John Schmalzel
Rowan University, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty Member
- Bio/Electrical Engineer working with intelligent sensors and instrumentation, aerospace, IoT, Smart Grid, Piezoelectric devicesedit
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Electromagnetic induction has been utilized in the past by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a method of detecting unexploded ordinance. Recently an EMI instrument was built that extended the traditional EMI frequency range... more
Electromagnetic induction has been utilized in the past by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a method of detecting unexploded ordinance. Recently an EMI instrument was built that extended the traditional EMI frequency range from 100 kHz to 15 MHz to aid in the detection of nonmetallic ordinance, landmines, and improvised explosive devices. Extending that research, the iFROST mapper was built to use the same HFEMI technique to characterize arctic soil and subsurface permafrost deposits. This paper details the original iFROST mapper software and hardware systems as well as a new HFEMI device that improves on the original iFROST mapper design.
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IEEE 1451 Smart Sensors contribute to a number of ISHM goals including cost reduction achieved through: a) Improved configuration management (TEDS); and b) Plug-and-play re-configuration. Intelligent Sensors are adaptation of Smart... more
IEEE 1451 Smart Sensors contribute to a number of ISHM goals including cost reduction achieved through: a) Improved configuration management (TEDS); and b) Plug-and-play re-configuration. Intelligent Sensors are adaptation of Smart Sensors to include ISHM algorithms; this offers further benefits: a) Sensor validation. b) Confidence assessment of measurement, and c) Distributed ISHM processing. Space-qualified intelligent sensors are possible a) Size, mass, power constraints. b) Bus structure/protocol.
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Successful design and implementation of an Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) approach for rocket propulsion systems requires the capability improve the reliability of complex systems by detecting and diagnosing problems. One of... more
Successful design and implementation of an Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) approach for rocket propulsion systems requires the capability improve the reliability of complex systems by detecting and diagnosing problems. One of the critical elements in the ISHM is an intelligent sensor node for data acquisition that meets specific requirements for rocket motor testing including accuracy, sample rate and size/weight. Traditional data acquisition systems are calibrated in a controlled environment and guaranteed to perform bounded by their tested conditions. In a real world ISHM system, the data acquisition and signal conditioning needs to function in an uncontrolled environment. Development and testing of this sensor node focuses on a design with the ability to self check in order to extend calibration times, report internal faults and drifts and notify the overall system when the data acquisition is not performing as it should. All of this will be designed within a system th...
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Rapid evolution of Internet of Things (IoT) devices places new demands on the ease of networking very large numbers of devices. The IEEE 1451 family of smart transducer standards for sensors and actuators is evolving to keep pace. One of... more
Rapid evolution of Internet of Things (IoT) devices places new demands on the ease of networking very large numbers of devices. The IEEE 1451 family of smart transducer standards for sensors and actuators is evolving to keep pace. One of the most important innovations within the standards is the transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS), which conveys essential device information. For distributed networks, the health of devices is of increasing concern as a means to for assuring measurement and control actions. This paper describes the adaptation of the TEDS concept to a health electronic data sheet (HEDS) that is to be proposed as part of ongoing standards update activities. The HEDS has a lexicon of anomalies and associated measures, which an application can access to support the health functions. Pushing the use of HEDS to edge devices can distribute health assessment across all levels of a system hierarchy.
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One of the largest, yet easily forgotten, aspects of constructing any complex system is the effort needed to integrate several subsystems. One common way to do this is to standardize the interface between subsystems, whether that is a... more
One of the largest, yet easily forgotten, aspects of constructing any complex system is the effort needed to integrate several subsystems. One common way to do this is to standardize the interface between subsystems, whether that is a physical standard, such as USB, or protocol standards, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In our previous implementations of CubeSat systems and subsystems we have found the PC/104 bus to be volume and mass inefficient while allowing too many potential conflicts to be considered a 'standard'. Our research proposes to implement a wireless, Bluetooth based, communication interface between subsystems to minimize the physical and logistical effort required to build CubeSat systems. By completely removing the need for physical/electrical connections between the subsystems, the barrier to entry for making custom modules for CubeSats can be lowered dramatically. Throughout the course of this research, the applicability of Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) utilizin...
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Fault Management to support rocket engine test mission with highly reliable and accurate measurements; while improving availability and lifecycle costs. CORE ELEMENTS: Architecture, taxonomy, and ontology (ATO) for DIaK management.... more
Fault Management to support rocket engine test mission with highly reliable and accurate measurements; while improving availability and lifecycle costs. CORE ELEMENTS: Architecture, taxonomy, and ontology (ATO) for DIaK management. Intelligent Sensor Processes; Intelligent Element Processes; Intelligent Controllers; Intelligent Subsystem Processes; Intelligent System Processes; Intelligent Component Processes.
