S.NO TITLES ABSTARCTS Year

ECE 1 Smart Metering of Variable Power Loads Nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) seeks to determine the operation of individual loads in a building strictly from measurements made on an aggregate current signal serving a collection of loads. Great strides have been made in performing NILM for loads whose operating state can be represented by a finite-state machine, i.e., loads that consume discrete or distinct power levels for periods of time. It is much more difficult to track the operation of continuously variable loads that demand ever-changing power. These loads are becoming more prevalent as variable speed drives, daylight- esponsive lighting, and other power electronic controlled loads emerge on the grid. This paper demonstrates a method for tracking the power consumption of variable demand loads nonintrusively. The method applies to any site where NILM might be of interest, including commercial and industrial buildings, residences, and transportation systems. 2015

ECE 2 An Artificial Neural Network Approach for Early Fault Detection of Gearbox Bearings Gearbox has proven to be a major contributor toward downtime in wind turbines. The majority of failures in the gearbox originate from the gearbox bearings. An early indication of possible wear and tear in the gearbox bearings may be used for effective predictive maintenance, thereby reducing the overall cost of maintenance. This paper introduces a selfevolving maintenance scheduler framework for maintenance management of wind turbines. urthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based condition monitoring approach using data from supervisory control and data acquisition system is proposed. The ANN-based condition monitoring approach is applied to gearbox bearings with real data from onshore wind turbines, rated 2 MW, and located in the south of Sweden. The results demonstrate that the proposed ANN-based condition monitoring approach is capable of indicating severe damage in the components being monitored in advance. 2015

ECE 3 Thermal Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Node in Aluminum Core PCB Technology This paper reports the design of a self-powered telemetric wireless sensor node for temperature measurement. The device is realized with a conventional off-the-shelf thermoelectric generator as a power source. It is sandwiched between two aluminum core printed circuit boards (PCBs). One board is exposed to the heat source and has the role of a heat collector, whereas another one with the mounted low profile heatsink acts as a heat spreader. Electronic components of the node are placed on the inner surfaces of the boards. Implemented step-up circuitry is accommodated to achieve stabile cold boot of the node at a low temperature difference between its hot side and ambient (less than 15 °C), even when it is in thermally inefficient position. Operational autonomy of the node in the absence of the heat source is extended by 30% comparing with the common stepup circuitry implementation. The aluminum core PCBs provide node simplicity and compactness, with small overall dimensions. 2015

ECE 4 A Zigbee-Based Animal Health Monitoring System An animal health monitoring system for monitoring the physiological parameters, such as rumination, body temperature, and heart rate with surrounding temperature and humidity, has been developed. The developed system can also analyze the stress level corresponding to thermal humidity index. The IEEE802.15.4 and IEEE1451.2 standards-based sensor module has been developed successfully. The zigbee device and PIC18F4550 microcontroller are used in the implementation of sensor module. The graphical user interface (GUI) is mplemented in LabVIEW 9 according to the IEEE1451.1 standard. The real-time monitoring of physiological and behavioral parameters can be present on the GUI PC. The device is very helpful for inexpensive health care of livestock. A prototype model is developed and tested with high accuracy results. 2015

ECE 5 Power-Efficient Interrupt-Driven Algorithms for Fall Detection and Classification of Activities of Daily Living Falls lead to major health problems for the elderly. Immediate help could lower the risk of complications and death and greatly increase the likelihood of returning to independent living. Automatic fall detectors are useful devices that can alert family members and caregivers at those life-critical moments. Traditional accelerometer-based fall studies focus on accuracies and largely neglect the fact that algorithms will mostly be implemented in microcontroller units (MCUs) with limited speed and random access memory. In addition, it is desirable for a fall detector to have a battery life of several weeks or months. This paper presents a fall detection algorithm and a classification algorithm for activities of daily living using a wrist-worn wearable device. Both algorithms are power-efficient and can be implemented easily in an 8-bit MCU. They adopt an interruptdriven approach based on a modern digital icroelectromechanical systems accelerometer which supports interrupts and data buffering. The approach is completely different from conventional algorithms which must examine and process every piece of data sampled at high frequencies. The interrupt-driven approach allows a host MCU to examine significantly less data and only process upon accelerometer or timer interrupts 2015

