Signal-to-noise ratio development for quality engineering

Dr. Taguchi developed the concept of signal-to-noise (SN) ratio in quality engineering to evaluate the performance of a system. The objective is to develop systems which are robust against noise factors. The SN ratio indicates the degree of the predictable performance of a product or process in the presence of noise factors. Parameter design of the Taguchi method optimizes the SN ratio in the domain of control factors, so that performance could be made insensitive to the noise factors in order to improve product quality. If the domain of the control factors is a continuous space, the problem is a non-linear programming problem. Usually, in practice, there are only a few available levels for the control factors. Thus, experimental design methods can be useful for such problems. The SN ratio for four cases of dynamic characteristic problems is developed in this paper. This paper also gives the method to compute SN ratios for both equispaced and non-equispaced intervals for levels of signal factors. Two examples are presented to illustrate the method.     

A Game Theory Application in Robust Design

Parameter designs consider the objective of designing products/processes that are insensitive to different noise factors affecting the performance of them. Such designs are called robust designs. Robustness has brought a revolution in the research and development of industries to design new products and develop new processes. Practitioners have shown considerable interest in what are known as Taguchi Methods. There has been controversy concerning these methods from a statistical standpoint. Some have pointed out that certain techniques among them are inefficient and unnecessarily complicated. This is particularly true of signal to noise ratios (S/N ratios) and statistical analysis based on them. S/N ratios play a crucial role in measuring robustness of product and process design in quality engineering. In this paper, we give an interactive two-person zero-sum game formulation of the S/N ratio analysis to select a robust design. This approach has the advantage of presenting to the designer both the mean and the standard deviation corresponding to a design setting instead of a single number such as S/N ratio. We present here some new results and illustrate our method with examples.     

内激励作用下的单对齿轮振动噪声分析

综合考虑齿轮时变啮合刚度及齿轮误差等内部激励的影响,建立了单对齿轮扭转振动物理模型,采用龙哥库塔法进行求解,得到了齿轮节点位移。分析齿轮几何参数对齿轮啮合的振动噪声的影响,并采用修正Kato公式法对振动产生的噪声进行了定量计算。结果表明该方法可以较好地对齿轮振动所产生的噪声进行定量计算,为齿轮系统的降噪设计奠定了基础。     

Efficient optimization of diffractive optical elements based on rigorous diffraction models.

An efficient optimization strategy for the design of diffractive optical elements that is based on rigorous diffraction theory is described. The optimization algorithm combines diffraction models of different degrees of accuracy and computational complexity. A fast design algorithm for diffractive optical elements is used to yield estimates of the optimum surface profile based on paraxial diffraction theory. These estimates are subsequently evaluated with a rigorous diffraction model. This scheme allows one to minimize the need to compute diffraction effects rigorously, while providing accurate design. We discuss potential applications of this scheme as well as details of an implementation based on a modified Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm and the finite-difference time-domain method. Illustrative examples are provided in which we use the algorithm to design Fourier array illuminators.     

货物列车声屏障等效频率的确定及其验证和分析

声屏障设计研究一直是国内外广泛关注的课题,在线路两侧正确地设置声屏障不仅提高噪声控制的主动性,也将降低项目的投资。然而,绕射衰减计算是声屏障设计的重要步骤,声屏障的等效频率又是声屏障绕射衰减计算的重要参数之一。为准确、快捷的进行声屏障设计,需针对不同机车牵引类型,不同时速下货物列车的噪声频率特性进行试验研究,通过对实测数据进行统计分析,由此可得到不同工况下货物列车的声屏障等效频率。     

Characterizing ultrasonic transducers using radiation efficiency and reception noise figure

Transducer performance is considered separately for transmission and reception operations. The transmission operation is traditionally characterized by its traditional transfer function. Using a Thevenin source, the transfer function may be scaled to become the absolute radiation efficiency. Transmission lines are accurately modeled, and a matched impedance design is recommended. The reception operation also is characterized by its traditional transfer function. However, reception sensitivity is defined as the signal-to-noise ratio achieved by the combined transducer, transmission line, and preamplifier. The thermal noise arises from the media and other noise sources contributed by the transducer, transmission line, and preamplifier. An absolute sensitivity measure is defined as the acoustic noise figure, which is the sum of individual transducer and preamplifier noise figures. The transducer noise figure is independent of the receiver load impedance and depends critically on dissipative loss. Preamplifier noise figure performance requires noise matching to the transducer. High performance design methods are presented that incorporate transmission lines, which include loss. Modeled examples are used to demonstrate performance.     

