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New and Updated Course Descriptions

CPT 212 - Wireless and Remote Sensor Technology

3 Credits

This course introduces the student to concepts employed in the wireless acquisition of data from remote sensors found on airborne devices such as aircraft, spacecrafts, and satellites as well as from sensors integrated into common commercially available medical devices, tablets and smartphones. The use of remote sensors involves the acquisition of information on an object, phenomenon or an environment with minimum physical contact. In practice this is achieved by acquiring information from sensors that are responsive to environmental elements, which may be atmospheric (air pressure, vibration, humidity) or electromagnetic radiation that may be in the form of invisible (heat) or visible radiation. Students will explore various applications of sensors in a laboratory setting, apply their knowledge of digital electronics, networking and programming and gain experience integrating commercially available electro-optical, magnetic and environmental sensors into a practical wireless application.

Prerequisite(s): MTH 165, ENR 157, CSC 202 all with a grade of C or better.

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Contrast the various wireless communication devices and protocols available to researchers for remote data acquisition.
2. Summarize the considerations employed to interface an analog device to a wireless digital transceiver.
3. Explain the interrelationship between aperture size, resolution, and signal to noise.
4. Use basic formulas and transforms to scale and respectively calibrate data acquired from various sensors.
5. Synthesize component data sheets, product specifications and performance parameters to arrive at a calculated result for a given integrated application.
6. Use commercially available software tools to program, control, communicate with and acquire data from sensors deployed on a remote device.
7. Use an application to analyze and characterize the quality of digital data in terms of signal resolution, noise content, and dynamic range.
8. Describe techniques that may be employed to reduce noise and increase the dynamic range of various sensors.

Course Offered Fall, Spring

Use links below to see if this course is offered:
Fall Semester 2024
Spring Semester 2024
Summer Session 2024