94272 - Electronic Systems

Learning outcomes

The course aims at giving students those tools needed to know and understand the fundamental elements by which electronic systems operate in the framework of automotive systems. The goal is not to educate electronic designers, rather to offer a broad and basic competence on the working of electronic systems, that is developing the ability to work as a part of interdisciplinary teams also including electronic designers and experts in information technologies.

Course contents

Introduction:

• sensing, signal conditioning, information processing, actuation. Structure of electronic systems interfaced with mechanical parts. Fundamentals of circuit theory.

The ingredients:

• basics of electronic devices. Diodes, MOS Transistors, power devices. Use of transistors as switches and as continuous regulators. Elements on technologies for sensors and actuators.

Digital systems:

• logic gates; digital signals; combinatorial and sequential networks; logic families; representation of numbers; fundamental function blocks; ALUs and microcontrollers; PLAs and FPGAs.

Analog systems:

• the operational amplifier, basic filters, techniques for signal conditioning.

Data acquisition and information representation:

• D/A and A/D conversion;
• Time encoding: V/F and F/V conversion; pulse width and pulse density modulations.

Hints on actuation and power conversion:

• notes on continuous regulation and switched mode regulation.

Readings/Bibliography

• A. Smaili, F. Mrad, “Applied Mechatronics”, Oxford University Press, 2008
• W. Ribbens, “Understanding automotive electronics: an engineering perspective”, Elsevier, 8th Edition, 2017

Teaching methods

The course will be based on theoretical lectures presented both on the blackboard and using slides. Some lectures will be devoted to exercises, examples, case studies, both at the blackboard and through the use of numerical computation platforms (e.g., Matlab), graphical environment for programming and simulation of multidomain dynamical systems (e.g., Simulink), or circuit level simulators (e.g., Spice). The slides used for the course will be made available for the students. The same shall happen for the code used in the examples, the demonstrations and the case studies.

Assessment methods

The assessment of the competences acquired by the students is based both on a written test and an oral exam.

The written test includes some exercises aimed at evaluating both the understanding of the contents of the course (and specifically of some parts of the course), and the achievement of some practical ability to manage analysis and design tools.

The oral exam complements the written test by looking more deeply at theoretical aspects.

Passing a written test is a pre-requisite to take part in the oral exam. In general, the written and the oral exam must both be passed within the same call.

Teaching tools

The course will be based on theoretical lectures presented both on the blackboard and using slides. Some lectures will be devoted to exercises, examples, case studies, both at the blackboard and through the use of numerical computation platforms (e.g., Matlab), graphical environment for programming and simulation of multidomain dynamical systems (e.g., Simulink), or circuit level simulators (e.g., Spice). The slides used for the course will be made available for the students. The same shall happen for the code used in the examples, the demonstrations and the case studies.

Office hours

See the website of Sergio Callegari