SECON Team Zulu
IEEE SoutheastCon Hardware
Competition 2010
Outline
• Meet the Team
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Team Members
Brad Reaves
William Cleveland
Tim Pitts
Austin Lee
CPE / ASE Major
Team Lead
CPE Major
System Architecture System Architecture
Drive Train
Solar Testing
Course Construction
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CPE Major
Sensor selection CPE Major
Solar Testing
Drive Train
Feedback Monitor Bluetooth Comm
Course Construction
3
Outline
• Competition Overview
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Competition Overview
• IEEE SECON Hardware Competition
• March 18-21, 2010
• Charlotte, NC
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Outline
• Problem Specifications
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Problem Specifications
• Robot may only use solar power
– No stored energy
• Autonomous navigation of 10’x10’ course
– Includes height, width and ramp obstacles
– 3 minute time limit
• Robot must be less than 16” tall
• Objective: Score the most points
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Obstacles
• Width Obstacle
• 16” x 8”
• 25 Points
•
•
•
•
•
Ramp Obstacle
30° Angle
50 Points
6” Tall
12” x 16” Faces
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• Height Obstacle
• 8” x 16”
• 25 Points
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Course Overview
Halogen Lights
Starting Line
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Outline
• Problem Specifications
• System Design
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System Design
•
•
•
•
•
Collect solar energy
Store energy for light depleted areas
Convert energy into useable form
Intelligent navigation
Locomotion
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System Diagram
System Input
(Halogen Lights)
Intelligent Navigation
(Microcontroller & Sensors)
Harvest Energy
(Solar Panel Array)
Useable Power Levels
(Step-up / boost
regulator)
Output: Locomotion
(Motors)
Store Energy
(Capacitor)
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Outline
• Project Concerns
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Project Concerns - Sustainability
• Three minute trials
– Must assume no time between runs
– Replace suspect parts before competition
• Will be used for future demonstrations
– Requires little
maintenance
and setup
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Project Concerns - Manufacturability
• Modularity
– Efficient design phase
– Easier debugging
– Independent
modules allow
easy replacement
for competition
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Outline
• Approach and Tradeoffs
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Approach and Trade-offs
• Solar Panel Selection
• Microcontroller and Sensor Selection
• Motor Selection
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Solar Cells
• Purchased and tested solar cells under
competition conditions
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Solar Cells
•
•
•
•
600 mV open circuit
4-Ampere short circuit
2.5” x 4”
Design makes
prototyping easy
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Solar Cell Configuration
• Placed cells in different arrangements to
measure charging effectiveness
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Microcontroller & Sensors
• PIC24F
– Low power: less than 20 mA
– In house knowledge
• Bluetooth module
• Power monitor
• Navigation:
– Whiskers, IR, Encoders (Odometer)
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Motors
• Most important characteristics
– Torque
– Angular Velocity
– Power -- Current and Voltage
• Stall Current (Upper bound)
• Free Current (Lower bound)
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Pololu Motors
Motor
Voltage
(V)
Free
Stall
Free
Current Current RPM
(mA)
(mA)
Stall Torque (in*oz)
50:1 micro
3V
23
175
123.8
4.392
5V
30
330
220.0
6.588
3V
59
585
>220
6.149
5V
71
840
>>220
10.980
3V
37
370
68.4
6.588
5V
47
570
116.1
9.662
100:1 micro 3 V
16
143
54.6
4.392
5V
19
235
93
8.344
35:1 mini
100:1 mini
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Outline
• Timeline/Goals and Planning
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Timeline/Goals and Planning
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Outline
• Progress and Prototype
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Progress
• Collecting solar energy
– Tested and selected solar panels
– Currently researching best configuration
• Store energy for light depleted areas
– Currently selecting ideal capacitor size
• Convert energy into useable form
– Tested and selected boost regulators
• Intelligent navigation
– Early stages of development
• Locomotion
– Tested and selected prototype motors
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Progress
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Prototype
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References
[1] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. SoutheastCon 2010
Hardware Competition, 2009 September 22, http://southeastcon2010.
org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=83.
Accessed October 7, 2009.
[2] W. Cleveland, A. Lee, T. Pitts, B. Reaves. Product Specification Draft,
http://www.ece.msstate.edu/courses/design/2009/secon/zulu/documents/
ProductSpecificationDraft.pdf. Accessed October 7, 2009.
[3] W. Cleveland, A. Lee, T. Pitts, B. Reaves. Design Constraints,
http://www.ece.msstate.edu/courses/design/2009/secon/zulu/documents/
DesignConstraintsFinal.pdf. Accessed October 7, 2009.
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Questions?
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