University Club Point of Sale System Improvements



Project 1. Air Conditioner Demand Scheduler Improvements

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor:  Keith Benson, President

Organization:  Bonitron, Nashville, TN

This project is the continuation of an upgrade of a 1990’s era design.  The device to be upgraded monitors signals from two thermostats that are used to control two different air conditioners or heat pumps, and arbitrating the control of the HVAC units to permit only 1 to run at a time.  The existing system is in production, and in need of an upgrade to a modern microprocessor. The existing microprocessor is no longer in production. Last year, the project team successfully implemented a rapid prototype utilizing an Altera FPGA development kit. This development kit was interfaced to the existing unit, and basic functionality demonstrated. However, the reliability of the prototype was poor. It was felt by the project team that this had to do with poorly constructed interface cabling.

This year, the project team will ruggedize the cabling for the existing prototype, and demonstrate reliable and reproducible performance with the development board. The circuit design of those portions of the development kit will then be replicated, stripping all unnecessary circuits out of the development kit to only those required to achieve the prototype functionality. This will result in a new schematic diagram for the upgraded circuit.

Upon completion of this task, a redesign of the existing Printed Circuit Board (PCB) will be accomplished, a new board constructed, and assembled with new parts procured by the project team. The new PCB assembly must accommodate the form, fit and function of the original design, but utilize the FPGA and associated circuitry of the development board.

The design team recommended for this project should include a materials engineer to develop the PCB and assembly processes, one computer engineering student with microprocessor experience, and an electrical engineer to develop the interface circuitry.

Project 2. Improved Robotic Arm Project

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor:  Alban Cambourne & Bill Stottlemeyer

Organization:  Square D, Nashville, TN

Preface:

The following information is presented to allow a better understanding of this project and, hopefully, communicate project goals and expectations. It is not the intent of this spec to override the designer’s and builder’s creative thinking process and stifle innovation. There may be better approaches to bringing this project to fruition than the specific details outlined here. Innovation is encouraged. The final result, however, should meet the overall goals and expectations presented in this document.

Contact Information:

Please direct any questions or concerns to the following individuals:

Bill Stottlemyer, 615-287-2294, william.stottlemyer@us.schneider-

Scott Rae, 615-793-1581, scott.rae@us.schneider-

Charles Reneau, 615-287-3525, charles.reneau@us.schneider-

Purpose:

This project is an improved version of an existing robotic arm that was developed by a Vanderbilt project team last year. The existing arm is used in the characterization and determination of sensitivity parameters of Square D occupancy sensors. The purpose of the robotic arm is to provide a mechanical stimulus while positioned inside the coverage area of an occupancy sensor, and to motivate the sensor circuitry to acknowledge or ignore the motion. This testing is commonly referred to as “minor motion detection”. This minor motion is defined as the characteristic motion exhibited by an individual seated at a desk while performing normal office chores. The predictable and controlled movement of the robotic arm assures test objectivity and repeatability, thereby lending scientific credibility to the test results.

Overview of Project:

The original robotic arm arm performed satisfactorily, but in the course of testing activities, several minor shortcomings were noted. It is the intent of this project to redesign the robotic arm to improve the performance of the arm and overcome these shortcomings. The improved robotic arm should incorporate the features and concepts specified on the original robotic arm, with the exception of the items listed here as improvements.

Existing requirements for the robotic arm include:

1. Controlled movement through a 90 degree arc in one second.

2. Both vertical and horizontal motion required. Simultaneous movement in the horizontal and vertical directions will not be required.

3. Arm mounted exactly 36 inches from the floor surface.

4. Robotic arm mounted on movable cart.

5. Remote control (≥50 feet) via PC computer.

6. Detailed documentation, commented source code, and lab notes.

Remote control of the robotic arm will be via PC desktop or notebook computer using standard ASCII character codes generated from a terminal program (a custom terminal program could also be developed running on the Windows platform). Preference should be given to a Microchip PIC microcontroller due to the availability of existing development tools and expertise.

It is highly desirable to integrate the robotic arm control with the turntable system (another project).

If possible, data collection in the form of recognized cell pattern information should be captured by the microcontroller.

Data transfer between the microcontroller, turntable, robotic arm, and PC can be via cables or wireless links. Interface to the PC should be RS-232 or USB.

Project Details:

The following lists the areas of improvement to be addressed by this project:

1. Use motors (servo or stepper) with more torque. Allow motors to hold a fixed position for extended periods of time (>5 minutes) without overheating.

2. Improved power supply. The current robotic arm power supply was replaced with a modified 5 volt supply to provide 6 volt drive signals to the servo motors. This improved torque considerably. However, this modified power supply occasionally shut down due to the internal overvoltage protection circuit. Note that a level converter circuit was designed to interface the microcontroller’s 5 volt output to the 6 volt drive line. The improved robotic arm power supply should be chosen carefully to assure sufficient power margin.

3. Use heavier wiring to avoid IR drops between the power supply, driver circuit, and drive motors.

4. Larger heating area (full 15 inches) of the robotic arm. The total length of the arm will now be approximately 18 inches.

5. Use of aluminum or other material that will provide a more uniform thermal profile. The existing arm used a heat “pad” over PVC tubing which created hot spots due to the thermal insulating properties of the tubing.

