TY - CHAP A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Analysis and Improvement of Engineering Exams Toward Competence Orientation by Using an AI Chatbot T2 - Towards a Hybrid, Flexible and Socially Engaged Higher Education: Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2023), Volume 1 N2 - ChatGPT is currently one of the most advanced general chatbots. This development leads to diverse challenges in higher education, like new forms of teaching and learning, additional exam methods, new possibilities for plagiarism, and many more topics. On the other side with the development of advanced AI tools, pure knowledge will be less and less important, and demands from industry will change toward graduates with higher competencies. Education has therefore to be changed from knowledge-centered toward competence centered. The goal of this article is to use ChatGPT for analyzing and improving the competence orientation of exams in engineering education. The authors use ChatGPT to analyze exams from different engineering subjects to evaluate the performance of this chatbot and draw conclusions about the competence orientation of the tested exams. The obtained information is used to develop ideas for increasing the competence orientation of exams. From this analysis, it is visible that ChatGPT gives good performance mainly where knowledge is tested. It has, however, much more problems with transfer questions or tasks where students need creativity or complex insights for finding new solutions. Based on this result, exams and also lectures can be optimized toward competence orientation. KW - Engineering education KW - Competence orientation KW - Exam analysis KW - AI chatbot KW - ChatGPT Y1 - 2024 SN - 9783031519789 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51979-6_42 SN - 2367-3370 SP - 403 EP - 411 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Wetzel, Daniel A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Meier, Hans T1 - Leader Election in a Distributed CAN-Based Multi-Microcontroller System T2 - 2023 3rd International Conference on Electrical, Computer, Communications and Mechatronics Engineering (ICECCME), 19-21 July 2023, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain N2 - In a distributed system, functionally equivalent nodes work together to form a system with improved availability, reliability and fault tolerance. Thereby, the purpose is to achieve a common control objective. As multiple components cooperate to accomplish tasks, coordination between them is required. Electing a node as the temporary leader can be a possible solution to perform coordination. This work presents a self-stabilizing algorithm for the election of a leader in dynamically reconfigurable bus topology-based broadcast systems with a message and time complexity of O(1). The election is performed dynamically, i.e., not only when the leader node fails, and is criterion-based. The criterion used is a performance related value which evaluates the properties of the node regarding the ability to perform the tasks of the leader. The increased demands on the leader are taken into account and a re-election is started when the criterion value drops below a predefined level. The goal here is to distribute the load more evenly and to reduce the probability of failure due to overload of individual nodes. For improved system availability and reduced fault rates, a management level consisting of leader, assistant and co-assistant is introduced. This reduces the number of required messages and the duration in case of non-initial election. For further reduction of required messages to uniquely determine a leader, the CAN protocol is exploited. The proposed algorithm selects a node with an improved failure rate and a reduced message and hence time complexity while satisfying the safety and termination constraints. The operation of the algorithm is validated using a hardware test setup. KW - broadcast communication KW - computational complexity KW - controller area networks KW - coordination KW - decentralized applications KW - distributed systems KW - failure analysis KW - Fault tolerance KW - fault tolerant computing KW - Fault tolerant systems KW - Hardware KW - Heuristic algorithms KW - Leader election KW - load balancing KW - Mechatronics KW - message complexity KW - microcontrollers KW - performance related election KW - probability KW - Protocols KW - self-stabilization KW - telecommunication network topology KW - Voting Y1 - 2023 SN - 979-8-3503-2297-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ICECCME57830.2023.10252250 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - IEEE CY - Piscataway, NJ, USA ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Lausser, Florian A1 - Eriksson, Lars A1 - Park, Sangyoung A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Meier, Hans ED - Pinker, Jiří T1 - Control Oriented Mathematical Modeling of a Bidirectional DC-DC Converter - Part 1: Buck Mode T2 - 28th International Conference on Applied Electronics (AE) 2023, Pilsen, 6-7 September 2023 N2 - Parallel connection of different batteries equipped with bidirectional DC-DC converters offers an increase of the total storage capacity, the provision of higher currents and an improvement of reliability and system availability. To share the load current among the DC-DC converters while