P10217: Robot Integration and Testing

P10217: Robot Integration and Testing

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P10217: Robot Integration and Testing

System Design Review

KGCOE Multidisciplinary Senior Design

Patrick Arrigo
Adam Spirer
Aaron Zimmerman
Wes Coleman
Vernon Vantucci
Steven Guenther

15 January 2010
9:00 AM
9-2580, Xerox Auditorium

Contents

Overview ......

Project Description ......

Objectives ......

Deliverables ......

Project Benefits ......

Team Goal ......

Team Members ......

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Shell/Housing ......

Design Concept ......

Mounting Concept ......

Weatherproofing Concept ......

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Testing and Verification ......

Locations ......

Categories ......

Guidelines ......

Methodology ......

Procedure Template ......

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Project Plan ......

Task Breakdown ......

Timeline ......

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Appendix ......

Associate Team Status ......

Customer Needs ......

Engineering Specifications ......

Risk Assessment ......

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Overview

Project Description (Official)

The Wandering Campus Ambassador projects will develop a robot-like system to raise awareness of self-sustaining energy and showcase student's creative and technical abilities. The idea is to create curiosity through a robot like device with a living, growing and self-sustaining plant. It will wander around in a nice, slow, autonomous fashion, searching out the best sun, water, fellow plants and friendly passers-by. Act as a great (yet very quiet) spokesperson/plant for the KGCOE MSD, GCCIS Software Engineering Senior Projects, CIAS Industrial Design Senior Projects and even the new sustainability programs being created at RIT. Just think what a great news story or YouTube episode it would make. If you think along the environmentally friendly side a little, you could consider some replenishable power sources for both the robotic-like device and its plant which are not only along-for-the-ride but may guide the robotic's autonomous decisions in search of being able to sustain the plant (i.e. water, sun, temperature, food).

Team Objectives

Preceding (and current) team P10215 and P10216 have been developing the Locomotion and Navigation platforms respectively. The job of P10217, the Integration and Field Testing team, will be to evaluate and test the designs implemented by Locomotion and Navigation. In addition, Integration will be working in parallel with P10218 who will be developing high-level Applications for the robot. Integration’s specific objectives are to do the following:

  • Assemble robot completely, with aesthetic requirements satisfactory for customer
  • Verify functionality of electrical components (sensors, Wi-Fi, GPS, sonar, IR, etc.)
  • Verify functionality of locomotion platform (motors, movement, obstacle detection, etc.)
  • Verify integration of high-level applications is successful

Deliverables

  • Fully assembled and system-integrated robot including aesthetic designs, in line with specifications provided by customer (MSD II)
  • Documentation of any changes and revisions to original designs and why they have been changed (MSD I)
  • Demonstration of all robot functionality in designated operating areas, and proof of potential for extended operation (MSD II)
  • Documentation of testing procedure methodology (MSD I) and field testing results (MSD II)

Project Benefits

  • Reinforcement of RIT’s devotion to sustainability and “green” projects
  • Excellent demonstration of successful, efficient testing procedures for integrated systems of its kind; methodologies can be evaluated for use in future projects
  • Support of Multidisciplinary Senior Design projects through potential ImagineRIT presentation

Team Goal

The Integration Team’s goal within the Wandering Campus Ambassador Project is to spearhead the process of integrating the work completed by the Locomotion and Plant Team (P10215) and the Navigation Team (P10216) who have developed motion, intelligence, and plant care subsystems for the robot platform. The Integration team will focus on the integration of the locomotion components and ensuring proper harnessing of electrical subsystems. In addition, Integration will design and produce the outer robot shell housing. Integration will work closely with the Applications team, ensuring smooth implementation of high-level functionality. Field testing of the robot will likely take place in MSD II.

