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Corporate venturing is one way for corporations to
introduce strategic renewal into their business portfolios, which is
imperative for ongoing success in innovation-driven industries.
Prior research finds that corporate ventures should be separated
from the mainstream business in loosely coupled sub-units, but
scholars continue to discuss how loose or tight the ventures should
be to balance exploration and exploitation. Hence, the antecedents
for successful venture management are yet to be fully explored and
our study contributes to this effort. The study shows that
corporate venture success is enhanced when corporate
management grants job and strategic autonomy to the venture
managers. This is further amplified when corporate management
simultaneously imposes an exploitative policy that forces venture
managers to prioritize extensions to and improvements of existing
competences and product-market offerings.
Nowadays, there is a continuous need for many corporations to renew their business portfolio strategically in anticipation of changes in the business environment (e.g., technological change). The ongoing booming of founding international start-ups suggests that small entrepreneurial teams are an effective means to develop new businesses. Corporations should be able to benefit from this form of self-organized innovation when entering novel business domains for strategic renewal. However, corporations that establish small entrepreneurial teams (corporate ventures) are facing two obstacles. First, corporate ventures often fail for reasons that are not well explored. Second, it remains unclear how the partial successes may be improved to large successes. Although the key success factors remain ambiguous, there is little hope that corporate ventures will be successful without effective management. Since an empirical model for corporate venture management does not exists so far, the thesis formulates and answers the following problem statement: How can corporate management effectively manage corporate ventures? Building on qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, a model for effective corporate venture management is developed and tested statistically in the German IT consulting industry. The research results reveal some of the essential management principles through which corporate management can increase corporate venture success systematically.
Die durch den Klimawandel verursachten Auswirkungen und die daraus resultierende Betroffenheit nehmen stetig zu, dennoch ist das Bewusstsein für den Klimaschutz noch immer stärker verankert als das für die Klimaanpassung. Letztere sollte jedoch zum Schutz der Gesundheit der Bevölkerung und bestehender Infrastruktur mehr in das Bewusstsein rücken.
Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Frage, wie Städte widerstandsfähiger gegenüber den Folgen des Klimawandels werden können. Dazu werden die Prozesse der Stadtplanung auf diesen Kontext bezogen untersucht.
Um die Prozesse abzubilden, wird zunächst eine Übersicht über allgemeine Handlungsmöglichkeiten gegeben, bevor die Stadt Konstanz genauer betrachtet wird und die Ergebnisse, der dort geführten Experteninterviews ausgewertet werden. Mitarbeiter der Stadtverwaltung wurden in diesem Rahmen nach ihren Erfahrungen, bestehenden Prozessen und notwendigen Veränderungen befragt. Im letzten Schritt wurde der Untersuchungsraum erweitert, um Erfahrungen aus Städten, die bereits aktiv Klimaanpassung umsetzen, einzubringen. Aus diesen Ergebnissen werden Handlungsempfehlungen für die Klimaanpassung abgeleitet und beschrieben.
The person’s heart rate is an important indicator of their health status. A heart rate that is too high or too low could be a sign of several different diseases, such as a heart disorder, obesity, asthma, or many others. Many devices require users to wear the device on their chest or place a finger on the device. The approach presented in this paper describes the principle and implementation of a heart rate monitoring device, which is able to detect the heart rate with high precision with the sensor integrated in a wristband. One method to measure the heart rate is the photoplethysmogram technique. This method measures the change of blood volume through the absorption or reflection of light. A light emitting diode (LED) shines through a thin amount of tissue. A photo-diode registers the intensity of light that traverses the tissue or is reflected by the tissue. Since blood changes its volume with each heartbeat, the photo-diode detects more or less light from the LED. The device is able to measure the heart rate with a high precision, it has low performance and hardware requirements, and it allows an implementation with small micro-controllers.
Polysomnography is a gold standard for a sleep study, and it provides very accurate results, but its cost (both personnel and material) are quite high. Therefore, the development of a low-cost system for overnight breathing and heartbeat monitoring, which provides more comfort while recording the data, is a well-motivated challenge. The system proposed in this manuscript is based on the usage of resistive pressure sensors installed under the mattress. These sensors can measure slight pressure changes provoked during breathing and heartbeat. The captured signal requires advanced processing, like applying filters and amplifiers before the analog signal is ready for the next step. Then, the output signal is digitalized and further processed by an algorithm that performs a custom filtering before it can recognize breathing and heart rate in real-time. The result can be directly visualized. Furthermore, a CSV file is created containing the raw data, timestamps, and unique IDs to facilitate further processing. The achieved results are promising, and the average deviation from a reference device is about 4bpm.
Normal breathing during sleep is essential for people’s health and well-being. Therefore, it is crucial to diagnose apnoea events at an early stage and apply appropriate therapy. Detection of sleep apnoea is a central goal of the system design described in this article. To develop a correctly functioning system, it is first necessary to define the requirements outlined in this manuscript clearly. Furthermore, the selection of appropriate technology for the measurement of respiration is of great importance. Therefore, after performing initial literature research, we have analysed in detail three different methods and made a selection of a proper one according to determined requirements. After considering all the advantages and disadvantages of the three approaches, we decided to use the impedance measurement-based one. As a next step, an initial conceptual design of the algorithm for detecting apnoea events was created. As a result, we developed an activity diagram on which the main system components and data flows are visually represented.
In recent decades, it can be observed that a steady increase in the volume of tourism is a stable trend. To offer travel opportunities to all groups, it is also necessary to prepare offers for people in need of long-term care or people with disabilities. One of the ways to improve accessibility could be digital technologies, which could help in planning as well as in carrying out trips. In the work presented, a study of barriers was first conducted, which led to selecting technologies for a test setup after analysis. The main focus was on a mobile app with travel information and 360° tours. The evaluation results showed that both technologies could increase accessibility, but some essential aspects (such as usability, completeness, relevance, etc.) need to be considered when implementing them.
The process of restoring our body and brain from fatigue is directly depend-ing on the quality of sleep. It can be determined from the report of the sleep study results. Classification of sleep stages is the first step of this study and this includes the measurement of biovital data and its further processing.
In this work, the sleep analysis system is based on a hardware sensor net, namely a grid of 24 pressure sensors, supporting sleep phase recognition. In comparison to the leading standard, which is polysomnography, the proposed approach is a non-invasive system. It recognises respiration and body move-ment with only one type of low-cost pressure sensors forming a mesh archi-tecture. The nodes implement as a series of pressure sensors connected to a low-power and performant microcontroller. All nodes are connected via a system wide bus with address arbitration. The embedded processor is the mesh network endpoint that enables network configuration, storing and pre-processing of the data, external data access and visualization.
The system was tested by executing experiments recording the sleep of different healthy young subjects. The results obtained have indicated the po-tential to detect breathing rate and body movement. A major difference of this system in comparison to other approaches is the innovative way to place the sensors under the mattress. This characteristic facilitates the continuous using of the system without any influence on the common sleep process.