maintaining the safe operating range of the batteries, appropriate controllers are needed. The basis for the design of these control approaches requires knowledge of both the static and dynamic characteristics of the DC-DC converter used. In this paper, the small signal analysis of a DC-DC converter in buck mode is shown using the circuit averaging technique. The paper gives an overview of all required transfer functions:. The control and line to output transfer functions for CCM and DCM relevant for average current mode control as well as for voltage control are derived and their poles and zeros are determined. This provides the basis for stability consideration, analysis of the overall control structure and controller design. KW - Analytical models KW - Average modeling KW - Batteries KW - bidirectional dc-dc converter KW - buck mode KW - circuit-averaging technique KW - continuous conduction mode KW - DC-DC power converters KW - derivation of transfer functions KW - discontinuous conduction mode KW - half-bridge KW - Mathematical models KW - Reliability KW - Signal analysis KW - small signal analysis KW - Stability analysis Y1 - 2023 SN - 979-8-3503-3554-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/AE58099.2023.10274168 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - University of West Bohemia CY - Pilsen ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Ideas on Digitally Supported Individualization of Teaching and Learning for Evolving Competency Requirements T2 - Ninth International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd 23), València, June 19, 2023 – June 22, 2023 N2 - The world is changing rapidly, mainly due to the digitalization of all areas of living. A huge amount of information is accessible via the Internet, and since it is no longer possible for individual humans to keep track of it, artificial intelligence (AI) is analyzing this data. In this rapidly changing world, students have to be educated for a successful career during their whole working life. These boundary conditions lead to completely new challenges for the education of students that are unprecedented in this form. Digitalization in education can help to cope with these challenges but can only be a means, not a goal. Personal interaction with students remains the most important task in education to address individual weaknesses and further develop strengths and talents. With the increasing amount of openly available information and the consequently increasing diversity of experiences within the group of students, differentiation is advancing to become the key to successful education. Digitization can help with this challenging task and support communication between students and their experienced instructors. But computers cannot replace human interaction and attempts to improve teaching efficiency by replacing this communication with electronic means endangers the learning success for complex concepts. This article analyzes education demands and possibilities for digitally supported teaching and learning. KW - Digitalization KW - higher education KW - student competencies KW - differentiation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd23.2023.16232 SN - 2603-5871 SP - 1399 EP - 1406 PB - Universitat Polit`ecnica de Val`encia ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Langer, T. A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Comparative Reliability Analysis for Single and Dual CAN (FD) Systems T2 - 27th 2022 International Conference on Applied Electronics (AE): 6-7 September 2022, Pilsen, Czech Republic N2 - Modern cyber-physical systems, such as autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, automation systems and battery management systems, result in extended communication requirements regarding the reliability and the availability. The Controller Area Network (CAN) is a broadcast-based protocol which is still used as a standard for serial communication between individual microcontrollers due to its reliability and low power consumption. In addition, it provides mechanisms for detecting transmission errors and retransmitting messages in the event of an error. The enhancement CAN Flexible Data-Rate (CAN FD) offers increased data rates and transmission rates in order to meet the data throughput requirements. In this paper, the mechanisms for reliable data transmission in a CAN FD network are analyzed. To improve reliability, a second identical CAN-FD network is added to the system, using the additional CAN interface already available on common microcontrollers. The redundant communication network is examined in terms of failure rates and the mean time to failure. The reliability over the operation time is calculated for the single and the redundant version of the CAN FD network using the failure rate limits of the ASIL levels. Y1 - 2022 SN - 9781665494816 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/AE54730.2022.9920078 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - IEEE ER - TY - GEN A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Eriksson, Lars A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Sangyoung, Park A1 - Meier, Hans T1 - Control Concepts for a Decentralized Battery Management System Decentralized Battery Management System Global Control Level T2 - 16th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES2022), 