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An intelligent integrated health management system (IIHMS) incorporates major improvements over prior such systems. The particular IIHMS is implemented for any system defined as a hierarchical distributed network of intelligent elements... more
An intelligent integrated health management system (IIHMS) incorporates major improvements over prior such systems. The particular IIHMS is implemented for any system defined as a hierarchical distributed network of intelligent elements (HDNIE), comprising primarily: (1) an architecture (Figure 1), (2) intelligent elements, (3) a conceptual framework and taxonomy (Figure 2), and (4) and ontology that defines standards and protocols. Some definitions of terms are prerequisite to a further brief description of this innovation: A system-of-systems (SoS) is an engineering system that comprises multiple subsystems (e.g., a system of multiple possibly interacting flow subsystems that include pumps, valves, tanks, ducts, sensors, and the like); 'Intelligent' is used here in the sense of artificial intelligence. An intelligent element may be physical or virtual, it is network enabled, and it is able to manage data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) focused on determining its conditi...
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There are a number of reasons why it is important to increase the density of data acquisition functions. Sensor fusion seeks to integrate large numbers of sensors into a decision network. Addition of health monitoring functions may incur... more
There are a number of reasons why it is important to increase the density of data acquisition functions. Sensor fusion seeks to integrate large numbers of sensors into a decision network. Addition of health monitoring functions may incur additional sensor requirements. ...
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Electronic communication is a process of exchanging information and data between devices and users. Among the major design constraints are choice of protocols and compatibility between devices. Dissimilar devices require additional... more
Electronic communication is a process of exchanging information and data between devices and users. Among the major design constraints are choice of protocols and compatibility between devices. Dissimilar devices require additional modifications to ensure successful interchange between them. Protocol translators are an example of a class of applications that can be used to achieve device-to-device compatibility. Alternatively, if a flexible, open-source standard is available, minimum modifications can accomplish the generic device communication requirements. One method that can be used to enhance interoperability is a member of the IEEE 1451.N family of standards [1]. Among the key members of the standard family is IEEE 1451.4, which defines the transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS). The goal of this standard is to provide plug and play capabilities for simple integration of transducers into a system. The TEDS provide a complete description of a transducer in accordance to one of the templates defined by the standard. The approach of using an electronic data sheet is a powerful concept that can be applied to many other system elements; however, IEEE 1451.4 implements TEDS details for only a subset of transducers, yet makes provision for user-defined TEDS. An obvious question is: Why not expand this idea to other components to make them just as easy to use? The concept developed in this paper is the development of an eXtensible Electronic Data Sheet (XEDS) to extend the power of the TEDS concept to other devices.
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One of the most challenging aspects of trying to navigate in a new indoor place can be making sense of the navigational tools available. Traditionally, static maps have been used to provide guidance to people in indoor spaces. Recently, a... more
One of the most challenging aspects of trying to navigate in a new indoor place can be making sense of the navigational tools available. Traditionally, static maps have been used to provide guidance to people in indoor spaces. Recently, a new category of signage has begun to gain prominence in this area: digital signage. With the advent of such devices, many approaches have been taken to provide information to people in a more useful way. Some digital signs simply provide information in a predetermined manner, while others allow for user interaction using buttons or touchscreens. Although many digital signs allow for a more dynamic display of information, few are able to easily provide custom information based on easily acquired user input. We propose a novel type of digital signage that is voice-forward, using voice input and natural language processing to allow the users to find information faster than a standard touchscreen-only modality.
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Efforts to provide coherent support for interoperability for devices using new technologies remains an ongoing process. Those involved in standards development know this all too well. The challenge remains: How best to keep up with... more
Efforts to provide coherent support for interoperability for devices using new technologies remains an ongoing process. Those involved in standards development know this all too well. The challenge remains: How best to keep up with rapidly evolving paradigms such as the IoT, IIoT, Industry 4.0, and similar major shifts? Recent work as part of the IEEE P1451.x standards development looked backwards to identify standards that are mature and extensible, offering a rich functional suite adaptable to new devices and architectures. Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI-1999) is one such industry standard, which long ago solved the problem of communicating with devices from many manufacturers. SCPI was an elegant solution for converting unreadable vendor-specific commands to a universal set adaptable by all. Developing interoperability between IoT devices could benefit from a similar SCPI-like approach. To investigate this potential, a typical IoT scenario was developed. Existing nonreadable commands were converted into a SCPI-like command structure. The results of this effort were compelling and suggest that such an approach could achieve interoperability among a wide variety of IoT devices and vendors.