The scoring of sleep stages is one of the essential tasks in sleep analysis. Since a manual procedure requires considerable human and financial resources, and incorporates some subjectivity, an automated approach could result in several advantages. There have been many developments in this area, and in order to provide a comprehensive overview, it is essential to review relevant recent works and summarise the characteristics of the approaches, which is the main aim of this article. To achieve it, we examined articles published between 2018 and 2022 that dealt with the automated scoring of sleep stages. In the final selection for in-depth analysis, 125 articles were included after reviewing a total of 515 publications. The results revealed that automatic scoring demonstrates good quality (with Cohen's kappa up to over 0.80 and accuracy up to over 90%) in analysing EEG/EEG + EOG + EMG signals. At the same time, it should be noted that there has been no breakthrough in the quality of results using these signals in recent years. Systems involving other signals that could potentially be acquired more conveniently for the user (e.g. respiratory, cardiac or movement signals) remain more challenging in the implementation with a high level of reliability but have considerable innovation capability. In general, automatic sleep stage scoring has excellent potential to assist medical professionals while providing an objective assessment.
Healthy sleep is one of the prerequisites for a good human body and brain condition, including general well-being. Unfortunately, there are several sleep disorders that can negatively affect this. One of the most common is sleep apnoea, in which breathing is impaired. Studies have shown that this disorder often remains undiagnosed. To avoid this, developing a system that can be widely used in a home environment to detect apnoea and monitor the changes once therapy has been initiated is essential. The conceptualisation of such a system is the main aim of this research. After a thorough analysis of the available literature and state of the art in this area of knowledge, a concept of the system was created, which includes the following main components: data acquisition (including two parts), storage of the data, apnoea detection algorithm, user and device management, data visualisation. The modules are interchangeable, and interfaces have been defined for data transfer, most of which operate using the MQTT protocol. System diagrams and detailed component descriptions, including signal requirements and visualisation mockups, have also been developed. The system's design includes the necessary concepts for the implementation and can be realised in a prototype in the next phase.
The last decades have shown that the volume of tourism, in general, is constantly increasing (with some justified exceptions). To offer a possibility of travel for all groups of people, it is necessary to pay attention to accessibility. One of the possibilities for increasing accessibility is digital technologies, which could assist in planning and the implementation and completion of trips. To make a selection of technologies, first, a study of barriers was conducted, which was then analyzed, and finally, some technologies were made available in a test setup. A focus on two technologies was made: 360°-Tours and mobile app with the travel information. The two technologies were implemented and presented to the test subjects.
The evaluation results showed that both technologies could increase accessibility if some essential aspects (such as usability, completeness, relevance, etc.) are considered during the implementation.
This paper presents a bed system able to analyze a person’s movement, breathing and recognize the positions that the subject is lying on the bed during the night without any additional physical contact. The measurements are performed with sensors placed between the mattress and the bed-frame. An Intel Edison board was used as an endpoint that served as a communication node from the mesh network to external service. Two nodes and Intel Edison are attached to the bottom of the bed frame and they are connected to the sensors. First test results have indicated the potential of the proposed approach for the recognition of sleep positions with 83% of correct recognized positions.
This document presents an algorithm for a non-obtrusive recognition of Sleep/Wake states using signals derived from ECG, respiration, and body movement captured while lying in a bed. As a core mathematical base of system data analytics, multinomial logistic regression techniques were chosen. Derived parameters of the three signals are used as the input for the proposed method. The overall achieved accuracy rate is 84% for Wake/Sleep stages, with Cohen’s kappa value 0.46. The presented algorithm should support experts in analyzing sleep quality in more detail. The results confirm the potential of this method and disclose several ways for its improvement.
Das häusliche Umfeld kann vor allem für langfristiges Schlafmonitoring verwendet werden. Gute Patientenakzeptanz erfordert niedrige Nutzer- und Installationsbarrieren. Für die Installation zu Hause sind klassische PSG-Systeme aufgrund von ihrer Komplexität wenig passend. Ziel der Entwicklung ist die qualifizierte Erhebung von Parametern, die einerseits eine hinreichend gute Klassifikation von Schlafphasen erlauben und die andererseits durch nicht-invasive Methoden erfasst werden können.
Basierend auf einer Literaturstudie und der Maßgabe nicht-invasive Methoden zu nutzen, wurden folgende Parameter ausgewählt: Körperbewegung, Atmung und Herzschlag. Diese Parameter können nicht-invasiv durch Matratzendrucksensoren erfasst werden. Die Sensorknoten sind als ein Netz von Drucksensoren implementiert, die mit einem leistungsarmen und performanten Mikrocontroller verbunden sind. Alle Knoten sind über einen systemweiten Bus mit Adressarbitrierung verbunden. Der eingebettete Prozessor ist der Mesh-Netzwerk-Endpunkt, der die Netzwerkkonfiguration, Speicherung und Vorverarbeitung der Daten, externen Datenzugriff und Visualisierung ermöglicht.
Das System wurde getestet, indem Experimente durchgeführt wurden, die den Schlaf verschiedener gesunder junger Personen aufzeichneten. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse bestätigen die Fähigkeit des Systems, Atemfrequenz und Körperbewegung zu erfassen. Ein wesentlicher Unterschied dieses Systems im Vergleich zu anderen Ansätzen ist die innovative Art, die Sensoren unter der Matratze zu platzieren. Diese Eigenschaft erleichtert die kontinuierliche Nutzung des Systems ohne Einfluss auf den gemeinsamen Schlafprozess.
Um Schlafverhalten langfristig zu untersuchen, wird ein Hardwaresystem mit niedrigen Installationsbarrieren für den Einsatz im häuslichen Umfeld. Erste Ergebnisse weisen auf das Potenzial hin, außer Körperbewegung und Atemfrequenz, auch Herzfrequenz erfassen zu können. Die Werte können weiter verbessert werden, wenn die Sensorabfragefrequenz erhöht wird. Nach der Weiterentwicklung des Systems, soll es mit dem Softwarealgorithmus für die Schlafphasenerkennung verbunden werden.
Die Schlafapnoe ist eine häufig auftretende Schlafstörung,
die unterschiedliche Auswirkungen auf unseren Alltag hat; so wurde z. B.
über eine Tagesschläfrigkeit von etwa 25 % der Patienten mit obstruktiver
Schlafapnoe (OSA) berichtet. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines
Systems, das eine nichtinvasive Erkennung der Schlafapnoe in häuslicher
Umgebung ermöglichen soll.
Good sleep is crucial for a healthy life of every person. Unfortunately, its quality often decreases with aging. A common approach to measuring the sleep characteristics is based on interviews with the subjects or letting them fill in a daily questionnaire and afterward evaluating the obtained data. However, this method has time and personal costs for the interviewer and evaluator of responses. Therefore, it would be important to execute the collection and evaluation of sleep characteristics automatically. To do that, it is necessary to investigate the level of agreement between measurements performed in a traditional way using questionnaires and measurements obtained using electronic monitoring devices. The study presented in this manuscript performs this investigation, comparing such sleep characteristics as "time going to bed", "total time in bed", "total sleep time" and "sleep efficiency". A total number of 106 night records of elderly persons (aged 65+) were analyzed. The results achieved so far reveal the fact that the degree of agreement between the two measurement methods varies substantially for different characteristics, from 31 minutes of mean difference for "time going to bed" to 77 minutes for "total sleep time". For this reason, a direct exchange of objective and subjective measuring methods is currently not possible.
