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Electronic Test and Measurement Instrumentation: Design and Applications

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2024 | Viewed by 17255

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Electronic Systems, Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: photoacoustics (hardware and applications); electronic test and measurement instrumentation (design and applications, hardware, firmware and software; whole systems and single instruments design); embedded systems; microcontrollers (hardware, firmware and applications); project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Electronic Systems, Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: analog electronics; embedded systems; IoT

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Test and measurement instrumentation covers a large portion of the modern electronics and automation field. Current testing and measurement techniques range from ultrasmall, nanometer-scale semiconductor manufacturing issues to high-power, large-scale devices and systems. Moreover, the domains of testing and instrumentation are not just limited to electronics and circuits but also include photonics, radio electronics (wireless electronics), and many more.

This Special Issue of Sensors aims to present advances in such test and measurement solutions in various domains. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Front-end electronics;
  • Signal conditioning;
  • Digital signal processing;
  • Data processing;
  • Control;
  • Communication with sensors and in sensor systems;
  • Energy harvesting.

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Starecki
Dr. Piotr Z. Wieczorek
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • front-end electronics
  • signal conditioning
  • digital signal processing
  • data processing
  • control
  • communication with sensors and in sensor systems
  • energy harvesting

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4163 KiB  
Article
Properties of a Symmetrical Photoacoustic Helmholtz Cell Operating with Imbalanced Counterphase Light Stimulation
by Tomasz Starecki, Michał Henryk Pietrzak and Marcin Kamil Ścisłowski
Sensors 2023, 23(16), 7150; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23167150 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 550
Abstract
The output signal from a photoacoustic cell based on a symmetrical Helmholtz resonator structure can be substantially increased if a counterphase light stimulation is applied to the cell cavities. However even slight differences in the intensity of the light beams irradiating the cavities [...] Read more.
The output signal from a photoacoustic cell based on a symmetrical Helmholtz resonator structure can be substantially increased if a counterphase light stimulation is applied to the cell cavities. However even slight differences in the intensity of the light beams irradiating the cavities may affect the frequency response of the cell and the output signal level. This paper shows the influence of the imbalanced light irradiation on the properties of such a cell. It was found that even at relatively high irradiation mismatch, and even with the photoacoustic signal detection implemented with a single microphone, the influence of the irradiation imbalance on the frequency response of the cell around the resonance frequency is not critical. In the case of differential detection of the photoacoustic signal, the imbalance of the light irradiation does not affect the frequency response of the cell, but only the output signal level. Full article
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17 pages, 10061 KiB  
Article
Forgery Cyber-Attack Supported by LSTM Neural Network: An Experimental Case Study
by Krzysztof Zarzycki, Patryk Chaber, Krzysztof Cabaj, Maciej Ławryńczuk, Piotr Marusak, Robert Nebeluk, Sebastian Plamowski and Andrzej Wojtulewicz
Sensors 2023, 23(15), 6778; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23156778 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 887
Abstract
This work is concerned with the vulnerability of a network industrial control system to cyber-attacks, which is a critical issue nowadays. This is because an attack on a controlled process can damage or destroy it. These attacks use long short-term memory (LSTM) neural [...] Read more.
This work is concerned with the vulnerability of a network industrial control system to cyber-attacks, which is a critical issue nowadays. This is because an attack on a controlled process can damage or destroy it. These attacks use long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks, which model dynamical processes. This means that the attacker may not know the physical nature of the process; an LSTM network is sufficient to mislead the process operator. Our experimental studies were conducted in an industrial control network containing a magnetic levitation process. The model training, evaluation, and structure selection are described. The chosen LSTM network very well mimicked the considered process. Finally, based on the obtained results, we formulated possible protection methods against the considered types of cyber-attack. Full article
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16 pages, 99728 KiB  
Article
A Cost-Effective Lightning Current Measuring Instrument with Wide Current Range Detection Using Dual Signal Conditioning Circuits
by Youngjun Lee and Young Sam Lee
Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3349; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063349 - 22 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1603
Abstract
Lightning strikes can cause significant damage to critical infrastructure and pose a serious threat to public safety. To ensure the safety of facilities and investigate the causes of lightning accidents, we propose a cost-effective design method for a lightning current measuring instrument that [...] Read more.
Lightning strikes can cause significant damage to critical infrastructure and pose a serious threat to public safety. To ensure the safety of facilities and investigate the causes of lightning accidents, we propose a cost-effective design method for a lightning current measuring instrument that uses a Rogowski coil and dual signal conditioning circuits to detect a wide range of lightning currents, ranging from hundreds of A to hundreds of kA. To implement the proposed lightning current measuring instrument, we design signal conditioning circuits and software capable of detecting and analyzing lightning currents from ±500 A to ±100 kA. By employing dual signal conditioning circuits, it offers the advantage of detecting a wide range of lightning currents compared to existing lightning current measuring instruments. The proposed instrument has the following features: First, the peak current, polarity, T1 (front time), T2 (time to half value), and Q (amount of energy of the lightning current) can be analyzed and measured with a fast sampling time of 380 ns. Second, it can distinguish whether a lightning current is induced or direct. Third, a built-in SD card is provided to save the detected lightning data. Finally, it provides Ethernet communication capability for remote monitoring. The performance of the proposed instrument is evaluated and validated by applying induced and direct lightning using a lightning current generator. Full article