ECE 6 An Embedded Passive Resonant Sensor Using Frequency Diversity Technology for High- Temperature Wireless Measurement This paper presents an embedded wireless passive temperature sensor for measurements in high-temperature applications, such as compressors and turbine engines. The performance of the sensor was improved by optimizing its performance parameters. A high-temperature-resistant material was used, and an embedded structure design was introduced to enable the sensor to operate in high-temperature environments. A series LC resonant circuit containing a fixed inductance coil and variable capacitance that varies with temperature was embedded in an alumina ceramic substrate using high-temperature cofired ceramic technology. The temperature in the high-temperature environment was detected wirelessly via the frequency diversity of the sensor. Furthermore, the experimental results showed that the sensor can measure temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1000 °C, and the average sensitivity of the sensor is ∼2 KHz/°C. 2015

ECE 7 MEMS Multisensor Intelligent Damage Detection for Wind Turbines Maintenance and repair of wind turbine structures have become more challenging and at the same time essential as they evolve into larger dimensions or located in places with limited access. Even small structural damages may invoke catastrophic detriment to the integrity of the system. So, cost-effective, predictive, and reliable structural health monitoring (SHM) system has been always desirable for wind turbines. A real-time nondestructive SHM technique based on multisensor data fusion is proposed in this paper. The objective is to critically analyze and evaluate the feasibility of the proposed technique to identify and localize damages in wind turbine blades. The structural properties of the turbine blade before and after damage are investigated through different sets of finiteelement method simulations. Based on the obtained results, it is shown that information from smart sensors, measuring strains, and vibrations data, distributed over the turbine blades can be used to assist in more accurate damage detection and overall understanding of the health condition of blades. Data fusion technique is proposed to combine these two diagnostic tools to improve the detection system that provides a more robust reading with reduced false alarms. 2015

ECE 8 A Parking Occupancy Detection Algorithm Based on AMR Sensor Recently, with the explosive increase of automobiles in cities, parking problems are serious and even worsen in many cities. This paper proposes a new algorithm for parking occupancy detection based on the use of anisotropic magnetoresistive sensors. Parking occupancy detection is abstracted as binary pattern recognition problem. According to the status of the parking space, the recognition result contains two categories: 1) vacant and 2) occupied. The feature extraction method of the parking magnetic signal is proposed. In addition, the classification criteria are derived based on the distance discriminate analysis method. Eighty-two sensor nodes are deployed on the roadside parking spaces. By running the system for six months, we observed that the accuracy rate of the proposed parking occupancy detection algorithm is better than 98%. 2015

ECE 9 A Handheld Inertial Pedestrian Navigation System With Accurate Step Modes and Device Poses Recognition In this paper, a handheld inertial pedestrian navigation system (IPNS) based on low-cost icroelectromechanical system sensors is presented. Using the machine learning method of support vector machine, a multiple classifier is developed to recognize human step modes and device poses. The accuracy of the selected classifier is >85%. A novel step detection model is created based on the results of the classifier to eliminate the over-counting and under-counting errors. The accuracy of the presented step detector is >98%. Based on the improvements of the step modes recognition and step detection, the IPNS realized precise tracking using the pedestrian dead reckoning algorithm. The largest location error of the IPNS prototype is ∼40 m in an urban area with a 2100-m-long distance. 2015