Sleep study can be used for detection of sleep quality and in general bed behaviors. These results can helpful for regulating sleep and recognizing different sleeping disorders of human. In comparison to the leading standard measuring system, which is Polysomnography (PSG), the system proposed in this work is a non-invasive sleep monitoring device. For continuous analysis or home use, the PSG or wearable Actigraphy devices tends to be uncomfortable. Besides, these methods not only decrease practicality due to the process of having to put them on, but they are also very expensive. The system proposed in this paper classifies respiration and body movement with only one type of sensor and also in a noninvasive way. The sensor used is a pressure sensor. This sensor is low cost and can be used for commercial proposes. The system was tested by carrying out an experiment that recorded the sleep process of a subject. These recordings showed excellent results in the classification of breathing rate and body movements.
Recognition of sleep and wake states is one of the relevant parts of sleep analysis. Performing this measurement in a contactless way increases comfort for the users. We present an approach evaluating only movement and respiratory signals to achieve recognition, which can be measured non-obtrusively. The algorithm is based on multinomial logistic regression and analyses features extracted out of mentioned above signals. These features were identified and developed after performing fundamental research on characteristics of vital signals during sleep. The achieved accuracy of 87% with the Cohen’s kappa of 0.40 demonstrates the appropriateness of a chosen method and encourages continuing research on this topic.
Das klinische Standardverfahren und Referenz der Schlafmessung und der Klassifizierung der einzelnen Schlafstadien ist die Polysomnographie (PSG). Alternative Ansätze zu diesem aufwändigen Verfahren könnten einige Vorteile bieten, wenn die Messungen auf eine komfortablere Weise durchgeführt werden. Das Hauptziel dieser Forschung Studie ist es, einen Algorithmus für die automatische Klassifizierung von Schlafstadien zu entwickeln, der ausschließlich Bewegungs- und Atmungssignale verwendet.
Identifikation von Schlaf- und Wachzuständen durch die Auswertung von Atem- und Bewegungssignalen
(2021)
Die Erholung unseres Körpers und Gehirns von Müdigkeit ist direkt abhängig von der Qualität des Schlafes, die aus den Ergebnissen einer Schlafstudie ermittelt werden kann. Die Klassifizierung der Schlafstadien ist der erste Schritt dieser Studie und beinhaltet die Messung von Biovitaldaten und deren weitere Verarbeitung. Das non-invasive Schlafanalyse-System basiert auf einem Hardware-Sensornetz aus 24 Drucksensoren, das die Schlafphasenerkennung ermöglicht. Die Drucksensoren sind mit einem energieeffizienten Mikrocontroller über einen systemweiten Bus mit Adressarbitrierung verbunden. Ein wesentlicher Unterschied dieses Systems im Vergleich zu anderen Ansätzen ist die innovative Art, die Sensoren unter der Matratze zu platzieren. Diese Eigenschaft erleichtert die kontinuierliche Nutzung des Systems ohne fühlbaren Einfluss auf das gewohnte Bett. Das System wurde getestet, indem Experimente durchgeführt wurden, die den Schlaf verschiedener gesunder junger Personen aufzeichneten. Die ersten Ergebnisse weisen auf das Potenzial hin, nicht nur Atemfrequenz und Körperbewegung, sondern auch Herzfrequenz zu erfassen.
The main aim of presented in this manuscript research is to compare the results of objective and subjective measurement of sleep quality for older adults (65+) in the home environment. A total amount of 73 nights was evaluated in this study. Placing under the mattress device was used to obtain objective measurement data, and a common question on perceived sleep quality was asked to collect the subjective sleep quality level. The achieved results confirm the correlation between objective and subjective measurement of sleep quality with the average standard deviation equal to 2 of 10 possible quality points.
Sustainable technologies are being increasingly used in various areas of human life. While they have a multitude of benefits, they are especially useful in health monitoring, especially for certain groups of people, such as the elderly. However, there are still several issues that need to be addressed before its use becomes widespread. This work aims to clarify the aspects that are of great importance for increasing the acceptance of the use of this type of technology in the elderly. In addition, we aim to clarify whether the technologies that are already available are able to ensure acceptable accuracy and whether they could replace some of the manual approaches that are currently being used. A two-week study with people 65 years of age and over was conducted to address the questions posed here, and the results were evaluated. It was demonstrated that simplicity of use and automatic functioning play a crucial role. It was also concluded that technology cannot yet completely replace traditional methods such as questionnaires in some areas. Although the technologies that were tested were classified as being “easy to use”, the elderly population in the current study indicated that they were not sure that they would use these technologies regularly in the long term because the added value is not always clear, among other issues. Therefore, awareness-raising must take place in parallel with the development of technologies and services.
In order to ensure sufficient recovery of the human body and brain, healthy sleep is indispensable. For this purpose, appropriate therapy should be initiated at an early stage in the case of sleep disorders. For some sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia), a sleep diary is essential for diagnosis and therapy monitoring. However, subjective measurement with a sleep diary has several disadvantages, requiring regular action from the user and leading to decreased comfort and potential data loss. To automate sleep monitoring and increase user comfort, one could consider replacing a sleep diary with an automatic measurement, such as a smartwatch, which would not disturb sleep. To obtain accurate results on the evaluation of the possibility of such a replacement, a field study was conducted with a total of 166 overnight recordings, followed by an analysis of the results. In this evaluation, objective sleep measurement with a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was compared to a subjective approach with a sleep diary, which is a standard method in sleep medicine. The focus was on comparing four relevant sleep characteristics: falling asleep time, waking up time, total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency (SE). After evaluating the results, it was concluded that a smartwatch could replace subjective measurement to determine falling asleep and waking up time, considering some level of inaccuracy. In the case of SE, substitution was also proved to be possible. However, some individual recordings showed a higher discrepancy in results between the two approaches. For its part, the evaluation of the TST measurement currently does not allow us to recommend substituting the measurement method for this sleep parameter. The appropriateness of replacing sleep diary measurement with a smartwatch depends on the acceptable levels of discrepancy. We propose four levels of similarity of results, defining ranges of absolute differences between objective and subjective measurements. By considering the values in the provided table and knowing the required accuracy, it is possible to determine the suitability of substitution in each individual case. The introduction of a “similarity level” parameter increases the adaptability and reusability of study findings in individual practical cases.
Healthy sleep is required for sufficient restoration of the human body and brain. Therefore, in the case of sleep disorders, appropriate therapy should be applied timely, which requires a prompt diagnosis. Traditionally, a sleep diary is a part of diagnosis and therapy monitoring for some sleep disorders, such as cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia. To automatise sleep monitoring and make it more comfortable for users, substituting a sleep diary with a smartwatch measurement could be considered. With the aim of providing accurate results, a study with a total of 30 night recordings was conducted. Objective sleep measurement with a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was compared with a subjective approach (sleep diary), evaluating the four relevant sleep characteristics: time of getting asleep, wake up time, sleep efficiency (SE), and total sleep time (TST). The performed analysis has demonstrated that the median difference between both measurement approaches was equal to 7 and 3 minutes for a time of getting asleep and wake up time correspondingly, which allows substituting a subjective measurement with a smartwatch. The SE was determined with a median difference between the two measurement methods of 5.22%. This result also implicates a possibility of substitution. Some single recordings have indicated a higher variance between the two approaches. Therefore, the conclusion can be made that a substitution provides reliable results primarily in the case of long-term monitoring. The results of the evaluation of the TST measurement do not allow to recommend substitution of the measurement method.
