Dec09-11 Embedded Systems Design Though Curriculum Jacqueline Bannister Luke Harvey Jacob Holen Jordan Petersen Client: Computer Engineering DepartmentAdvisors: Akhilesh Tyagi – Jason Boyd

Problem Statement The Department of Computer Engineering has found that underclassman students are struggling to see the connection between concepts learned within the curriculum and real world applications. Additionally the curriculum of each course tends to be compartmentalized, therefore not providing a birds eye view of the entire field. This Computer Engineering field encompasses the areas of embedded systems, computer architecture and software systems. Additional Issues: Little student involvement in clubs related to the program Students quickly lose interest in the program because of the difficulty of the curriculum and lack of encountering real world applications or design experiences 2

Need Statement Design an inquiry-based learning module that focuses on the use of course curriculum in the area of embedded systems for the Computer Engineering department. As outlined in the ADEPT proposal this program should: Motivate students to learn new material Provide alternate learning methodologies to address different learning styles Increase the design experience in the computer engineering program Motivate students to create a community of learners focused around problem solving 3

Concept Sketch - ADEPT 4

Concept Sketch 5 Knowledge learned during the Freshman and Sophomore years is used as input to the First Term course (CprE 286X) Knowledge learned from the Junior, Sophomore and Freshmen years as well as the CprE 286X course is used as input to the second term course (CprE 386X)

System Design - Requirements Projects must effectively integrate knowledge expected of students for that given year The courses will define checkpoints and milestones for students while still allowing for a design experience The proposed modules must engage student interest Should accommodate for various levels of skill sets and learning styles Should demonstrate area of embedded systems using robotics application 6

Student Survey 7

Survey Results 8 Based on the results from market survey as well as input from the design through curriculum team members and their advisors the team decided to pursue a robotics platform. Winner: Build your own robot: Robotics platform Runner Up: Handheld electronics device: Open source cell phone and MP3 player

Deliverables Completed robot prototype built from scratch Example competition for first semester Vision recognition software for the first semester competition Example robot control algorithm for the competition Recommendation for a platform to be used for the second semester course Documentation for students and TAs – Goal of the 286X course – Description of the final competition – How to use and modify the vision recognition software – Example of how to construct the robot – How to program the robot using LabVIEW 9

Schedule And Workload 10 Work BreakdownSchedule Tasks Camera and vision recognition C library Network variable server FPGA for sensors and servos Power distribution board Create learning modules

Resource Requirements 11 Cost BreakdownVarious Component Cost

Risks 12 Not selecting and approving projects on time Not being able to acquire necessary tools or hardware depending on project selection Future changes to the Computer Engineering curriculum Unforeseen complications with hardware/software Dissatisfaction of students with designed course

System Design 13

Dry-Erase Bot Competition 14 Goal: Autonomously color more squares than opponent in time limit Requirements & Restrictions: – Avoid obstacles, boundary and enemy robot – Robot design will be each team’s choice using given supplies – Limited battery supply, forcing efficient design implementation – Robots start outside course, therefore must locate entrance to course

Dry-Erase Bot Competition - System Diagram 15 Process field image and send information to PC Runs network variable server to package field data and control the competition Robots use sensor and field data to navigate the field

Software/Hardware Specifications NI LabVIEW – Real-time – FPGA – Embedded GNU C Tool Chain NI Vision Builder NI Compact Rio 9073 – 8 I/O modules – Onboard FPGA – Real Time processor NI Smart Camera Motors Sensors Chassis Breadboard/Electronics Battery Wireless Components 16 NI Compact Rio 9073

Test Plan / Success Metrics Completion of a prototype robot in one semester Unit testing – Vision recognition – FPGA – Power distribution board – Sensor and control Department offering 286x – Feedback surveys from students taking 286x – Students successfully build robots for the competition 17

Robotics Platform - Deliverables Custom Power System Custom PCB 24v, 12v, 5v supplies Student-friendly configuration 18

Robotics Platform - Deliverables FPGA control module Top level control VI Controls sensors, motors Links FPGA to c module 19

Vision Recognition - Deliverables VR for first competition Network variable server to process camera data Interface for C code to interact with vision data 20 Data structure for a robot’s location Data structure for which robot is winning a given square location *Bit 7 denotes which robot is winning that square (1 = Black, 0 = Green) Smart Camera

Vision Recognition - VB Screen Shots 21 Original Picture from Smart Camera Screen Shot of Running Inspection

Dry-Erase Bot Competition - Deliverables 22 Completed course construction Created prototype robot and source code Competition rules and requirements Completed Whiteboard Grid -Two 4x8 sheets of melamine

ADEPT Planning - Deliverables Learning modules Technical documentation for future students Platform recommendation Learned from difficulties with platform Recommend changes to current platform and recommend an alternative 23 Initial Robot Prototype

Platform Complications Difficulties setting up software environment cRIO-9073 does not allow direct access to VxWorks – OS concepts would need to be presented differently cRIO-9073 only allows for C modules to be placed into LabVIEW (C library calls) – Limited algorithm control in c – No interrupts, low level programming – Thread concept only available in LabVIEW blocks 24

Future Work 25 2 nd Semester course design and implementation Should build upon first semester work Include more advanced topics Course recommendation: De-Bomb Competition

Platform Recommendation 26 Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter Kit Digilent FX2 Interface Board

Platform Recommendation Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter Kit - $189 – Microblaze Processor – Spartan-3E FPGA – Runs uClinux – Various I/O components (Ethernet, Serial, GPIO, etc) Digilent FX2 Interface Board - $20 – Provides 6 PMOD connectors – Used for I/O connection to sensors and control 27

Recap Designed fully functional robotics platform and course consisting of computer engineering curriculum Created learning modules and technical documentation for students. Future recommendations for ADEPT 28

Dec09-11 Embedded Systems Design Though Curriculum Jacqueline Bannister Luke Harvey Jacob Holen Jordan Petersen Client: Computer Engineering DepartmentAdvisors: Akhilesh Tyagi – Jason Boyd Questions?