ECE 10 Wireless Power Transfer for Telemetric Devices With Variable Orientation, for Small Rodent Behavior Monitoring Gathering behavioral and biological data from small rodents is important for the study of various disease models in biomedical research. Such data acquisition requires a long-term powering method for telemetry electronics and radios, for which a wireless power transfer (WPT) scheme is desirable. This paper investigates a novel WPT system to deliver power from a stationary source (primary coil) to a moving telemetric device (secondary coil) via magnetic resonance coupling. To conduct research with rodents effectively, they must be able to move freely inside their cage. However, the continuously changing orientation of the rodent leads to coupling loss/problems between the primary and secondary coils, presenting a major challenge. We propose novel configurations of the secondary employing ferrite rods placed at specific locations and orientations within the coil. Three-dimensional finite-element analysis using COMSOL software is used to find the magnetic flux density distribution surrounding these secondary configurations. The simulation results show a significant increase of flux through the coil using our ferrite arrangement, with improved coupling at most orientations. Physical prototypes of these secondary coil configurations were constructed and experiments were conducted to test their performance. Measurements show that ferrite rods improved power transfer at most orientations, beyond that of the nominal ferrite-less configuration. The use of angled ferrite rods further improved power transfer, where the medium-ferriteangled (4MFA) configuration is best. Experiments show the maximum power collected by 4MFA was 113 mW, when parallel to the primary coil, and 28 mW when 60° to the primary coil. 2015

ECE 11 The Development of a Blood Leakage Monitoring System for the Applications in Hemodialysis Therapy The purpose of this paper is to design, fabricate, and characterize of a bracelet monitoring device for blood leakage detection during the hemodialysis treatment. The design includes a photointerrupter, a Bluetooth 4 wireless module, power, and alert components. The validation results show that it only needs a very small amount of blood (0.01 ml), and takes 1.6 s to detect a blood leakage. Furthermore, the lifetime of the battery on this device is longer than the currently available commercial products. It can continuously give out an alert for 18-h long and continuously monitor up to 41 h. In addition, the transmission range of Bluetooth wireless signal can be extended to 23 m. As long as the patients wear this bracelet blood leakage detector during the hemodialysis therapy and affix the absorbent material onto the junction of fistula, any blood leakage can be detected. As the absorbent material is placed at the light sensing position of the hotointerrupter, which causes the received light intensity to change during blood leakage. Once a blood leakage occurs, the absorbent material absorbs the blood due to the capillary action and triggers the alarm system. A warning light will also be activated, and a leakage occurrence is transmitted to the healthcare stations alarming healthcare workers via the Bluetooth wireless. The healthcare workers can take appropriate action immediately to prevent any risks to the patients during hemodialysis therapy. The proposed blood leakage monitoring system can improve the current medical approach for the hemodialysis therapy. 2015

ECE 12 An Ultrasonic and Vision-Based Relative Positioning Sensor for Multirobot Localization This paper proposes a novel 3D sensor node to establish relative measurements within a robot network. The developed sensor nodes employ ultrasonic-based range measurement and infrared-based bearing measurement for spatial localization of robots. The sensor is low power, lightweight, low cost, and designed to be applicable across many robotic platforms, including microaerial vehicles. The proposed sensor design requires only two robots to perform relative measurements of each other and achieves a measurement accuracy of 0.96-cm Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) for range and 0.3° RMSE for bearing. The sensor nodes are scalable and can be configured using either Star or Mesh protocols with a maximum of 10-Hz update rates over a detection range of 9 m. The correspondence issue of having multiple robots is resolved using time division multiple access methods where different time slots are used by each sensor node. These features are verified by multiple experimental evaluations on a multirobot team with both ground and aerial agents. The proposed approach allows multirobot localization in scenarios where supportive positioning services such as GPS are unavailable. As a result, even basic robots, which lack powerful simultaneous localization and mapping capabilities, will be capable of autonomous navigation by accessing the positional information provided by the sensor network. 2015