The recovery of our body and brain from fatigue directly depends on the quality of sleep, which can be determined from the results of a sleep study. The classification of sleep stages is the first step of this study and includes the measurement of vital data and their further processing. The non-invasive sleep analysis system is based on a hardware sensor network of 24 pressure sensors providing sleep phase detection. The pressure sensors are connected to an energy-efficient microcontroller via a system-wide bus. A significant difference between this system and other approaches is the innovative way in which the sensors are placed under the mattress. This feature facilitates the continuous use of the system without any noticeable influence on the sleeping person. The system was tested by conducting experiments that recorded the sleep of various healthy young people. Results indicate the potential to capture respiratory rate and body movement.
The importance of sleep for human life is enormous. It affects physical, mental, and psychological health. Therefore, it is vital to recognise sleep disorders in a timely manner in order to be able to initiate therapy. There are two methods for measuring sleep-related parameters - objective and subjective. Whether the substitution of a subjective method for an objective one is possible is investigated in this paper. Such replacement may bring several advantages, including increased comfort for the user. To answer this research question, a study was conducted in which 75 overnight recordings were evaluated. The primary purpose of this study was to compare both ways of measurement for total sleep time and sleep efficiency, which are essential parameters for, e.g., insomnia diagnosis and treatment. The evaluation results demonstrated that, on average, there are 32 minutes of difference between the two measurement methods when total sleep time is analysed. In contrast, on average, both measurement methods differ by 7.5% for sleep efficiency measurement. It should also be noted that people typically overestimate total sleep time and efficiency with the subjective method, where the perceived values are measured.
Health monitoring in a home environment can have broader use since it may provide continuous control of health parameters with relatively minor intrusiveness into regular life. This work aims to verify if it is possible to replace the typical in some sleep medicine areas subjective questioning by an objective measurement using electronic devices. For this purpose, a study was conducted with ten subjects, in which objective and subjective measurement of relevant sleep parameters took place. The results of both measurement methods were evaluated and analyzed. The results showed that while for some measures, such as Total Time in Bed, there is a high agreement between objective and subjective measurements, for others, such as sleep quality, there are significant differences. For this reason, currently, a combination of both measurement methods may be beneficial and provide the most detailed results, while a partial replacement can already reduce the number of questions at the subjective measurement by measurement through electronic devices.
The influence of sleep on human health is enormous. Accordingly, sleep disorders can have a negative impact on it. To avoid this, they should be identified and treated in time. For this purpose, objective (with an appropriate device) or subjective (based on perceived values) measurement methods are used for sleep analysis to understand the problem. The aim of this work is to find out whether an exchange of the two methods is possible and can provide reliable results. In accordance with this goal, a study was conducted with people aged over 65 years old (a total of 154 night-time recordings) in which both measurement methods were compared. Sleep questionnaires and electronic devices for sleep assessment placed under the mattress were applied to achieve the study aims. The obtained results indicated that the correlation between both measurement methods could be observed for sleep characteristics such as total sleep time, total time in bed and sleep efficiency. However, there are also significant differences in absolute values of the two measurement approaches for some subjects/nights, which leads us to conclude that the substitution is more likely to be considered in case of long-term monitoring where the trends are of more importance and not the absolute values for individual nights.
The scoring of sleep stages is an essential part of sleep studies. The main objective of this research is to provide an algorithm for the automatic classification of sleep stages using signals that may be obtained in a non-obtrusive way. After reviewing the relevant research, the authors selected a multinomial logistic regression as the basis for their approach. Several parameters were derived from movement and breathing signals, and their combinations were investigated to develop an accurate and stable algorithm. The algorithm was implemented to produce successful results: the accuracy of the recognition of Wake/NREM/REM stages is equal to 73%, with Cohen's kappa of 0.44 for the analyzed 19324 sleep epochs of 30 seconds each. This approach has the advantage of using the only movement and breathing signals, which can be recorded with less effort than heart or brainwave signals, and requiring only four derived parameters for the calculations. Therefore, the new system is a significant improvement for non-obtrusive sleep stage identification compared to existing approaches.
Objective: This paper presents an algorithm for non-invasive sleep stage identification using respiratory, heart rate and movement signals. The algorithm is part of a system suitable for long-term monitoring in a home environment, which should support experts analysing sleep. Approach: As there is a strong correlation between bio-vital signals and sleep stages, multinomial logistic regression was chosen for categorical distribution of sleep stages. Several derived parameters of three signals (respiratory, heart rate and movement) are input for the proposed method. Sleep recordings of five subjects were used for the training of a machine learning model and 30 overnight recordings collected from 30 individuals with about 27 000 epochs of 30 s intervals each were evaluated. Main results: The achieved rate of accuracy is 72% for Wake, NREM, REM (with Cohen's kappa value 0.67) and 58% for Wake, Light (N1 and N2), Deep (N3) and REM stages (Cohen's kappa is 0.50). Our approach has confirmed the potential of this method and disclosed several ways for its improvement. Significance: The results indicate that respiratory, heart rate and movement signals can be used for sleep studies with a reasonable level of accuracy. These inputs can be obtained in a non-invasive way applying it in a home environment. The proposed system introduces a convenient approach for a long-term monitoring system which could support sleep laboratories. The algorithm which was developed allows for an easy adjustment of input parameters that depend on available signals and for this reason could also be used with various hardware systems.
In many cases continuous monitoring of vital signals is required and low intrusiveness is an important requirement. Incorporating monitoring systems in the hospital or home bed could have benefits for patients and caregivers. The objective of this work is the definition of a measurement protocol and the creation of a data set of measurements using commercial and low-cost prototypes devices to estimate heart rate and breathing rate. The experimental data will be used to compare results achieved by the devices and to develop algorithms for feature extraction of vital signals.
This document presents a new complete standalone system for a recognition of sleep apnea using signals from the pressure sensors placed under the mattress. The developed hardware part of the system is tuned to filter and to amplify the signal. Its software part performs more accurate signal filtering and identification of apnea events. The overall achieved accuracy of the recognition of apnea occurrence is 91%, with the average measured recognition delay of about 15 seconds, which confirms the suitability of the proposed method for future employment. The main aim of the presented approach is the support of the healthcare system with the cost-efficient tool for recognition of sleep apnea in the home environment.
Sleep quality and in general, behavior in bed can be detected using a sleep state analysis. These results can help a subject to regulate sleep and recognize different sleeping disorders. In this work, a sensor grid for pressure and movement detection supporting sleep phase analysis is proposed. In comparison to the leading standard measuring system, which is Polysomnography (PSG), the system proposed in this project is a non-invasive sleep monitoring device. For continuous analysis or home use, the PSG or wearable Actigraphy devices tends to be uncomfortable. Besides this fact, they are also very expensive. The system represented in this work classifies respiration and body movement with only one type of sensor and also in a non-invasive way. The sensor used is a pressure sensor. This sensor is low cost and can be used for commercial proposes. The system was tested by carrying out an experiment that recorded the sleep process of a subject. These recordings showed the potential for classification of breathing rate and body movements. Although previous researches show the use of pressure sensors in recognizing posture and breathing, they have been mostly used by positioning the sensors between the mattress and bedsheet. This project however, shows an innovative way to position the sensors under the mattress.