20 to 22 September 2022, Düsseldorf Y1 - 2022 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363769042_Control_Concepts_for_a_Decentralized_Battery_Management_System_Decentralized_Battery_Management_System_Global_Control_Level PB - Eurosolar ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Wetzel, Daniel A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Farmbauer, Michael T1 - A Customized Python Interface for Windows OS for a Low Budget USB-to-CAN-Adapter T2 - International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET 2022): 20-22 July 2022, Prague, Czech Republic N2 - Over the last three decades, the Controller Area Network (CAN) has become the dominant communication in embedded systems. Especially for automotive systems it offers advantages including high robustness, low error rate and high reliability combined with low power consumption. Therefore, learning the basics of this bus system is substantial in this field. Nowadays, various media about the functionality and use of CAN exist which make it easy to read into the topic. But often, theory alone is not sufficient. To deepen the understanding, practical implementation contributes significantly. However, affordable and easy-to-use CAN devices for training purposes are scarce. Existing equipment can be divided into expensive professional devices, which have many functions and inexpensive ones for hobbyists, which require difficult configurations. Therefore, a practical solution is a low-budget device equipped with an overlay which deals with the time consuming configurations. This paper covers the development of a python interface for a purchasable cost effective CAN device for Windows OS. The intention is to create an easy-to-use program that enables beginners to get in touch with CAN and collect practical experience. At the start, a brief explanation of the CAN functionality is given. After that, we introduce the hardware used in this project. Next, the software part covers the development of the interface and the integration of this interface into python-can. Furthermore, a virtual playground is introduced for testing purposes. Also, to demonstrate the functionality of the interface, a test program is executed in conjunction with a logic analyzer. KW - Controller area network KW - User Interface KW - USB to CAN KW - Windows KW - python-CAN Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-1-66547-087-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ICECET55527.2022.9872574 PB - IEEE CY - Piscataway, NJ, USA ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Körner, Patrick A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - A Theoretical Comparison of Different Virtual Synchronous Generator Implementations on Inverters T2 - 2022 24th European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications (EPE'22 ECCE Europe): 05-09 September 2022, Hannover, Germany N2 - The goal to overcome the global climate crisis leads to a rising demand for the usage of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Decentralized control strategies are needed to allow the integration of RES into the grid. The Virtual Synchronous Generator (VSG) is proposed as a method to add virtual inertia to the grid by emulating the rotating mass of a Synchronous Generator (SG) on the control algorithm of an inverter. This paper presents the VSG control structure as well as the mathematical description in a unified form. Due to the fact that classical droop control can be seen as a special form of the VSG, their correlation is highlighted by evaluating the steady state output characteristics of the inverter. Furthermore, a theoretical comparison between different VSG topologies, including the VISMA-Method 2 and the synchronverter, is given. In order to achieve better voltage stability, principles to add virtual impedance to the inverter's output are described. Y1 - 2022 UR - https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9907497 PB - IEEE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Jupke, Michael A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael ED - Pinker, Jiří T1 - Bidirectional DC-DC Converter with Digital Droop Parameterization T2 - 26th 2021 International Conference on Applied Electronics (AE): 7-8 Sept. 2021 Pilsen, Czech Republic N2 - The key for decentralized battery systems is a robust and communication-less control strategy for autonomous power sharing of parallel-connected DC-DC converters. Battery systems improve the reliability and quality of power supply in renewable energy systems and enable power supply for off-grid, mobile applications, including islanded grids, home storage, and electric vehicles. In many cases, components with different electrical properties require different voltage levels. An adaptation is consequently essential and is normally implemented in DC grids for the batteries via bidirectional DC-DC converters. The power flow in both directions can thus be ensured. To achieve a power distribution in parallel connected DC-DC converters, a droop control in the form of a virtual internal resistor can be used. This paper presents a novel approach of a DC-DC converter with a digitally parameterizable droop resistor, whose voltage regulation is based on an analog operational amplifier circuit to ensure low delays and robustness. The droop resistor is