Haslett, James W.Gonnason, William R.2005-07-212005-07-2119890315710861http://hdl.handle.net/1880/21901Bibliography: p. 122-125.This thesis describes an analog position sensing system which has not been previously reported, to the knowledge of the author. The system offers the advantages of improved resolution and speed compared to presently available position sensors. The position sensing system uses a discrete array of sensors to sample a diffuse light distribution, which forms the system input. An analog network using corrective feedback determines the centroid of the light distribution, and produces an output corresponding to the position of the centroid of the intensity distribution. The network output is shown to be directly related to the intensity centroid, thus providing a means of relating the output to the position of the light source. The theory describing the performance and limitations of the sensing system is developed, and simulations to test the algorithm are described. The network has been verified by a hardware prototype. The design of an integrated implementation based on the hardware and simulation results is also described. Simulation and hardware testing results are presented to illustrate the potential performance of the system. It is hoped that the approach can be extended in future to develop inexpensive integrated sensors for industrial and commercial use.xiv, 125 leaves ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.QC 53 G66 1989Remote sensing - Computer programsDirectors - Computer programsmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/10798QC 53 G66 1989