Team Members

Patrick ArrigoMechanical Engineering, Team Lead

Adam SpirerElectrical Engineering

Aaron ZimmermanMechanical Engineering

Wes ColemanMechanical Engineering

Vernon VantucciComputer Engineering

Steven GuentherElectrical Engineering

Shell/Housing

Design Concept

A (reference) / B / C
Plastic / Metal / Composite
Selection Criteria / Weight / Rating / Notes / Wtd / Rating / Notes / Wtd / Rating / Notes / Wtd
Durability / 15% / 3 / 0.45 / 5 / 0.75 / 3 / 0.45
Fabrication Ease / 20% / 1 / Molding and vacuum forming / 0.20 / 4 / Bending, cutting, ball-peening / 0.80 / 3 / Molding, lay-ups, cuting / 0.60
Repeatability / 10% / 5 / 0.50 / 2 / 0.20 / 3.5 / 0.35
Sharp Corner Bending / 15% / 2 / 0.30 / 5 / 0.75 / 1 / 0.15
Simple Curves / 15% / 4 / 0.60 / 3 / 0.45 / 4 / 0.60
Complex Curves / 25% / 5 / 1.25 / 2 / 0.50 / 5 / 1.25
Total Score / 3.30 / 3.45 / 3.40
Rank / 3 / 1 / 2
Continue? / N / Y / Y

The shell design for the robot was initially headed by industrial design students in the Locomotion team. Recent group reorganization dedicated design evaluation and completion to the Integration team. The plan is to keep the original design as faithfully as possible, though some elements may be simplified if difficulty is encountered in forming the required contours in the materials.

C Users Adam Documents RIT MSD P10217 web public Shell Isometric Curvature jpgIsometric View

C Users Adam Documents RIT MSD P10217 web public Shell Side Curvature jpg
Side View

C Users Adam Documents RIT MSD P10217 web public Shell Front Curvature jpg
Front View

Mounting Concept

Mounting bracket material options are currently being considered. Mounting will need to attach the shell (primarily made of fiberglass and sheet metal) to the steel frame designed by Locomotion Team. Shell will need to allow for some access panels with appropriate attachment for easy access to motors and other components and/or wiring that may need replacement or diagnostics during the life of the system. This must not require significant disassembly and need no specialized tools to remove the panels. Specific design and CAD drawings are currently under development and will be documented using SolidWorks.

Weatherproofing Concept

A / B / C
Weatherstripping / Silicone / Electronics Box
Selection Criteria / Weight / Rating / Notes / Wtd / Rating / Notes / Wtd / Rating / Notes / Wtd
Reliability / 33% / 3 / 0.99 / 4 / 1.32 / 2 / 0.66
Fabrication Ease / 33% / 3 / 0.99 / 4 / 1.32 / 3 / 0.99
Disassembly / 33% / 4 / 1.32 / 1 / 0.33 / 5 / 1.65
Total Score / 3.30 / 2.97 / 3.30
Rank / 1 / 2 / 1
Continue? / Y / N / Y

Since the robot will be operating outdoors, weatherproofing is required to guarantee successful robot operation. The shell will be completely sealed except for the undercarriage and access panels. Access panels will use rubber weatherstripping materials to seal panel edges. Undercarriage not being sealed means that there is likely to be some water kickup when it is raining, so electronics will be housed in a splashproof “guard” material (likely plexiglass) high towards the top of the robot, away from the ground. Wiring will be heatshrunk or taped at terminal points to prevent shorts if water were to penetrate splash guards. Motors will be sealed from water kickup as well via splash “guards” similar to the electronics casing.

Testing and Verification

The test plan is designed to provide all verification needed to ensure a successful deployment of the robot. All subsystems in both mechanical and electrical areas will be tested independently and then as an integrated system. This includes sensors, motors, and softwareapplications.

Locations

Testing will take place in multiple locations around campus. In addition to testing in the final locations (which are outdoor), the 4th floor design center will also be used as testing grounds for more isolated subsystem testing that requires the use of more equipment for analysis (oscilloscopes, meters, etc.).The following is a brief description of each location:

Field House Front Entrance – Concrete stairway landing area in front of the entrance to the Gordon Field House.

Simone Circle – Open area in front of the Student Alumni Union and George Eastman Building. The Sentinel sculpture is present in the center of this area.

Kodak Quad –Quad area in front of the Gannet and Eastman Buildings, populated heavily with students moving between classes.

4th Floor Design Center – Workarea designated for Multidisciplinary Senior Design students. Testing equipment is easily accessible in this location.

Each location presents its own obstacles and navigation challenges. The following table displays important comments related to each area.

