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Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering 398
Haidi Ibrahim
Shahid Iqbal
Soo Siang Teoh
Mohd Tafir Mustaffa
Editors
9th International
Conference on
Robotic, Vision,
Signal Processing and
Power Applications
Empowering Research and Innovation
Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering
Volume 398
Board of Series editors

Leopoldo Angrisani, Napoli, Italy
Marco Arteaga, Coyoacán, México
Samarjit Chakraborty, München, Germany
Jiming Chen, Hangzhou, P.R. China
Tan Kay Chen, Singapore, Singapore
Rüdiger Dillmann, Karlsruhe, Germany
Haibin Duan, Beijing, China
Gianluigi Ferrari, Parma, Italy
Manuel Ferre, Madrid, Spain
Sandra Hirche, München, Germany
Faryar Jabbari, Irvine, USA
Janusz Kacprzyk, Warsaw, Poland
Alaa Khamis, New Cairo City, Egypt
Torsten Kroeger, Stanford, USA
Tan Cher Ming, Singapore, Singapore
Wolfgang Minker, Ulm, Germany
Pradeep Misra, Dayton, USA
Sebastian Möller, Berlin, Germany
Subhas Mukhopadyay, Palmerston, New Zealand
Cun-Zheng Ning, Tempe, USA
Toyoaki Nishida, Sakyo-ku, Japan
Bijaya Ketan Panigrahi, New Delhi, India
Federica Pascucci, Roma, Italy
Tariq Samad, Minneapolis, USA
Gan Woon Seng, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore
Germano Veiga, Porto, Portugal
Haitao Wu, Beijing, China
Junjie James Zhang, Charlotte, USA
About this Series
“Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering (LNEE)” is a book series which reports

the latest research and developments in Electrical Engineering, namely:
• Communication, Networks, and Information Theory
• Computer Engineering
• Signal, Image, Speech and Information Processing
• Circuits and Systems
• Bioengineering
LNEE publishes authored monographs and contributed volumes which present
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while maintaining Springer’s high standards of academic excellence. Also
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electrical engineering.
The audience for the books in LNEE consists of advanced level students,
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like Springer’s other Lecture Notes series, LNEE will be distributed through
Springer’s print and electronic publishing channels.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/7818

Haidi Ibrahim ⋅ Shahid Iqbal
Soo Siang Teoh ⋅ Mohd Tafir Mustaffa
Editors
9th International Conference

on Robotic, Vision, Signal
Processing and Power
Applications
Empowering Research and Innovation
123
Editors
Haidi Ibrahim Soo Siang Teoh
School of Electrical and Electronic School of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering Engineering
Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia
Nibong Tebal, Penang Nibong Tebal, Penang
Malaysia Malaysia
Shahid Iqbal Mohd Tafir Mustaffa

School of Electrical and Electronic School of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering Engineering
Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia
Nibong Tebal, Penang Nibong Tebal, Penang
Malaysia Malaysia
ISSN 1876-1100 ISSN 1876-1119 (electronic)

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering
ISBN 978-981-10-1719-3 ISBN 978-981-10-1721-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1721-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016946931
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
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The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
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for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
Printed on acid-free paper
This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature

The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media Singapore Pte Ltd.
Preface
The 9th International Conference on Robotic, Vision, Signal Processing and Power
Applications (RoViSP 2016) was held in Penang, Malaysia, from 2nd to 3rd
February 2016. This conference hosted an electronic paper submission process for
areas that include, but not limited to:
• Electronic Design and Applications
• Numerical Computations and Optimizations
• Artificial Intelligence and Computer Applications
• Vision, Image and Signal Processing
• Robotics, Control, Mechatronics and Automation
• Telecommunications, RF, Antenna and Applications
• Sensors and Sensing Techniques
• Biomedical, BioEngineering and Applications
• Power Systems, High Voltage Engineering and Renewable Energy
• Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Electronics
RoViSP 2016 is the latest conference held by the School of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), following its series of
successful conferences. In this version, more than 90 papers were accepted for the
inclusion in this publication. This proceeding gives a picture of the latest scientific
and practical activities carried out in the field of Robotic, Vision, Signal Processing
and Power Applications with theme of “Empowering Research and Innovation”.
The Editors acknowledge the time and effort of all reviewers and technical
committee members in ensuring high-quality technical papers for RoViSP 2016.
The committee would also like to express our gratitude to Springer for the technical
supports.
Penang, Malaysia Haidi Ibrahim

Shahid Iqbal
Soo Siang Teoh
Mohd Tafir Mustaffa
v
Organization
Organizing Secretary
Dahaman Ishak, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Technical Chairs
Haidi Ibrahim, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Shahid Iqbal, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Soo Siang Teoh, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohd Tafir Mustaffa, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Technical Reviewers
Khairul Azha A. Aziz, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia

Hamid Al-Tulea, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Nur Fadilah Ab Aziz, UNITEN, Malaysia
Asrulnizam Abd Manaf, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Siti Fatimah Abdul Razak, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Anum Abdul Salam, Nust, Pakistan
Noor Izzri Abdul Wahab, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Faizal Abdullah, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Azremi Abdullah Al-Hadi, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Ruhaifi Abdullah Zawawi, CEDEC USM, Malaysia
vii
viii Organization
Abdul Ghani Abro, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

Anwar Hasni Abu Hassan, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohd Rafi Adzman, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Rafidah Ahmad, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Abu Zaharin Ahmad, University Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia
Nur Syazreen Ahmad, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Hamzah Ahmad, UMP, Malaysia
Ruhizan Liza Ahmad Shauri, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Mahmoud Albreem, University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Malaysia
Syed Sahal Nazli Alhady, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Athraa Ali, UPM, Malaysia
Ahmad Nazri Ali, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Esraa Ali, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia
Zaipatimah Ali, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia
Abdul Halim Ali, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hamidreza Ameri Eshghabadi, SiTune, Malaysia
Shilpi Birla, Manipal University, India
Asral Bahari Jambek, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Shafriza Nisha Basah, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Vandana Bassoo, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Siti Khairunniza Bejo, UPM, Malaysia
Rashidah Che Yob, USM, Malaysia
Soong Der Chen, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia
Been-Chian Chien, National University of Tainan, Taiwan
Kang Leng Chiew, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
John Chiverton, University of Portsmouth, UK
Deepak Choudhary, ABES EC, India
Hong Siang Chua, Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Ruslizam Daud, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Malaysia
Zuraini Dahari, USM, Malaysia
Bhagwan Das, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Hilal Fadhil, UniMAP, Malaysia
Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Wameedh Flayyih, University of Baghdad, Iraq
Alireza Gheitasi, Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand
Patrick Goh, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohd Norzali Haji Mohd, University Tun Hussein Onn UTHM, Malaysia
Rostam Affendi Hamzah, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia
Dirman Hanafi, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Norharyati Harum, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia
Zaw Zaw Htike, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Libo Huang, National University of Defense Technology, China
Dayang Iskandar, UNIMAS, Malaysia
Haidi Ibrahim, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Zaidah Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Organization ix
Muzamir Isa, University Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia

Dahaman Ishak, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohamad Khairi Ishak, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nazuhusna Khalid, University Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Noor Ain Kamsani, UPM, Malaysia
Shahrir Rizal Kasjoo, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Hussein Kazem, Sohar University, Oman
Bee Ee Khoo, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Khurram Khurshid, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
Shukri Korakkottil Kunhi Mohd, CEDEC USM, Malaysia
Chee Kiang Lam, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Phooi Yee Lau, UTAR, Malaysia
Sze Sing Lee, University of Southampton, Malaysia
Eileen Lew, Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Thai Li Lim, TT Vision Technologies Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
De Xing Lioe, UPM, Malaysia
Tang Jung Low, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia
Zakariya M Azman, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia
Muhamad Mansor, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia
Mohd Razali Md Tomari, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Farhanahani Mahmud, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Muhammad Nasiruddin Mahyuddin, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Rajeswari Mandava, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohammad Hamiruce Marhaban, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Mohd Khairunaz Mat Desa, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Harsa Amylia Mat Sakim, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nirbhay Mathur, UTP, Malaysia
Mohd Nazrin Md Isa, Universiti Malaysia Perlis
Zamani Md Sani, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia
Aftanasar Md Shahar, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nurul Amziah Md Yunus, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Fatma Susilawati Mohamad, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia
Norhidayah Mohamad Yatim, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia
Mohd Rezal Mohamed, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohamad Kamarol Mohd Jamil, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nurul Izza Mohd Nor, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Rosmiwati Mohd-Mokhtar, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Norlaili Mohd. Noh, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Firdaus Muhammad Sukki, Robert Gordon University, UK
Wahyu Mulyo Utomo, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Nazahah Mustafa, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Mohd Tafir Mustaffa, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nayan Nafarizal, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Theam Foo Ng, USM, Malaysia
x Organization
Abdul Awal Md Nurunnabi, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh

Wan Othman, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Rashidah Funke Olanrewaju, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohamed Fauzi Packeer Mohamed, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohsen Padash, Urmia University, Iran
Belinda Pingguan-Murphy, Univeristy of Malaya, Malaysia
Amiza Rasmi, TM Research & Development Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Wan Rahiman, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Rajprasad Rajkumar, Nottingham University, Malaysia
Dhanesh Ramachandram, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Dzati Athiar Ramli, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Suzaimah Ramli, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Malaysia
Aazim Rasool, North China Electric Power University, China
Nuha Rhaffor, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Bakhtiar Affendi Rosdi, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohd Azrik Roslan, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Omid Saber, Texas A&M University, United States
Muhammad Juhairi Aziz Safar, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Tanveer Saleh, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Khairulmizam Samsudin, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Muhammad A. Saqib, UET, Lahore, Pakistan
M. Iqbal Saripan, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
John See, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Muhammad Imran Shahzad, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Khalid Shaker, Ahlia University, Bahrain
Kwan Yong Sim, Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Harkishen Singh, UCSI University, Malaysia
Hudyjaya Siswoyo Jo, Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Ping Jack Soh, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Asim Amir Solangi, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Mahmud Iwan Solihin, UCSI, Malaysia
Shahrel Azmin Suandi, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Loshini Thiruchelvam, UTP, Malaysia
Mohd Amirul Tajuddin, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Adrian Soon Theam Tan, USM, Malaysia
Choon Lin Tan, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
Teow Wee Teo, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Soo Siang Teoh, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nandha Kumar Thulasiraman, The University of Nottingham, Malaysia
Tow Leong Tiang, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Khairunizam Wan, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Yufridin Wahab, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia
Organization xi
Kim-Hui Yap, NTU, Singapore

Kim Ho Yeap, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
Kin Sam Yen, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Nasir Yusoff, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, IIUM, Malaysia
Sohiful Anuar Zainol Murad, UniMAP, Malaysia
Munir Zaman, University of Nottingham in Malaysia, Malaysia
Faisal Zaman, Multimedia University, Malaysia, Malaysia
Lin Zhang, Tongji University, China
Amalina Abdullah, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Salman Amin, UET, Taxila
Chun Kit Ang, UCSI University, Malaysia
Mokhzaini Azizan, UniMAP, Malaysia
Azura Che Soh, UPM, Malaysia
Hazry Desa, UniMAP, Malaysia
Cheng Siong Lim, UTM, Malaysia
Arjuna Marzuki, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia
Mohamad Adzhar Md Zawawi, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia
Sofien Mhatli, Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie, Tunisia
Junita Mohamad Saleh, USM, Malaysia
Anwar Osman, Spectre Solutions, Malaysia
Momoh Salami, IIUM, Malaysia
Shamsul Zulkifli, UTHM, Malaysia
Contents
Part I Electronic Design and Applications

A Fast Transient Voltage Regulator Design with All Ceramic Output
Capacitor for Mobile Microprocessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
C.H. Lee and N.S. Ahmad
Autonomous Agent for Universal Verification Methodology Testbench
of Hard Memory Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
R. Logeish Raj and Rosmiwati Mohd-Mokhtar
Performance Comparison of the Improved Power-Throughput AES
and Blowfish Algorithms on FPGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
R. Ahmad and W. Ismail
Development of At-speed Interconnect Test to Capture Marginal
Open Defect on FPGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Fahmy Hafriz bin Mohamed Sultan, Zuraini binti Dahari,
Yien Yien Koh, Neil Da Cunha and Jia Tian Ng
A Low Power Comparator Design for Analog-to-Digital Converter
Using MTSCStack and DTTS Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Pragash Mayar Krishnan and Mohd Tafir Mustaffa
Testing of Embedded SRAMs Using Parasitic Extraction Method . . . . . 47
Muddapu Parvathi, K. Satya Prasad and N. Vasantha
A New Pixel Readout Circuit for X-Ray Image Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Nuha Binti A. Rhaffor, Ruhaifi Bin Abdullah Zawawi,
Shukri Bin Korakkottil Kunhi Mohd,
Asrulnizam Bin Abd Manaf and Othman Bin Sidek
xiii
xiv Contents
Impact of Internal Capacitance and Resistance

to the Noise Parameter Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
S. Korakkottil Kunhi Mohd, Norlaili Mohd Noh, Awatif Hashim,
Asmaa Nur Aqilah Zainal Badri, Yusman Mohd Yusof, N. Rhafor,
R. Abdullah Zawawi, Mohd Tafir Mustaffa and Asrulnizam Abd Manaf
Key Policy-Attribute Based Fully Homomorphic Encryption
(KP-ABFHE) Scheme for Securing Cloud Application in Multi-users
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Soo Fun Tan and Azman Samsudin
Part II Numerical Computations and Optimizations

Study of Eddy Current Density Distribution in a Contactless Breast
Cancer Detection Mechanism Using Magnetic Induction
Spectroscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Gowry Balasena, Shahriman Abu Bakar, Zulkarnay Zakaria,
Ryojun Ikeura, Zuradzman Mohamad Razlan, Hazry Desa,
Wan Khairunizam Wan Ahmad, Cheng Ee Meng
and Mohd Afendi Rojan
Improving the Reference Impedance for Fast S-Parameter
Convolution via an Analytical Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Mohd Ridzuan Khairulzaman and Patrick Goh
Optimal Chiller Loading Using Improved Particle Swarm
Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Perumal Nallagownden, Elnazeer Ali Hamid Abdalla,
Nursyarizal Mohd Nor and Mohd Fakhizan Romlie
Part III Artificial Intelligence and Computer Applications

A Dynamic Scatter Search Algorithm for Solving Traveling Salesman
Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Aymen Jalil Abdulelah, Khalid Shaker, Ali Makki Sagheer
and Hamid A. Jalab
Investigation on MLP Artificial Neural Network Using FPGA
for Autonomous Cart Follower System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Liew Yeong Tat, S.S.N. Alhady, W.A.F.W. Othman
and Wan Rahiman
Phishing Webpage Detection Using Weighted URL Tokens
for Identity Keywords Retrieval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Choon Lin Tan, Kang Leng Chiew and San Nah Sze
An Analysis of Heterogeneous Swarm Evacuation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Siti Juliana Abu-Bakar, W.A.F.W. Othman and S.S.N. Alhady
Contents xv
STCM: Secured Trust-Based Communication Method in Vulnerable

Mobile Adhoc Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Burhan UI Islam Khan, Rashidah F. Olanrewaju, Asifa Mehraj Baba,
Nurul Fariza Zulkarnain and Sajad Ahmad Lone
Dengue Incidence Prediction Using Model Variables
with Registered Case Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Loshini Thiruchelvam, Vijanth S. Asirvadam, Sarat C. Dass,
Hanita Daud and Balvinder Singh Gill
Part IV Vision, Image and Signal Processing

Improved Time-Domain Threshold Determination for Sparse Channel
Estimation in OFDM System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Anthony Ngozichukwuka Uwaechia and Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin
User Specific Weights Based on Score Distance and EER for Weighted
Sum Rule Fusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Nordiana Binti Mukahar, Haryati Binti Jaafar
and Bakhtiar Affendi Bin Rosdi
Optical Setup for Solar Wafer Edge Chip Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Thai Li Lim, Teow Wee Teo and Mohd Zaid Abdullah
Automatic Detection and Counting of Circular and Rectangular Steel
Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Muhammad Faiz Ghazali, Lai-Kuan Wong and John See
Comparison of Matching Methods for Copy-Move Image Forgery
Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Osamah M. Al-Qershi and Bee Ee Khoo
Business Card Reader with Augmented Reality Engine Integration . . . . 219
Vincent Hing and Hee Kooi Khoo
Gait Silhouette Extraction from Videos Containing Illumination
Variates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Amalina Ibrahim, Wan-Noorshahida Mohd-Isa
and Chiung-Ching Ho
Leveraging Textural Features for Recognizing Actions
in Low Quality Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Saimunur Rahman, John See and Chiung Ching Ho
Moiré Fringe Segmentation Using Fuzzy Inference System . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Wing Hon Woo and Kin Sam Yen
Macroalgae Recognition Based on Histogram Oriented Gradient . . . . . . 257
Ching Soon Tan, Phooi Yee Lau and Tang Jung Low
xvi Contents
Efficiency Improvement in the Extraction of Histogram Oriented

Gradient Feature for Human Detection Using Selective
Histogram Bins and PCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Chi Qin Lai and Soo Siang Teoh
Head Pose Estimation from Undistorted Wide Field of View (WFoV)
Kinect for Socially Acceptable Wheelchair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Razali Tomari, Wan Nurshazwani Wan Zakaria
and Rafidah Ngadengon
Density-Based Denoising of Point Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Faisal Zaman, Ya Ping Wong and Boon Yian Ng
Classification of Four Class Motor Imagery for Brain Computer
Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Eltaf Abdalsalam, Mohd Zuki Yusoff, Nidal Kamel,
Aamir Saeed Malik and Dalia Mahmoud
Detection of Oxygen Precipitate Dark Rings in Solar Cell
Luminescence Using Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Teow Wee Teo and Mohd Zaid Abdullah
Automatic Segmentation of CMRIs for LV Contour Detection . . . . . . . . 313
Amjad Khan, D.N.F. Awang Iskandar, Hamimah Ujir
and Wang Yin Chai
Enhancement of Cell Visibility and Contrast for Fluorescence
Microscope Images by Subjective and Objective Analysis
of Several Visual Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Abed Alrahman Mkayes, Nicolas Walter, Naufal M. Saad,
Ibrahima Faye, Sok Ching Cheong and Kue Peng Lim
Part V Robotics, Control, Mechatronics and Automation

