System Design Review

System Design Review

P12215: Wandering Ambassador

______

Meeting Purpose

1.Overview of the project

2.Confirm engineering specs and customer needs

3.Review concepts and design approach/ feasibility

4.Share risks

Materials to be reviewed

1.Project description / background

1. Objectives, Deliverables, Strategy and Approach

1. Customer needs and Specifications

1. System breakdown

1. Physical Architecture

1. PCB Layout

1. Concept Selection/ Design choices

1. Risk Analysis and Assessment

Meeting Date: Friday January 27th from 10AM - 11:30AM

Meeting Location: 09-3119

Timeline:

Start Time / Topic Review / Required Attendees
10:00AM / Project Introduction, Goals and Deliverables / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez, Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
10:15AM / Constraints and approach / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez,Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
10:20AM / Expectations from System Design Review / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez,Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
10:25AM / System Breakdown Structure / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez,Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
10:35AM / System Architecture and PCB Layout / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez, Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
10:50AM / Concept Selection/Design choices / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez, Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
11:10AM / Risk Analysis and Assessment / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez, Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin
11:20AM / Questions/Clarifications / Dr. Vallino, Dr. Sahin, Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez
11:30AM / Customer Needs and Specifications / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez
-- / Questions/Clarifications / Dr. Slack, Dr. Gomez

Core Team

Name / Role / Major / Work Specialty
Praneeth Pulusani / Team Lead / CE / Software, Interfacing and Controls
Dan Massar / Meeting Facilitator / EE / Electrical
Derek Badon / Edge Coordinator / EE / Electrical
Sam Stats / Edge Coordinator / ME / Mechanical, Quick Disconnect
Phil Tatti / Treasurer / EE / Electrical, Sonar, Interfacing
Sheena Mital / Treasurer / EE / Electrical
Michael Ciambella / Quality Control Specialist / ME / Mechanical, Labview
Anthony Lanza / Quality Control Specialist / EE / Electrical

Project Background

Over the past four years, RIT students have designed, assembled, and tested the Wandering Ambassador. They have succeeded in their goal of showcasing the creativity and aptitude of RIT students. Since the first year, the complexity of the project has grown immensely. The task of comprehending and understanding past modifications to enhance the project further has become a laborious task. Any further multidisciplinary modifications can only be done in a serial progression because of the current layout causing unnecessary time delays.

Project Statement

Our goal is to reduce the period in which a new group can familiarize themselves with the Wandering Ambassador. In addition, a comprehensive testing platform to allow quicker problem solving and simultaneous multidisciplinary modifications.

Objectives/Scope:

1.Improve modularity of the system to be able to separate and reassemble the electrical and mechanical components rapidly.

2.Ensure the safety of the pedestrians and surroundings.

3.Keep the wiring in the electrical system organized and optimized for future improvements.

4.Enhance the campus experience for prospective students.

5.Create a user friendly interface for detecting hardware malfunctions.

6.Compose tutorial for serial and I2C interfaces

Deliverables:

1.A test stand that will allow future teams to quickly troubleshoot and develop new electronics and software prior to mounting on robot.

2.A learning module on communications interface so a new group can quickly ascertain how to program and make changes to the ambassador.

3.An ambassador that wanders around the campus manually or autonomously while reporting its location coordinates.

4.A tutorial describing I2C interfaces

Expected Project Benefits

At present, prospective RIT students interact with human ambassadors who guide them around the campus. This project will help these students discover the possibilities an RIT education can provide. Students will be able to interact with The Wandering Ambassador to find directions, local weather, events, dining locations and other information pertaining to campus life. In addition, the proposed improvements and learning tools will help future engineering teams further develop the Wandering Ambassador platform.

Strategy & Approach

Assumptions & Constraints:

The team must have a well-rounded understanding of the current Wandering Ambassador robot in order to enable off-line development, experimentation, and debugging. The team must assume particular components of the current robot are operable. The ability to enable parallel development and create a modular system for upcoming teams will prove to be a constraint due to several technologies being developed simultaneously. The team will focus on design issues throughout the duration of the project in order to assist the development of future design iterations.

Issues & Risks:

●Understanding the scope and learning curve for current robot

●Obtaining and implementing new parts and hardware with current system

●Limitations and processing power of host computer

Expectations and Outcome of System Design Review

• Pandaboard vs Beagleboard
• Proposed vs Current Sonar
• Proposed Accelerometer vs Current bump sensor
• Proposed vs Current IR
• Number of microcontrollers necessary for operation
• Implementation of solar panels in redesign of PCB
• Redesign considerations of PCB layout
• Labview GUI interface with new PCB layout
• Define operating environment

Systems Breakdown

Conceptual PCB Layout

Customer Needs

P12215 Wandering Ambassador Test Stand - Customer Needs
Customer Need Number / Importance / Description / Comments/Status
CN1 / 7 / Uphold Specification from Previous Projects
CN2 / 6 / Create Test Environment
CN3 / 9 / Quick Disconnect
CN4 / 9 / Redesign and Simplification of Existing Systems without Loss of Performance
CN5 / 9 / Correct overheating of voltage regulator
CN6 / 6 / Reduce Learning Curve for Future Groups
CN7 / 9 / Partition Computer/Electrical Systems from Mechanical Systems
CN8 / 6 / Software Development Performance Enhancement