ECE 13 Implementing Intelligent Traffic Control System for Congestion Control, Ambulance Clearance, and Stolen Vehicle Detection This paper presents an intelligent traffic control system to pass emergency vehicles smoothly. Each individual vehicle is equipped with special radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (placed at a strategic location), which makes it impossible to remove or destroy. We use RFID reader, NSK EDK-125–TTL, and PIC16F877A system-on-chip to read the RFID tags attached to the vehicle. It counts number of vehicles that passes on a particular path during a specified duration. It also determines the network congestion, and hence the green light duration for that path. If the RFID-tag-read belongs to the stolen vehicle, then a message is sent using GSM SIM300 to the police control room. In addition, when an ambulance is approaching the junction, it will communicate to the traffic controller in the junction to turn ON the green light. This module uses ZigBee modules on CC2500 and PIC16F877A system-on-chip for wireless communications between the ambulance and traffic controller. The prototype was tested under different combinations of inputs in our wireless communication laboratory and experimental results were found as expected. 2015

ECE 14 Water Nonintrusive Load Monitoring Resource conservation decisions require detailed consumption information. This paper presents sensors and signal processing techniques that use pipe vibration signatures to non-intrusively identify water consumption at the appliance level. The method requires as little as one easily installed vibration sensor. This method provides a no-fuss retrofit solution for detecting the operation of a building’s water consuming appliances. In addition, flow rate is nonintrusively obtained from a conventional water meter via a new, high sensitivity strap-on magnetic sensor. Together, these two sensors track load operating schedule and water consumption in a building, demonstrated here at three different field test sites. 2015

ECE 15 Design and Application of a VOC-Monitoring System Based on a ZigBee Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution levels in indoor environments is of great importance for the health and comfort of individuals, especially considering that people currently spend >80% of their time indoors. The primary aim of this paper is to design a low-power ZigBee sensor network and internode data reception control framework to use in the real-time acquisition and communication of data concerning air pollutant levels from VOCs. The network consists of end device sensors with photoionization detectors, routers that propagate the network over long distances, and a coordinator that communicates with a computer. The design is based on the ATmega16 microcontroller and the Atmel RF230 ZigBee module, which are used to effectively process communication data with low power consumption. Priority is given to power consumption and sensing efficiency, which are achieved by incorporating various smart tasking and power management protocols. The measured data are displayed on a computer monitor through a graphical user interface. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate that the wireless sensor network system can monitor VOC concentrations with a high level of accuracy and is thus suitable for automated environmental monitoring. Both good indoor air quality and energy conservation can be achieved by integrating the VOC monitoring system proposed in this paper with the residential integrated ventilation controller. 2015

ECE 16 Smart Lighting System ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451 Compatible Smart lighting systems go far beyond merely replacing lamps. These modern systems are now able to reproduce arbitrary spectra, color temperatures, and intensities and pivot on smart sensors and actuators incorporating information and communication technologies. This paper presents an interoperable smart lighting solution that combines heterogeneous lighting technologies enabling intelligent functions. The system can shift light intensity to increase visual comfort, and it is oriented toward human centric lighting studies. Moreover, this system follows the guidelines defined by the ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451 standards and ZigBee Light Link and also, it includes an additional transducer signal treatment service for artificial intelligence algorithms. Finally, a representational state transfer application allows us to test the interoperability and visualize energy savings in an office room. 2015

ECE 17 A Low Cost, Highly Scalable Wireless Sensor Network Solution to Achieve Smart LED Light Control for Green Buildings Reducing energy demand in the residential and industrial sectors is an important challenge worldwide. In particular, lights account for a great portion of total energy consumption, and unfortunately a huge amount of this energy is wasted. Light-emitting diode (LED) lights are being used to light offices, houses, industrial, or agricultural facilities more efficiently than traditional lights. Moreover, the light control systems are introduced to current markets, because the installed lighting systems are outdated and energy inefficient. However, due to high costs, installation issues, and difficulty of maintenance; existing light control systems are not successfully applied to home, office, and industrial buildings. This paper proposes a low cost, wireless, easy to install, daptable, and smart LED lighting system to automatically adjust the light intensity to save energy and maintaining user satisfaction. The system combines motion sensors and light sensors in a low-power wireless solution using Zigbee communication. This paper presents the design and mplementation of the proposed system in a real-world deployment. Characterization of a commercial LED panel was performed to evaluate the benefit of dimming for this light technology. Measurements of total power consumption over a continuous six months period (winter to summer) of a busy office were acquired to verify the performance and the power savings across several weather conditions scenarios. The proposed smart lighting system reduces total power consumption in the application scenario by 55% during a six month period and up to 69% in spring months. These figures take also into account individual user preferences. 2015