Stability of Discrete-Time Internal Model Control Against Several
Perturbations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Kevin Choo and N.S. Ahmad
Deflection Analysis of a Robotic Bed on the Applied Loads
and Its Postures for a Heavy-Ion Therapeutic System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Hongseok Choi, Jong-Oh Park, Seong Young Ko
and Sukho Park
An Autonomous Lane-Keeping Ground Vehicle Control System
for Highway Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Ahmed Sharmin and Rahiman Wan
Contents xvii
Performance Difference with Respect to the Number of Wheels

on the Cricket Bowling Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Fernandez Dhanaraj Davaraj, Muhamad Iqbal Nor Faizal,
Muhammad Ridwan Sunandar and Anwar Hasni Abu Hassan
Comparison of Mamdani and Sugeno Fuzzy Logic Performance
as Speed Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Izzati Saleh, S.S.N. Alhady and Wan Rahiman
Development of Swarm Robots for Disaster Mitigation
Using Robotic Simulator Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Yeong Yie, Mahmud Iwan Solihin and Ang Chun Kit
An Assistive Robotic Hand Based on Human Computer Interface
(HCI) and Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Actuator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Alala Ba Hamid, Mohatashem Makhdoomi and Tanveer Saleh
Development of Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filter (RBPF) SLAM
Algorithm Using Low Proximity Infrared Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Norhidayah Mohamad Yatim and Norlida Buniyamin
Trust Evaluation in a Multi-robotics System Through
Direct Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
G. Rishwaraj, S.G. Ponnambalam and Chu Kiong Loo
Stabilization of Inverted Pendulum: A Multirate Output Feedback
Based Discrete Time Sliding Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
R. Ngadengon, Y.M. Sam, J.H.S. Osman, R. Tomari
and W.N. Wan Zakaria
Stability Criteria for Classical Digital Phase-Locked Loops . . . . . . . . . . 427
Siti Juliana Abu Bakar and Nur Syazreen Ahmad
Brief Reviews: Time Synchronization Protocols in Wireless Sensor
Network—Centralized Versus Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
Yeong Chin Koo and Muhammad Nasiruddin Mahyuddin
Modeling and Adaptive Control Design for a Quadrotor . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Ali Safaei and Muhammad Nasiruddin Mahyuddin
Part VI Telecommunications, RF, Antenna and Applications

Lumped Element Equivalent Circuit Modelling for RF Energy
Harvesting Antenna Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Chia Chao Kang, Mohd Fadzil Ain, Ali M.J. Zalzala
and Ihsan A. Zubir
Dual-Frequency Integrated Power Dividing E-Shaped Antenna . . . . . . . 463
Kim Huat Yeap, Widad Ismail, Kim Ho Yeap and Soon Leng Yap
xviii Contents
PCB Level Shielding Effectiveness Evaluation in Near Field

by Using Electromagnetic 3D Scanner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Yih Jian Chuah and Mohd Tafir Mustaffa
Implementation of Signal Flow Graph Rules Analysis
on Short-Open-Load-Thru Calibration Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Rashidah Che Yob, Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin
and Mohd Fadzil Ain
PLL-Based Frequency Synthesizer Analysis and Simulation . . . . . . . . . . 493
Pei Ni Goh and N.S. Ahmad
A 1.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz Multiplier Design for RF Energy Harvester
in Wireless Sensor Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Ye E. Sun and Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin
RFID Technology on Tracking and Monitoring Applications . . . . . . . . . 511
V. Priyashman, W. Ismail and J.H. Khor
Design Optimization of Split Ring Resonator Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Nur Ahlina Yusop and Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin
Development of All Optical Signal Regeneration Method for 100 Gb/s
Differential Phase Shift Keying Degraded Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Bhagwan Das, M.F.L. Abdullah and Nor Shahida Mohd Shah
An Improved IDCT-OFDM with Partial Transmit Sequence . . . . . . . . . 535
A.A.A. Wahab and Adnan Haider Yusef Sa’d
Multi-hop Performance of Smart Power Meter Using Embedded
Active RFID with Wireless Sensor Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547
W. Boonsong and W. Ismail
Analysis of Hybrid Ring Coupler Double-Balanced Mixer and MMIC
Double-Balanced Mixer for Ka-Band Wireless Communication
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
Mohamad Faiz Omar, Mohd Fadzil Ain, Khairul Anuar Norhassim,
Arjuna Marzuki, Mohd Zaid Abdullah and Zainal Arifin Ahmad
Investigation of the DGS-CDRA Design with the Aperture Coupling
Technique for Wide Band Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
S.M. Che Abdullah, N.M. Nor, M.A. Zakariya, S.M. Ali
and H. Daud
Investigation of DGS CDRA for High Gain Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
Mohd. Azman Zakariya, Syed Muzammil Ali, Zuhairi Baharudin,
Muhammad Zaka Ur Rehman, Shuhaida Masni Che Abdullah,
Abid Muhammad Khan and Muhammed Talha Khan
Contents xix
Analysis of Passive Frequency Multiplier Designs for K-Band Wireless

Communication Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Mohamad Faiz Omar, Mohd Fadzil Ain, Khairul Anuar Norhassim,
Arjuna Marzuki, Mohd Zaid Abdullah and Zainal Arifin Ahmad
Improved Low Cost Substrate Integrated Waveguide Symmetrical
Window Bandpass Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587
M.L. Fong, M. Rafiee, H.Y. Cha and M.S. Aftanasar
Part VII Biomedical, Bioengineering and Applications

Automatic Detection of Embolic Signal for Stroke Prevention . . . . . . . . 601
Noor Salwani Ibrahim, Ng Yan Duan, Dzati Athiar Ramli
and Haryati Jaafar
Analysis of Finger Vein Feature Extraction Using Cross-Sectional
Profile Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609
Amir Hajian and Dzati Athiar Ramli
Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation on Blood Velocity
and Vorticity of Venous Valve Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Nur Shazilah bt Aziz, Nabilah bt Ibrahim, Kamil Abdullah
and Noor Hafizzatul Izzah bt Mat Harun
Study of Vein Mechanism on Pregnancy Condition for Early
Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
Noor Hafizzatul ‘Izzah bt Mat Harun, Nabilah bt Ibrahim,
Nur Shazilah bt Aziz, Wan Nurshazwani binti Wan Zakaria
and Nik Farhan bin Nik Fuad
Part VIII Sensors and Sensing Techniques

Measuring Solar Ultraviolet Exposure Dose on EBT3 Film
Through the Application of Visible Absorbance Spectroscopy . . . . . . . . 639
Mohd Amirul Tajuddin and Ahmad Fairuz Omar
Robot Hand Fingertip Design Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
J. Jaafar, K. Nasir and R.L.A. Shauri
Spectrometry Evaluation of B10 Averrhoa carambola L.
and Sala Mango Physical Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
Ahmad Fairuz Omar and Ommi Kalsom Mardziah Yahaya
Part IX Power Systems, High Voltage Engineering,

and Renewable Energy
LLC Resonant DC-DC Converter for High Output Voltage
Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
Nor Azura Samsudin, Shahid Iqbal and Soib Taib
xx Contents
Incremental Unsupervised Learning Algorithm for Power Fluctuation

Event Detection in PV Grid-Tied Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673
Ken Weng Kow, Yee Wan Wong, Rajparthiban Kumar Rajkumar,
Rajprasad Kumar Rajkumar and Dino Isa
Effect of Nano-Alumina on Electric Tree Growth in SiR
Nanocomposites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681
M. Hafiz, M. Fairus, M. Mariatti and M. Kamarol
A Modeling of Small Photovoltaic Power Plant Connected to Grid . . . . 689
Syafrudin Masri and Paaventhan Raj
Minimal Cut Sets Deduction Using a Simple Method via Tracing
Minimal Paths to Assess Reliability of Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697
Athraa Ali Kadhem and Noor Izzri Abdul Wahab
Effect of Nano Titanium in SiR/EPDM Composite on Electrical
Surface Tracking Under Incline Plane Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
M. Fairus, M. Hafiz, M. Mariatti and M. Kamarol
Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Aspects
of Using Photovoltaic Water Pumping System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
Ali H.A. Al-Waeli, Atma H.K. Al-Kabi, Asma Al-Mamari,
Hussein A. Kazem and Miqdam T. Chaichan
Harmonic Behavior of Different Branded LED Lamps
and Their Respective Cost Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
Soo Chin Chong and Dur Muhammad Soomro
Implementation of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System
in Fault Location Estimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Amalina Abdullah, Channarong Banmongkol, Naebboon Hoonchareon
and Kunihiko Hidaka
Inter-area Oscillation Damping in Power Systems
with Deep Penetration of Wind Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Dalia M. Eltigani and Syafrudin Masri
The Energy Efficiency Improvement and Management Program
for Academic’s Building, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains
Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
Amir Halim and Syafrudin Masri
Part X Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Electronics

