Master of Engineering (Electrical)

AIMS

The aim of this subject is to develop an understanding of fundamental modelling techniques for the analysis of systems that involve electrical phenomena. This includes networks models of “flow-drop” one-port elements in steady state (DC and AC), electrical power systems, simple RC and RL transient analysis, and basic functional models for digital systems consisting of combinational logic. This subject is a core pre-requisite for the four subjects that define the Electrical Systems Major in the Bachelor of Science. The subject is also a core requirement for the Master of Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical and Mechatronics).

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

Electrical phenomena – charge, current, electrical potential, conservation of energy and charge, the generation, storage, transport and dissipation of electrical power.

Network models – networks of “flow-drop” one-port elements, Kirchoff’s laws, standard current-voltage models for one-ports (independent sources, resistors, capacitors, inductors, transducers, diodes), analysis of static networks, properties of linear time-invariant (LTI) one-ports and impedance functions, diodes, transformers, steady-state (DC and AC) analysis of LTI networks via mesh and node techniques, equivalent circuits, and transient analysis of simple circuits;

Electrical power systems – overview of power generation and transmission, analysis of single-phase and balanced three-phase AC power systems.

Digital systems – electrical encoding of information and the digital abstraction, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, quantization and resolution, switching algebra, combinational logic networks, and transient timing issues.

This material will be complemented by exposure to software tools for the simulation of electrical and electronic systems and the opportunity to develop basic electrical engineering laboratory skills using a prototyping breadboard, digital multimeter, function generator, DC power supply, and oscilloscope.

This subject introduces important mathematical methods required in engineering such as manipulating vector differential operators, computing multiple integrals and using integral theorems. A range of ordinary and partial differential equations are solved by a variety of methods and their solution behaviour is interpreted. The subject also introduces sequences and series including the concepts of convergence and divergence.

Topics include: Vector calculus, including Gauss’ and Stokes’ Theorems; sequences and series; Fourier series, Laplace transforms; systems of homogeneous ordinary differential equations, including phase plane and linearization for nonlinear systems; second order partial differential equations and separation of variables.

AIMS

Many engineering disciplines make use of numerical solutions to computational problems. In this subject students will be introduced to the key elements of programming in a high level language, and will then use that skill to explore methods for solving numerical problems in a range of discipline areas.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

• Algorithmic problem solving
• Fundamental data types: numbers and characters
• Approximation and errors in numerical computation
• Fundamental program structures: sequencing, selection, repetition, functions
• Simple data storage structures, variables, arrays, and structures
• Roots of equations and of linear algebraic equations
• Curve fitting and splines
• Interpolation and extrapolation
• Numerical differentiation and integration.

AIMS

This subject develops a fundamental understanding of linear time-invariant network models for the analysis and design of electrical and electronic systems. Such models arise in the study of systems ranging from large-scale power grids to tiny radio frequency signal amplifiers. This subject is one of four subjects that define the Electrical Systems Major in the Bachelor of Science and it is a core requirement for the Master of Engineering (Electrical). It provides a foundation for various subsequent subjects, including ELEN30013 Electronic System Implementation, ELEN90066 Embedded System Design, and ELEN30012 Signal and Systems.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

• Transient and frequency domain analysis of linear time-invariant (LTI) models – linearity, time-invariance, impulse response and convolution, oscillations and damping, the Laplace transform and transfer functions, frequency response and bode plots, lumped versus distributed parameter transfer functions, poles, zeros, and resonance;
• Electrical network models – one-port elements, impedance functions, two-port elements, dependent sources, matrix representations of two-ports, driving point impedances and network functions, ladder and lattice networks, passive versus active networks, multi-stage modelling and design, and multi-port generalisations;
• Analysis and design of networks involving ideal and non-ideal operational amplifiers.

These topics will be complemented by exposure to software tools for electronic circuit simulation and further development of laboratory skills.