adjusted with a microcontroller, which offers the possibility to apply a higher-level control for load sharing via an interface. Mathematical correlations are used to clearly define the parameters of the control. Furthermore, the circuit was completely simulated and tested in the hardware setup. The shown results verify the functionality and indicate only minor deviations. Therefore, this circuit is important for future use in distributed battery systems. KW - battery storage plants KW - DC-DC power convertors KW - power convertors KW - distributed power generation KW - microcontrollers KW - voltage regulators KW - voltage control KW - power generation control KW - power grids Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-80-261-0972-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.23919/AE51540.2021.9542920 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Herbold, Florian A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Krämer, Stefan ED - Kubátová, Hana ED - Fišer, Petr ED - Borecký, Jaroslav T1 - Secure Software Updates: Challenges and Solutions for Embedded IoT Systems T2 - Proceedings of the 9th Embedded Systems Workshop: July 1-3, 2021 Horomerice, Czech Republic N2 - The invention of the internet made the development of intelligent networking of millions of embedded systems possible. This enabled smart buildings, power grids and cities as well as applications in the fields of health, agriculture and industry. These systems frequently perform safety-critical applications and operations. This makes it urgent to protect these sensible systems as effectively as possible. Especially firmware updates are often the weak point in the systems. If unauthorised persons gain access to the system during the update, malware can be injected or sensitive data can be read and stolen. This paper describes the challenges of secure firmware updates. To protect an embedded system from potential attackers, the concepts integrity, authenticity and confidentiality have to be adhered during the update process. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of modifying or reverse engineering the firmware image. Likewise, inadequately protected software can enable the installation of third-party firmware as well as the installation of firmware on a third-party system. Threat prevention is presented with solutions derived from functional safety and IT security. Aspects of protection against errors in the transmission of updates and against attacks aiming to compromise the system are explained. Finally, a possible sequence of a secure update process is examined in detail for a real embedded system implementation. For this purpose, the preparation, transmission and installation of a firmware update in the bootloader are discussed KW - Bootloader KW - Cryptograph KW - Embedded systems KW - Firmware Update KW - IoT KW - Safety, Security KW - Software Protection Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354995594_Secure_Software_Updates_Challenges_and_Solutions_for_Embedded_IoT_Systems SN - 978-80-01-06858-8 SP - 5 EP - 13 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Singer, Thomas A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Park, Sangyoung T1 - Framework to Test DC-DC Converters Developed for a Decentralized Battery Management System T2 - 2021 International Conference on Applied Electronics (AE): 7-8 Sept. 2021, Pilsen, Czech Republic N2 - DC- DC converters control the power flow and thus the power distribution between the components on different voltage levels. They are essential for (dis)charging batteries and influence the safety and stability of the entire battery management system (BMS). Therefore, testing the functionality and the reliability of DC-DC converters is crucial. This is especially true for decentralized battery management systems (DBMS), where multiple nodes communicate to collectively control the system. The used DC-DC converters are modified to parameterize them during operation via microcontroller interfaces. Integrating the communication into the control loop requires an analysis of the control behavior due to additional delays. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework to test DC-DC converters considering the control and communication perspectives. The response time, the control accuracy and stability of these DC-DC converters, e.g., under continuous and abrupt load changes, are measured in automated tests. The dedicated software framework simulates the DBMS and stimulates the hardware components (e.g. electronic loads, data acquisition) via respective interfaces (CAN, RS232). This allows the test of various DC-DC converters with flexibly adaptable load and power generation profiles. An initial application validates the test framework by verifying the aforementioned aspects and thus the applicability of a DC-DC converter within the DBMS. KW - Batteries KW - Battery management system KW - Battery management systems KW - Control systems KW - DC-DC converter KW - DC-DC power converters KW - decentralized control KW - hardware in the loop testing KW - object oriented programming KW - Power system stability KW - Python KW - Stability analysis KW - system testing KW - Time measurement Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.23919/AE51540.2021.9542882 