A Novel Five Switches Single Phase Full-Bridge Voltage Source
Inverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Muhammad Faizal Abdullah, Shahid Iqbal and Dahaman Ishak
Contents xxi
The Fabrication and Characterization of Short-Stroke Tubular Linear

Permanent-Magnet Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777
Izzeldin Idris Abdalla, Taib Ibrahim and Nursyarizal Bin Mohd Nor
LLC Resonant Converter Based Incremental Conductance Maximum
Power Point Tracking System for PV Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Adrian Soon Theam Tan, Shahid Iqbal, Dahaman Ishak
and Syafrudin Bin Masri
Investigation on Raspberry Pi Microcontroller as Digital Processing
Controller in Back to Back Converter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Shamsul Aizam Zulkifli, Ibrahim Mamat, Muham-
mad Nor Hafiz Mokhtarudin and Shahrizan Ahmad Shah
Modeling of Steady State and Transient State of the Power Electronic
Distribution Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
K.Y. Ahmed, N.Z. Yahaya, V. S. Asirvadam, K. Ramani
and N.M. Shannan
Fault Diagnosis of Voltage Source Inverter for Induction Motor
Drives Using Decision Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
Ngoc-Tu Nguyen and Huu-Phuc Nguyen
Study on Vibrations and Noises in the Amorphous Steel Core
Transformer Caused by Magnetostriction Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
Do Chi-Phi and Phung Anh-Tuan
A Novel Bidirectional Two-Stage Inverter Based UPS System . . . . . . . . 835
Muhammad Faizal Abdullah, Shahid Iqbal and Dahaman Ishak
Analytical Subdomain Model of Surface-Mounted PM Synchronous
Machine Using Virtual PM Blocks to Optimize Magnet
Segmentations for Underwater Vehicle Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843
Tow Leong Tiang, Dahaman Ishak and Mohamad Kamarol
Hybrid-Bridge LLC Series Resonant Converter for Deeply Depleted
PEV Battery Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851
M. Imran Shahzad, Shahid Iqbal and Soib Taib
Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
Part I
Electronic Design and Applications
A Fast Transient Voltage Regulator
Design with All Ceramic Output Capacitor
for Mobile Microprocessors
C.H. Lee and N.S. Ahmad
Abstract The need to have fast transient response of the voltage regulator is driven
by the increasing current slew rate of the mobile microprocessor. Hence, optimizing
the switching frequency of the voltage regulator becomes an important step to
achieve a balance between preserving the efficiency of the voltage regulator and
improving the transient response. Besides, output capacitor solution with multilayer
ceramic capacitor has also become more popular due to its small size and cheap cost.
A fast transient voltage regulator with all ceramic output capacitors for mobile
microprocessor is proposed in this study. The outcome of the study shows that the
voltage regulator designed is stable with the proposed type and number of
multi-layer ceramic capacitors. More importantly, the actual transient results cor-
relate well with the simulation results in which minimal transient droop and over-
shoot are observed with a dynamic current load step with a slew rate of 10.5 A/1 µs.
Keywords Switching voltage regulator ⋅ Fast transient ⋅ Multilayer ceramic

capacitor ⋅
Microprocessor
1 Introduction
As the mobile microprocessor continues to be upgraded with improved computa-

tional capability and higher circuits integration from one generation to the next, the
design of the voltage regulator powering the microprocessor becomes more and
This work was supported by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (203/PELECT/6071267),

Ministry of Education of Malaysia.
C.H. Lee (✉) ⋅ N.S. Ahmad (✉)

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Campus,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
e-mail: lch14_krea071@student.usm.my
N.S. Ahmad
e-mail: syazreen@usm.my
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017 3

H. Ibrahim et al. (eds.), 9th International Conference on Robotic, Vision, Signal
Processing and Power Applications, Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering 398,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1721-6_1
4 C.H. Lee and N.S. Ahmad
more challenging [1]. The industry is trying to catch up with the high current slew
rate of the processor current load by developing voltage regulator with high
switching frequency.
However, the switching frequency range for voltage regulator is limited in order
to preserve the efficiency and stability. The other design solution to address the high
current slew rate is to design with extra number of output capacitors. Unfortunately,
design with too many output capacitors will increase the product cost and consume
huge amount of board area. This is not a favorable solution for mobile segment. As
a result, this situation poses a great challenge to the voltage regulator designer.
Secondly, size of the voltage regulator has always been too huge driven by
increasing power demand of the mobile processor. This renders the overall mobile
computing product to be heavy, bulky, costly, and unattractive. With AVP
(adaptive voltage positioning) [2] feature introduced, now the voltage regulator
designer has the option to design with all ceramic output capacitors in order to
present an area and cost effective solution. However, design with all ceramic output
capacitors requires thorough analysis and engineering judgment so that the solution
presented is stable and meets the design specifications.
For the case of voltage regulator residing in a mobile computer system, the
switching frequency ranges from 200 kHz to 1 MHz [3]. High switching frequency
is good for transient performance and reducing size of the passive components such
as inductor and capacitors of the voltage regulator. However, too high of a
switching frequency will degrade the efficiency of the voltage regulator and
increase the risk of control loop instability. Hence, voltage regulator designer faces
a great challenge to find the suitable switching frequency in order to meet both the
efficiency and transient performance targets [4].
During transient event, output capacitor plays an important role to contain the
droop and overshoot at the output of the voltage regulator. Besides, output capacitor
is also used to stabilize the control loop of the voltage regulator and to reduce
output voltage ripple. Usually, the amount of output capacitor needed is capped by
the transient requirement of the design.
As the mobile computer market is trending towards cheaper, lighter, and thinner
computing products, multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) emerges as the popular
choice of output capacitors for voltage regulator. The reason is because MLCC is
very cheap and small in size. Apart from this, MLCC has the lowest equivalent
series resistance (ESR) and equivalent series inductance (ESL) among the surface
mounted capacitors available in the market. In other words, MLCC has the least
undesired parasitic components. Besides, MLCC has a reputation for good relia-
bility and least safety hazard. Leakage current in MLCC is also one of the lowest
among the capacitors.
However, designing with MLCC has its fair share of challenges as well such as
lower capacitance, DC biasing effect, and acoustic noise. Proper analysis is needed
to design a voltage regulator with all ceramic output capacitors.
A Fast Transient Voltage Regulator Design … 5
2 Methodology
The design flow of this voltage regulator follows the steps outlined by the flow
chart shown in Fig. 1 below. Firstly, the design specifications are determined based
on the latest electrical specifications shown in Table 1. Once the design specifi-
cations are determined, the first step in designing the voltage regulator is to
determine the switching frequency. In order to reduce the iterations in hardware
measurement, it is imperative to propose a power loss model and develop an
efficiency calculator to estimate the efficiency of the proposed design for different
switching frequencies. For this step, an excel spreadsheet based power loss is
designed for this purpose.
Once a correlation between the measured efficiency and the calculated efficiency
is obtained, then the decision to set the switching frequency of the voltage regulator
can be made. If correlation is poor, then efforts have to be made to improve the
power loss calculator.
Fig. 1 Flow chart to design a fast transient response voltage regulator with all-MLCC output
capacitors
Table 1 Design Parameter Symbol Value

specifications for single-phase
switching voltage regulator Input voltage Vin 7.4 V
Output voltage Vout 1.10 V
Number of phase N-Ph 1
Maximum output current Imax 15 A
Dynamic output current Istep 10.5 A
Slew time Tslew 1 µs
Load line RLL –5.9 mΩ
The next step is to design the current sensing network to generate an accurate
current feedback information across the desired temperature range. Again, an excel
based calculator spreadsheet is used to design the DCR (direct current resistance)
sensing circuitry of the output inductor. The outcome of the current sensing net-
work must show an accurate AVP load line from 0 to 85 °C.
There are many different types of MLCC available in the market. Fort this study,
three different types of MLCC are compared and analyzed. The MLCC used in the
design has to provide the smallest board area while meeting the transient response
as listed below.
• 22 μF, 6.3 V, 0603 size, 1.00 mm height
The total output capacitance needed to ensure the output impedance is lower
than the load line of 5.9 mΩ up to 1 MHz is determined using the formula given in
Equation
1
Cout = ð1Þ
2π × RLL × Fco
Fco is the bandwidth of the voltage regulator and can be approximated by

