ECE437: Sensors and Instrumentation

Course Description

The goal of this course is to give senior and graduate students in engineering a hands-on introduction to the fundamental technology and practical applications of sensors. Various sensors, including capacitive, inductive, ultrasonic, accelerometers, image sensors and others will be covered in the course. Instrumentation techniques incorporating computer control, sampling, and data collection and analysis are reviewed in the context of real-world scenarios. There will be weekly laboratory assignments where students will have hands on experience with various sensors.

The course is based around a custom board equipped with various sensors, such as a high speed camera, touch sensor, humidity sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, accelerometer and position sensor. Additional peripheral sensors using the PMOD interface standard can also be attached to the sensor board. The board interfaces with these sensors via an FPGA device and it can also communicate with a PC via USB 3.0 interface. Students will use Verilog language to program the FPGA and communicate with various sensors and PC.

Syllabus

Introduction to Verilog and to Opal Kelly FPGA board.

Introduction to programming state machines in Verilog.

Computer controlled instrumentation via Python.

Temperature sensors and introduction to I2C interface protocol.

Pressure sensors and introduction to USB interface protocol.

Ultrasonic sensors.

Capacitive sensors.

Accelerometer and magnetometer sensors.

H-bridge and stepper motor control.

CMOS image sensor.

Course Grading

Labs: 45%

Midtererm: 15%

Final Project: 30%

Class Participation: 10%

Course Info

Lecture: Mondays @ 2pm in ECEB 3013.

Lab Section AB1: Tuesdays @ 9am in ECEB 4022

Lab Section AB2: Thursday @ 9am in ECEB 4022

Zoom Info

The first week of classes will be online. The first lab meeting on Tuesday (January 18th) and Thursday (January 20th) will be online. We will be discussing logistics about the class lectures and labs. Please join at 9am on either day on zoom. Here is the info for the zoom session:

https://illinois.zoom.us/j/81743928557?pwd=Z1J3NFo2Ly93eVNoc2VnSFFBYVNEQT09

General Course Information

Here is general information related to this class (COVID, academic integrity, sexaul misconduct, etc)

Instructor

Professor Viktor Gruev
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Web Page: http://biosensors.ece.illinois.edu/
Email: vgruev AT illinois DOT edu
Office Hours: by appointment

TAs

Zhongmin Zhu
email: zz4@illinois.edu
Office hours: Fridays 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Mebin George
email: mebinb2@illinois.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 10:30am - 12:30pm