Tiny Peaks vs Mega Backgrounds: A General Spectroscopic Method with Applications in Resonant Raman Scattering and Atmospheric Absorptions

A simple method using standard spectrometers with charge-coupled device (CCD) detectors is described to routinely measure background-corrected spectra in situations where the signal is composed of weak spectral features (such as Raman peaks or absorption lines) engulfed in a much stronger (by as much as ～10(5)) broad background. The principle of the method is to subtract the dominant fixed-structure noise and obtain a shot-noise limited spectrum. The final noise level can therefore be reduced as desired by sufficient integration time. The method requires multiple shifts of the diffraction gratings to extract the pixel-dependent noise structure, which is then used as a flat-field correction. An original peak-retrieval procedure is proposed, demonstrating accurate determination of peak lineshapes and linewidths and robustness on practical examples where conventional methods would not be applicable. Examples are discussed to illustrate the potential of the technique to perform routine resonant Raman measurements of fluorescent dyes with high quantum yield, using conventional Raman systems. The method can equally be applied to other situations where small features are masked by a broad overwhelming background. An explicit example is given with the measurement of weak absorption lines in atmospheric gases.     

Design, fabrication, and evaluation of a multichannel diffractive optic rotary joint

A multichannel diffractive optic rotary joint was designed, fabricated by electron-beam lithography, and evaluated with regard to cross talk and to output signal power variations. High cross-talk margin (>25 dB) and low output signal power variations (<2 dB) were achieved. The sensitivity to input-light-beam wavelength uncertainty was investigated. Two design examples are presented. The first design eliminates cross talk due to unwanted diffraction orders and shows that for a ten-channel joint the wavelength uncertainty of an 850-nm emitting laser must be less than 8 nm. In the second design cross talk due to the second diffraction order is permitted, which results in a tolerance level that is three times better for wavelength uncertainty.     

Noise of He-Cd laser and its suppression

Linear relations have been observed between the reciprocal of the noise ratio and the reciprocal of the output power of the He-Cd laser as well as between the noise ratio and the net gain within the laser cavity. By a feedback method with an acoustooptic modulator in the laser cavity at the Brewster angle for low optical loss, a stable laser with high power output and low noise has been obtained. The noise ratio and the output power are 0.8% and 33 mW, respectively, at 4416 A     

New developments in data processing of noisy images

In some of the methods used in metallography, the signal-noise ratio is so low that direct interpretation is not possible. With regard to microanalysis, the segregation in steels is currently being studied using quantitative X-ray mapping. The acquisition time and counting statistics are limiting factors, particularly for elements in low concentration that present low count rates compared with the background level. Noise from the useful information can be filtered out by geostatistical techniques. A new commercial software, IMAGEO, has been developed by the Ecole des Mines de Paris for noise filtering and signal deconvolution. The main features of this method and the software are described with detailed application examples. With this technique, it is now possible not only to get information from images that would be unusable, but, in the case of microanalysis, to save time for elements in higher concentration by using less counting time.     

注水系统三级节流降噪设计及数值分析

大压差工况下,流量调节阀的节流作用导致自流注水系统振动噪声问题突出。为控制自流注水系统的噪声,从系统配置的角度进行系统降噪优化设计,提出了多级节流的降噪方案。采用流体动力学数值方法进行了多级节流低噪声设计原理分析,验证了多级节流降噪方案的有效性。基于低噪声设计原理,设计了三级流量调节阀串联的节流注水方案,并对三级节流系统进行了流场数值分析,数值分析结果表明:三级节流设计使各级阀后低压区减小,避免了阀后局部气蚀出现;一级阀门和二级阀门进口下缘及出口上缘均出现大尺度的漩涡结构,为主要噪声源区域。     

Noise analysis for the holographic first-arriving-light technique

A noise analysis is performed on an electronic holography first-arriving-light system. Analytical expressions for the signal-to-noise ratio caused by the dominant noise terms are derived. The effect of various system parameters on the signal-to-noise ratio is explored; numerical and experimental examples are given.     

The delphi silicon strip microvertex detector

The silicon strip microvertex detector for the DELPHI experiment at LEP is presented. It consists of two cylindrical layers with a total of 165 888 strips. The design parameters of the final project are described.The microstrip counters have a pitch of 16.6 μm, and are read out every 50 μm using the capacitive charge division method. The electronics used is the Microplex chip, an NMOS integrated circuit, which provides 128 channels of low noise charge sensitive amplifiers with multiplexed analog output. Results of signal-to-noise ratio from beam tests on prototype detectors are given and discussed.     