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22 pages, 742 KiB  
Article
Remote Interference Discrimination Testbed Employing AI Ensemble Algorithms for 6G TDD Networks
by Hanzhong Zhang, Ting Zhou, Tianheng Xu and Honglin Hu
Sensors 2023, 23(4), 2264; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23042264 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1632
Abstract
The Internet-of-Things (IoT) massive access is a significant scenario for sixth-generation (6G) communications. However, low-power IoT devices easily suffer from remote interference caused by the atmospheric duct under the 6G time-division duplex (TDD) mode. It causes distant downlink wireless signals to propagate beyond [...] Read more.
The Internet-of-Things (IoT) massive access is a significant scenario for sixth-generation (6G) communications. However, low-power IoT devices easily suffer from remote interference caused by the atmospheric duct under the 6G time-division duplex (TDD) mode. It causes distant downlink wireless signals to propagate beyond the designed protection distance and interfere with local uplink signals, leading to a large outage probability. In this paper, a remote interference discrimination testbed is originally proposed to detect interference, which supports the comparison of different types of algorithms on the testbed. Specifically, 5,520,000 TDD network-side data collected by real sensors are used to validate the interference discrimination capabilities of nine promising AI algorithms. Moreover, a consistent comparison of the testbed shows that the ensemble algorithm achieves an average accuracy of 12% higher than the single model algorithm. Full article
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15 pages, 2944 KiB  
Article
Ambient Hot Box: An Instrument for Thermal Characterization of Building Elements and Constructive Materials
by Cristian Carmona, Joan Muñoz and Bartomeu Alorda-Ladaria
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1576; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031576 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1554
Abstract
In assessing the energy performance of buildings, the thermal performance of the structural components and building materials is crucial. Although reference catalogs are used to determine the thermal properties of construction materials, the use of novel materials or non-homogeneous mixtures, particularly with biomaterials, [...] Read more.
In assessing the energy performance of buildings, the thermal performance of the structural components and building materials is crucial. Although reference catalogs are used to determine the thermal properties of construction materials, the use of novel materials or non-homogeneous mixtures, particularly with biomaterials, demands the development of new instruments that are capable of performing rapid, accurate and cost-effective thermal characterization. This study introduces the ambient hot-box, a new tool for measuring the thermal properties of construction components and heterogeneous materials. The paper provides a methodology for measuring a sample’s benchmark and fresh materials using a streamlined hot-box-based instrument. Utilizing samples as a benchmark material, the new instrument is assessed, yielding transmittance values with errors below 4%. The electronic circuits, measurements techniques and instrument implementation are all described. Full article
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17 pages, 5778 KiB  
Article
High-Precision Semiconductor Laser Current Drive and Temperature Control System Design
by Yitao Zhao, Zengguo Tian, Xiangyu Feng, Zhengyuan Feng, Xuguang Zhu and Yiqun Zhou
Sensors 2022, 22(24), 9989; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22249989 - 18 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
To solve the problem in which the output power and wavelength of semiconductor lasers in fiber optic sensing systems are easily affected by the drive current and temperature, a high-precision current drive and temperature control system was developed in this study. The embedded [...] Read more.
To solve the problem in which the output power and wavelength of semiconductor lasers in fiber optic sensing systems are easily affected by the drive current and temperature, a high-precision current drive and temperature control system was developed in this study. The embedded system was used to provide a stable drive current for the semiconductor laser through closed-loop negative feedback control; moreover, some measures, such as linear slow-start, current-limiting protection, and electrostatic protection, were adopted to ensure the stability and safety of the laser’s operation. A mathematical model of the temperature control system was constructed using mechanism analysis, and model identification was completed using the M sequence and differential evolution (DE) algorithms. Finally, the control rules of the fuzzy proportional integral differentiation (PID) algorithm were optimized through system simulation to make it more suitable for the temperature control system designed in this research, and the accurate control of the working temperature of the semiconductor laser was realized. Experimental results showed that the system could achieve a linearly adjustable drive current in the range of 0–100 mA, with an output current accuracy of 0.01 mA and a temperature control accuracy of up to 0.005 °C. Full article
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17 pages, 2718 KiB  
Article
Frequency-Modulated Signal Measurement Using Closed-Loop Methodology
by Xinglin Sun, Haojie Wu, Xinyue Tan, Wenrui Wang, Lingyun Ye and Kaichen Song
Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7822; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22207822 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1156
Abstract
Frequency-modulated (FM) signals are widely used in sensing, measurement, and signal detection due to their strong anti-interference and easy transmission characteristics. Although the high-precision measurement methods for static signals are quite complete, the high-precision measurement methods for dynamic FM signals still need to [...] Read more.
