Profile
ZESS Compact
The Center for Sensor Systems (ZESS) defines itself as an interdisciplinary centre with scientists from the engineer´s and natural sciences, which covers, under combining method knowledge from the mechanical, electronical, physical, chemical, and computer science fields, the following three areas of competence:
By basic research and application-oriented development in these fields ZESS does not only contribute to solve selective actual problems, it provides also the basis for interdisciplinary joint projects in cooperation with the industry and other research institutions. In this process the research and technology transfer in both industrial applications as well as in university teaching is always in the foreground.
Sensor systems
The parking assistant system in the car, the motion detector of an outdoor lighting, the light barrier in the lift, these are only three of the mostly known sensors used in the everyday life – however, but a quite exciting field of sensor systems / sensor research includes much more. Multi sensor systems now play in industrial as well as in everyday areas an increasingly important role: In home automation, when the stove detects whether a cooking pot is on the plate, the vacuum cleaner, which removes all alone and independently the dust. In medicine, long-term ECG, can be carried out now with an ECG shirt, where the sensors are incorporated into the cloth. Sensor and assistance systems support surgeons in demanding operations. Aircraft and satellite-based positioning and exploration systems afford not only in small, handy navigation systems valuable help in practical everyday life, they provide in crises and disasters vital information for effective management on the coordination of rescue and assistance.
High-level Postgraduate Education
As a confirmation of the scientific success ZESS was granted in 2003 financial support for the establishment of the International Postgraduate Programme (IPP) Multi Sensorics by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This programme is open to students with master and diploma degree of all engineering sciences, mathematics, chemistry and physics. The participants work on their own scientific topics and write within three years their doctoral Dissertation.
Under the new program, "Research Schools" the state of NRW also launched at the University of Siegen in the winter semester 2008/2009 the new Research School "Multi Modal Sensor Systems for Environmental Exploration and Safety ( MOSES)"
Equipment:
ZESS provides on a floor space of about 1.200 square meters (office and laboratory space) modern equipment for the different priorities, it includes laboratories and measuring places for:
- Image processing and laser measuring technique (translatory and rotatory positioning units)
- Optical developments (spectral radiometry, confocal microscope, laser measuring stand)
- Medical measurements with X-Ray
- Environmental measurements (wet laboratory and chemical laboratory with fume hood)
- Real-time signal detection and processing
- EMV-measuring technique
- Microelectronics and microsensorics
- Applied robot technique (autonomous systems)
- Computer work stations for simulations and calculation of algorithms
Cooperation:
In the context of joint projects of the BMBF and the EG ZESS usually has cooperation with industrial partners. For projects that are carried out independently of public funding, a free contract drafting is possible, taking into account in particular the confidentiality requirements of the industrial partners. For clearly specified requirements, a timeframe and budget can be specified at the beginning. Otherwise, a feasibility study is common practice. Utilization or patented legal aspects are covered by a contract in detail. Further to this kind of settlement, the time-restricted cooperation of specialist staff of the cooperation partner is possible. Other service aspects are the realization of problem analyses and consultations as well as the verification of performance data (expert´s reports).
Seminars:
Industrial seminars and lectures are offered to the following subjects:
- Optical measuring technique (general)
- 2D/3D – measuring technique
- Multisensory- und image processing
- Signal processing and simulation techniques
- Communication Engineering (general)
- Kalman-Filter technique
- Stochastic models and information theory (general)
- SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)
- Mechatronics and robotics
- Embedded Systems (practical applications)
- Workshops for electronic design and precision engineering
- FPGA design with Verilog/VHDL