Location / Comments / Indoor/
Outdoor / Final Location
Field House Front Entrance / Travel Surface: Concrete sidewalk.
Borders: grass, descending stairs.
Obstacles: uneven concrete / Outdoor / Yes
Simone Circle (Sentinel) / Travel Surface: Concrete and brick walkways.
Borders: downward curb.
Obstacles: Sentinel sculpture / Outdoor / Yes
Kodak Quad (Building 7 Front) / Travel Surface: Concrete and brick walkways.
Borders: upward curb, stairs, grass.
Obstacles: uneven walkways, inclines. / Outdoor / Yes
4th Floor Design Center / Indoor location for testing preliminary operation and isolated elements, such as individual sensor responses. Also for troubleshooting issues encountered in outdoor final locations / Indoor / No; testing only

Note: The roaming capabilities of the robot are customizable; the robot can be programmed to wander in any given area if new areas are needed in the future.

Categories

Test procedures can be broken down into categories based on subsystem and operation types. Initialization and shutdown procedures will test the robot’s ability to power up and power down successfully under all required circumstances. Procedures will also be in place to test electrical systems including sensors and processors; as well as application systems (wireless connectivity and location services); mechanical systems including motors, motion, and plant care; and the frame/shell and harnessing mechanisms. The following subsystems as targets for testing procedures are as follows:

Motors – Locomotion platform components for motion

Sensors – Sonar, IR, and other sensing devices used by robot to evaluate and interact with the environment

Wi-Fi, GPS – High-level communication and location services used for Applications development

Electrical – Electrical components including processors (BeagleBoard, TI MSP430s) and wiring to sensors and motor controllers

Plant – Systems dedicated to plant care, water tank, and the plant itself

Frame – Chassis-related components, mounting brackets, wiring harnesses

Shell – Robot outer housing

The following test categories have been identified, with description and associated subsystem:

Category / Description / Subsystem
Initialization / Startup and shutdown procedures / Electrical
Speed / Does robot move at required translational speed range? / Motors
Rotation / Turning radius, rotational speed range / Motors
Motion / Forward and reverse locomotion / Motors
Obstacle detection / Awareness of operating environment, avoidance of obstacles / Sensors
Plant care / Ivy plant is watered and cared for appropriately / Plant
Manual operation / Moving robot to appropriate operating environments / Frame
Status reports / Data dumps over Wi-Fi / Wi-Fi, GPS
Networking / High-level applications (Facebook, Twitter) / Wi-Fi, GPS
Weatherproofing / Resistance of internal components to rain, etc. / Shell
Distress detection / Theft and tampering reports over Wi-Fi, shutdown procedure in the case of possible damage / Wi-Fi, GPS
Error detection / Equipment failures, sensor recalibration / Electrical

Final Operating Locations
Test Categories, Diagnostic Locations

Guidelines

The following are guidelines for writing Test Procedures:

  • All Test Procedures will use the Test Procedure Template found on EDGE

  • Case 0and Case 3 for all test procedures will be the same (Initialization, Shutdown) unless the Initialization or Shudown procedures themselves are being tested

  • All Test Procedures will include which mode the robot must be in for the test

  • All Test Procedures will terminate with shutting the robot off.

  • All Test Procedures which are updated/changed will have their Revision Histories updated

  • The Requirements section shall take requirements only from the derived specifications

  • All Test Procedures will be given a Test Number based on the numbering scheme found below

  • All Test Procedures shall be saved on the Header Page with the active cell being the Procedure Name

  • All Test Procedures will be looked over by the rest of the Team before accepted

Test Procedures will be enumerated according to the following method:

  • The first two numbers will be the Assigned Number of the Major Category being tested as listed below

  • The third number will be a place holder 0

  • The last two numbers will be incremented as multiple procedures are written for One category

  • For example, if the test for Average Velocity is written as the 7th test under the category of Speed, its number would be: 02007

Methodology

The following is a general testing procedure which includes steps for debugging and reworking failed tests. In addition a flowchart for individual test execution steps is described.

