Aim of the course is to make students aware of the possibilities, constraints, philosophy and terminology of electronics, in order for them to conceive the design of a product with electronics functionalities, knowing in advance what is feasible and what is not, according to the project boundary conditions in terms of space, power consumption, balance of cost and added functionalities.

Students:

-understand the terminology and philosophy of electronics

-are aware of the added value electronic systems can give to a product

-are aware of the physical appearance of an electronic system

-know in which ways an electronic system can be integrated within a product

-given a certain electronic function to be implemented, are able to design, in terms of building blocks, an electronic system that can solve the problem

-for the aforementioned electronic system, they are able predict the order of magnitude of the space occupancy, power consumption, and to understand whether the electronic system is compatible with the product design boundary conditions.

In the following the main topics dealt with by the course are highlighted

• what electronics is and what electronics does
  (general statements and definitions: acquire, elaborate, actuate information)
• electronics: an abstract, end-user, functional point-of-view
  • bottom-up approach: general concepts, building blocks (sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, analogi to digital and digital to analog converters, LEDs, communication modules, energy management), the elements of an electronic system
  • top-down approach: how electronics can help my project?  (specific examples)
• how components really look like
  • Classification
  • Dimensions & appearance
  • Constraints: power supply & dissipation, shielding, temperature/humidity range
• how to connect components
  • The traditional way: printed circuit board (PCB), a 2D approach
  • The soft way:
    • conformable, non-planar PCB
    • flexible/bendable/stretchable interconnects
  • Others: 2.5D rigid thermoplastic circuits
• Product seamless integration: structural electronics
  • Methods and processes
    • Integration in composites
    • Integration in sheet metal structures
    • additive manufacturing
  • Case studies
• Beyond traditional electronics
  • Ultrathin chip package
  • Flexible&Printed electronics: everything goes flex, status and perspectives
• Application scenarios:
  • Internet of Things
  • Structural health monitoring
  • Electronic skin
  • Intelligent materials (shape memory alloys, piezoelectrics, magnetostrictive)
  • Product life cycle monitoring

No prerequisites are required.

Course evaluation will take place by means of a written test based on closed answers.

Student need to show they understand the terminology, philosohpy and approach of electronics. In addition, given a certain target, student need to show they are able to design, in terms of functional blocks, an electronic system and foresee its complexity, spatial occupancy, dissipated power.