Accurate monitoring of a patient's heart rate is a key element in the medical observation and health monitoring. In particular, its importance extends to the identification of sleep-related disorders. Various methods have been established that involve sensor-based recording of physiological signals followed by automated examination and analysis. This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of a non-invasive HR monitoring framework based on an accelerometer sensor specifically during sleep. To achieve this goal, the motion induced by thoracic movements during cardiac contractions is captured by a device installed under the mattress. Signal filtering techniques and heart rate estimation using the symlets6 wavelet are part of the implemented computational framework described in this article. Subsequent analysis indicates the potential applicability of this system in the prognostic domain, with an average error margin of approximately 3 beats per minute. The results obtained represent a promising advancement in non-invasive heart rate monitoring during sleep, with potential implications for improved diagnosis and management of cardiovascular and sleep-related disorders.
The influence of sleep on human life, including physiological, psychological, and mental aspects, is remarkable. Therefore, it is essential to apply appropriate therapy in the case of sleep disorders. For this, however, the irregularities must first be recognised, preferably conveniently for the person concerned. This dissertation, structured as a composition of research articles, presents the development of mathematically based algorithmic principles for a sleep analysis system. The particular focus is on the classification of sleep stages with a minimal set of physiological parameters. In addition, the aspects of using the sleep analysis system as part of the more complex healthcare systems are explored. Design of hardware for non-obtrusive measurement of relevant physiological parameters and the use of such systems to detect other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea, are also referred to. Multinomial logistic regression was selected as the basis for development resulting from the investigations carried out. By following a methodical procedure, the number of physiological parameters necessary for the classification of sleep stages was successively reduced to two: Respiratory and Movement signals. These signals might be measured in a contactless way. A prototype implementation of the developed algorithms was performed to validate the proposed method, and the evaluation of 19324 sleep epochs was carried out. The results, with the achieved accuracy of 73% in the classification of Wake/NREM/REM stages and Cohen's kappa of 0.44, outperform the state of the art and demonstrate the appropriateness of the selected approach. In the future, this method could enable convenient, cost-effective, and accurate sleep analysis, leading to the detection of sleep disorders at an early stage so that therapy can be initiated as soon as possible, thus improving the general population's health status and quality of life.
Due to their structure of crossed yarns embedded in coating, woven fabric membranes are characterised by a highly nonlinear stress-strain behaviour. In order to determine an accurate structural response of membrane structures, a suitable description of the material behaviour is required. Typical phenomenological material models like linear-elastic orthotropic models only allow a limited determination of the real material behaviour. A more accurate approach becomes evident by focusing on the meso-scale, which reveals an inhomogeneous however periodic structure of woven fabrics. The present work focuses on an established meso-scale model. The novelty of this work is an enhancement of this model with regard to the coating stiffness. By performing an inverse process of parameter identification using a state-of-the-art Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, a close fit w.r.t. measured data from a common biaxial test is shown and compared to results applying established models. Subsequently, the enhanced meso-scale model is processed into a multi-scale model and is implemented as a material law into a finite element program. Within finite element analyses of an exemplary full scale membrane structure by using the implemented material model as well as by using established material models, the results are compared and discussed.
Advanced approaches for analysis and form finding of membrane structures with finite elements
(2018)
Part I deals with material modelling of woven fabric membranes. Due to their structure of crossed yarns embedded in coating, woven fabric membranes are characterised by a highly nonlinear stress-strain behaviour. In order to determine an accurate structural response of membrane structures, a suitable description of the material behaviour is required. A linear elastic orthotropic model approach, which is current practice, only allows a relative coarse approximation of the material behaviour. The present work focuses on two different material approaches: A first approach becomes evident by focusing on the meso-scale. The inhomogeneous, however periodic structure of woven fabrics motivates for microstructural modelling. An established microstructural model is considered and enhanced with regard to the coating stiffness. Secondly, an anisotropic hyperelastic material model for woven fabric membranes is considered. By performing inverse processes of parameter identification, fits of the two different material models w.r.t. measured data from a common biaxial test are shown. The results of the inversely parametrised material models are compared and discussed.
Part II presents an extended approach for a simultaneous form finding and cutting patterning computation of membrane structures. The approach is formulated as an optimisation problem in which both the geometries of the equilibrium and cutting patterning configuration are initially unknown. The design objectives are minimum deviations from prescribed stresses in warp and fill direction along with minimum shear deformation. The equilibrium equations are introduced into the optimisation problem as constraints. Additional design criteria can be formulated (for the geometry of seam lines etc.). Similar to the motivation for the Updated Reference Strategy [4] the described problem is singular in the tangent plane. In both the equilibrium and the cutting patterning configuration finite element nodes can move without changing stresses. Therefore, several approaches are presented to stabilise the algorithm. The overall result of the computation is a stressed equilibrium and an unstressed cutting patterning geometry. The interaction of both configurations is described in Total Lagrangian formulation.
The microstructural model, which is focused in Part I, is applied. Based on this approach, information about fibre orientation as well as the ending of fibres at cutting edges are available. As a result, more accurate results can be computed compared to simpler approaches commonly used in practice.