AIMS

This subject develops a fundamental understanding of concepts used in the analysis and design of digital systems. Such systems lie at the heart of the information and communication technologies (ICT) that underpin modern society. This subject is one of four subjects that define the Electrical Systems Major in the Bachelor of Science and it is a core requirement for the Master of Engineering (Electrical) and the Master of Engineering (Mechatronics). It provides a foundation for various subsequent subjects, including ELEN30013 Electronic System Implementation, ELEN90066 Embedded System Design and ELEN90061 Communication Networks.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

• Digital systems - quantifying and encoding information, digital data processing, design process abstractions;
• Combinational logic – timing contracts, acyclic networks, switching algebra, logic synthesis;
• Sequential logic – cyclic networks and finite-state machines, metastability, microcode;
• Interconnection structures - buses, crossbar switches, interconnection networks.

These topics will be complemented by exposure to the hardware description language Verilog and the use of engineering design automation tools and configurable logic devices (e.g. FPGAs) in the laboratory.

AIM

This subject develops the theoretical and practical tools required to understand, construct, validate and apply models of standard electrical and electronic devices. In particular, students will study the theoretical and practical development of models for devices such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers, motors, batteries, diodes, transistors, and transmission lines. In doing so, students will gain exposure to a variety of fundamental fields in physics, including electromagnetism, semiconductor materials and quantum electronics. This material will be complemented by exposure to experiment design and measurement techniques in the laboratory, the application of models from device manufacturers, and the use of electronic circuit simulation software.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

Vector calculus for device modelling, Maxwell’s equations, physics of conductors and insulators, passive device models (including for resistors, capacitors and inductors), lumped and distributed circuit models for wired interconnections (including treatment of signal integrity and termination strategies), semiconductors and quantum electronics, static and dynamic models for p-n junctions diodes and bipolar junction transistors.

AIMS

The aim of this subject is twofold: firstly, to develop an understanding of the fundamental tools and concepts used in the analysis of signals and the analysis and design of linear time-invariant systems path in continuous–time and discrete-time; secondly, to develop an understanding of their application in a broad range of areas, including electrical networks, telecommunications, signal-processing and automatic control.

The subject formally introduces the fundamental mathematical techniques that underpin the analysis and design of electrical networks, telecommunication systems, signal-processing systems and automatic control systems. Such systems lie at the heart of the electrical engineering technologies that underpin modern society. This subject is one of four that define the Electrical System Major in the Bachelor of Science and it is a core requirement in the Master of Engineering (Electrical). It provides the foundation for various subsequent subjects, including ELEN90057 Communication Systems, ELEN90058 Signal Processing and ELEN90055 Control Systems.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

Signals – continuously and discretely indexed signals, important signal types, frequency-domain analysis (Fourier, Laplace and Z transforms), nonlinear transformations and harmonics, sampling;

Systems – viewing differential / difference equations as systems that process signals, the notions of input, output and internal signals, block diagrams (series, parallel and feedback connections), properties of input-output models (causality, delay, stability, gain, shift-invariance, linearity), transient and steady state behaviour;

Linear time-invariant systems – continuous and discrete impulse response; convolution operation, transfer functions and frequency response, time-domain interpretation of stable and unstable poles and zeros, state-space models (construction from high-order ODEs, canonical forms, state transformations and stability), and the discretisation of models for systems of continuously indexed signals.

This material is complemented by exposure to the use of MATLAB for computation and simulation and examples from diverse areas including electrical engineering, biology, population dynamics and economics.

This subject introduces students to the nature of engineering work and the engineering profession.  The one activity that professional engineers spend the majority of their work time undertaking is communication, whether in the verbal or written form.  One of the aims of this subject is to develop the critical skills of effective oral and written communications allowing them to learn how to effectively engage with stakeholders and clients.  Students will also learn about how engineers identify problems then formulate solutions.  Engineers need to be able to assimilate information from a range of sources.  In this subject, students will learn effective use of library and information resources, how to share information and to manage knowledge.  As engineers rarely work in isolation, students will develop their teamwork skills and will learn about meeting and group dynamics.  Other professional topics covered include ethics and academic honesty, and the engineering recruitment process.

