve learning methods in space engineering. The approach used for the design of CubeSat Electrical Power System (EPS) will go through estimations, sizing, simulations, PCB design and end with an experimental test procedure for design validation. The main design criteria presented in this paper are low costs and effective reliability. To meet the first criterion, the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components are used during the design, which has become an effective path to put experimental payloads in orbit for minimal cost. In the second criterion, the function of some critical EPS components was replicated, such as circuits used for power maximization and battery charge regulation, by following a suitable algorithm embedded in MCU and hot/cold redundant analog integrated circuits. However, the choice was made on the state of the art of CubeSat components already tested. This approach of working will help new space engineers to think about optimal solutions for the design of the appropriate EPS for a CubeSat university project achievable on a limited budget. Finally, the necessary experiments of the designed EPS were carried out and the results were illustrated in the context below.

Encoder interfaces should be operated in real time with high precision and fast processing for industrial motor control systems. The continuous bidirectional serial synchronous (BiSS-C) interface is an open-source serial communication protocol designed for motor encoders and is suitable for industrial purposes because of its fast serial communication speed. In this study, we propose a method for developing a BiSS-C interface master for a motor encoder slave, using only the configurable logic block (CLB) peripheral integrated into TI microcontroller units. By analyzing the detailed operation protocol of the BiSS-C interface, we create the truth and state tables for logic circuits and finite state machines, which are required for the BiSS-C interface master. Then, by programming the CLB based on the created truth and state tables, we implement the master clock, serial peripheral interface (SPI) clock, and operational process for the master. This approach is cost-efficient because additional hardware components, such as a field-programmable gate array or a complex programmable logic device, are not required for the master implementations. The developed method can be immediately applied to developing the masters for other BiSS-C encoders with different specifications, which is certainly necessary for a motor drive development and test. By building an AC motor control system with the developed master and performing various experiments, we verify the performance and practical usefulness of the developed BiSS-C interface master. The maximum master clock frequency without any CRC errors is achieved by 6.25 MHz, which can cope with more than 20 kHz motor control cycle frequency. The usefulness is demonstrated by showing the motor speed and position control performance that are acceptable in real applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on experimented space projects run by universities, offering an effective design process to improve learning methods in space engineering. The approach used for the design of CubeSat Electrical Power System (EPS) will go through estimations, sizing, simulations, PCB design and end with an experimental test procedure for design validation. The main design criteria presented in this paper are low costs and effective reliability. To meet the first criterion, the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components are used during the design, which has become an effective path to put experimental payloads in orbit for minimal cost. In the second criterion, the function of some critical EPS components was replicated, such as circuits used for power maximization and battery charge regulation, by following a suitable algorithm embedded in MCU and hot/cold redundant analog integrated circuits. However, the choice was made on the state of the art of CubeSat components already tested. This approach of working will help new space engineers to think about optimal solutions for the design of the appropriate EPS for a CubeSat university project achievable on a limited budget. Finally, the necessary experiments of the designed EPS were carried out and the results were illustrated in the context below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a detailed review of microcontroller unit (MCU)-based wireless sensor node platforms from recently published research articles is presented. Despite numerous research efforts in the fast-growing field of wireless sensor devices, energy consumption remains a challenge that limits the lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology utilizes WSNs for providing an efficient sensing and communication infrastructure. Thus, a comparison of the existing wireless sensor nodes is crucial. Of particular interest are the advances in the recent MCU-based wireless sensor node platforms, which have become diverse and fairly advanced in relation to the currently available commercial WSN platforms. The recent wireless sensor nodes are compared with commercially available motes. The commercially available motes are selected based on a number of criteria including popularity, published results, interesting characteristics and features. Of particular interest is to understand the trajectory of development of these devices and the technologies so as to inform the research and application directions. The comparison is mainly based on processing and memory specifications, communication capabilities, power supply and consumption, sensor support, potential applications, node programming and hardware security. This paper attempts to provide a clear picture of the progress being made towards the design of autonomous wireless sensor nodes to avoid redundancy in research by industry and academia. This paper is expected to assist