# / Step / Description
1 / Obtain Test Procedure / Get the test procedure for the test to be run
2 / Power on Robot / Enable power to the robot
3 / Run Test / Run the desired test as outlined in the procedure
4 / Fill out Procedure / Fill out Test Results and Notes area of procedure
5 / Fill out master list / Fill out master list of procedures
6 / Rework test / If test procedure is inadequat to cover specifications, rework the procedure
7a / Debug Robot / If test Fails, cause of failure needs to be determined and fixed
7b / Re-Run test / If procedure is valid and Test fails, test needs to be rerun to ensure a Pass
Notes: / If test passes and covers desired specifications, steps 6 and 7 may be skipped
If test was performed incorrectly, the test also needs to be re-run even if the test Passed
All test procedures will be located on the EDGE website as will be the master list of procedures
All Test Procedures need to be filled out correctly as multiple people will be running tests

Note: Although not shown in the flow chart above, if the Test Fails, the robot will still go through the shutdown procedure

Procedure Template

The test procedure template will be used to identify, describe, and document each individual test procedure done in the course of the project. The template consists of a title page identifying the procedure name, operator, and date performed; and a test steps page indicating each step required by the given test procedure (including powerup and powerdown) with pass/fail results and comments. Each procedure will also reference particular engineering specifications to which it is linked.

Project Name/Number : / P10217: Robot Integration and Field Testing
Procedure Name : / XXXXXXXXX
Procedure Number : / XXXXX
Operator Name / ______
Date Tested / ______
STEP / TEST STEP / EXPECTED RESULTS
PASS/FAIL CRITERIA / TEST RESULTS
RESULT / NOTES
Case 0: Initialization
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Case 1:
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
Case 2:
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
Case 3: Shut Down
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9

Project Plan

The Integration and Testing project consists of a number of goals, all categorized under the responsibility of making sure all systems designed and implemented by the Locomotion, Navigation, and later Applications teams work together seamlessly. Tasks are broken down into reasonably specific categories and arranged on a Gantt Chart-style timeline. The timeline is broken down by discipline, grouping individual tasks into groups that are assigned to specific team members. Start times for tasks on the timeline are marked by their corresponding numbers as listed in the Task Breakdown. In any project plan it is important to identify the critical paths; this has been identified for Integration as the development and implementation of the final test plan, which is indicated in the timeline.

Task Breakdown

# / Task
1 / Meet with Navigation and Locomotion Teams to determine acceptable performance specifications
2 / Develop test procedures to cover all requirements
3 / Evaluate weatherproofing requirements
4 / Identify mounting materials
5 / Perform test procedures
6 / Document test results
7 / Evaluate performance/calibration of sensors, ranges, etc.
8 / Test weatherproofing requirements
9 / Construct shell
10 / New features
11 / List design shortfalls
12 / Perform redesign of features as needed
13 / Evaluate wiring and shielding needs
14 / Build and implement harness and shielding for electronics
15 / Learn software programming environment
16 / Overview current state of firmware and higher-level software ports

Timeline

Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7 / Week 8 / Week 9 / Week 10
Mechanical Engineers
Design and fabricate shell mounting (Wes) / 3 / 4 / 9
Evaluate locomotion/plant shortfalls (Pat) / 11 / 12
Electrical Engineers
Evaluate sensor integration shortfalls
(Adam, Steven) / 11 / 12
Design wiring harness and electronics shielding
(Adam, Steven) / 13 / 14
Evaluate integration with Wi-Fi
(Adam, Steven) / 11 / 12
Computer Engineers
Familiarize with firmware architecture and links to applications
(Vernon) / 15 / 16
Evaluate shortfalls in navigation software
(Vernon, Adam) / 11 / 12
ALL DISCIPLINES
Formulate test procedures
(Pat, Aaron) / 1 / 2
Perform test procedures
(All) / 5 / 6
Preliminary evaluation
(All) / 7 / 8
Develop new features?
(All) / 10

Standard Tasks
Critical Path Tasks

Field testing will likely take full pace starting in MSD II in the spring. A worst-case field testing timeline has been developed to prepare for this.

Appendix

Associate Team Status

Navigation

  • Complete block diagram and associated BOM completed
  • Parts (BeagleBoard, MSP430s, sensors, etc.) obtained
  • Firmware development underway

Locomotion

  • Frame complete
  • Motors, transmission, and drive chains mounted
  • Basic functionality and mobility tested, motor control via MSP430 tested
  • Battery and charger installed
  • Water reservoir and pump (for plant) mounted


Battery Hookup

Drivetrain