The aim of this subject is to give participants both practical experience in, and theoretical insights into, elements of engineering innovation.

The subject is intense, challenging, experiential and requires significant self-direction. Participants will work on an innovation project sponsored by a local organisation.

A key theme is that the individual cannot be separated from the technical processes of engineering innovation. The impact of both individual and team contributions to the engineering and innovation processes will be examined in the context of real world challenges.

All project sponsors will require that students maintain the confidentiality of their proprietary information.  Some project sponsors will require students to assign any Intellectual Property created (other than Copyright in their Assessment Materials) to the University.  The projects may vary in the hours needed for a successful outcome.

AIMS

This subject provides an in-depth coverage of transistor (MOSFET and BJT) devices and their use in common circuits. In particular, students will study topics including: transistor operating modes and switching; principles of CMOS circuits; transistor biasing; current-source/emitter-amplifiers; low-frequency response; followers; class B amplifiers; current limiting; current sources and mirrors; differential pairs; feedback in amplifiers and stability; operational amplifiers; operational amplifier circuits; and voltage regulation. This material will be complemented by exposure to circuit simulation software tools and the opportunity to further develop circuit construction/test skills in the laboratory.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Design-focused field-effect and bipolar elementary transistor models, and design of elementary amplifier stages and biasing circuits. Static and dynamic behaviour of amplifier circuits including frequency response, feedback and stability, slew-rate and clipping. Operational amplifiers and opamp based circuits; voltage regulators, references and voltage converters. Verification of electronic circuits using simulation.

AIMS

This subject provides an introduction to probability theory, random variables, random vectors, decision tests, and stochastic processes. Uncertainty is inevitable in real engineering systems, and the laws of probability offer a powerful way to evaluate uncertainty, to predict and to make decisions according to well-defined, quantitative principles. The material covered is important in fields such as communications, data networks, signal processing and electronics. This subject is a core requirement in the Master of Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical and Mechatronics).

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

• Foundations – combinatorial analysis, axioms of probability, independence, conditional probability, Bayes’ rule;
• Random variables (rv’s)– definition; cumulative distribution, probability mass and probability density functions; expectation and variance; functions of an rv; important distributions and their properties and uses;
• Multiple random variables – joint cumulative distribution, probability mass and probability density functions; independent rv’s; correlation and covariance; conditional distributions and expectation; functions of several rv’s; jointly Gaussian rv’s; random vectors;
• Sums, inequalities and limit theorems – sums of rv’s, moment generating function; Markov and Chebychev inequalities; weak and strong laws of large numbers; the Central Limit Theorem;
• Decision testing - maximum likelihood, maximum a posterior, minimum cost and Neyman-Pearson rules; basic minimum mean-square error estimation;
• Stochastic processes – mean and autocorrelation functions, strict and wide-sense stationarity; ergodicity; important processes and their properties and uses;
• Introduction to Markov chains.

This material is complemented by exposure to examples from electrical engineering and software tools (e.g. MATLAB) for computation and simulations.

AIMS

This subject provides an introduction to automatic control systems, with an emphasis on classical techniques for the analysis and design of feedback interconnections. The main challenge in automatic control is to achieve desired performance in the presence of uncertainty about the system dynamics and the operating environment. Feedback control is one way to deal with modelling uncertainty in the design of engineering systems. This subject is a core requirement in the Master of Engineering (Electrical, Electrical with Business, Mechanical, Mechanical with Business and Mechatronics).

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

* Modelling for control, linearization, relationships between time and frequency domain models of linear time-invariant dynamical systems, and the structure, stability, performance, and robustness of feedback interconnections;

* Frequency-domain analysis and design, Nyquist and Bode plots, gain and phase margins, loop-shaping with proportional, integral, lead, and lag compensators, loop delays, and fundamental limitations in design; and

* Actuator constraints and anti-windup compensation.

