Aitor Sánchez Abellán
a i t o r. s a n c h e z @ u a b . c a t
Communications
Systems Design
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Communications Systems Design
Agenda for today
▪ Group presentation
▪ What is this subject about?
▪ Methodology and content
▪ Schedule and Evaluation
Short Break if needed 
▪ Small introduction to Systems
▪ Groups for lab Sessions
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Let’s get to know each
other!
Communications Systems Design
WHOAMI
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
MAIL: aitor.sanchez@uab.cat
EXPERIENCE
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER INTERN
ALBA SYNCHROTRON
Aitor Sánchez Abellán
asanchez
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/asanchezabellan/)
OPERATION AND QUALITY ENGINEER
HEWLETT-PACKARD
ACADEMIA
SYSTEM INTEGRATION ENGINEER
BRAGI
BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN TELECOM. ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITAT AUTÒNOMA DE BARCELONA
MASTER’S DEGREE IN ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE CATALUNYA
MASTER’S DEGREE IN COMPUTER VISION
COMPUTER VISION CENTER (CVC)
R&D PRODUCT ENGINEER / VISION LEAD
IDNEO
R&D HARDWARE ENGINEER
TECHNICA ELECTRONICS
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ADAS / Vision system
Automotive Systems
Camera development
Electrical Systems
Electrical Design
Communications Systems Design
Technical background, bottom-up example
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Communications Systems Design
Personal presentation – First Task!
▪ What’s your name? Where are you from? How old are you..
▪ What have you studied before being here? Why did you join the
Master?
▪ Which is your specialization? (Hardware, Comms, programming.. )
▪ Have you worked? Where? (Internships count too!)
▪ What is your favorite technical area? What are you eager to learn?
▪ Any hobbies or interests apart from engineering? (Netflix does not
count)
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What is this subject
about?
Communications Systems Design
Communications Systems Design
▪ What is a system?
▪ How should we carry out a design?
▪ Which is the extent of an engineer in a system
design?
▪ Is a working system enough?
▪ Understand how quickly a product's complexity
can escalate and how to deal with it.
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Communications Systems Design
Communications Systems Design
▪ Systems engineering design is an interdisciplinary field
towards the conceptualization, optimization and realization of
successful engineering systems.
▪ System design requirements and functionalities are customerdriven and can become highly interdisciplinary and complex.
▪ Design alternatives and system validation are part of the
design process, which requires interdisciplinary team efforts.
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Communications Systems Design
Communications Systems Design
▪ Differently to what an undergraduate engineering student
learns, the general objective of this subject is about how to
think, rather than about what to think.
▪ Detailed objectives include that students get familiar to
systemic thinking via interdisciplinary team-work for the
design of a complex system.
▪ The content of the subject provides work guidelines but never
exact rules, which are project and team-dependent.
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Methodology and content
Communications Systems Design
Lectures
▪ Online & Managed by Microsoft Teams
▪ Assignments and grades Campus Virtual CV
▪ Driven by real examples
Impact on
final marks!
▪ Interactive and feedback based
▪ Quality interactions will be appreciated
▪ In class exercises
▪ Students presentations
▪ Feedback at the beginning of the lecture when needed
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Communications Systems Design
Lectures
Provisional
Schedule!
1. Schedule and Evaluation / Introduction to System thinking
2. Engineering system design.
3. Elements of communication systems and embedded systems.
4. Design phases: Problem statement and requirements.
5. Design phases: Functional and physical architecture.
6. Design phases: System Verification and Validation (V&V).
7. Hardware and software co-design: tradeoffs.
8. Resources definition and estimation.
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Communications Systems Design
Laboratory
▪ Hands-on experience, as close as possible as an industry challenge.
▪ Practical System Design
▪ Multidisciplinary Teams
▪ Group work by students (Enabled by Microsoft Teams)
▪ Share and edit files collaboratively
▪ Coordinate Task
▪ Communicate and create meetings
▪ Project presentation by students
▪ Teacher support
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Communications Systems Design
Laboratory
Development
▪ Session 0. System ideation.
▪ Session 1. Problem Statement and Requirements Gathering.
▪ Session 2. System Design: Functional and Physical Architecture.
▪ Session 3. System Verification and Validation (V&V).
▪ Session 4. Student’s presentations of the projects.
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Evaluation and schedule
Communications Systems Design
Evaluation
Most relevant slide
for today!
▪ Theory: 50% (individual evaluation)  2 hours/week  Thursdays
15:00-17:00
▪ 50% Concepts questionnaire(s) and class activities/deliverables (Weekly)
▪ 50% System Functional Analysis (Document and short presentation)
▪ Lab: 50% (team evaluation)  5 sessions of 3 hours each Fridays
15:00-18:00
▪ 50% Lab Sessions deliverables (One per session)
▪ 50% Final Report and Presentation (Poster and oral presentation)
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Communications Systems Design
Evaluation
▪ For each evaluated activity, the aspects to be specifically evaluated are
▪ Creativity
▪ Technical applied knowledge
▪ Communication skills
▪ Multidisciplinary level
▪ Students will have the option to improve the obtained qualifications both, in case of failure
or low score (<7).
▪ This will be done by providing the students with a set of specific potential improvements
over the presented design, to be delivered before the final qualification is decided.
▪ Students will obtain a “NOT PRESENTED” qualification whenever no evaluation records
exist for the student during the overall evaluation period.
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Communications Systems Design
I will be updated
week by week if
needed..
Schedule
TODAY
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
18
Day
17/09/2020
24/09/2020
01/10/2020
08/10/2020
15/10/2020
22/10/2020
29/10/2020
05/11/2020
12/11/2020
19/11/2020
26/11/2020
03/12/2020
10/12/2020
17/12/2020
TBD
Lecture
SCHEDULE AND EVALUATION + INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION
NON-TEACHING DAY UAB
ENGINEERING SYSTEM DESIGN
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
DESIGN PHASES: PROBLEM STATEMENT AND REQUIEREMENTS
DESIGN PHASES: FRUNCTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ARCHITECTURE
CATCH-UP + SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION
FESTA MAJOR UAB: NON-TEACHING DAY
CONCEPTS QUESTIONAIRE
DESIGN PHASES: SYSTEM VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION (V&V)
SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS PRESENTATION BY STUDENTS
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CO-DESIGN: TRADEOFFS
RESOURCES DEFINITION AND ESTIMATION.
CATCH-UP DAY/INVITED LECTURE
FINAL EXAMS PERIOD
Day
18/09/2020
25/09/2020
02/10/2020
09/10/2020
16/10/2020
23/10/2020
30/10/2020
06/11/2020
13/11/2020
20/11/2020
27/11/2020
04/12/2020
11/12/2020
18/12/2020
TBD
Lab
Session 0: Presentation + System ideation
Session 1: Problem Statement and Requierements Gathering
Session 2: Syste Design: Fnctional and Physical Architecture
Session 3: System Verification and Validation (V&V)
Session 4: Student' s presentations of the projects
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What is a System?
Communications Systems Design
Is this a System and Why?
Source: System and System Engineering - MIT
OpenCourseWare.pdf
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Communications Systems Design
Is this a System and Why?
Source: Food chains & food webs – Khan Academy
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Communications Systems Design
Is this a System and Why?
Source: https://fixmypcstore.com/
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Communications Systems Design
What types of Systems have you
worked on?
Why do you call them “systems”?
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Communications Systems Design
Definitions of Systems
▪ A combination of interacting elements organized to achieve
one or more stated purposes.
▪ An integrated set of elements, subsystems, or assemblies
that accomplish a defined objective. These elements
include products (hardware, software, firmware),
processes, people, information, techniques, facilities,
services, and other support element.
▪ Main characteristics of a system: Interaction, Hierarchical
Dynamic, Interdisciplinary.