developers of wireless sensor nodes to produce improved designs that outperform the existing motes. Besides, this paper will guide researchers and potential users to easily make the best choice of a mote that best suits their specific application scenarios. A discussion on the wireless sensor node platforms is provided, and challenges and future research directions are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces an original microcontroller unit (MCU) design of numerical low-pass (LP) negative group delay (NGD) function. The innovative theory of the numerical LP-NGD function is developed based on the first-order analog transfer function discretization. The infinite impulse response (IIR) LP-NGD is fundamentally formulated in function of the desired NGD value, cutoff frequency, gain, and the MCU sampling frequency. A STM32 MCU proof-of-concept (POC) is tested to implement the IIR LP-NGD function. Different real-time tests with visualization of input and output analog signals from the MCU LP-NGD POC were performed. As expected, time-advance demonstration tests with milli-second short- and several hour long-duration time-scale with arbitrary waveform signals from temperature and humidity sensors. The signal time-advance is not in contradiction with the causality. The proposed digital MCU function opens a potential future industrial application of LP-NGD function via sensored signal anticipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our design aims to assist in sleep inertia reduction and avoid the startle response and irritation caused by alarm-made unpleasant wakeup stimuli. Thus, we propose an approach that employs a soft and alerting sunrise simulation, conditionally utilizes natural light, and appropriately lowers the bedroom temperature for awakening a sleeper tenderly and gradually to gain full alertness. This approach is inspired by known scientific implications confirming the effectiveness of lights and temperatures on wakefulness. In this regard, we present an economical do-it-yourself digital tech-assisted system for bedroom lighting and temperature control. The system design is based on the smartphone and Internet of Things (IoT) technology. We develop the hardware and software in the system for implementing three IoT-based control tasks. One is the tuning of artificial light brightness using the pulse width modulation technique. Another is the opening of the window curtain using stepper motor control and light detection. The other is the activation of the air-conditioning setting using an infrared remote control and temperature detection. We construct a testbed for conducting experiments. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can execute task requirements satisfactorily. The proposed system is promising for achieving our goal. It embodies features of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-device artificial intelligence has attracted attention globally, and attempts to combine the internet of things and TinyML (machine learning) applications are increasing. Although most edge devices have limited resources, time and energy costs are important when running TinyML applications. In this paper, we propose a structure in which the part that preprocesses externally input data in the TinyML application is distributed to the hardware. These processes are performed using software in the microcontroller unit of an edge device. Furthermore, resistor–transistor logic, which perform not only windowing using the Hann function, but also acquire audio raw data, is added to the inter-integrated circuit sound module that collects audio data in the voice-recognition application. As a result of the experiment, the windowing function was excluded from the TinyML application of the embedded board. When the length of the hardware-implemented Hann window is 80 and the quantization degree is 2 − 5 , the exclusion causes a decrease in the execution time of the front-end function and energy consumption by 8.06% and 3.27%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a detailed review of microcontroller unit (MCU)-based wireless sensor node platforms from recently published research articles is presented. Despite numerous research efforts in the fast-growing field of wireless sensor devices, energy consumption remains a challenge that limits the lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology utilizes WSNs for providing an efficient sensing and communication infrastructure. Thus, a comparison of the existing wireless sensor nodes is crucial. Of particular interest are the advances in the recent MCU-based wireless sensor node platforms, which have become diverse and fairly advanced in relation to the currently available commercial WSN platforms. The recent wireless sensor nodes are compared with commercially available motes. The commercially available motes are selected based on a number of criteria including popularity, published results, interesting characteristics and features. Of particular interest is to understand the trajectory of development of these devices and the technologies so as to inform the research and application directions. The comparison is mainly based on processing and memory specifications, communication capabilities, power supply and consumption, sensor support, potential applications, node programming and hardware security. This paper attempts to provide a clear picture of the progress being made towards the design of autonomous wireless sensor nodes to avoid redundancy in research by industry and academia. This paper is expected to assist developers of wireless sensor nodes to produce improved designs that outperform the existing motes. Besides, this paper will guide researchers and potential users to easily make the best choice of a mote that best suits their specific application scenarios. A discussion on the wireless sensor node platforms is provided, and challenges and future research directions are also outlined.