one-fourth of the selected switching frequency. RLL on the other hand is the load
line specified in Table 1. To obtain the number of MLCC needed for each type, the
Count calculated is simply divided by its effective capacitance.
LTSpice circuit simulator is used to simulate the output impedance and transient
response of the voltage regulator. The results of the simulator is used to determine if
the number of selected MLCC needs to be increased or decreased. This serves the
purpose of further strengthening the paper analysis of the voltage regulator design
before moving onto hardware implementations.
The selected MLCC type and number together with the inductor specifications
and system parameters required in design specifications are then used as the inputs
to a MATHCAD file to simulate the loop stability of the proposed design.
This MATHCAD file contains the transfer functions of the voltage regulator and
generates the bode plot of the loop gain. The passing criteria imposed in this design
is to have a minimum of 45° of phase margin.
A Fast Transient Voltage Regulator Design … 7
The final step is to implement the design of the voltage regulator on the test
board and measure the transient response of the voltage regulator.
3 Results and Discussions
The power loss calculator estimated that 495 kHz is the highest switching fre-
quency that can still maintain optimal efficiency. In order to ensure the calculated
efficiency is accurate, the simulated 495 kHz efficiency curve is compared with the
measured 495 kHz efficiency curve. The difference between the measured and
calculated curves is small (less than 3 %), thus it shows that the power loss cal-
culator has a good degree of accuracy.
With the switching frequency locked down, now the amount of MLCC needed
for each type can be calculated based on Eq. 1. With the first-cut number ready,
parametric analysis can be run in LTSpice to determine the number of MLCC
needed for each type. At the end, the simulation results show that the voltage
regulator needs 40 pieces of 22 µF MLCC, or 23 pieces of 47 µF of MLCC, or 7
pieces of 100 µF MLCC. Based on the number of MLCC needed, designing with 7
pieces of 100 µF MLCC is the most area effective solution (83.2 mm2) as compared
to 84 mm2 required by 40 pieces of 22 µF MLCC and 90 mm2 required by 23
pieces of 47 µF of MLCC.
Figure 2 shows the measured transient response of the voltage regulator with
original switching frequency of 385 kHz with 2 pieces of 330 µF tantalum polymer
capacitor and 6 pieces of 22 µF 0805 size MLCCs. Figure 3 shows the transient
response of the proposed solution which has the voltage regulator set to operate at
495 kHz and has 7 pieces of 100 µF 1210 size MLCCs. During both load step and
release events, no significant undershoot or overshoot is observed at the output of
the voltage regulator. In fact, the transient response of the proposed voltage regu-
lator has a more critically damped response compared to the original design.
Fig. 2 Transient response of the voltage regulator with original decoupling solutions (2 pieces of
330 µF tantalum polymer capacitor and 6 pieces of 22 µF (0805) MLCCs
Fig. 3 Transient response of the voltage regulator with seven pieces of 100 µF (1210) MLCCs
The pricing of capacitors is dependent on purchasing volume and vendors. The

cost of a 330 µF tantalum capacitor is estimated to be 3–5 times more expensive as
compared to a 100 µF MLCC. Hence, changing to all-MLCC output decoupling
solution does save a great deal of design cost.
4 Conclusions
In conclusion, a fast transient voltage regulator has been designed using only
multilayer ceramic output capacitors. An optimized switching frequency of
495 kHz is used for the voltage regulator in order to achieve the highest bandwidth
as well as to preserve the efficiency. In fact, the voltage regulator presented in this
study shows significant improvement in terms of the size, cost, and transient per-
formance compared to the original reference design.
References
1. López T, Elferich R, Alarcón E (2010) Voltage regulators for next generation microprocessors.
Springer Science and Business Media
2. Hsiao S-F, Ting W-Y, Liang T-J, Huang J-R, Chen W-W, Chen J-F (2013) Improved transient
response using high-frequency feedback control circuit of the constant current ripple constant
on-time with native adaptive voltage positioning design for voltage regulators. IET Power
Electron 6(9):1948–1955
3. Jovanović M (2007) Power supply technology–past, present, and future. In: Power conversion
and intelligent motion China conference (PCIM China), pp 3–15
4. Bag S, Mukhopadhyay S, Samanta S, Sheehan R, Roy T (2014) Frequency compensation and
power stage design for buck converters to meet load transient specifications. In: 2014 IEEE
applied power electronics conference and exposition—APEC 2014, pp 1024–1031
Autonomous Agent for Universal
Verification Methodology Testbench
of Hard Memory Controller
R. Logeish Raj and Rosmiwati Mohd-Mokhtar
Abstract Pre-silicon verification process is important in an application having

integrated chip design cycle. It is considered one of the biggest bottle-neck in
modern day design projects. This paper intends to describe a testbench architecture
that will improve verification efficiency and productivity for a Hard Memory
Controller’s Sideband verification from the perspective of the test writer. The
testbench architecture described by Universal Verification Methodology is reused,
adapted and improved to allow higher level of automation within the testbench. The
implemented autonomous agent is analyzed and compared against the regular agent
for its efficiency in terms of lines of code need to be written by the test writer. The
result obtained shows that the autonomous agent implemented in the architecture
reduces the test writer’s burden by at least 60 % and up to 78 %.
Keywords UVM ⋅ HMC ⋅ DDR4 ⋅ Sideband agent ⋅ Testbench
1 Introduction
Functional verification is the art of making sure an Application-Specific Integrated

Circuit (ASIC) design or system on chip (SOC) is functioning according to the
designer’s expectations and fulfilling the design requirements. In the past when
ASIC design was still in its infancy, verification was not a prominent idea. As ASIC
design grew and SOC’s become a household name, verification started to get very
important, as it allows design bugs to be caught very early in design cycle and
produce quality integrated circuits (IC’s). SystemVerilog [1] is the language
R. Logeish Raj (✉)

Altera Corporations Sdn. Bhd, FTZ Bayan Lepas, 11900 Pulau, Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: logeish@gmail.com
R. Logeish Raj ⋅ R. Mohd-Mokhtar (✉)
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: rosmiwati@ieee.org
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017 9

H. Ibrahim et al. (eds.), 9th International Conference on Robotic, Vision, Signal
Processing and Power Applications, Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering 398,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1721-6_2
10 R. Logeish Raj and R. Mohd-Mokhtar
designed to aid functional verification while Universal Verification Methodology

(UVM) [2] is the state of the art verification methodology that is based on Sys-
temVerilog. UVM contains guidelines, additional base class libraries, toolkits,
macros and industry best practices to build verification environments in a structured
way. Thus, allowing widespread adoption of UVM for verification.
While UVM testbench architecture has many advantages, it gives lesser attention
to automation within the verification environment. The UVM testbench architecture
gives a lot of control to the users (or test writers) of the verification environment.
Test writers have high degree of freedom to inject stimulus into the design under
test (DUT) as they please. Although this is good for a very advanced test writer who
wants to do manual testing, it may not be attractive to the normal test writer. The
testbench should be automated to drive and check the DUT without much human
intervention.
The purpose of this research is to improve the basic architecture described by
UVM to allow higher level of automation in the testbench. An automated UVM
agent with DDR protocol awareness will be developed to drive stimulus into the
DUT (Hard memory controller). A point to note is that this automated UVM agent
is not only capable of driving stimulus into the DUT (based on test writer’s inputs),
it is also able to ensure the user does not violate the DDR (Double Data Rate)
protocol on the memory interface.
2 UVM Testbench Theory of Operation
The UVM describes high level testbench architecture to verify a DUT. The
architecture is made of multiple individual components that are designed to perform
specific tasks. Figure 1 shows the testbench architecture described by UVM. This
architecture will be reused and improved to perform automated agent approach with
sideband DDR protocol awareness and to reduce the test writer’s burden. The Test
is a standard UVM class that will encapsulate the verification environment and will
instantiate sequences to be parsed to the environment. The Environment is a top
level verification component that wraps around and connects the other verification
components. The Agent typically contains, a driver, a sequencer, a monitor and
configuration objects. Most of the architectural changes to build an automated agent
approach will take place within this level.
The Agent can be configured to be active or passive through the Environment’s
configuration object. While the driver, sequencer and monitor can be reused
independently, UVM’s guidelines recommend using an agent as a container for
these components. The Sequencer is an advanced stimulus generator that will
generate streams of transactions to be consumed by the driver. The Driver is an
active component that consumes the transactions from the sequencer and translates
the transaction into actual pin wiggle to the DUT. This is the UVM component that
actively interacts with the DUT and it merely acts as a translator between object
oriented programming (OOP) to actual pin activity.
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CHAPTER VI
THE MARITIME PROVINCES
I have come into Canada through the Maritime Provinces, which