Seit einigen Jahren befinden sich das ökonomische System, dessen Märkte und Organisationen in einem äußerst dynamischen Veränderungsprozess. Globalisierung ist das Stichwort, das im Allgemeinen als Treiber dieser Entwicklung identifiziert wird und dem dieser Umbruch zugeschrieben wird. Bei einer genaueren Inspektion des Globalisierungsphänomens finden sich zwei Aspekte, die unternehmensethische und wirtschaftsethische Problemstellungen auf die Agenda der Unternehmen gesetzt haben und die für das hier verhandelte Thema von außerordentlicher Bedeutung sind. 1. Zum einen vollzieht sich in der Gesellschaft ein Wandel hinsichtlich der Erwartungshaltung an verantwortungsvolles und moralisch integres Handeln von Unternehmen. Corporate Social Responsibiliy oder Corporate Citizenship sind hier die Begriffe, die das Feld markieren. 2. Zum anderen entwickelten sich vor der Folie der Globalisierung eine Reihe neuer Governancestrukturen zur Abwicklung ökonomischer Transaktionen: ökonomische Netzwerke, die sich organisationsintern wie -extern entwickeln können, die Umstellung innerhalb einer Organisation von Hierarchie auf Markt, die Neugestaltung bislang rein marktlich abgewickelter Transaktionen auf eine hybride Form der Transaktion wie eine Supply Chain-Beziehungen, virtuelle Teambildungen, strategische Allianzen, die Ausgliederung von Teilen der organisationalen Wertschöpfungskette auf sogenannte Wertschöpfungspartner und somit die Reduktion der Fertigungstiefe, Cross-Border-Akquisitionen, um Wachstumspotentiale im Ausland nutzen zu können oder Global-Sourcing, um an lokales Know-how, Humankapital, Technologie und Produkte zu gelangen. Die grob skizzierten ökonomischen Dimensionen und Konsequenzen der Globalisierung kristallisieren in der These, dass Kooperation in verschiedenen Kooperationssphären das entscheidende und prägende Element des zukünftigen ökonomischen Systems sein wird. Ökonomisch formuliert: Kooperationsbereitschaft und Kooperationsfähigkeit von kollektiven Akteuren entlang der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette und gegenüber den relevanten Stakeholdern werden die zu ökonomisierenden Ressourcen sein, von deren Aktivierung der Erfolg gesamter Volkswirtschaften und einzelner Unternehmen abhängig ist. Unterstellt, diese Analyse und das daraus abgeleitete Argument ist zutreffend, dann wird sehr schnell deutlich, dass sich hieraus enorme Konsequenzen für die Beziehung von Unternehmen zu seinen Lieferanten ergeben. Für Unternehmen gilt es demnach, sich in einer entwickelnden Kooperationsökonomie stärker als in vergangenen Perioden systematisch mit der Moralität ihrer Lieferanten auseinander zu setzen und nicht nur auf die eigene moralische Identität und die Qualität des eigenen moralischen Handelns zu fokussieren. Diese neue Herausforderung muss mittels hierfür geeigneter Governancestrukturen bearbeitet werden. Denn es ist unschwer zu erkennen, dass eine erhebliche Differenz besteht zwischen einer Kooperationsbeziehung zu einem Lieferanten, der neben den im klassischen Kanon des Lieferantenmanagements üblicherweise zu prüfenden Kriterien wie die Qualität der Produkte, der Liefertreue oder der logistischen Kompetenz zudem einen hohen Arbeitsethos und einen ausgebildeten Sinn für Vertragstreue und Integrität besitzt und einem Lieferanten, der mit einer Präferenz für opportunistische Vertragsausbeutung, Korruption, Bestechung und Bestechlichkeit ausgestattet ist. Ein Verhalten, das zu einem Verlust von Reputation oder materiellen Werten führen kann. Ein Vorschlag für die Instrumentierung und Prozessierung einer solchen Lieferantenbewertung wird in diesem Aufsatz unterbreitet.
In Anlehnung an das Tempcore-Verfahren wurde an wärmebehandeltem Stabstahl das Zugverfestigungsverhalten des Kernes, der Außenhaut sowie dem gesamten Stab experimentell und numerisch ermittelt. Es zeigte sich, dass die Dehnungen am Kern und am äußeren Rand gleich sind und der Einfluss des Kerngefüges entscheidend für den Beginn der Einschnürung in der Außenhaut ist. Eine Verbesserung der Eigenschaften des Kerngefüges kann somit die Bruchempfindlichkeit des gesamten Stabes reduzieren.
Mechanical properties after stretching testings were calcu-lated and experimentally determined via Tempcore method for bar core, bar surface and whole bar cross section. It was displayed on the base of experiments and imitating simulation that deformation in core and surface areas of a bar are equal and therefore influence of structural parameters in the core area is principally decisive for initiating of neck forming in the surface area. The results showed that resistance to destruction of martensite surface layer has rather less effect on bar properties in general in comparison with previous investigations. It is concluded that improvement of core structure quality can help to lower brittleness of the whole bar. It was also proved that used techniques provide good concordance between the obtained results and experimental data. Therefore, the additivity rule for structural components can be used successfully for determination of whole bar parameters, taking into account thickness of surface layer that can be measured easily using hardness sensor. It will simplify practically quality control of products.
Es handelt sich um eine Arbeit im Rahmen des BMBF-Programm "Anwendungsorientierte Forschung und Entwicklung an Fachhochschulen". Schutz und Steuerung spielen eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Automatisierung in der elektrischen Energieversorgung. Moderne Geräte sind Mikrorechnergesteuert, und ihre korrekte Funktion wird bestimmt durch das Zusammenwirken ihrer Hardware und Software mit der Hochspannungsanlage. Zudem ist die Software für den individuellen Einsatz parametriert. Untersuchungen mit realen Schutz- und Steuerungseinrichtungen an realen Anlagen sind aufwendig und riskant. Gewonnene Betriebserfahrungen kommen häufig erst nach einem Schadensereignis. Dagegen ermöglichen Simulationen breit abgestützte Untersuchungen realer Betriebs- und Fehlerfälle im Voraus. Sie unterstützen damit nicht nur kurze Entwicklungs-, Projektierungs- und Inbetriebnahmezeiten, sondern tragen auch zur sicheren, zuverlässigen und kostengünstigen Stromversorgung bei. Simulationen sind aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln sinnvoll: • Planung und Projektierung von Hochspannungsanlagen mit den zugehörigen Schutz- und Leitsystemen • Ereignisgenaue und präzise Analyse von Störungen, z.B. nach einem Leitungsausfall oder einem Blackout • Entwicklung von Schutz- und Steuergeräten und -systemen einschließlich Hardware, Software und Firmware • Ausbildung, Training, Beratung. Aufgabe des Projekts ist die Erprobung eines Echtzeitnetzmodells für typische Schutztechnik-Anwendungen. Im Gegensatz zu bekannten Energietechnik- und Schutztechnik-spezifischen Lösungen soll die Simulation auf der Basis des in der gesamten Technik weit verbreiteten Werkzeugs Matlab/Simulink einschließlich SimPowerSystems (frühere Bezeichnung: Power System Blockset) basieren. Zunächst soll ein vollständiges Simulationssystem einschließlich Schutzgeräten in Betrieb genommen werden. Dafür ist die Simulationsrechner-Hardware mit möglichst hoher Rechenleistung einschließlich geeigneter Interfacekarten für die Analogausgaben und die digitalen Schnittstellen zum Projektbeginn neu zu beschaffen. Die Untersuchung des Echtzeit-Netzmodells soll anhand typischer Netzkonfigurationen mit entsprechenden Schutzanwendungen erfolgen, z.B.: Hochspannungs-Doppelleitung mit Kurzschluss oder Pendelungen; Generator-Einspeisung, auch mit motorischen Verbrauchern und Umschaltvorgängen. Damit sollen die wesentlichen Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Simulation festgestellt werden: • Korrektheit und Genauigkeit der Simulation • Anforderungen an Simulations-Rechnerhardware abhängig von Modellgröße, Frequenzbereich bzw. Zeitschrittweite • Möglichkeiten für Echtzeit- und Offline-Simulation auf Basis derselben Modellparameter • Integration von Schutzalgorithmen und -geräten in die Simulation (anstelle realer Geräte) • Erweiterbarkeit und Offenheit, z.B. betreffend Wide-Area-Protection, Simulation von Stromwandlern mit Sättigung, Modellierung von nicht in der Bibliothek verfügbaren Komponenten, Anlagen mit mehreren und verschiedenartigen Schutz-, Steuer- und Leitsystemkomponenten Simulation für Schutz- und Stationsleittechnik mit Matlab/Simulink Seite 4 • Bedienungsfreundlichkeit • Geeignete Visualisierung, Archivierung und Dokumentation • Kosten • Empfehlungen für den Einsatz.