Embedded static random access memories (SRAMs) with cost-effective test screening circuitry are demonstrated for low-power microcontroller units (MCUs). The probing test step at the low temperature (LT) of −40 °C is obviated by imitating pseudo-LT (PLT) conditions in the package test, where a sample is measured at room temperature (RT). Monte Carlo simulation is carried out considering local $V_{\mathrm {t}}$ variations as well as contact soft open failure (high resistance), confirming good minimum operating voltage ($V_{\mathrm {min}}$) correlation between LT and PLT conditions. Test chips with two types of 4-Mbit single-port SRAM macros and 1-Mbit dual-port SRAM macro are designed and fabricated using low-power 40-nm CMOS technology. Measurement results demonstrate that the proposed test method reproduces LT conditions and screens out LT failures with less overscreening. The proposed test method eliminates 1/3 or more of the test costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human hand was created to be a dexterous device by nature. The agility and flexibility of human hands are being replicated in some robotic system hands to improve grasping functions. People's labor will be greatly facilitated and protected by such manipulators. The goal of this study is to design and implement a "Wireless Hand Gesture Controlled Robotic Arm." The system is divided into three parts such as the accelerometer, the robotic arm, and the receiver. It is essentially an accelerometer and microcontroller-based system that uses a compact and low-cost 3-axis (DOF) accelerometer, the ATmega328, and the AT89S52MC to control a robotic arm remotely. This arm can move in two directions like vertically (up and down) and horizontally (left and right) (hold or release an object). An accelerometer is attached to the human hand, which records its movements (gestures and postures), and the robotic arm moves in response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an adaptive electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) scheme based on a microcontroller unit (MCU) for reducing the mutual coupling in an antenna array designed for electromagnetic interference (EMI) scanner system enhancement (e.g., scanning speed, lower weight and size, and maintenance). For the first time, the EBG is configured via an MCU to enable the finest control of the equivalent lumped elements of the EBG, realizing optimal isolation between/among the antennas at very close distances (1.2 mm $= 0.05\lambda $ at 10 GHz), which typically translates into longer distances between/among the antennas and/or more EBG elements (examples are referenced for comparison). The desired optimal isolation performance is realized by the EBG scheme combined with varactor diodes under the control of the MCU (later the microcontrolled EBG or MC-EBG) referencing a database compiled from the simulation results. In a simulation, the optimal isolation was found to be −58 dB ($S_{21}$) between two small-loop antennas (later the 2-SLA prototype) on a high-permittivity substrate ($\varepsilon _{r} = 12.8$ , 4-mm thick). For the 4-SLA prototype devised here under identical substrate conditions, the optimal isolation points were found to be −30 dB ($S_{21}/S_{31})$ and −38 dB ($S_{41}$). During the measurements, when compared under a EBG-standalone tuned isolation at 10 GHz, the measured isolation of the ultimately selected 4-SLA prototype was found to be better by more than 29 dB (−7 to −36 dB) between the closest SLAs ($S_{21}/S_{31})$ and by more than 35 dB (−18 to −53 dB) between the farthest SLAs ($S_{41}$) at the same frequency. The accordant S-parametric results from both the simulation and the measurement are supported by the simulated $H$ -field distribution (dBmA/m). The $H$ -field from one SLA to the others was found to be reduced by more than 30 dB with the MC-EBG activated (MCU ON), and this is compared with the value of 13 dB from the tuned EBG-standalone case (MCU OFF). The final 4-SLA prototype was deployed in an actual 1 mm over-the-air (OTA) near-field EMI test at 10 GHz. The final field application results prove an enhancement in the EMI scanning speed (few hours versus few minutes) with a very low error rate (clear EMI detection), with the ultimate goal of the MC-EBG thus successfully accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-device artificial intelligence has attracted attention globally, and attempts to combine the internet of things and TinyML (machine learning) applications are increasing. Although most edge devices have limited resources, time and energy costs are important when running TinyML applications. In this paper, we propose a structure in which the part that preprocesses externally input data in the TinyML application is distributed to the hardware. These processes are performed using software in the microcontroller unit of an edge device. Furthermore, resistor–transistor logic, which perform not only windowing using the Hann function, but also acquire audio raw data, is added to the inter-integrated circuit sound module that collects audio data in the voice-recognition application. As a result of the experiment, the windowing function was excluded from the TinyML application of the embedded board. When the length of the hardware-implemented Hann window is 80 and the quantization degree is 2−5, the exclusion causes a decrease in the execution time of the front-end function and energy consumption by 8.06% and 3.27%, respectively.

This article describes the development and experimental verification of an instrument fault accommodation (IFA) scheme for front and rear suspension stroke sensors in motorcycles equipped with electronically controlled semiactive suspension systems. In particular, the IFA scheme is based on the use of nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) neural networks (NNs) employed as soft sensors for feeding the suspension control strategy back with measurement even in the presence of faults occurred on the sensors. Different NN architectures have been trained and tuned by considering real data acquired during several measurement campaigns. The performance has been compared with that of the well-known half-car model (HCM). Very satisfying results allow the soft sensor to be really integrated into fault-tolerant control systems. In experimental road tests, an implementation of the proposed IFA scheme on a low-cost microcontroller for automotive applications showed to be in real time. In this article, these experimental results are shown to prove the good performance of the IFA scheme in different motorcycle operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for energy-efficient, high-performance microcontroller units (MCUs) for the use in power-supply-critical Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensor-node applications has witnessed a substantial increase. In response, research concerning the development of several low-power-consuming MCUs has been actively pursued. The performance level of such MCUs, however, has not been sufficient, thereby rendering them non-feasible for the use in IoT sensor-node applications that process a large number of received signals immediately followed by extraction of valuable information from them to limit data transferred to a data center. To realize next-generation IoT systems based on intelligent sensor-node application, ultra-low-power high-performance MCUs need to be developed. This paper presents an ultra-low-power-consuming and high-performance MCU configuration based on the spintronics device technology, using which all modules are non-volatilized, and any wasteful power consumption is eliminated by controlling the power supplied independently to each module. By incorporating a reconfigurable accelerator module, for performing various signal-processing procedures in sensor-node applications, and a memory controller, which can speed up the entire system by relaxing the data-transfer bottleneck of logic and memory, the proposed MCU configuration achieves ultra-low power consumption and high-speed operation. As confirmed by the results obtained via measurements performed on a fabricated chip, the proposed MCU design, on average, consumed 47.14 $\mu \text{W}$ power at an operating frequency of 200 MHz. This corresponds to the world’s highest signal-processing performance and energy efficiency of highly functional IoT sensor nodes powered by harvested energy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For fuel management of the engine and throttle valve opening, throttle position sensor plays the vital role. The traditional method for testing of such sensors at various angles and observe its effects was done manually. To overcome this method, the idea is to develop a system, which is fully digital and controlled automatically. The aim of the system is to provide controlling system, which includes sensing and identifying fault input signals from the throttle position sensor assembly. sensors. Also a system is implemented for calibrating an engine throttle position sensor operation of a system. This system not only improve the performance characteristics but also will be a time efficient system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are of increasing interest as bioelectrochemical systems for decomposing organic materials and converting chemical energy into electricity. The main challenge for this technology is that the low power and voltage of the devices restricts the use of MFCs in practical applications. In this paper, a power management system (PMS) is developed to store the energy and export an increased voltage. The designed PMS successfully increases the low voltage generated by an individual MFC to a high potential of 5 V, capable of driving a wireless temperature and humidity sensor based on nRF24L01 data transmission modules. With the PMS, MFCs can intermittently power the sensor for data transmission to a remote receiver. It is concluded that even an individual MFC can supply the energy required to power the sensor and telemetry system with the designed PMS. The presented PMS can be widely used for unmanned environmental monitoring such as wild rivers, lakes, and adjacent water areas, and offers promise for further advances in MFC technology.

Nonvolatile spintronic devices have potential advantages, such as fast read/write and high endurance together with back-end-of-the-line compatibility, which offers the possibility of constructing not only stand-alone RAMs and embedded RAMs that can be used in conventional VLSI circuits and systems but also standby-power-free high-performance nonvolatile CMOS logic employing logic-in-memory architecture. The advantages of employing spintronic devices, especially magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices with CMOS circuits, are discussed, and the current status of the MTJ-based VLSI computing paradigm is presented along with its prospects and remaining challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper; a technique is proposed for reducing the energy consumption of microcontroller-based sensor nodes by switching the operating clock between low and high frequencies. The proposed concept is motivated by the fact that if the application codes of the microcontroller unit (MCU) consist of no-wait state instruction sets, it consumes less energy when it operates with a higher frequency. When the application code of the MCU consists of wait instruction sets; e.g., a wait acknowledge signal, it switches to low clock frequency. The experimental results confirm that the proposed technique can reduce the MCU energy consumption up to 66.9%.

In this current world where technology is growing up day by day and scientific researchers are presenting new era of discoveries, the need for security is also increasing in all areas. At present, the vehicle usage is basic necessity for everyone. Simultaneously, protecting the vehicle against theft is also very important. Traditional vehicle security system depends on many sensors and cost is also high. When the vehicle is stolen, no more response or alternative could be available to help the owner of the vehicle to find it back. The main goal of this paper is to protect the vehicle from any unauthorized access, using fast, easy-to-use, clear, reliable and economical fingerprint recognition technique. This vehicle security system intimates the status of the vehicle to the authoritative person (owner) using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication technology. If the person is certified, vehicle access is allowed. Else SMS will be sent to the owner and the engine will be immobilized. The prototype model for the security system is built on the embedded platform using PIC Microcontroller which controls all the processes and cost is also very stumpy. On higher end theft attempts like cutting battery power supply, protection to the vehicle is provided by Engine Control Unit (ECU) embedded on microcontroller. By using GPS technology, vehicle can be identified very easily. Thus, the system provides security at both levels, i.e. when battery supply is provided or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chip was developed with a 32×32 array of extended-gate field-effect transistor (FET)-based redox-potential sensors, each with a gold electrode modified with 11-ferrocenylundecane-1-thiol (11-FUT). The potential of the sensors was stable to within 0.5mV/h. Overall, for the 32×32 sensor cells, 80% showed potentials that were within ±5mV of the median and 92% were within ±1mV of the median. The sensor array detected the redox reaction of hexacyanoferrate(II) and hexacyanoferrate(III) as a change in the electric potential of the 11-FUT-modified electrode with a Nernstian response, at a slope of −58.0mV/decade at room temperature, and a dynamic range of more than five orders of magnitude. Two-dimensional and real-time visualization were made possible by imaging of the sensor array. With an enzyme-catalyzed redox reaction, the FET-based sensor array showed a slope of −59.5mV/decade for logarithmic concentrations of glucose in the range 0.1–2mM, and it successfully detected glucose levels from 22.5 to 360mg/dL. The limit of detection of glucose was 50μM. Finally, the FET-based enzyme sensor array successfully detected glucose levels in samples of human serum from 100.1 to 264.3mg/dL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the need of target positioning, a remote positioning system is designed based on global positioning system (GPS) and general packet radio service(GPRS); The data collection terminal is based on microcontroller unit (MCU) PIC24FV301. It uses GPRS network to create wireless link and transmits GPS source information which is collected by LEA 5H board to monitor center on the Internet. The monitor center obtains the target information through processing and analysis of the calculated data. Actual operation results indicate that the designed system has excellent performance and achieves the goal of the remote location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the theoretical analysis and performance results of a direct microcontroller unit (MCU) interface circuit for capacitive sensors based on the charge-transfer method, when stray capacitances are considered. The interface circuit can implement two alternative two-point calibration techniques that reduce the effects of stray capacitance, temperature, and MCU parameters that depend on the power supply voltage. The best measurement deviation achieved from 0°C to 50°C and for power supply voltage from 4.0 to 5 V is below 0.01 full-scale range (FSR) for the two subranges from 10 to 100 pF and from 100 pF to 1 nF and 0.08 FSR for the subrange from 2 to 10 pF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper; a technique is proposed for reducing the energy consumption of microcontroller-based sensor nodes by switching the operating clock between low and high frequencies. The proposed concept is motivated by the fact that if the application codes of the microcontroller unit (MCU) consist of no-wait state instruction sets, it consumes less energy when it operates with a higher frequency. When the application code of the MCU consists of wait instruction sets; e.g., a wait acknowledge signal, it switches to low clock frequency. The experimental results confirm that the proposed technique can reduce the MCU energy consumption up to 66.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are of increasing interest as bioelectrochemical systems for decomposing organic materials and converting chemical energy into electricity. The main challenge for this technology is that the low power and voltage of the devices restricts the use of MFCs in practical applications. In this paper, a power management system (PMS) is developed to store the energy and export an increased voltage. The designed PMS successfully increases the low voltage generated by an individual MFC to a high potential of 5 V, capable of driving a wireless temperature and humidity sensor based on nRF24L01 data transmission modules. With the PMS, MFCs can intermittently power the sensor for data transmission to a remote receiver. It is concluded that even an individual MFC can supply the energy required to power the sensor and telemetry system with the designed PMS. The presented PMS can be widely used for unmanned environmental monitoring such as wild rivers, lakes, and adjacent water areas, and offers promise for further advances in MFC technology.