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - IEEE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Park, Sangyoung T1 - Decentralized Battery Management System with Customized Hardware Components T2 - IEEE 19th Student Conference on Research and Development (SCOReD), Sustainable Engineering and Technology towards Industry Revolution: 23-25 Nov. 2021, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia N2 - With an increasing number of sold electric vehicles (EVs), a large number of used batteries will be at disposal. How to deal with these resources is one of the major challenges in reducing the environmental impact of batteries throughout their entire life cycle. Heterogeneous cell parameters due to the different usage histories are a challenge for second-life use. The effort and cost of remanufacturing required to test and assemble a new battery pack is a further concern. Systems that combine battery packs/modules without full reassembly offer advantages such as cost and reusability. A decentralized battery management system (DBMS) provides a suitable architecture for such systems involving different types of batteries. In this paper, an architecture for a decentralized, battery state-dependent control is shown. The proposed DBMS supports various types of batteries, is scalable and flexibly adaptable for a wide range of applications. Despite the significant advantages, there are increased requirements to meet for the hardware implementation and the applied control strategies. Therefore, the necessary hardware components and their requirements are described and the hardware implementations are provided. KW - battery fitness KW - Battery management system KW - Battery management systems KW - bidirectional power flow KW - Computer architecture KW - Costs KW - DC-DC power converters KW - decentralized control KW - Electric vehicles KW - Hardware KW - load sharing KW - Microprocessors KW - Renewable energy sources KW - second life battery Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/SCOReD53546.2021.9652737 SP - 350 EP - 355 PB - IEEE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Wetzel, Daniel A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Comparative Analysis of CAN, CAN FD and Ethernet for Networked Control Systems T2 - Embedded World 2021 Exhibition & Conference: 1.-5.3.2021, digital, conference proceedings N2 - Networked control systems as e.g., battery management systems, smart grids or vehicular systems, consist of sensors, actuators and controllers with a communication network in the control loop. The data rate and the reliability of the underlying communication network are key factors since delays or message losses directly affect the system control. In addition, the processor load caused by the communication is significant as it influences the calculation of system states and the setting of control parameters. The power consumption of the communication network has a further impact on the energy efficiency of the respective application. In this paper, the communication technologies Controller Area Network (CAN), Controller Area Network Flexible Data-rate (CAN FD) and Ethernet are compared in the context of networked control systems with focus on a decentralized battery management system. First, the message processing time and the processor load are measured. With regard to energy efficiency, the maximum power consumption is determined. The Bit Error Rates (BER) and the Residual Error Rates (RER) are calculated to evaluate the reliability. Finally, the receive FIFO load under high traffic conditions is examined. Index Terms—Networked control systems, decentralized battery management system, microcontrollers, communication systems, Ethernet, Controller Area Network (CAN), Controller Area Network Flexible Data-rate (CAN FD) energy efficiency, energy consumption, bit error rate, residual error rate, processor load. Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354995738_Comparative_Analysis_of_CAN_CAN_FD_and_Ethernet_for_Networked_Control_Systems/link/615706baa6fae644fbb85b95/download PB - WEKA Fachmedien ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Farmbauer, Michael A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Integrating GNU Radio into a Virtual Course about Communication Systems T2 - 44th International Convention on Information, Communication and Electronic Technology (MIPRO): 27.09. - 01.10.2021, Opatija, Croatia N2 - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course Communication Systems was transferred from presence to a virtual lecture. No hands-on lab experiments were possible. Therefore, a GNU Radio practical part was integrated into the lecture. A tutorial was written to guide students through the first steps with GNU Radio to decrease initial problems and increase student motivation. Several examples were given regarding digital signal processing, analogue and digital modulation and demodulation. Software Defined Radio receivers were set up in the amateur radio lab of the university and connected to the internet so that students were able to get real radio data to be analyzed and demodulated with their own GNU Radio models. This enables a knowledge transfer from simulated signal processing to the analysis and demodulation of real live signals. Students showed medium to high interest in practical examples during the lectures and tried their own GNU Radio