Engineering Specification

P12215 Wandering Ambassador Test Stand - Engineering Specifications
Engr. Spec # / Source / Important / Specification Description / Unit of Measure / Marginal value / Ideal Value / Comments/Status
EN1 / CN1 / Radius Object Detection / proximity of robot to front/back of robot / in / 24 / 12
EN2 / CN1 / Angle of Object Dectection (Field of View) / object elevation relative to robot / ° / 60 / 360
EN3 / CN1 / Edge Hangover Distance / detect distance from robot to ground / in / 2 / 0
EN4 / CN1 / Stopping Distance / in / 5 / 1
EN5 / CN1 / Solar Panel Power Output / watts / 1.00 / 2.50 / Implementation undecided (low priority)
EN6 / CN1 / Maximum Bump Force / lbs / <10 / <5
EN7 / CN1 / Hours of Continous Operation / hrs / 30 / 56
EN8 / CN1 / Reliability / issues/wk / 1.00 / 0.00
EN9 / CN1 / Ability to Switch Input Peripherals / Operate autonomously or via user input peripherals / binary / y / y
EN10 / CN1 / Child cannot entangle fingers in drivetrain / binary / y / y / Completed by previous group
EN11 / CN1 / Core Components are Visible from a Distance / ft / 4.00 / 12.00
EN12 / CN1 / Sensor Output Latency-Input to Software Recognition Time / sec / 0.30 / 0.10
EN13 / CN1 / Wireless Radio
EN14 / CN3 / Standard Connectors (sockets, USB, MicroSD) / % / 75% / 100%
EN15 / CN2/CN6 / Create Labview GUI to quickly debug hardware problems
EN16 / CN2 / Debug Diagnostic Mode Operation / binary / y / y / Labview/LEDs
EN17 / CN4 / Ensure wandering ambassador is within processing limits of the Beagle board / stimulus to response time / seconds
EN18 / CN4 / Redisgn and Refrabricate of PCB Layout
EN19 / CN2 / Interface Robot with Labview
EN20 / CN3 / Mechanical Breakaway to Disconnect Electrical Components
EN21 / CN4 / Condense MicroControllers / 4 / 1
EN22 / CN4 / Increase Breadboard Area
EN23 / CN4 / Ability to Add Additional Components for Increased Functionality
EN24 / CN4/CN2 / Incorporate Data Aqusition (DAQ) in Parallel with Sensor / Elaborate on Potential Output
EN25 / CN5 / Redesign Voltage Regulator / 5 Vdc
EN26 / CN6 / Create I2C Tutorial
EN27 / CN6 / Create CAN Tutorial
EN28 / CN6 / Data Analyzer Tutorial
EN29 / CN7/CN2 / Evaluate Sensor Functionality on Test Stand
EN30 / CN8 / Implement the sensor and servo controllers
EN31 / CN8 / Evaluate Performance QNX RTOS
EN32 / CN8 / Evaluate Driver Compatibility of Beagle Board
EN33 / CN8 / Relay Coordinate from GPS / binary / y / y

Physical Architecture

System Benchmarking

What is currently on the system / Add/Remove / To Do / New
Beagle Board / Plant / Trainer XM
H-bridge / Remove / Humidity/pump / LED indicators
Motor Control / Keep / Battery level indicator / Smaller microcontroller for motor management
Navigation / ? / Photo/temp / Level translator
Sonar 4x
Servos 4x / Beagleboard
Infrared / Keep / Reserve space
accelerometer / Keep / Level translator
Compass
Plant Function / Breadboard
Humidity / Keep / Enlarge
Battery level indicator
Power / H-bridge
Solar / Keep / Keep 1x for motor control
Microcontrollers x3
Breadboard area / Microcontrollers 3x
Remove / 2x replace with Trainer XM
Keep / Keep 1x for motor control
Navigation
Keep / Sonar 4x
Keep / Compass
Keep / Infrared 3x
Keep / Accelerometer
Power
Keep / Solar power
Keep / USB hub power
Keep / Regulators FIX
Keep / Battery