Die Hochschule Konstanz Technik Wirtschaft und Gestaltung (HTWG) leistet sich einen technologischen Think-Tank: Das Open Innovation Lab. Es ist ein Labor, welches über Hierarchien und Fakultätsgrenzen hinweg für die Hochschulangehörigen geöffnet ist. Es leistet seinen Beitrag zu Lehre, Forschung und Transfer. Bezogen auf das Lernen ermöglicht das Labor, für den allgegenwärtigen Prozess der Digitalisierung soziale Verantwortung zu übernehmen und Kreativität im Umfeld technologischer Möglichkeiten zu entwickeln. Drei Ebenen wirken hier zusammen: das Individuum, das Miteinander und die übergreifende Organisationsstruktur.
Generative Design Software - How does digitalization change the professional profile of architects
(2019)
Abstract, Poster und Vortrag
Zur Rhetorik der Technik
(2017)
Nichts als Worte
(2015)
Das Abenteuer der Kritik
(2015)
Zur Rhetorik der Technik
(2018)
Sprechen über Form
(2017)
Schreiben und Rhetorik an einer Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften - ein Erfahrungsbericht
(2018)
Ein Gestalter - in allem
(2016)
Geschärfte Sinne
(2016)
Zitate sind kein Selbstzweck
(2015)
Rhetorik-Wörterbuch
(2015)
Liken und Sinn machen
(2016)
Wirkungen gestalten
(2016)
Die offene Gesellschaft
(2016)
Eine Zukunft ohne Fakten?
(2016)
Nichts als Worte
(2016)
Das Abenteuer der Kritik
(2016)
Praktische Rhetorik
(2023)
Home health applications have evolved over the last few decades. Assistive systems such as a data platform in connection with health devices can allow for health-related data to be automatically transmitted to a database. However, there remain significant challenges concerning intermodular communication. Central among them is the challenge of achieving interoperability, the ability of devices to communicate and share data with each other. A major goal of this project was to extend an existing data platform (COMES®) and establish working interoperability by connecting assistive devices with differing approaches. We describe this process for a sleep monitoring and a physical exercise device. Furthermore, we aimed to test this setup and the implementation with a data platform in both a laboratory and an in-home setting with 11 elderly participants. The platform modification was realized, and the relevant changes were made so that the incoming data could be processed by the data platform, as well as visually displayed in real-time. Data was recorded by the respective device and transmitted into the data server with minor disruptions. Our observations affirmed that difficulties and data loss are far more likely to occur with increasing technical complexity, in the event of instable internet connection, or when the device setup requires (elderly) subjects to take specific steps for proper functioning. We emphasize the importance for tests and evaluations of home health technologies in real-life circumstances.
Wirkung von Design verstehen
(2022)
Um das Konstrukt Corporate Design verstehen zu lernen und einen methodischen Ansatz zur Schulung des gestalterischen Gespürs im Gestaltungsprozess zu generieren, untersucht die Independent Study bestehende Marken mithilfe theoretischer Grundlagen aus der Rhetorik. In vier Case Studies werden Corporate Designs oder Aspekte dieser unter gestalterischen sowie rhetorischen Regeln betrachtet. Die Beschäftigung mit Marken auf diese Art und Weise schafft Erfahrungen mit der Thematik, während die angewendeten Methodiken systematisches Denken in der Gestaltung fördert und einen methodischen Werkzeugkasten ermöglicht.
Stolperstein Mathematik
(2018)
Veränderungsintelligenz auf individueller Ebene Teil 2: Persönliche Agilität und agiler führen
(2017)
Die persönliche Agilität von Mitarbeitern und Führungskräften gilt laut verschiedenen Studien als einer der wichtigsten Befähiger für eine agile Organisation. Die individuellen Fähigkeiten, in der sogenannten VUKA-Welt (Volatilität, Unsicherheit, Komplexität, Ambiguität) erfolgreich zu agieren, sind ein wesentlicher Wettbewerbsfaktor für agile Unternehmen sowie ein individueller Karrierefaktor. Das vorliegende Kapitel führt aus, was agile Menschen konkret auszeichnet, wie ein verändertes Führungsverständnis im Kontext von Agilität und digitaler Transformation aussieht (agile Führung, Führung 4.0) und bietet praxisnahe Tipps zur Umsetzung. Die Paradigmenwechsel der VUKA-Welt werden erklärt und die neuen Anforderungen an Mitarbeiter und Führungskräfte aus ihnen abgeleitet. Über die Komponenten des 7-V-Modells (Kapitel 6) hinaus ist für persönliche Agilität ein agiles Mindset und weitere Persönlichkeitsmerkmale und Kompetenzen erforderlich. Diese zusätzlichen Anforderungen, die an agile Mitarbeiter und agile Führungskräfte gestellt werden, werden differenziert nach Agilitätslevel beschrieben. Denn ob ein Mensch in einer ganzheitlich agilen holokratischen Organisation arbeitet oder in einem eher traditionellen hierarchischen Umfeld, das agiler arbeiten möchte, hat großen Einfluss auf die gestellten Anforderungen. Der Leser erhält Tools zur persönlichen Standortbestimmung und viele Anregungen zur Umsetzung im Arbeitsalltag.
This work proposes an efficient hardware Implementation of sequential stack decoding of binary block codes. The decoder can be applied for soft input decoding for generalized concatenated (GC) codes. The GC codes are constructed from inner nested binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes and outer Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. In order to enable soft input decoding for the inner BCH block codes, a sequential stack decoding algorithm is used.
The McEliece cryptosystem is a promising candidate for post-quantum public-key encryption. In this work, we propose q-ary codes over Gaussian integers for the McEliece system and a new channel model. With this one Mannheim error channel, errors are limited to weight one. We investigate the channel capacity of this channel and discuss its relation to the McEliece system. The proposed codes are based on a simple product code construction and have a low complexity decoding algorithm. For the one Mannheim error channel, these codes achieve a higher error correction capability than maximum distance separable codes with bounded minimum distance decoding. This improves the work factor regarding decoding attacks based on information-set decoding.
Method and device for error correction coding based on high-rate generalized concatenated codes
(2017)
Field error correction coding is particularly suitable for applications in non-volatile flash memories. We describe a method for error correction encoding of data to be stored in a memory device, a corresponding method for decoding a codeword matrix resulting from the encoding method, a coding device, and a computer program for performing the methods on the coding device, using a new construction for high-rate generalized concatenated (GC) codes. The codes, which are well suited for error correction in flash memories for high reliability data storage, are constructed from inner nested binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes and outer codes, preferably Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. For the inner codes extended BCH codes are used, where only single parity-check codes are applied in the first level of the GC code. This enables high-rate codes.
A soft input decoding method and a decoder for generalized concatenated (GC) codes. The GC codes are constructed from inner nested block codes, such as binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem, BCH, codes and outer codes, such as Reed-Solomon, RS, codes. In order to enable soft input decoding for the inner block codes, a sequential stack decoding algorithm is used. Ordinary stack decoding of binary block codes requires the complete trellis of the code. In one aspect, the present invention applies instead a representation of the block codes based on the trellises of supercodes in order to reduce the memory requirements for the representation of the inner codes. This enables an efficient hardware implementation. In another aspect, there is provided a soft input decoding method and device employing a sequential stack decoding algorithm in combination with list-of-two decoding which is particularly well suited for applications that require very low residual error rates.
This letter introduces signal constellations based on multiplicative groups of Eisenstein integers, i.e., hexagonal lattices. These sets of Eisenstein integers are proposed as signal constellations for generalized spatial modulation. The algebraic properties of the new constellations are investigated and a set partitioning technique is developed. This technique can be used to design coded modulation schemes over hexagonal lattices.
Codes over quotient rings of Lipschitz integers have recently attracted some attention. This work investigates the performance of Lipschitz integer constellations for transmission over the AWGN channel by means of the constellation figure of merit. A construction of sets of Lipschitz integers that leads to a better constellation figure of merit compared to ordinary Lipschitz integer constellations is presented. In particular, it is demonstrated that the concept of set partitioning can be applied to quotient rings of Lipschitz integers where the number of elements is not a prime number. It is shown that it is always possible to partition such quotient rings into additive subgroups in a manner that the minimum Euclidean distance of each subgroup is strictly larger than in the original set. The resulting signal constellations have a better performance for transmission over an additive white Gaussian noise channel compared to Gaussian integer constellations and to ordinary Lipschitz integer constellations. In addition, we present multilevel code constructions for the new signal constellations.
Codes over quotient rings of Lipschitz integers have recently attracted some attention. This work investigates the performance of Lipschitz integer constellations for transmission over the AWGN channel by means of the constellation figure of merit. A construction of sets of Lipschitz integers is presented that leads to a better constellation figure of merit compared to ordinary Lipschitz integer constellations. In particular, it is demonstrated that the concept of set partitioning can be applied to quotient rings of Lipschitz integers where the number of elements is not a prime number. It is shown that it is always possible to partition such quotient rings into additive subgroups in a manner that the minimum Euclidean distance of each subgroup is strictly larger than in the original set. The resulting signal constellations have a better performance for transmission over an additive white Gaussian noise channel compared to Gaussian integer constellations and to ordinary Lipschitz integer constellations.
The computational complexity of the optimal maximum likelihood (ML) detector for spatial modulation increases rapidly as more transmit antennas or larger modulation orders are employed. Hence, ML detection may be infeasible for higher bit rates. This work proposes an improved suboptimal detection algorithm based on the Gaussian approximation method. It is demonstrated that the new method is closely related to the previously published signal vector based detection and the modified maximum ratio combiner, but can improve the detection performance compared to these methods. Furthermore, the performance of different signal constellations with suboptimal detection is investigated. Simulation results indicate that the performance loss compared to ML detection depends heavily on the signal constellation, where the recently proposed Eisenstein integer constellations are beneficial compared to classical QAM or PSK constellations.
This letter proposes two contributions to improve the performance of transmission with generalized multistream spatial modulation (SM). In particular, a modified suboptimal detection algorithm based on the Gaussian approximation method is proposed. The proposed modifications reduce the complexity of the Gaussian approximation method and improve the performance for high signal-to-noise ratios. Furthermore, this letter introduces signal constellations based on Hurwitz integers, i.e., a 4-D lattice. Simulation results demonstrate that these signal constellations are beneficial for generalized SM with two active antennas.
The introduction of multiple-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC) technologies reduced the reliability of flash memories significantly compared with single-level cell flash. With MLC and TLC flash cells, the error probability varies for the different states. Hence, asymmetric models are required to characterize the flash channel, e.g., the binary asymmetric channel (BAC). This contribution presents a combined channel and source coding approach improving the reliability of MLC and TLC flash memories. With flash memories data compression has to be performed on block level considering short-data blocks. We present a coding scheme suitable for blocks of 1 kB of data. The objective of the data compression algorithm is to reduce the amount of user data such that the redundancy of the error correction coding can be increased in order to improve the reliability of the data storage system. Moreover, data compression can be utilized to exploit the asymmetry of the channel to reduce the error probability. With redundant data, the proposed combined coding scheme results in a significant improvement of the program/erase cycling endurance and the data retention time of flash memories.
Generalized concatenated (GC) codes with soft-input decoding were recently proposed for error correction in flash memories. This work proposes a soft-input decoder for GC codes that is based on a low-complexity bit-flipping procedure. This bit-flipping decoder uses a fixed number of test patterns and an algebraic decoder for soft-input decoding. An acceptance criterion for the final candidate codeword is proposed. Combined with error and erasure decoding of the outer Reed-Solomon codes, this bit-flipping decoder can improve the decoding performance and reduce the decoding complexity compared to the previously proposed sequential decoding. The bit-flipping decoder achieves a decoding performance similar to a maximum likelihood decoder for the inner codes.
The binary asymmetric channel (BAC) is a model for the error characterization of multi-level cell (MLC) flash memories. This contribution presents a joint channel and source coding approach improving the reliability of MLC flash memories. The objective of the data compression algorithm is to reduce the amount of user data such that the redundancy of the error correction coding can be increased in order to improve the reliability of the data storage system. Moreover, data compression can be utilized to exploit the asymmetry of the channel to reduce the error probability. With MLC flash memories data compression has to be performed on block level considering short data blocks. We present a coding scheme suitable for blocks of 1 kilobyte of data.
Error correction coding based on soft-input decoding can significantly improve the reliability of flash memories. Such soft-input decoding algorithms require reliability information about the state of the memory cell. This work proposes a channel model for soft-input decoding that considers the asymmetric error characteristic of multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC) memories. Based on this model, an estimation method for the channel state information is devised which avoids additional pilot data for channel estimation. Furthermore, the proposed method supports page-wise read operations.
Error correction coding (ECC) for optical communication and persistent storage systems require high rate codes that enable high data throughput and low residual errors. Recently, different concatenated coding schemes were proposed that are based on binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes that have low error correcting capabilities. Commonly, hardware implementations for BCH decoding are based on the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm (BMA). However, for single, double, and triple error correcting BCH codes, Peterson's algorithm can be more efficient than the BMA. The known hardware architectures of Peterson's algorithm require Galois field inversion. This inversion dominates the hardware complexity and limits the decoding speed. This work proposes an inversion-less version of Peterson's algorithm. Moreover, a decoding architecture is presented that is faster than decoders that employ inversion or the fully parallel BMA at a comparable circuit size.
This work proposes a lossless data compression algorithm for short data blocks. The proposed compression scheme combines a modified move-to-front algorithm with Huffman coding. This algorithm is applicable in storage systems where the data compression is performed on block level with short block sizes, in particular, in non-volatile memories. For block sizes in the range of 1(Formula presented.)kB, it provides a compression gain comparable to the Lempel–Ziv–Welch algorithm. Moreover, encoder and decoder architectures are proposed that have low memory requirements and provide fast data encoding and decoding.
Embodiments are generally related to the field of channel and source coding of data to be sent over a channel, such as a communication link or a data memory. Some specific embodiments are related to a method of encoding data for transmission over a channel, a corresponding decoding method, a coding device for performing one or both of these methods and a computer program comprising instructions to cause said coding device to perform one or both of said methods.