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The Conference focuses on research, development and applications of instrumentation and measurement science and technologies. Conference tracks include, but are not limited to the topics listed below. Special Sessions are an important... more
The Conference focuses on research, development and applications of instrumentation and measurement science and technologies. Conference tracks include, but are not limited to the topics listed below. Special Sessions are an important part of the Conference, focusing on ...
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We are designing a number of programming projects which utilize input/output devices, such as joysticks or a homebrewed board we call a MIPPET (Module for Input/Output Programming Projects Enhancing Teaching). These projects have been... more
We are designing a number of programming projects which utilize input/output devices, such as joysticks or a homebrewed board we call a MIPPET (Module for Input/Output Programming Projects Enhancing Teaching). These projects have been used or will be used in the closed labs of our CS1 course (taught in C++). The goal of these projects is to enhance student comprehension (by teaching objects with "real" objects) and student motivation (by providing "fun" projects). This paper focuses on an early project, where the student's program provides support for a human solving a maze.
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The College of Engineering at Rowan University was initiated as a result of a $100 million donation in 1992 from the Rowan Foundation. The engineering faculty use innovative methods of teaching and learning to better prepare students for... more
The College of Engineering at Rowan University was initiated as a result of a $100 million donation in 1992 from the Rowan Foundation. The engineering faculty use innovative methods of teaching and learning to better prepare students for entry into a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. To best meet these objectives, the four engineering programs of Chemical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering have common engineering clinic classes throughout their programs of study, in which undergraduates work in teams on hands-on open-ended projects. The primary goal of Rowan University's engineering clinic classes is to immerse students in multidisciplinary design/research projects that teach engineering principles in both laboratory and real-world settings. While most traditional engineering schools provide students a taste of independent research well into their senior year in some form of capstone design, the Rowan engineering pro...
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Due to the increasingly complex nature of systems, there are benefits in expanding the IEEE 1451.x Transducer Electronics Data Sheet (TEDS) standards to include the physical structures included in these systems. In this paper, we present... more
Due to the increasingly complex nature of systems, there are benefits in expanding the IEEE 1451.x Transducer Electronics Data Sheet (TEDS) standards to include the physical structures included in these systems. In this paper, we present a format and methodology for Structural Electronics Data Sheets (SEDS) to accurately describe sensor housings, generic enclosures, test chassis, and instrumentation fixtures. SEDS provides the additional functionality to complement systems, such as automatic calibration and compensation of environmental factors that influence the system's physical aspects. We propose the standard's starting point for both SEDS contained on memory as well as a virtual SEDS, accessible from a source external to the structure.
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The recent proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms has greatly increased our ability to remotely sense the Earth’s surface from the air at particularly low altitudes. [...]
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The four engineering departments (electrical, mechanical, chemical and civil) at Rowan University (USA) rely extensively on semester-long project modules called “Clinics” to provide practical applications for coursework taught within the... more
The four engineering departments (electrical, mechanical, chemical and civil) at Rowan University (USA) rely extensively on semester-long project modules called “Clinics” to provide practical applications for coursework taught within the respective departments. The engineering clinics are typically team-taught by faculty from more than one discipline; the student project teams are also multidisciplinary. The focus is on product design and development,
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Problem Solving is an important part of learningComputer Science. Yet, the choice of problems offered intextbooks, the traditional source of problems, is limited, static, non-interactive and lacks animation. In order toaddress these... more
Problem Solving is an important part of learningComputer Science. Yet, the choice of problems offered intextbooks, the traditional source of problems, is limited, static, non-interactive and lacks animation. In order toaddress these issues, we have proposed Java applets thatautomatically generate problems, provide necessaryvisualization and animation, solve problems and providefeedback to the user. They are also capable of loggingusage. We refer to such applets as problets. In this paper wewill discuss the issues involved in the ...
Abstract—Based on requirements for a next-generation rocket test facility, elements of a prototype intelligent rocket test facility (IRTF) have been implemented. The preliminary results provide the basis for future advanced development... more
Abstract—Based on requirements for a next-generation rocket test facility, elements of a prototype intelligent rocket test facility (IRTF) have been implemented. The preliminary results provide the basis for future advanced development and validation using rocket test stand facilities at Stennis Space Center (SSC). Key components include distributed smart sensor elements integrated using a knowledge-driven environment. One of the specific goals is to imbue sensors with the intelligence needed to perform self-diagnosis of health and to participate in a hierarchy of health determination at sensor, process, and system levels. We have identified issues important to further development of health-enabled networks, which should be of interest to others working with smart sensors and intelligent health management systems. Index Terms—Health management, IEEE 1451, integrated system health management (ISHM), integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM), rocket testing, sensor fusion, smart sen...