Senior Project Design Review Remote Visual Surveillance Vehicle (RVSV) Manoj Bhambwani Tameka Thomas

Project Description Remote controlled vehicle with mounted Internet camera Both the vehicle and camera motion is controlled by user via an Internet interface which sends the signal through the serial port to a transceiver Real-time video from the Internet camera is received through the same interface via the Ethernet connection to a wireless router

Project Design Introduction The project design is split into the following modules: Radio Signal Processing Transmission – this includes the Java Applet and the serial port transceiver Receiving – this includes the microcontroller and the transceiver circuit which it controls Vehicle Control Camera Control Obstacle Detection

Project Design: Transmission The transceiver circuit includes a transceiver IC which modulates and controls transmission of the desired signal, a Max232 which converts the RS-232 signal to TTL logic and a RS- 232 connector This unit uses an AC wall adapter for the power supply in order to minimize circuit and need for batteries The Internet interface uses two java applets, one to display the video and one to control the camera and vehicle movement The video display applet is a feature of the Internet camera and is not controlled by the user in any way The motion control applet consists of a read-only text box and 8 buttons total, each button sends a separate control signal to the serial port and the text box is to alert the user of any obstacles or causes of an incomplete transaction

Project Design: Transmission, Rough Draft GUI

Project Design: Transmission, Final Draft GUI Concept

Project Design: Transmission, Current Transmitter Module

Project Design: Receiving The transceiver circuit consists of the transceiver module and a microcontroller which processes the signal The microcontroller will determine what movement is to be made and will take info from the obstacle detection circuit to determine what moves can be made The microcontroller will also be in charge of signaling back to the user via the transceiver if a close obstacle has caused the vehicle not to move

Project Design: Receiving, Current Receiver Module Power Supply

Project Design: Receiving, Microcontroller Design Microcontroller will process the data received and will also decide if the vehicle movement can continue to be made For camera movement, the microcontroller will pass on information to another microcontroller

Project Design: Vehicle Control Microcontroller used to control the vehicle is the same as the one discussed in the previous module There are two motors being controlled Drive motor – handles forward and backward motion Steering motor – handles left and right motion Both motors are controlled using H-bridges Power design used is same as the one discussed in the previous module

Project Design: Vehicle Control, Work in Progress

Project Design: Camera Control Microcontroller will control the servo motor which will handle the camera movement The camera will be mounted on top of the servo, allowing it a 180º viewing range The servo and microcontroller use the main vehicle power supply and the camera has it’s own The power supply for the camera is completed and is still being tested

Project Design: Camera Control, Power Supply

Project Design: Obstacle Detection The obstacle detection circuit uses the Sharp Distance Measurement Sensor (GP2D120) which outputs a higher voltage based on the closeness of the obstacle The sensor connects the base of a transistor which will alert the microcontroller of an obstacle by feeding it a logic 0

Restrictions due to Design: NOT SET IN STONE The decision to use a servo motor for the camera movement restricts our viewing angle to only 180º Operating range by specs will be approximately 150 ft Battery life so far, according to our testing results, is 2 hours

Implementation & Test Flow of implementation: Serial Port Transceiver prototype Vehicle Transceiver prototype Interface vehicle transceiver with motion control Interface all with camera motion control Implement Obstacle detection and error encoding Each step will include several levels of testing, where applicable Functional – Does it work? Life – How long do I have the power? Stress – How do I handle rough-housing? Range – How far can I go?

Current Status Summer Completion: Camera Power Supply prototype built and currently finishing testing Functional testing for: transceivers, serial communication (write only), obstacle detection, steering motor & camera motion motor First draft of Java Applet for serial communication Currently working on: Signal Encoding Serial Communication, read & write Microcontroller for receiver, vehicle & camera control Drive & Steering motor Vehicle power supply

Possible Showstoppers Vehicle modification – due to the fact that mechanics are our weakest point and that this is a redesign of an existing vehicle frame, this could possible cause us the most headache Solution – ability to backtrack, purchased two vehicles so that if one modification doesn’t work there is room for redesign Power, power, power – not really a showstopper, as much as it is a “showpauser” Solution – we’re currently working on various ideas on how to minimize the amount of batteries needed

Questions, Comments, Concerns…