Source: INCOSE SE Handbook, V3,2
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Communications Systems Design
System of Systems
▪ Large‐scale inter‐disciplinary problems involving multiple,
heterogeneous, distributed systems
▪ System elements operate independently
▪ System elements have different life cycles
▪…
More on the
next lecture!
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Communications Systems Design
What is System Engineering?
Last definition!
▪ Systems engineering is a discipline that concentrates on the
design and application of the whole (system) as distinct from
the parts. It involves looking at a problem in its entirety,
considering all the aspects and all the variables and relating
the social to the technical aspect.
▪ Systems engineering is an iterative process of top‐down
synthesis, development, and operation of a real‐world system
that satisfies, in a near optimal manner, the full range of
requirements for the system.
Source: INCOSE SE Handbook, V3,2
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Systems from previous
years
Communications Systems Design
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Communications Systems Design
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Communications Systems Design
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Groups for Labs sessions
Communications Systems Design
Multidisciplinary! Mandatory
▪ We are all engineers but as much as possible, all groups
should…
▪ Mix technical expertise
▪ Mix places of origin
▪ Mix people who don’t know each other
▪ Mix languages
▪ Mix ages
▪ Mix gender
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Communications Systems Design
Personal presentation – First Task!
Record a short video introducing yourself:
▪ What’s your name? Where are you from? How old are you..
▪ What have you studied before being here? Why did you join the
Master?
▪ Which is your specialization? (Hardware, Comms, programming.. )
▪ Have you worked? Where? (Internships count too!)
▪ What is your favorite technical area? What are you eager to learn?
▪ Any hobbies or interests apart from engineering? (Netflix does not
count)
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Communications Systems Design
Personal presentation – First Task!
Record a short video introducing yourself:
- It is 2020 already, good video and audio quality are appreciated.
- Horizontal video is preferred.
- Don’t be shy, it is better if you show your face.
Task delivery:
- Recommendation: Upload your clip to YouTube and create a public URL so
that it can be shared.
- I will create a Forum on the CV and send an e-mail with all the details.
- Video deadline: 21 September 2020
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Communications Systems Design
Personal presentation – First Task!
Groups proposals
▪ Around 5 people per group.
▪ From 21st you can watch the videos of your classmates, use Teams
or/and the CV Forums to communicate.
▪ Make your group proposal until the 28th of September.
▪ On the 29th anyone with no group or in a group which does not meet
the rules will be assigned to a new group (by me)
▪ I will publish them before the first Lab session (2nd October).
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Communications Systems Design
Schedule Reminder
Next
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
18
Day
17/09/2020
24/09/2020
01/10/2020
08/10/2020
15/10/2020
22/10/2020
29/10/2020
05/11/2020
12/11/2020
19/11/2020
26/11/2020
03/12/2020
10/12/2020
17/12/2020
TBD
Lecture
SCHEDULE AND EVALUATION + INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION
NON-TEACHING DAY UAB
ENGINEERING SYSTEM DESIGN
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
DESIGN PHASES: PROBLEM STATEMENT AND REQUIEREMENTS
DESIGN PHASES: FRUNCTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ARCHITECTURE
CATCH-UP + SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION
FESTA MAJOR UAB: NON-TEACHING DAY
CONCEPTS QUESTIONAIRE
DESIGN PHASES: SYSTEM VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION (V&V)
SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS PRESENTATION BY STUDENTS
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CO-DESIGN: TRADEOFFS
RESOURCES DEFINITION AND ESTIMATION.
CATCH-UP DAY/INVITED LECTURE
FINAL EXAMS PERIOD
Day
18/09/2020
25/09/2020
02/10/2020
09/10/2020
16/10/2020
23/10/2020
30/10/2020
06/11/2020
13/11/2020
20/11/2020
27/11/2020
04/12/2020
11/12/2020
18/12/2020
TBD
Lab
Next
Session 0: Presentation + System ideation
Session 1: Problem Statement and Requirements Gathering
Session 2: Syste Design: Fnctional and Physical Architecture
Session 3: System Verification and Validation (V&V)
Session 4: Student' s presentations of the projects
20/21
37
Thank you!