lie on the Atlantic Coast between our own state of Maine and the
mouth of the St. Lawrence. The Provinces are Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Their area is almost equal to
that of our six New England states, and in climate and scenery they
are much the same. Their population, however, is only about one
million, or little more than one fourth as many as the number of
people living in Massachusetts. These provinces were the first British
possessions in Canada, and like New England they have seen the
centre of population and progress move ever westward.
Nova Scotia is the easternmost province of the Dominion of
Canada. Its capital and chief city is Halifax, situated on the Atlantic
on one of the world’s best natural harbours. This is a deep water
inlet ten miles in length, which is open all the year round. Montreal
and Quebec are closed to navigation during the winter months on
account of the freezing of the St. Lawrence.
Halifax is six hundred miles closer to Europe than is New York,
and nearer Rio de Janeiro than is New Orleans. As the eastern
terminus of the Canadian National Railways, it has direct
connections with all Canada. With these advantages, the city hopes
to become one of the great shipping centres on the North Atlantic.
Halifax has long been noted as the most English city in Canada.
It was once the military, naval, and political centre of British North
America, and gay with the social life of British officers and their
ladies. Now, both the warships and the soldiers are gone, and the
city is devoting itself to commercial activities.
As we steamed past the lighthouses and the hidden guns on the
headlands guarding the entrance, I was reminded of all that this
harbour has meant to America. The city was founded by Lord
Cornwallis in 1749 at the suggestion of Boston merchants who
complained that the French were using these waters as a base for
their sea raiders. Less than thirty years later it provided a haven for
Lord Howe when he was driven out of Boston by our soldiers of the
Revolution, and became the headquarters for the British operations
against the struggling colonies. In the war of 1812, the American
warship Chesapeake was brought here after her defeat by the British
frigate Shannon. During our Civil War Halifax served as a base for
blockade runners, and the fortunes of some of its wealthy citizens of
to-day were founded on the profits of this dangerous trade. No one
dreamed then that within two generations England and America
would be fighting side by side in a World War, that thousands of
United States soldiers would sail from Halifax for the battlefields of
Europe, or that an American admiral, commanding a fleet of
destroyers, would establish his headquarters here. Yet that is what
happened in 1917–18. All that now remains of the former duels on
the sea is the annual sailing race between the fastest schooners of
the Gloucester and the Nova Scotia fishing fleets.
Halifax is built on a hillside that rises steeply from the water-front
to a height of two hundred and sixty feet above the harbour. The city
extends about halfway up the hill, and reaches around on both sides
of it. The top is a bare, grassy mound, surmounted by an ancient
citadel.
Stand with me on the edge of the old moat, and look down upon
Halifax and its harbour. Far to our left is the anchorage where
occurred one of the greatest explosions the world ever knew. Just as
the city was eating breakfast on the morning of December 6, 1917, a
French munitions ship, loaded with benzol and TNT, collided with
another vessel leaving the harbour, and her cargo of explosives blew
up in a mighty blast. Nearly two thousand people were killed, six
thousand were injured, and eleven thousand were made homeless.
Hardly a pane of glass was left in a window, and acres of houses
were levelled to the ground. A deck gun was found three miles from
the water, and the anchor of one of the vessels lies in the woods six
miles away, where it was thrown by the explosion. A street-car
conductor was blown through a second-story window, and a sailor
hurled from his ship far up the hillside. Since then much of the
devastated area has been rebuilt along approved town-planning
lines, but the scars of the disaster are still visible. For a long time
after the explosion, the local institution for the blind was filled to
capacity, and one saw on the streets many persons wearing patches
over one eye.
Standing on the hill across the harbour one sees the town of
Dartmouth, where much of the industrial activity of the Halifax district
is centred. There are the largest oil works, chocolate factories, and
sugar refineries of Canada. Vessels from Mexico, South America,
and the British West Indies land their cargoes of tropical products at
the doors of the works. Fringing the water-front are the masts of
sailing vessels and the smokestacks of steamers. Among the latter is
a cable repair ship, just in from mending a break in one of the many
submarine telegraph lines that land on this coast. Next to her is a
giant new liner, making her first stop here to add to her cargo some
twenty-five thousand barrels of apples from the Annapolis Valley.
This valley, on the western side of Nova Scotia, is known also as
“Evangeline Land.” It was made famous by Longfellow’s poem based
on the expulsion of the French Acadians by the English because
they insisted on being neutral in the French-British wars. It is one of
the finest apple-growing districts in the world, and sends annually to
Europe nearly two million barrels. Many descendants of the former
French inhabitants have now returned to the land of their ancestors.
Looking toward the mouth of the harbour, we see the new
terminal, a twenty-five million dollar project that has for some years
stood half completed. Here are miles and miles of railroad tracks,
and giant piers equipped with modern machinery, a part of the
investment the Dominion and its government-owned railway system
have made to establish Halifax as a first-class port. Beyond the port
works another inlet, Northwest Arm, makes its way in between the
hills. I have motored out to its wooded shores, which in summer time
are crowded with the young people of Halifax, bathing and boating. It
is the city’s chief playground and a beautiful spot.
But now take a look at the city itself, stretching along the water-
front below where we stand. The big red brick building just under our
feet is the municipal market. There, on Saturdays, one may see an
occasional Indian, survivor of the ancient Micmacs, and Negroes
who are descendants of slaves captured by the British in Maryland
when they sailed up the Potomac and burned our Capitol. Farther
down the hillside are the business buildings of the city, none of them
more than five stories high, and all somewhat weatherbeaten. I have
seen no new construction under way in downtown Halifax; the city
seems to have missed the building booms of recent years. Most of
the older houses are of stone or brick. Outside the business district
the people live in wooden frame houses, each with its bit of yard
around it. One would know Halifax for an English town by its
chimney pots. Some of the houses have batteries of six or eight of
these tiles set on end sticking out of their chimneys.
The streets are built on terraces cut in the hillside, or plunging
down toward the water. Some of them are so narrow that they have
room for only a single trolley track, on which are operated little one-
man cars. I stepped for a moment into St. Paul’s Church, the first
English house of worship in Canada. Its front pew, to the left of the
centre aisle, is reserved for the use of royal visitors. Passing one of
the local newspaper offices, I noticed a big crowd that filled the
street, watching an electric score board that registered, play by play,
a World Series baseball game going on in New York. The papers are
full of baseball talk, and the people of this Canadian province seem
to follow the game as enthusiastically as our fans at home.
My nose will long remember Halifax. In lower Hollis Street, just
back from the water-front, and not far from the low gray stone
buildings that once quartered British officers, I smelled a most
delicious aroma. It was from a group of importing houses, where
cinnamon, cloves, and all the products of the East Indies are ground
up and packed for the market. If I were His Worship, the Mayor of
Halifax, I should propose that Hollis street be renamed and called
the Street of the Spices. Just below this sweet-scented district, I
came to a tiny brick building, with a sign in faded letters reading “S.
Cunard & Co., Coal Merchants.” This firm is the corporate lineal
descendant of Samuel Cunard, who, with his partners, established
the first transatlantic steamship service nearly a century ago, and
whose name is now carried all over the world by some of the
greatest liners afloat.
Another odour of the water-front is not so sweet as the spices. It
is the smell of salt fish, which here are dried on frames built on the
roofs near the docks. Nova Scotia is second only to Newfoundland in
her exports of dried cod, and all her fisheries combined earn more
than twelve million dollars a year. They include cod, haddock,
mackerel, herring, halibut, pollock, and salmon. Lunenburg, down
the coast toward Boston, is one of the centres of the deep-sea
fishing industry, and its schooners compete on the Grand Banks with
those from Newfoundland, Gloucester, and Portugal.
I talked in Halifax with the manager of a million-dollar corporation
that deals in fresh fish. He was a Gloucester man who, as he put it,
“has had fish scales on his boots” ever since he could remember.
“We operate from Canso, the easternmost tip of Nova Scotia,” he
said. “Our steamers make weekly trips to the fishing grounds, where
they take the fish with nets. They are equipped with wireless, and we
direct their operations from shore in accordance with market
conditions. While the price of salt fish is fairly steady, fresh fish
fluctuates from day to day, depending on the quantities caught and
the public taste. Such fish as we cannot sell immediately, we cure in
our smoking and drying plants.
“All our crews share in the proceeds of their catch, and the
captains get no fixed wages at all. We could neither catch the fish
nor sell them at a profit without the fullest coöperation on the part of
our men, most of whom come from across the Atlantic, from
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and also from Iceland. Next to the
captain, the most important man on our ships is the cook. Few fish
are caught unless the fishermen are well fed. The ‘cook’s locker’ is
always full of pies, cakes, and cookies, to which the men help
themselves, and the coffee-pot must be kept hot for all hands to
‘mug up.’”
From Halifax I crossed Nova Scotia by rail into the adjoining
province of New Brunswick. Nova Scotia is a peninsula that seems
to have been tacked on to the east coast of Canada. It is three
hundred and seventy-four miles long, and so narrow that no point in
it is more than thirty miles from the sea. The coast does not run due
north and south, but more east and west, so that its southernmost tip
points toward Boston. The Bay of Fundy separates it from the coasts
of Maine and New Brunswick, and leaves only an isthmus, in places
not more than twenty miles wide, connecting Nova Scotia with the
mainland. The lower or westernmost half of the province is encircled
with railroads, which carry every year increasing thousands of
tourists and hunters from the United States. The summer
vacationists and the artists go chiefly to the picturesque shore towns,
while those who come up for hunting and fishing strike inland to the
lakes and woods. Deer and moose are still so plentiful in Nova
Scotia that their meat is served at Halifax hotels during the season.
The scenery is much like that of Maine. Rolling hills alternate
with ledges of gray rock, while at every few miles there are lakes and
ponds. Much of the country is covered with spruce, and many of the
farms have hedges and tall windbreaks of those trees. The
farmhouses are large and well built; they are usually situated on high
ground and surrounded by sloping fields and pastures considerably
larger than the farm lots of New England. In some places the broad
hills are shaped like the sand dunes of Cape Cod. At nearly every
station freshly cut lumber was piled up, awaiting shipment, while one
of the little rivers our train crossed was filled with birch logs floating
down to a spool factory.
Some two hours from Halifax we came to Truro at the head of
Cobequid Bay, the easternmost arm of the Bay of Fundy. Scientists
who have studied the forty-foot Fundy tides attribute them to its
pocket-like shape. The tides are highest in the numerous deep inlets
at the head of the Bay. In the Petitcodiac River, which forms the
northernmost arm, as the tide comes in a wall of water two or three
feet high rushes upstream. These tides are felt far back from the
coast. The rivers and streams have deep-cut banks on account of
the daily inrush and outflow of waters and are bordered with
marshes through which run irrigation ditches dug by the farmers.
With his poem of Evangeline, Longfellow made