Concept Selection Matrix for Main Processor

A / B / C
Weight / Beagle + MSP430 / Beagle + Trainer / Pandaboard + Trainer
Concept Selection / Rating / Comments / WTD / Rating / Comments / WTD / Rating / Comments / WTD
Speed/Performance / 4 / 3 / The performance is marginal / 12 / 2 / We dont know if performance will be faster or slower than option A / 8 / U / The performance will atleast be double of beagle. 1GHz dual core vs 600MHz single core / 0
Availability of I2C Ports / 4 / 2 / 3x / 8 / 5 / 17x / 20 / 5 / 17x / 20
Power / 4 / 5 volts for beagle and 1.75 watts/msp / 0 / 5 volts for beagle and 5 volts for trainer / 0 / 5 volts for panda and 5 volts for trainer / 0
Wire Reduction / 3 / 2 / Connecting all the msps requires a lot of wiring / 6 / 4 / Beagleboard sits directly on the expansion port / 12 / 4 / Pandaboard directly connects to the expansion port / 12
Ease of Use / 5 / 2 / The number of devices involved creates a big learning curve / 10 / 4 / Trainer is less complex than multiple microcontroller design / 20 / 4 / Trainer is less complex than multiple microcontroller design / 20
Testability / 5 / 2 / 10 / 3 / Enables use of DAQ / 15 / 3 / Enables use of DAQ / 15
Ease of Debug / 4 / 2 / 8 / 4 / 16 / 4 / 16
Future Project Expansion / 5 / 3 / Not many ports available. The design cannot be easily changed. Needs a change of PCB or extra messy wiring / 15 / 4 / Many IO, I2C and interface ports make it easier for future expansion / 20 / 4 / Many IO, I2C and interface ports make it easier for future expansion / 20
Sum +
Sum 0s
Sum -
Net Score / 69 / 111 / 103
Rank

Concept Selection for Sensor and Servo interfaces

Weight / I2C / USB
Concept Selection / Rating / Comments / WTD / Rating / Comments / WTD
Ease of programming / 5 / 1 / The performance is marginal / 3 / We don’t know if performance will be faster or slower than option A
Cost / 2 / 4 / 8 / 2 / 4
Net Score / 13 / 19

Risk Assessment

ID / Risk Item / Effect / Cause / Likelihood / Severity / Importance / Action to Minimize Risk / Owner
Describe the risk briefly / What is the effect on any or all of the project deliverables if the cause actually happens? / What are the possible cause(s) of this risk? / L*S / What action(s) will you take (and by when) to prevent, reduce the impact of, or transfer the risk of this occurring? / Who is responsible for following through on mitigation?
1 / Limitations and processing power of Beagleboard / Not every system can work simultaneously / Too many peripherals / 2 / 1 / 2 / Simplify programming, reduce sensors
2 / Delivery time, learning curve for Pandaboard / Robot would not function / Availability/learning curve / 2 / 3 / 6 / Proposal, act timely
3 / Removing microcontrollers / Unable to reprogram/redesign board / Trouble interfacing with sensors/I2C / 1 / 2 / 2 / Work with experts, consult with previous groups
4 / Switching sonar sensors / Robot can’t move autonomously / Difficulties interfacing with current systems / 1 / 2 / 2 / Become familiar with I2C
5 / Susceptibility to weather/elements / Cant move, would ruin sensors / Rain, elements / 1 / 2 / 2 / Weatherproof housing
6 / Motherboard redesign / Robot would not be able to function unassisted / Design flaws / 2 / 3 / 6 / Leave time for board revisions and debugging
7 / Budget / Inability to order all desired parts / Price of desired components / 2 / 2 / 4 / Comparative shopping to ensure parts are purchased at best price / Phil, Sheena

Quick Disconnect System

One simple and viable design is using movable brackets to hold the electronics housing in place. I think this would be inexpensive and effective since we really do not need to worry about large amounts of movement in the vertical direction which is not constrained.

In order to make all the sensors quickly disconnect from the electronics housing we are going to install multi-port wire connectors which can easily be unplugged. This will simplify the moving process by ensuring everything that needs to be disconnected from the test stand is external to the electronics housing.

Proposed Labview Interface and Set Up

This is the ideal layout of the Lab View GUI. A visual representation of the sensor outputs would allow for quick debugging. This is an ideal layout because there would be enough inputs to read all of the sensors simultaneously. The most affordable Lab View interface only has 12 inputs. This will limit the capability of the test stand. To solve this problem, the interchangeable sensors will allow for testing of all the sensors, but not simultaneously.

Part List

Part name / Part number / Price / Quanity / total / Link to spec sheet
Trainer XM / Trainer-xM Board / 59 / 1 / 59 /
Panda Board / OMAP4460 Pandaboard ES / 0 / 1 / 0 /
I2C sonar / Devantech SRF02 or SRF08 / 35 / 4 / 140 /
I2c IR sensor / I2C-It IR Rangefinder / 40 / 4 / 160 /
PCB / 250 / 1 / 250
TI labview interfacor / NI USB-6501 / 100 / 1 / 100 /
LEDs / LED - RGB Clear Common Cathode / 2 / 12 / 24 /
Wifi Adaptor / ASUS (USB-N10) / 20 / 1 / 20 /
Beagleboard backup / Beagleboard / 125 / 1 / 125 /
motor ctrl / Grove - I2C Motor Driver
/ 16 / 2 / 32 /
level translator / PCA9306 / 7 / 5 / 35 /
i2c accelerometer / ADXL345 / 30 / 1 / 30 /
i2c servo / OpenServo / 15 / 4 / 60

Gantt Chart: