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- All Subjects: Technology
- Creators: Electrical Engineering Program
This honors thesis explores the potential use of LoRa technology for detecting moisture in a diaper. Tests of both onboard and external humidity sensors coupled with LoRa transmission are incredibly promising. The potential scale of the final device also shows much promise, measuring smaller than a U.S. dime. However, the estimated cost for producing these proof-of-concept units in bulk is $19.41 per unit. While this is believed to be a pessimistic estimate of the price, the cost of production remains too high regardless for large-scale implementation. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the need for further research and development to optimize the design and reduce the cost of production. Despite the limitations imposed by price, the idea of using LoRa in detecting moisture in a diaper remains intriguing and promising, however, RFID technology has many advantages, such as size, cost, and passive power features.
There are quite a few readily available products that one can buy if one looks past some of their flaws. A lot of these alarms either require a user to carry an extra communication device, or they are too big or expensive. The proposed solution merges all desirable features of a bike alarm into one module. In light of this, surveys were conducted to ascertain what these qualities would need to be. The top considerations for purchasing this alarm were how costly it would be, the false detection rate, and also the battery life. Additionally, the features that were most requested was the inclusion of a GPS and a camera. In order to incorporate these features, a three year plan was formulated which would culminate into a bike network in which each bike could communicate with other bikes. This would allow for an IOT network to be established, thus far exceeding expectations. The price point for this alarm is USD $10.00-15.00 and can come in a variety of colors. Additionally, this concept can be applied to many different scenarios, from protecting boats/jet skis and other aquatic vehicles, to houses as well. Furthermore, one could miniaturize this technology to be used in jewelry or accessories.
This thesis investigates how to design a radar using a field–programmable gate array board to generate the radar signal, and process the returned signal to determine the distance and concentration of objects (in this case, ash). The purpose of using such a board lies in its reconfigurability—a design can (relatively easily) be adjusted, recompiled, and reuploaded to the hardware with none of the cost or time overhead required of a standard weather radar.
The design operates on the principle of frequency–modulated continuous–waves, in which the output signal frequency changes as a function of time. The difference in transmit and echo frequencies determines the distance of an object, while the magnitude of a particular difference frequency corresponds to concentration. Thus, by viewing a spectrum of frequency differences, one is able to see both the concentration and distances of ash from the radar.
The transmit signal data was created in MATLAB®, while the radar was designed with MATLAB® Simulink® using hardware IP blocks and implemented on the ROACH2 signal processing hardware, which utilizes a Xilinx® Virtex®–6 chip. The output is read from a computer linked to the hardware through Ethernet, using a Python™ script. Testing revealed minor flaws due to the usage of lower–grade components in the prototype. However, the functionality of the proposed radar design was proven, making this approach to radar a promising path for modern vulcanology.
This thesis investigates how to design a radar using a field–programmable gate array board to generate the radar signal, and process the returned signal to determine the distance and concentration of objects (in this case, ash). The purpose of using such a board lies in its reconfigurability—a design can (relatively easily) be adjusted, recompiled, and reuploaded to the hardware with none of the cost or time overhead required of a standard weather radar.
The design operates on the principle of frequency–modulated continuous–waves, in which the output signal frequency changes as a function of time. The difference in transmit and echo frequencies determines the distance of an object, while the magnitude of a particular difference frequency corresponds to concentration. Thus, by viewing a spectrum of frequency differences, one is able to see both the concentration and distances of ash from the radar.
The transmit signal data was created in MATLAB®, while the radar was designed with MATLAB® Simulink® using hardware IP blocks and implemented on the ROACH2 signal processing hardware, which utilizes a Xilinx® Virtex®–6 chip. The output is read from a computer linked to the hardware through Ethernet, using a Python™ script. Testing revealed minor flaws due to the usage of lower–grade components in the prototype. However, the functionality of the proposed radar design was proven, making this approach to radar a promising path for modern vulcanology.