Fresnel transform-based correlator

We present a new technique for information processing using Fresnel transform-based correlation. The main emphasis is on the design of a correlator involving the reference object and its near-field diffraction pattern at an optimized distance. The input-scene image and its diffraction pattern constitute the input pattern of the new correlator. The new technique shows a significant increase in discrimination ability and optical efficiency. Moreover, different encoding methods, such as the phase-only filter or the matched filter, can be used in conjunction with this method. A theoretical analysis as well as examples are given.     

Design and implementation of efficient IIR notch filters withquantization error feedback

Straightforward methods for the design of digital notch filters are presented. The design method is based on setting a zero of the filter at a notch frequency and placing a pole in its neighborhood such that the notch width is narrow enough while keeping the group delay of the filter sufficiently flat. A technique for efficient and well-behaved implementation with fixed-point signal processors is advanced, based on the use of quantization error feedback for roundoff noise reduction. The design approach is illustrated with numerical examples, and an assembly-language program for the family of TMS320 signal processors is provided     

射频部分替代法的衰减测量分析

限制衰减测量量程的因素是大信号测量的非线性以及小信号测量的信噪比,采用射频部分替代法能够在加大信号功率提高信噪比的同时而不引入大信号测量的非线性,是扩展衰减量程的有效方法。本文论述了射频部分替代法,并对不确定度进行了分析。     

基于MMSE和谱峭度的滚动轴承故障诊断方法

共振解调作为滚动轴承常用的故障诊断方法,存在带通滤波器参数难以确定的缺点,针对此缺点以及滚动轴承早期故障信号信噪比低的问题,结合最小均方误差估计方法(MMSE)和基于谱峭度的共振解调方法,并将其应用于滚动轴承早期微弱故障诊断中。首先用MMSE方法抑制白噪声来提高信噪比,然后利用谱峭度自适应确定最优带通滤波器参数,最后对带通滤波后的信号进行能量算子解调谱分析,得出诊断结果。数字仿真信号和实验信号验证了该方法的有效性。     

Grating-cavity continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators for high-resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy

The use of grating as a spectral filter provides a simple way of improving wavelength tuning and stability of continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators (cw OPOs). In this paper, we discuss how to design and use such grating-cavity cw OPOs for high-resolution spectroscopy in the molecular fingerprint region at ～3μm. The first design presented in the paper is based on a metal-coated diffraction grating, which produces fast and broad wavelength tuning and high wavelength stability. The second design uses a bulk Bragg grating for high optical power and good spectral purity. We report a new Bragg-grating OPO and demonstrate its use in a Doppler-free absorption spectroscopy of CH4 at ～3.22μm. In addition, we describe a new balanced detection scheme, which can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of absorption measurements if the measurement noise is limited by the intensity noise of the mid-infrared OPO.     

一种低信噪比环境下的语音端点检测算法

端点检测技术是语音信号处理的关键技术之一，为提高低信噪比环境下端点检测的准确率和稳健性，提出了一种非平稳噪声抑制和调制域谱减结合功率归一化倒谱距离的端点检测算法。该算法首先通过抑制非平稳噪声再采用调制域谱减消除残余噪声来提升信噪比，减少语音失真。然后再提取每帧信号的功率归一化倒谱系数，计算每帧信号与背景噪声的功率归一化倒谱距离。最后将该倒谱距离作为检测参数，采用双门限判决方法进行端点检测。实验结果表明，该端点检测算法对语音帧和噪声帧具有较好的区分性。此外，在低信噪比环境下，所提出的算法对于不同类型的噪声都具有较好的稳健性。     

Distributed algorithm for optimal sequence and power allocation in uplink code division multiple access systems

An alternative approach is presented for centralised algorithms that design optimal sequences and powers under quality of service constraints in the uplink of a code division multiple access systems. The authors propose a distributed algorithm, where each user designs its optimal codeword in such a way to transmit minimum power, based on certain feedback information sent from the base station. The authors define the user cost function, which is the user power written as a convex function of user codewords for a defined signal-to-interference plus noise ratio target. For the constrained optimisation problem, optimal codewords are designed based on feasible direction method and the optimal user powers are the minimum values of the user cost functions. For the optimal configuration, the matched filter employed at receiver will have the same performance as the minimum mean squared error filter. Even if the optimal user powers are unique, the optimal codewords do not correspond to a unique allocation, but rather to an entire class of codewords that can be related by unitary transformations. The algorithm works properly in the presence of multiple access interference with white or coloured additive noise and requires no ordering. The proposed algorithm is analysed and illustrated with numerical examples obtained from simulations.