This material is complemented by the use of software tools (e.g. MATLAB/Simulink) for computation and simulation, and exposure to control system hardware in the laboratory.

AIMS

The aim of this subject is to understand the fundamental concepts and basic theory involved in modelling and analysis of the various components that comprise power systems. Power systems involve the generation, conversion, transmission and distribution of electricity via the use of specific devices, such as transformers, generators and motors. It is expected that at the end of this subject the student will have developed a sound understanding of the functionality and characteristics in terms of physical concepts and mathematical models of each of the covered components and relate them to the real life operation of power systems, such as a country’s power grid or smaller power systems that connect to the grid.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

The topics covered in this subject include: review of the basic theory of single-phase as well as three-phase circuits; calculations of power (real, reactive and complex); power transfer between buses (nodes), generators to loads; derivation of conditions for maximum power transfer; static stability limits; an introduction to protection and fault analysis; models for transmission and distribution power lines (overhead and cables); models for loads; basic models for power transformers, DC machines, the synchronous generator and the induction motor.

AIMS

This subject provides a practical introduction to the design of microprocessor-based electronic systems. The lectures and project work will expose students to the various stages in an engineering project (design, implementation, testing and documentation) and a range of embedded system concepts.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics covered may include: digital computer architecture, example microprocessor architectures, pipelining and caching, system-level programming in assembly language and C for a specific microprocessor; bus standards and protocols, bus interfacing, interrupt servicing; operating systems concepts, multi-tasking, resource management and real-time issues; interfacing to the analog world via analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters; standard software tools, including compilers and debuggers, schematic and PCB layout with an emphasis on design for high speed switching circuits.

This material will be complemented by exposure to standard software tools, including compilers and debuggers, schematic and board layout software. The subject will include a level of industry engagement, to provide broader examples of engineering projects, through guest lectures.

This subject has been integrated with the Skills Towards Employment Program (STEP) and contains activities that can assist in the completion of the Engineering Practice Hurdle (EPH).

AIMS

This subject provides an introduction to the analysis and design of telecommunication signals and systems, in the presence of uncertainty. The emphasis is on understanding the basic concepts that underpin both analog and digital formats. The material covered is crucial to understanding how modern wired and wireless communication systems work at the physical layer. This is a core subject for the Master of Engineering (Electrical) course.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics to be covered include:

• Transmission through linear time-invariant channels; magnitude and phase distortion; basic equalisation; low-pass representations of band-pass signals and systems; group and phase delays;
• Time- and frequency-domain analysis of analog modulation and demodulation schemes, including conventional amplitude modulation (AM), double sideband suppressed carrier (DSBSC), single sideband, and frequency modulation (FM); threshold effects in AM and FM;
• Random processes in frequency domain; signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in DSBSC, AM and FM;
• Nyquist’s sampling theorem; quantisation and signal-to-quantisation noise ratios;
• Digital modulation schemes including baseband pulse amplitude modulation, amplitude-shift keying and frequency-shift keying, synchronisation, matched filter receivers for additive white Gaussian noise channels, bit-error rate analysis;
• Comparisons of analog and digital schemes in terms of spectral efficiency, transmission power, demodulated SNR and complexity.

AIMS

This subject provides an introduction to the fundamental theory of time domain and frequency domain representation of discrete time signals and linear time invariant dynamical systems, and how this theory is used to analyse and design digital signal processing systems and algorithms. Topics include:

• Applications of signal processing techniques;
• Sampling of analog signals, anti-aliasing filters;
• Frequency-domain analysis of signals and systems, Discrete Time Fourier Transform, Discrete Fourier Transform, Fast Fourier Transform;
• Digital filters, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, stop-band and all pass filters. Phase and group delay, FIR and IIR filters;
• Design of digital FIR and IIR filters;
• Multi-rate signal processing, with a focus on up-sampling, down-sampling, and sampling rate conversion;
• Simple non-parametric methods for spectral estimation.

