Dan Hillman - Electrical Engineer

Executive Summary

Dan Hillman is an electrical engineer with a master’s degree and over six years of experience. He has served on a variety of research projects and production efforts involving design, development, modeling, simulation, prototype fabrication, and testing.

Dan has served as the lead design engineer on a Body Wearable Diversity Antenna System (BWDAS) SBIR project, in which spatial and polarization diversity techniques were exploited to enhance the channel capacity of soldiers’ communication systems on the battlefield. Dan also played an integral role on a Shallow Cavity Enhanced Bandwidth Antenna (SCEBA) IRAD project researching antenna miniaturization techniques using metamaterials.

Dan has a diverse technical background and enjoys applying theoretical knowledge to achieve practical real-world solutions.

Key Qualifications

Competent in analog, digital, and RF circuit analysis, design, and testing.

Competent in analog PID control design.

Proficient with electrical test equipment (DVMs, oscilloscopes, and function generators).

Knowledgeable of electromagnetics, transmission lines, broadband impedance matching, and Smith chart theory.

Experienced in antenna analysis, design, simulation (HFSS / FEKO), and testing (network analyzers, anechoic chambers).

Experienced in FPGA design.

Proficient in MATLAB.

Proficient utilizing Agilent ADS for microwave circuit design, modeling, simulation, and optimization.

Competent in C++ object-oriented software design.

Knowledgeable of probability, random variables, and stochastic processes.

Proficient using MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Employment

LTK Engineering Services

2011-Present: Vehicle Consultant

Cobham Sensor Systems

2010-11: Antenna Engineer II

AppliedEM, Inc.

2006-10: Antenna Research Engineer

Education

Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, Concentration: Electromagnetics, Antennas, and Microwave Circuits, Arizona State University

Bachelor of Science, Engineering, Electrical Concentration, LeTourneau University

Professional Registration

Engineer-in-Training, (Texas), 2003

Professional Affiliations

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Member AP and MTT Societies

Project Experience

LTK Engineering Services, Ambler, PA (2011-Present)

LTK is a rail systems consulting firm that provides technical assistance in the planning, design, and development of rail transit systems. Assignments are centered on providing technical consulting services on the following topics:

• Positive train control (PTC)

• TDMA-based wireless data radio systems

• Ethernet LAN and WAN network devices

• TCP/IP protocols

• Systems interfaces

• Ni-Cd battery technology choices

• Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) applications.

Cobham Sensor Systems, Lansdale, PA (2010-11)

General Duties and Activities

Served on several projects involving antenna design, development, modeling, simulation, testing and evaluation. Performed antenna modeling and simulation, using both FEKO and HFSS. Conducted tests in anechoic chambers using FR Orbit software and DataPro. Wrote test acceptance code in MATLAB by which products are evaluated against customer’s specifications. Conducted antenna, balun, and material measurements using network analyzers. Developed an ultra-wideband radome utilizing Tschebyscheff impedance transformer techniques.

Shallow Cavity Enhanced Bandwidth Antenna (SCEBA) IRAD Project

Collaborated closely with the principle investigator for the research and development of an antenna miniaturization technique using metamaterials. Utilized lumped components, Smith Chart theory, and Agilent ADS for the design, simulation, and optimization of broadband matching networks for the antenna.

AppliedEM, Inc., Hampton, VA (2006-10)

General Duties and Activities

Used FEKO software regularly to perform antenna modeling and electromagnetic simulations on several antenna optimization projects for military and commercial clients. Studied, analyzed, and optimized antenna performance parameters such as radiation pattern, gain, VSWR, S11, polarization, and bandwidth. Wrote many technical reports.

Body Wearable Diversity Antenna System (BWDAS) SBIR Project

Phase I and Additional Phase I Option

Served as the lead engineer for the research, design, development, specification, implementation, management, testing, and presentations of a body-wearable diversity antenna system complete with a portable RF transceiver and switch controller.

• Conducted modeling and simulation efforts of the novel UHF antenna in FEKO.

• Performed MATLAB simulations to investigate and validate the channel decomposition method.

• Designed, implemented, and tested a switching diversity module in which RF, analog, and digital circuits would select an optimal antenna at any given time.

• Conducted testing of the entire system (complete with body-worn antennas).

Phase II

Led the effort to conceive, design, specify, implement, and test a second-generation FPGA-based switching diversity module prototype with the goal of minimizing size, weight, and power consumption while also improving the speed, timing, and flexibility of the digital electronics.

• Utilized VHDL in Altera’s Quartus II environment for the design of this second-generation prototype.

• Performed FPGA design and development efforts including clocking, timing circuits, flip-flops, RAM development, sequential logic, comparisons, and decision making.

• Collaborated closely with sub-contractors for the design, schematic, layout, and implementation of the module.

Major Undergraduate Projects (2002-03)

Mechatronics Model Vehicle Controller Design and Implementation

Served on a 3-member team for the design, implementation, testing, and presentation of an analog cruise controller for a model vehicle system. The design featured a control feedback loop which was realized using root locus design techniques. The physical vehicle was machined and fabricated from scratch using raw materials and machine tools. The armature inductance of the motor was found through experimentation. A model of the plant with the motor was developed, specifications were judiciously set, and a PI controller was designed and implemented. MATLAB and Simulink were used to simulate a step-response for the entire system. In tests, the vehicle moved at the same user defined speed on a flat surface as it did on a 10-degree incline confirming that the feedback control loop worked.

Senior Design Project: ACL Deficient Knee Test Fixture Controller

Served on a 6-member team for the design, fabrication, testing, and presentation of an ACL deficient knee test fixture closed-loop controller. This controller constrained five pneumatic cylinders (muscles) to exert forces that caused a precise motion of a cadaver knee, while dynamically measuring the reactionary forces of the interior ligaments and tendons. The prototype featured a 68HC12 microcontroller.

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