simulations. Overall, the integration of GNU Radio and Software Defined Radio receivers into this virtual lecture gave additional benefits for the students to deal with signal processing and demodulation experiments. It is planned to use GNU Radio in the future for complementary practical examples to the hands-on experiments in the lab. KW - Communication engineering education KW - Communication systems KW - Data models KW - Digital modulation KW - Digital signal processing KW - GNU Radio KW - Pandemics KW - radio communication KW - Receivers KW - Software Defined Radio Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-953-233-101-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.23919/MIPRO52101.2021.9596700 SP - 1565 EP - 1570 PB - IEEE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hänninen, Risto A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Schoepe, Wilfried T1 - Transition to turbulence in oscillatory superflows T2 - ETC 2013 - 14th European Turbulence Conference 2020: 2 September 2013 - 4 September 2013, Lyon, France N2 - The flow of superfluid helium-4 at very low temperatures around an oscillating microsphere has been studied in detail. At small oscillation amplitudes the drag force is linear in velocity amplitude. Above a critical velocity amplitude vc a transition from potential flow to turbulent flow is signaled by a large and nonlinear drag force that scales as (v2 - v2 c ), where vc is found to be independent of temperature (below 1 K) and of driving force. Interestingly, the critical velocity is found to scale as vc ~ √κω, where κ = h/m ≈ 10−7 m2/s (h is Planck's constant and m is the mass of a helium-4 atom) is the circulation quantum of the superfluid vortices and ω/2π is the oscillation frequency ranging from about 120 Hz to 700 Hz. We also observe slightly above vc that the flow pattern is unstable and switches intermittently between potential flow and turbulence. From time series recorded at constant drive and temperature we have investigated the statistical properties of this switching phenomenon. In this talk the universal law vc ~ √κω will be discussed in detail. It can be derived theoretically in various ways: firstly, from a qualitative but very general argument based on the "superfluid Reynolds number" Rs = vl/κ where v is the flow velocity and l is a characteristic length scale, secondly, and in more detail, from Kopnin's equation of the time dependence of the vortex line density, and, finally, we have obtained this law rigorously by dynamical scaling of the equations of motion of vortex dynamics. Y1 - 2020 UR - http://etc14.ens-lyon.fr/openconf/modules/request.php?module=oc_proceedings&action=view.php&a=Accept&id=17 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael ED - Brinkmann, André ED - Karl, Wolfgang ED - Lankes, Stefan ED - Tomforde, Sven ED - Pionteck, Thilo ED - Trinitis, Carsten T1 - Scalable, Decentralized Battery Management System Based on Self-organizing Nodes T2 - Architecture of computing systems - ARCS 2020: 33rd international conference, Aachen, Germany, May 25-28, 2020, proceedings N2 - Due to the transition to renewable energy sources and the increasing share of electric vehicles and smart grids, batteries are gaining in importance. Battery management systems (BMSs) are required for optimal, reliable operation. In this paper, existing BMS topologies are presented and evaluated in terms of reliability, scalability and flexibility. The decentralisation of BMSs and associated advantages are shown. A scalable, reconfigurable BMS based on a distributed architecture of self-organized, locally controlled nodes is proposed. For distributed system control, producers, batteries and consumers each are equipped with a local microcontroller based control unit, which monitors and controls the local parameters with its own computing and communication resources. Features, advantages and challenges to overcome of the proposed approach are described. KW - Availability Decentralized control KW - Battery management systems KW - Controller Area Network KW - distributed management KW - fault tolerant control KW - Multi-microcomputer system KW - Reconfigurable architectures KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Scalability KW - Topology Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-030-52793-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52794-5_13 VL - 12155 SP - 171 EP - 184 PB - Springer International Publishing CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Planned Chaos in Electrical Engineering Education T2 - 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20): 02.06.2020 - 05.06.2020, Valencia N2 - This paper presents the idea to intentionally introduce planned chaos into electrical engineering lectures and lab courses to improve students’ learning success. The reason to present this idea are several personal experiences in daily teaching. If students experience some uncertainty in their study program, it is seen that they have higher challenges and therefore higher learning success in managing uncertain situations. In these ways, students acquire methodical and social competences to deal with uncertainty and achieve productive results in an unstable working environment. If, however, the chaos is too large, students are over-strained with the situation, distracted from the actual learning targets