This fundamental material will be complemented by exposure to MATLAB tools for signal analysis and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) based development platform for the implementation of signal processing algorithms in the laboratory.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Sampling of continuous time signals, Design of anti-aliasing filters, Time and frequency representation of discrete time signals and discrete time linear time invariant systems, Discrete Time Fourier Transform and z-transform and their properties, Low order lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandstop filters, All-pass filter, Design of IIR filters using the bilinear transformation, Design of FIR filters with linear phase using windowing techniques and the Parks McClelland method, Discrete Time Fourier transform and its properties, Fast Fourier Transform, The use of the DFT in implementation of linear filtering algorithms, Up-sampling and down-sampling, multistage and computationally efficient implementations of up-samplers and down-samplers, Energy and power spectra for deterministic signals.

AIMS

This subject provides students with the opportunity to integrate technical knowledge and generic skills gained in earlier years. This is to be achieved within the context of an engineering project conducted in a small group (typically two or three students) under the supervision of a member of academic staff and where appropriate an industry partner. The project component of this subject is supplemented by a lecture course dealing with project management tools and practices, organisational structures, engineering standards and the social and environmental responsibility of professional engineers.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include: Technical report writing, engineering design, planning and conducting experiments and test, data acquisition and analysis, public speaking, project presentation skills.

This subject has been integrated with the Skills Towards Employment Program (STEP) and contains activities that can assist in the completion of the Engineering Practice Hurdle (EPH).

AIMS

This subject provides students with the opportunity to integrate technical knowledge and generic skills gained in earlier years. This is to be achieved within the context of an engineering project conducted in a small team (typically two or three students) under the supervision of either a member of academic staff and where appropriate an industry partner. The project component of this subject is supplemented by a lecture course dealing with project management tools and practices, organisational structures, engineering standards and the social and environmental responsibility of professional engineers.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include: Technical report writing, engineering design planning and conducting experiments and test, data acquisition and analysis, public speaking, project presentation skills.

This subject has been integrated with the Skills Towards Employment Program (STEP) and contains activities that can assist in the completion of the Engineering Practice Hurdle (EPH).

Note: Students commence ELEN90081 Electrical Engineering Capstone Project Part 1 in Semester 2 and then subsequently continue ELEN90082 Electrical Engineering Capstone Project Part 2 in Semester 1 in the following year. Upon successful completion of this project, students will receive 25 points credit. Students wishing to undertake this subject should also complete the lecture component of ELEN90082 Electrical Engineering Capstone Project Part 2 in Semester 1 in the following year.

Refer to ELEN90081 Electrical Engineering Capstone Project Part 1 for details.

AIMS

BioDesign Innovation is a “real world” course in creating successful medical devices. The course is given over two semesters of one academic year and is composed of frontal lectures, practical training, and a guided project. The first semester focusses on identifying clinical needs, brainstorming and concept creation. The second semester focusses on concept development and business implementation. Teams of 2-3 students from engineering disciplines will team up with business students and with people from medical and law backgrounds to conceive and design an innovative medical device, taking it through all steps of development. The students in the teams will complete assessment items together, each member primarily contributing according to their specialisation. The teams will create an engineering prototype of their invention, draft a provisional patent application, and compose a detailed business plan. BioDesign Innovation is taught by a combination of academics, medical device entrepreneurs, corporate executives, intellectual property attorneys and venture capitalists. As such, it provides a unique opportunity to gain real world experience while still in an academic environment.

AIMS

This subject involves students undertaking professional work experience at a Host Organisation’s premises. Students will work under the supervision of both a member of academic staff and an external supervisor at the Host Organisation.

During the period of work experience, students will be introduced to workplace culture and be offered the opportunity to strengthen their employability. Students will undertake seminars covering topics that will include professional standards of behaviour and ethical conduct, working in teams, time management and workplace networking.