35314 - Applied electronics for aerospace engineering (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

The student after the course will have useful knowledge to practice signal conditioning, data acquisition and signal processing with special reference to aerospace applications. He will also be educatedto review technical documentation, to interpret the results of circuit simulations, and to use formalisms, notations and merit factors favouring his/her cooperation as a part of interdisciplinary teams comprising experts in information-technology and electronics.

Course contents

Part 1: An introduction to sensing, signal conditioning, informatio processing

• A review on analog and digital signals and systems

Part 2: The MOS transistor and MOST based circuits

• Large signal model

• Small signal model

• Elementary amplifying stages

• Differential stage

• Logic gates

Part 3: Sensing technologies and related signal conditioning techniques:

• Resistive sensors

• Capacitive sensors

• Position encoders

Part 4: Data acquisition and different ways of representing information

• Analog to digital and digital to analog conversion

• Other ways of representing information by discrete-valued signals

• Voltage to frequency and frequency to voltage conversion

• Pulse width modulations and pulse density modulations

Part 5: Some elements on actuation and power conversion

• Continuous and switching regulation

Readings/Bibliography

The main reference material that the students should consider is their own notes taken during the lectures.

In fact the course introduces and summarizes different elements and aspects of modern electronics, making them accessible to students for whom electronics is not the first discipline. Consequently, it is not possible to use a single conventional text, which would result overspecialised.

Nonetheless it is possible and advisable to consider a few texts for deepening the knowledge of specific topics.

• Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith, Microelectronic Circuits, Oxford University Press

• For the part of the course regarding the MOS transistor and its use in amplifying stages and logic gates.
  

• R. Palls-Areny, J. G. Webster, Sensors and Signal Conditioning, Wiley, 2001

• For the part of the course regarding sensing technologies and signal conditioning.

• R. van de Plassche, CMOS Integrated Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog Converters, Kluwer, 2003

• For the part of the course regarding A/D and D/A converters
  

Students can be aided by the slides presented during the lectures and provided by the teacher.

Eventually, it should be considered that the course requires a good mastery of the topics taught during the previous courses in electrotechnics and basic analog electronics. Consequently it may be interesting to give reference to text books useful to review previous notions:

• P. U. Calzolari, S. Graffi, Elementi di elettronica, Zanichelli, 1984.

• For a general review of (mostly analog) electronics.

• S. Callegari, Elettronica analogica di base. Temi d'esame risolti e commentati per le nuove lauree in ingegneria, Pitagora, 2002 

• For a “practical” review of analog electronics.

Most of the text books cited herein are available at the libraries distributed at the various sites of the University of Bologna. To find a book, consider the site:

• http://www.deis.unibo.it/DEIS/Biblioteca/Cataloghi/default.htm

Teaching methods

The course consists in:

• Theory lectures with the aid of slides

• Exercises solved by the teacher during the lessons.

Assessment methods

The assessment is done by an final oral exam. The exam comprises the solving of a short exercise and at least 2 theory questions.

If the number of students in the course turns out to be larger than 40, the final oral exam will possibly be changed into a written test.

Teaching tools

During the course, the following teaching aids will be used

• Personal computer and simulation software to demonstrate the fundamental concepts

• Circuit level simulation (Spice-like: LT Spice)

• System level simulation (Matlab/Simulink-like: Scilab/Scicos)

• Video projector and slides

Office hours

See the website of Sergio Callegari