ECE 18 Wearable Sensors for Human Activity Monitoring: A Review An increase in world population along with a significant aging portion is forcing rapid rises in healthcare costs. The healthcare system is going through a transformation in which continuous monitoring of inhabitants is possible even without hospitalization. The advancement of sensing technologies, embedded systems, wireless communication technologies, nano technologies, and miniaturization makes it possible to develop smart systems to monitor activities of human beings continuously. Wearable sensors detect abnormal and/or unforeseen situations by monitoring physiological parameters along with other symptoms. Therefore, necessary help can be provided in times of dire need. This paper reviews the latest reported systems on activity monitoring of humans based on wearable sensors and issues to be addressed to tackle the challenges. 2015

ECE 19 Passive and Semi-Passive Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensors Based on EPC Generation-2 UHF Protocol This paper proposes passive and semi-passive wireless temperature and humidity sensors based on electronic product code (EPC) global Class-1 Generation-2 UHF communication protocol. The wireless sensors consist of a sensor key chip and off-chip temperature and humidity sensors. The sensor key chip integrates RF/analog front-end circuit, digital baseband processor, nonvolatile memory, on-chip temperature sensor, and sensor interface. The sensor interface connects the off-chip sensors and the sensor key chip. The sensor key chip with the on-chip temperature sensor can operate without battery power (passive mode), and also can co-operate with the off-chip temperature and humidity sensors powered by battery (semi-passive mode). The RF/analog front-end circuit provides the dc power to the sensor key chip and communicates with the interrogator passively. Advanced low-power techniques are adopted to reduce the power consumption of the sensor key chip. The sensor key chip is fabricated in 0.18-μm CMOS process. In passive mode, the maximum wireless sensitivity of on-chip sensor is −15.1/−11.2 dBm for reading and sensing operation, respectively, and the temperature sensing error is −1 °C/0.8 °C over operating range from −20 °C to 50 °C. It achieves a reading/sensing distance of over 9.5/6 m with 4-W effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) by the commercial interrogator. In semi-passive mode, the temperature and humidity sensing distance of off-chip sensors is 2.7 m. 2015

ECE 20 Personal Lung Function Monitoring Devices for Asthma Patients Asthma affects over 300 million people worldwide. Asthmatics experience difficulty in breathing and airflow obstruction caused by inflammation and constriction of the airways. Home monitoring of lung function is the preferred course of action to give physicians and asthma patients a chance to control the disease jointly. Thus, it is important to develop accurate and efficient asthma monitoring devices that are easy for patients to use. While classic spirometry is currently the best way to capture a complete picture of airflow obstruction and lung function, the machines are bulky and generally require supervision. Portable peak flow meters are available but are inconvenient to use. There also exist no portable inexpensive exhaled breath biomarker devices commercially available to simultaneously measure concentrations of multiple chemical biomarkers. We have created a user-friendly, accurate, and portable external mobile device accessory that collects spirometry, peak expiratory flow, exhaled nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and oxygen concentration information from patients after two breath maneuvers. We have also developed a software application that records and stores the gathered test information and e-mails the results to a physician. Telemetric capabilities help physicians to track asthma symptoms and lung function over time, which allow physicians the opportunity to make appropriate changes in a patient’s medication regimen more quickly. 2015