famous the old well at Grand Pré, the scene of the
expulsion of the Acadians because they wanted to
remain neutral in the French-British wars.
When the tide goes out at Digby, vessels tied to
the docks are left high and dry. At some points on the
Bay of Fundy the rise and fall of the water exceeds
forty feet.
Truro is a turning-off point for the rail journey down the Bay side
of Nova Scotia through “Evangeline Land” and the Annapolis Valley,
and also for the trip north and east up to Cape Breton Island. This
island is part of the province of Nova Scotia. It is separated from the
mainland only by the mile-wide Strait of Canso, across which railroad
trains are carried on ferries. In the southern part of the Island is the
Bras d’Or Lake, an inland sea covering two hundred and forty square
miles.
Because of the deep snows in winter the Quebec
farmhouse usually has high porches and often a
bridge from the rear leading to the upper floor of the
barn. The older houses are built of stone.
Spinning wheels and hand looms are still in use
among the French Canadian farm women. Besides
supplying clothes for their families, they make also
homespuns and rugs for sale.
Though Cabot landed on the coast of Cape Breton Island after
his discovery of the Newfoundland shore, it later fell into the hands of
the French. They found its fisheries worth more than all the gold of
Peru or Mexico. To protect the sea route to their St. Lawrence
territories, they built at Louisburg a great fortress that cost a sum
equal to twenty-five million dollars in our money. To-day, hardly one
stone remains upon another, as the works were destroyed by the
British in 1758. Not far from Louisburg is Glace Bay, where Marconi
continued the wireless experiments begun in Newfoundland, and it
was on this coast, also, that the first transatlantic cable was landed.
Cape Breton Island was settled mostly by Scotch, and even to-
day sermons in the churches are often delivered in Gaelic. As a
result of intermarriage sometimes half the people of a village bear
the same family name. For generations these people lived mostly by
fishing, but the opening of coal mines in the Sydney district brought
many of them into that industry. The Sydney mines, which normally
employ about ten thousand men, are the only coal deposits on the
continent of North America lying directly on the Atlantic Coast. They
are an asset of immense value to Canada, yielding more than one
third of her total coal production. One of the mines at North Sydney
has the largest coal shaft in the world. Because of these enormous
deposits of bituminous coal, and the presence near by of dolomite,
or limestone, steel industries have been developed in the Sydney
district. Ownership of most of the coal and steel properties has been
merged in the British Empire Steel Corporation, one of the largest
single industrial enterprises in all Canada. It is this corporation, you
will remember, that owns the Wabana iron mines in Newfoundland.
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and north of the isthmus connecting
Nova Scotia with the mainland, is Prince Edward Island, the
smallest, but proportionately the richest province in the Dominion of
Canada. It is not quite twice the size of Rhode Island, and has less
than one hundred thousand people, but every acre of its land is
tillable and most of it is cultivated. The island is sometimes called the
“Garden of the Gulf.”
Prince Edward Island is a favourite resort of Americans on
vacation. It leaped into fame as the scene of the first successful
experiments in raising foxes for their furs, and now has more than
half of the fox farms in Canada. The business of selling fox skins and
breeding stock is worth nearly two million dollars a year to the Prince
Edward Islanders. The greatest profits are from the sales of fine
breeding animals.
Most of the west shore of the Bay of Fundy and many of its
northern reaches are in the third and westernmost of the three
Maritime Provinces. This is the province of New Brunswick. It is
Maine’s next-door neighbour, and almost as large, but it has less
than half as many people. The wealth of New Brunswick, like that of
Maine, comes chiefly from the farms, the fisheries, and the great
forests that are fast being converted into lumber and paper. Its game
and fresh-water fishing attract a great many sportsmen from both the
United States and Canada.
St. John, the chief city of New Brunswick at the mouth of the St.
John River, used to be a centre of anti-American sentiment in
Canada. This was because the city was founded by the Tories, who
left the United States after we won our independence. St. John to-
day is a busy commercial centre competing with Halifax for first
place as Canada’s all-year Atlantic port. It is the eastern terminal of
the Canadian Pacific Railroad, whose transatlantic liners use the port
during the winter. It enjoys the advantage over Halifax of being some
two hundred miles nearer Montreal, but, like Halifax, suffers on
account of the long railway haul and high freight rates to central
Canada. As a matter of fact, New England, and not Canada, is the
natural market for the Maritime Provinces, and every few years the
proposal that this part of Canada form a separate Dominion comes
up for discussion. Such talk is not taken seriously by the well
informed, but it provides a good safety valve for local irritation.
CHAPTER VII
IN FRENCH CANADA
Come with me for a ride about Quebec, the oldest city in