Frequency-modulated (FM) signals are widely used in sensing, measurement, and signal detection due to their strong anti-interference and easy transmission characteristics. Although the high-precision measurement methods for static signals are quite complete, the high-precision measurement methods for dynamic FM signals still need to be studied, and the measurement accuracy in the high-sampling system still has room for improvement. Traditionally, the equal-precision measurement method is widely applied in most scenarios. However, its accuracy is limited by the quantization error of ±1 word and the sampling gate time, making it difficult to improve the frequency measurement accuracy while ensuring a high sampling rate at the same time. In this paper, a high-precision feedback frequency measurement system with the capability to eliminate the quantization error of ±1 word is proposed. The proposed system consists of two stages, the rough measurement stage based on the equal-precision measurement method and the precise measurement stage based on the negative feedback tracking architecture using the phase–frequency detector (PFD) and direct digital synthesizer (DDS). The effectiveness and feasibility of the system are verified by both simulation and experiment. At the sampling rate of 2 kHz, the frequency measurement accuracy is improved by more than 30 dB. Full article
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10 pages, 5484 KiB  
Communication
Design and Analysis of Small Size Eddy Current Displacement Sensor
by Sheng-Ching Wang, Bo-Ren Xie and San-Ming Huang
Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7444; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197444 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
A systematic method is employed for the design and analysis of a small size eddy current (EC) displacement sensor. Simulations are first performed to determine the optimal winding structure and dimensions of the sensor. A linear-fitting approach is then developed for converting the [...] Read more.
A systematic method is employed for the design and analysis of a small size eddy current (EC) displacement sensor. Simulations are first performed to determine the optimal winding structure and dimensions of the sensor. A linear-fitting approach is then developed for converting the AC displacement signal of the sensor to a DC signal. Finally, a compensation method is proposed for mitigating the temperature drift of the EC sensor under different working temperatures. The experimental results show that the proposed sensor has a sensitivity of approximately 3 μm, a working temperature range of 25–55 °C, and a linearity of ±1.025%. Full article
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17 pages, 5230 KiB  
Article
Design and On-Field Validation of an Embedded System for Monitoring Second-Life Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Diego Hilario Castillo-Martínez, Adolfo Josué Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Adrian Soto, Alberto Berrueta, David Tomás Vargas-Requena, Ignacio R. Matias, Pablo Sanchis, Alfredo Ursúa and Wenceslao Eduardo Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Sensors 2022, 22(17), 6376; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22176376 - 24 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3066
Abstract
In the last few years, the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the transportation sector has contributed to the increased use of electric rechargeable batteries. At present, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most commonly used in electric vehicles. Although once their storage [...] Read more.
In the last few years, the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the transportation sector has contributed to the increased use of electric rechargeable batteries. At present, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most commonly used in electric vehicles. Although once their storage capacity has dropped to below 80–70% it is no longer possible to use these batteries in EVs, it is feasible to use them in second-life applications as stationary energy storage systems. The purpose of this study is to present an embedded system that allows a Nissan® LEAF Li-ion battery to communicate with an Ingecon® Sun Storage 1Play inverter, for control and monitoring purposes. The prototype was developed using an Arduino® microcontroller and a graphical user interface (GUI) on LabVIEW®. The experimental tests have allowed us to determine the feasibility of using Li-ion battery packs (BPs) coming from the automotive sector with an inverter with no need for a prior disassembly and rebuilding process. Furthermore, this research presents a programming and hardware methodology for the development of the embedded systems focused on second-life electric vehicle Li-ion batteries. One second-life battery pack coming from a Nissan® Leaf and aged under real driving conditions was integrated into a residential microgrid serving as an energy storage system (ESS). Full article
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20 pages, 3822 KiB  
Article
Electric Field Detection System Based on Denoising Algorithm and High-Speed Motion Platform
by Qi Liu, Zhaolong Sun, Runxiang Jiang, Jiawei Zhang and Kui Zhu
Sensors 2022, 22(14), 5118; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22145118 - 07 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1225
Abstract
Effective denoising can ensure fast and accurate target detection. This paper presents an electric field measurement system based on a high-speed motion platform, which was built to analyze the characteristics of low frequency electric field noise. An offshore test has shown that it [...] Read more.
Effective denoising can ensure fast and accurate target detection. This paper presents an electric field measurement system based on a high-speed motion platform, which was built to analyze the characteristics of low frequency electric field noise. An offshore test has shown that it is possible to detect a low-frequency electric field using a high-speed motion platform. Low frequency electric field noise was then collected to analyze its characteristics in terms of time and frequency domains. Based on the noise characteristics, complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (ICEEMDAN) was improved and combined with an adaptive threshold algorithm for denoising and reconstructing target containing noise signals. As revealed in the results, the proposed algorithm achieved highly effective denoising to overcome the line spectrum detection failure resulting from a high-speed motion platform. The detection range had also been improved from the original 853 m to 1306 m, a 53.1% increase. Full article
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