and consequently learning results will be worse, drop-out rates will increase and they will be frustrated. The beneficial level of uncertainty depends on the student culture, academic progress and personality characteristics. The competence to deal with complex situations is essential for later professional life where unexpected circumstances occur regularly. Introducing planned chaos into lectures and lab courses has not to be confused with a missing didactic concept and is no justification for a bad preparation. Planned chaos is a demanding concept for professors to find the right implementation for an optimized learning outcome. These described findings are experienced from practical work and student evaluations. KW - Active Learning KW - Electrical engineering education KW - Planned Chaos Y1 - 2020 SN - 9788490488119 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4995/head20.2020.10989 PB - Universitat Politècnica de València ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Reindl, Andrea A1 - Meier, Hans A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Software Framework for the Simulation of a Decentralized Battery Management System Consisting of Intelligent Battery Cells T2 - 2019 IEEE Student Conference on Research and Development (SCOReD), 15-17 Oct. 2019, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Malaysia N2 - Conventional battery management systems typically adopt hierarchical master-slave architectures. With regard to an uninterruptible power supply, the most significant disadvantage of central structures is the dependency of the errorfree function of the superior master board. The decentralized battery management system presented in this paper, consisting of consumers, generators and intelligent battery cells, is controlled without any central coordination authority. For this purpose, an intelligent control algorithm and a leader election algorithm are implemented on the microcontrollers of the battery cells. To test different control and election strategies, a software framework is presented for the complete simulation of the decentralized battery management system consisting of equal participants. KW - autonomous systems KW - Battery management system KW - decentralized control KW - distributed management KW - fault tolerant control KW - power system security KW - Renewable energy sources KW - uninterruptible power systems Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/SCORED.2019.8896284 SP - 75 EP - 80 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Niemetz, Michael A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Farmbauer, Michael T1 - Comprehensive Amateur Radio Education including Public Outreach T2 - IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC), 16-16 March 2019, Princeton, NJ, USA N2 - An amateur radio lecture was developed and is conducted within the general education program of the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg. This course enables the students to participate in a variety of activities within the university. Different learning formats for communication engineering are carried out in combination with an amateur radio station of the university. Additionally, some of the projects serve as anchor points for increased visibility of the university in local society, e.g. by carrying out public events in connection with the local amateur radio community. It is seen that this course together with the amateur radio station have several positive effects for technical education and university visibility. KW - Amateur Radio KW - Antennas KW - Communication engineering education KW - Conferences KW - Education KW - Education Outreach KW - Licenses KW - PROPAGATION KW - radio communication KW - STEM Education Program Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ISECon.2019.8882078 SP - 98 EP - 103 PB - IEEE ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Fuhrmann, Thomas A1 - Niemetz, Michael T1 - Transdisciplinary Bachelor Course Connecting Business and Electrical Engineering T2 - 4th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'18), 2018, Universitat Politècnica de València, València N2 - The OTH Regensburg has a broad variety of study programs in technical, business, social and health sciences. Up to now there is no integral connection in the bachelor curricula between business and technical faculties except for some small subjects. The scope of this project is to develop a new course specialization which connects engineering and business thinking. Electrical engineering students should learn basics of business science and how managers think. Business students should vice versa learn fundamentals of engineering and how engineers solve problems. Students from both faculties work together in projects where they act like start-up companies developing a new product and bringing it into the market. It is seen a transdisciplinary effect: These projects gain innovative results between the disciplines compared to student projects of one isolated discipline. Evaluation results from the first two cohorts indicate high student satisfaction, high learning success as well as directions for further improvement. KW - Business Education KW - Engineering Education KW - Project Based Learning KW - Transdisciplinary Education Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd18.2018.8056 ER -