Canada, the ancient capital of France in America, and a stronghold
of the Catholic Church. We go from the water-front through the
Lower Town, up the heights, and out to where the modern city eats
into the countryside. The Lower Town is largely French. The main
part of the Upper Town used to be enclosed by walls and stone
gates, parts of which are still standing. The dull gray buildings are of
stone, with only shelf-like sidewalks between them and the street.
Most of the streets are narrow. The heights are ascended by stairs,
by a winding street, and in one place by an elevator. The old French
caleche, a two-wheeled vehicle between a jinrikisha and a dog-cart,
has been largely displaced by motor-cars, which can climb the steep
grades in a jiffy. Even the ancient buildings are giving way to modern
necessities, and every year some are torn down.
As a city, Quebec is unique on this continent. It fairly drips with
“atmosphere,” and is concentrated romance and history. You know
the story, of course, of how Champlain founded it in 1608, on a
narrow shelf of land under the rocky bluff that rises nearly three
hundred and fifty feet above the St. Lawrence. Here brave French
noblemen and priests started what they hoped would be a new
empire for France. Between explorations, fights with the Indians, and
frequent British attacks, they lived an exciting life. Finally, General
Wolfe in 1759 succeeded in capturing for the British this Gibraltar of
the New World. Landing his men by night, at dawn he was in position
on the Plains of Abraham behind the fort. In the fight that followed
Wolfe was killed, Montcalm, the French commander, was mortally
wounded, and the city passed into the hands of the English. If
General Montgomery and Benedict Arnold had succeeded in their
attack on Quebec on New Year’s Eve, sixteen years later, the history
of all Canada would have been different, and the United States flag
might be flying over the city to-day.
The British built in the rock on top of the bluff a great fort and
citadel covering about forty acres. It still bristles with cannon, but
most of them are harmless compared with modern big guns. The
works serve chiefly as a show place for visitors, and a summer
residence for dukes and lords sent out to be governors-general of
Canada. The fortification is like a mediæval castle, with subterranean
chambers and passages, and cannon balls heaped around the
battlements. Below the old gun embrasures is a broad terrace, a
quarter of a mile long. This furnishes the people of Quebec a
beautiful promenade that overlooks the harbour and commands a
fine view of Levis and the numerous villages on the other shore.
The Parliament building stands a little beyond the entrance to
the citadel. As we go on the architecture reflects the transition from
French to British domination. The houses begin to move back from
the sidewalk, and to take on front porches. I saw workmen putting in
double windows, in preparation for winter, and noticed that the sides
of many of the brick houses are clapboarded to keep the frost out of
the mortar. Still farther out apartments appear, while a little beyond
are all the marks of a suburban real estate boom. Most of the “for
sale” signs are in both French and English.
Now come with me and look at another Quebec, of which you
probably have never heard. The city is built, as you know, where the
St. Charles River flows into the St. Lawrence. The valley of the St.
Charles has become a great hive of industry, and contains the
homes of thousands of French workers. Looking down upon it from
the ancient Martello Tower on the heights of the Upper Town, we see
a wilderness of factory walls, church spires, and the roofs of homes.
Beyond them great fields slope upward, finally losing themselves in
the wooded foothills of the Laurentian Mountains. Cotton goods,
boots and shoes, tobacco, and clothing are manufactured here. It
was from this valley that workers for the textile and shoe industries of
New England were recruited by thousands. A few miles upstream is
the village of Indian Lorette, where descendants of a Huron tribe,
Christianized by the French centuries ago, make leather moccasins
for lumberjacks and slippers for American souvenir buyers. A big fur
company also has a fox farm near Indian Lorette.
Quebec was once the chief port of Canada, but when the river
was dredged up to Montreal it fell far behind. All but the largest
transatlantic liners can now sail for Europe from Montreal, though
they make Quebec a port of call. Quebec is five hundred miles
nearer Liverpool than is New York, and passengers using this route
have two days less in the open sea. The navigation season is about
eight months. The port has rail connections with all Canada and the
United States. Above the city is the world’s longest cantilever bridge,
on which trains cross the river. After two failures the great central
span, six hundred and forty feet long, was raised from floating
barges and put into place one hundred and fifty feet above the water.
In the English atmosphere of the Maritime Provinces I felt quite
at home, but here I seem to be in a foreign land, and time has been
pushed back a century or so. We think of Canada as British, and
assume that English is the national language. But in Quebec, its
largest province, containing about one fifth of the total area, nearly
nine tenths of the people are French and speak the French
language. They number almost one fourth of the population of the
Dominion.
Quebec is larger than Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and
California combined; it is nearly as big as all our states east of the
Mississippi River put together. Covering an area of seven hundred
thousand square miles, it reaches from the northern borders of New
York and New England to the Arctic Ocean; from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence and Labrador westward to Hudson Bay and the Ottawa
River. Most Americans see that part of Quebec along the St.
Lawrence between the capital and Montreal, but only one fourteenth
of the total area of the province lies south of the river. The St.
Lawrence is more than nineteen hundred miles long, and Quebec
extends along its north bank for almost the entire distance.
Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence in 1535 and claimed
possession of the new land in the name of “Christ and France.”
Later, French soldiers and priests pushed their way up the river,
explored the Great Lakes, and went down the Mississippi. It was
French fur traders, fishermen, and farmers who opened up and
populated eastern Canada. With no immigration from France since
British rule began, the population of the province of Quebec has had
a natural increase from about sixty thousand to more than two
millions. The average family numbers from six to eight persons,
while families of twelve and fourteen children are common. Quebec
maintains the highest birth rate of any province in Canada. It has
also the highest death rate, but there is a large net gain every year.
Quebec is one of the chief reservoirs of Canada’s natural wealth.
It leads all other provinces in its production of pulpwood, and
contributes more than one half the Dominion’s output of pulp and
paper. It is second only to British Columbia and Ontario in lumber
production, while its northern reaches contain the last storehouse of
natural furs left on our continent.
Canada is one of the world’s great sources of water-power.
Nearly half of that already developed is in the province of Quebec,
and her falling waters are now yielding more than a million horse-
power. Tens of thousands of additional units are being put to work
every year, while some five million horse-power are in reserve. It
would take eight million tons of coal a year to supply as much power
as Quebec now gets from water.
The ancient citadel on the heights of Quebec is
now dwarfed by a giant castle-like hotel that helps
make the American Gibraltar a tourist resort. Its
windows command a magnificent view of the St.
Lawrence.
The St. Louis gate commemorates the days when
Quebec was a walled city and always well garrisoned
with troops. Just beyond is the building of the
provincial parliament, where most of the speeches are
in French.
At Three Rivers, about halfway between Montreal and Quebec,
the St. Maurice River empties into the St. Lawrence. Twenty miles
upstream are the Shawinigan Falls, the chief source of power of the
Shawinigan Company, which, with its subsidiaries, is now producing
in this district more than five hundred thousand horse-power. This is
nearly half the total power development in the province. Around the
power plant there have grown up electro-chemical industries that
support a town of twelve thousand people, while at Three Rivers
more paper is made than anywhere else in the world. Shawinigan
power runs the lighting plants and factories of Montreal and Quebec,
and also serves most of the towns south of the St. Lawrence. The
current is carried over the river in a thick cable, nearly a mile long,
suspended on high towers.
In the Thetford district of southern Quebec, power from
Shawinigan operates the machinery of the asbestos mines. Fifty
years ago, when these deposits were discovered, there was almost
no market for asbestos at ten dollars a ton. Nowadays, with its use in
theatre curtains, automobile brake linings, and coatings for furnaces
and steam pipes, the best grades bring two thousand dollars a ton,
and two hundred thousand tons are produced in a year. Quebec now
furnishes eighty-eight per cent. of the world’s annual supply of this
mineral.
The Quebec government controls all power sites, and leases
them to private interests for ninety-nine year terms. The province has
spent large sums in conserving its water-power resources. At the
headquarters of the St. Maurice River, it built the Gouin reservoir,
which floods an area of more than three hundred square miles, and
stores more water than the great Aswan Dam on the Nile.
Quebec is the third province in value of agricultural production.
What I have seen of its farms convinces me that the French
Canadian on the land is a conspicuous success. For a half day I
rode along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River through a
country like one great farm. Nearly every foot of it is occupied by
French farmers. Most of the time we were on high ground,
overlooking the river, which, where we first saw it, was forty miles
wide. It grew constantly narrower, until, where we crossed it on a
ferry to Quebec, its width was less than a mile. All the way we had
splendid views of the Laurentian Mountains, looming up on the north
shore of the river. Geologists say the Laurentians are the oldest rock
formation on our continent. They are not high, the peaks averaging
about sixteen hundred feet elevation, but they are one of the great
fish and game preserves of the world and are sprinkled with hunting
and fishing clubs.
In accordance with French law the Quebec farms have been
divided and sub-divided among so many succeeding generations
that the land is cut into narrow ribbons. Contrary to the custom in
France, however, every field is fenced in with rails. I am sure that the
fences I saw, if joined together, would easily reach from Quebec to
Washington and back. They did not zig-zag across the fields like
ours, thereby wasting both rails and land, but extended in a straight
line, up hill and down, sometimes for as much as a mile or more.
The standard French farm along the St. Lawrence used to be
“three acres wide and thirty acres long,” with a wood lot at the farther
end, and the house in the middle. As the river was the chief highway
of the country, it was essential that every farmer have water
frontage. With each division one or more new houses would be built,
and always in the middle of the strip. The result is that every farmer
has a near neighbour on each side of him, and the farmhouses form
an almost continuous settlement along the highway, much like the
homes on a suburban street. Each wood lot usually includes several
hundred maple trees, and the annual production of maple sugar and
syrup in Quebec is worth several hundred thousand dollars. The
maple leaf is the national emblem of Canada.
The houses are large and well built. They have narrow porches,
high above the ground, reached by steps from below. This
construction enables the occupants to gain access to their living
rooms in winter without so much snow shovelling as would otherwise
be necessary. For the same reason, most of the barns are entered
by inclines leading up to the second floor and some are connected
with the houses by bridges. The older houses are of stone, coated
with whitewashed cement. With their dormer windows and big,
square chimneys they look comfortable.

9th International Conference On Robotic Vision Signal Processing and Power Applications Empowering Research and Innovation 1st Edition Haidi Ibrahim

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9th International Conference on

Robotic Vision Signal Processing and

Communications, Signal Processing, and Systems:

Signal and Information Processing Networking and

Signal and Information Processing Networking and

Signal and Information Processing Networking and

Robotic Sailing 2016: Proceedings of the 9th

The Proceedings of the Second International Conference

The Proceedings of the Third International Conference

Image and Signal Processing 9th International

Board of Series editors

“Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering (LNEE)” is a book series which reports

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/7818

9th International Conference

Shahid Iqbal Mohd Taﬁr Mustaffa

ISSN 1876-1100 ISSN 1876-1119 (electronic)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016946931

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature

Penang, Malaysia Haidi Ibrahim

Dahaman Ishak, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Haidi Ibrahim, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Khairul Azha A. Aziz, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia

Abdul Ghani Abro, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

Muzamir Isa, University Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia

Abdul Awal Md Nurunnabi, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh

Kim-Hui Yap, NTU, Singapore

Part I Electronic Design and Applications

Impact of Internal Capacitance and Resistance

Part II Numerical Computations and Optimizations

Part III Artiﬁcial Intelligence and Computer Applications

STCM: Secured Trust-Based Communication Method in Vulnerable

Part IV Vision, Image and Signal Processing

Efﬁciency Improvement in the Extraction of Histogram Oriented

Part V Robotics, Control, Mechatronics and Automation

Performance Difference with Respect to the Number of Wheels

Part VI Telecommunications, RF, Antenna and Applications

PCB Level Shielding Effectiveness Evaluation in Near Field

Analysis of Passive Frequency Multiplier Designs for K-Band Wireless

Part VII Biomedical, Bioengineering and Applications

Part VIII Sensors and Sensing Techniques

Part IX Power Systems, High Voltage Engineering,

Incremental Unsupervised Learning Algorithm for Power Fluctuation

Part X Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Electronics

The Fabrication and Characterization of Short-Stroke Tubular Linear

C.H. Lee and N.S. Ahmad

Keywords Switching voltage regulator ⋅ Fast transient ⋅ Multilayer ceramic

As the mobile microprocessor continues to be upgraded with improved computa-

This work was supported by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (203/PELECT/6071267),

C.H. Lee (✉) ⋅ N.S. Ahmad (✉)

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017 3

Table 1 Design Parameter Symbol Value

Fco is the bandwidth of the voltage regulator and can be approximated by

3 Results and Discussions

The pricing of capacitors is dependent on purchasing volume and vendors. The

R. Logeish Raj and Rosmiwati Mohd-Mokhtar

Abstract Pre-silicon veriﬁcation process is important in an application having

Keywords UVM ⋅ HMC ⋅ DDR4 ⋅ Sideband agent ⋅ Testbench

Functional veriﬁcation is the art of making sure an Application-Speciﬁc Integrated

R. Logeish Raj (✉)

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017 9

designed to aid functional veriﬁcation while Universal Veriﬁcation Methodology