1,720,985 research outputs found
SiPM based Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging VCII Interface
No full textWe here propose an interface circuit for Silicon photomultipliers sensors for Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) applications. The proposed interface has been designed at transistor level by means of a 150 nm technology process from LFoundry. Simulation results are presented in the paper demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed design to be used for such applications where short current pulses need to be detected as in LIDAR systems
The restoration of severely damaged churches – Implications and opportunities on cultural heritage conservation, thermal comfort and energy efficiency
No full textIndoor microclimate and energy performance analyses of historic buildings require tailored methodologies, because of their complexities, e.g. presence of artworks, lack of documents or project data and employed structure and materials. Given such difficulties, there are a few interdisciplinary methodologies, capable of carrying out multi-objective analyses for this kind of buildings, and they are often based on in situ monitoring that, however, may not be able to predict the effects deriving from different conceivable technologies and control strategies. In this work, an interdisciplinary methodology is employed for evaluating cultural heritage conservation conditions, occupants ‘thermal comfort and energy performance of a specific historic building category, such as churches, on the basis of experimental and numerical approach. The methodology was applied to the case study of an ancient Italian church, recently restored following the earthquake that hit L'Aquila in 2009. After the refurbishment of the church, the statistical analysis of temperature and relative humidity experimental data allowed to observe that the conservation conditions of artistic heritage just restored may be non-correct, due to remarkable thermo-hygrometric fluctuations of the indoor microclimate. Therefore, starting from the current condition of absence of HVAC system, calibrated dynamic simulation models of the church allowed to hypothesize different technological solutions able to control the indoor microclimate and to evaluate the effects on artworks preservation, thermal comfort, and energy performance. The results of the multi-scenario analysis showed that suitable conservation conditions (PIs > 90%) and thermal comfort can be obtained by employing a complex heating/cooling and humidification/dehumidification system which determines a significant increase in energy consumption
Landslides Monitoring by Means of Low Cost Wired Sensor Networks
No full textIn this paper we provide a feasible and functional solution for the automatic monitoring of landslide slopes parameters, allowing to control the dynamic behaviour of the target application, so adopting the necessary actions for any criticism. The here proposed system is a low cost infrastructure wired sensor network composed by sensing nodes and a GSM datalogger in charge of data management and transmission on a remote FTP web server
Structural health continuous monitoring of buildings-A modal parameters identification system
No full textMonitoring systems play a key role in maintaining the buildings' structural health. Although in the last decades the structural monitoring has experienced a considerable growth, the monitoring systems still require remarkable installation efforts and significant costs. Due to these disadvantages, the spread of such systems was scarce, and the duration of experimental phases was often short. The aim of this work is the design of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system to continuously monitor and check the structural behavior throughout the buildings' lifespan. The system, made up of a customized datalogger and slave devices, allows the continuous monitoring of structures' acceleration thanks to its ease of installation and low cost. The proposed system is mainly based on a microcontroller that: i) communicates with the nodes via RS485 bus, ii) synchronizes the acquisition samples, iii) acquires the data measured by the nodes. The system was tested on a cantilever aluminum structure, through three different experimental campaigns and the measured data, collected in an internal memory of the datalogger, were post-processed via Matlab algorithm. The results allowed to evaluate the modal parameters (frequencies, damping and modal shapes) of the analyzed structure and its health
Electronic interface for LiDar system and smart cities applications
Full text link—This work deals with the design of a new readout electronics for silicon photomultipliers sensors. The so-called SiPMs sensors are an emerging technology currently diffusing in many applications and, among them, in the definition of a new generation of LIDAR systems. The latter, nowadays have a primary role in the evolution process that is involving Smart Cities, being an enabling technology in different fields. The solution here proposed is realized at electronic level with a 150 nm technology process from LFoundry and results provide a feasible demonstration of the capability of the proposed design approach to be employed in practical applications
Structural health continous monitoring of buildings – A modal parameters identification system
No full textMonitoring systems play a key role in maintaining the buildings' structural health. Although in the last decades the structural monitoring has experienced a considerable growth, the monitoring systems still require remarkable installation efforts and significant costs. Due to these disadvantages, the spread of such systems was scarce, and the duration of experimental phases was often short. The aim of this work is the design of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system to continuously monitor and check the structural behavior throughout the buildings' lifespan. The system, made up of a customized datalogger and slave devices, allows the continuous monitoring of structures' acceleration thanks to its ease of installation and low cost. The proposed system is mainly based on a microcontroller that: i) communicates with the nodes via RS485 bus, ii) synchronizes the acquisition samples, iii) acquires the data measured by the nodes. The system was tested on a cantilever aluminum structure, through three different experimental campaigns and the measured data, collected in an internal memory of the datalogger, were post-processed via Matlab algorithm. The results allowed to evaluate the modal parameters (frequencies, damping and modal shapes) of the analyzed structure and its health
A new simplified five-parameter estimation method for single-diode model of photovoltaic panels
Full text linkThis work proposes a new simplified five-parameter estimation method for a single-diode model of photovoltaic panels. The method, based on an iterative algorithm, is able to estimate the parameter of the electrical single-diode model from the panel’s datasheet. Two iterative steps are used to estimate the five parameters starting from data provided by the manufacturer (nameplate values or I–V curves). The first step permits finding the optimal value of the diode ideality factor A, and the second step allows the calculation of the Rp value to improve the accuracy. A model that takes into account variations in temperature and solar irradiance has been used to validate the behavior of the output parameters. Compared to other estimation work, the proposed method shows the best result in the standard test condition (STC) and with a variable solar irradiance. Indeed, the optimization of the A, Rs, and Rp parameters allows guaranteeing the minimum error between I–V curves obtained from method and datasheet
VCII-Based Sensor Interface for Silicon Photomultiplier
No full textWe here propose a voltage conveyor-based sensor interface for silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The solution addresses a mixed-mode (voltage/current) design taking advantage from the current-mode approach to increase the response time and the drive capability. This solution, based on a voltage conveyor (VCII) shows very high transimpedance gain that is independent from the bandwidth and is able to work also with a very high input parasitic capacitive impedance
Performance monitoring of wood construction materials by means of integrated sensors
No full textThe use of natural materials for constructions, such as wood, makes it possible to respond to sustainability issues. However, due to its nature, it has problems of durability, as it is easily degradable. For this reason this research has developed a methodology aimed at defining an action strategy to monitor the behavior of wood elements. This methodology was verified in a case study where an innovative sensing and monitoring system conceived and optimized for modern wooden structures was introduced. It is organized with a control unit and sensing nodes that can be arranged freely. This architecture allows to provide continuous information about inside and outside ambient temperatures, moisture conditions and tri-axis inclination of structural elements. It is an innovative automatic monitor system that can be easily integrated to carry out a continuous analysis of the structural and environmental parameters of wooden buildings
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