6. Implementation of a PID temperature controller to maintain the arm temperature within ±2 degrees F. The temperature should be adjustable from 80 to 120 degrees F (nominal temperature is 95 ±2 degrees F. The existing robotic arm heater was modified to accept an Omron E5CN-R2MT-500 Digital Temperature Controller and this worked very well.

7. Use interrupt driven routine for firmware serial port communications to free up the microcontroller for other tasks.

8. Integration of the software control functions of the improved robotic arm to the functions of the test turntable to allow ease of testing using one PC (Windows based) program to control both systems.

9. One microcontroller to share its duties between the improved robotic arm and the rotating turntable.

10. Optional (Not required): Data collection. Monitor the sensor output (switched light bulb) and record whether or not the stimulus resulted in sensor recognition. Recognition could be determined by monitoring the lamp with a CdS cell which feeds either a digital or analog input on the microcontroller. Display this information on the PC either as a table of test results, grid pattern, or some other graphics method.

Testing of the occupancy sensors will be in compliance with the references mentioned at the end of this document.

The basic test outline will be as follows:

1. The test panel/turntable will be positioned a fixed and measured distance from the robotic arm (stimulus).

2. The DUT will be mounted on the test panel.

3. The DUT will be wired into the power and monitoring circuit.

4. The turntable will be rotated to the desired angle and stopped.

5. The robotic arm will be activated to sweep through a 90 degree arc.

6. The data will be collected, displayed on the PC monitor screen, and optionally, stored as a data file on the PC’s hard drive.

7. The turntable will be rotated to a new position and the robotic arm movement detection process repeated.

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References:

1. Specifier Reports – Occupancy Sensors – National Lighting Product Information Program

2. A New Method for Assessing Occupancy Sensor Performance Using Robotics – IES Paper #32

3. NEMA Guide to Lighting Controls – National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Project 3. Turntable Project

Faculty Mentor: Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Alban Cambourne

Organization: Square D, Nashville, TN

Preface:

The following information is presented to allow a better understanding of this project and, hopefully, communicate project goals and expectations. It is not the intent of this spec to override the designer’s and builder’s creative thinking process and stifle innovation. There may be better approaches to bringing this project into fruition other than the specific details outlined here. Innovation is encouraged. The final result, however, should meet the overall goals and expectations presented. Please direct any questions or concerns to any of the following individuals:

Bill Stottlemyer, 615-287-2294, william.stottlemyer@us.schneider-

Scott Rae, 615-793-1581, scott.rae@us.schneider-

Charles Reneau, 615-287-3525, charles.reneau@us.schneider-

Purpose:

The purpose of the test turntable is to allow characterization of wall switch occupancy sensor coverage patterns. This is accomplished by mounting the sensor on a support panel, then rotating the panel through a 180 degree arc. The panel can be rotated to any position within the arc. Rotation is stopped while a recognition test is made using the robotic arm assembly. Provisions may also be included to allow tilting the panel on the vertical axis to determine the y-axis sensitivity. This provision will not be deemed mandatory and will instead be based on time to implement this feature and the available expertise.

Overview:

The test turntable consists of a round platform designed to support the existing wall switch occupancy sensor test platform. The turntable shall be capable of supporting the weight of the test platform while rotating 90 degrees either directions from the 0 degree on-axis reference point. Total rotation will be 180 degrees. Full 360 degree rotation is not necessary. Rotation of the turntable shall be by stepper motor, servo motor, or other type motor sufficient to provide adequate torque and rotation accuracy in one degree increments. Remote control of the turntable will be via PC desktop or notebook computer using standard ASCII character codes generated from a terminal program (a custom terminal program could also be developed running on the Windows platform). Preference should be given to a Microchip PIC microcontroller due to the availability of existing development tools and expertise. It is highly desirable to integrate the robotic arm control with the turntable control. If possible, data collection in the form of recognized cell pattern information should also be captured by the microcontroller. Data transfer between the microcontroller, turntable, robotic arm, and PC can be via cables or wireless links. Interface to the PC should be RS-232 or USB.

Project Details:

The turntable will use the existing test platform for sensor mounting and support. The bottom support tier of the existing test platform can be removed from the support platform. The test platform can then be placed on the rotating turntable platform and bolted in place.

The width of the existing test platform is 25 inches. Therefore the diameter of the turntable should be sufficient to allow a comfortable margin on all sides (typically 36 inches in diameter). The platform should be constructed to position the mounted sensor DUT (device under test) exactly 48 inches above the floor surface. This equates to the mounting of the existing test panel base support 4 inches from the floor.

Testing of the occupancy sensors will be in compliance with the references mentioned at the end of this document.

The basic test outline will be as follows:

1. The test panel/turntable will be positioned a fixed and measured distance from the robotic arm (stimulus).

2. The DUT will be mounted on the test panel.

3. The DUT will be wired into the power and monitoring circuit.

4. The turntable will be rotated to the desired angle and stopped.

5. The robotic arm will be activated to sweep through a 90 degree arc.

6. The data will be collected, displayed on the PC monitor screen, and optionally, stored as a data file on the PC’s hard drive.

7. The turntable will be rotated to a new position and the robotic arm movement detection process repeated.

References:

1. Specifier Reports – Occupancy Sensors – National Lighting Product Information Program

2. A New Method for Assessing Occupancy Sensor Performance Using Robotics – IES Paper #32

3. NEMA Guide to Lighting Controls – National Electrical Manufacturers Association

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Project 4. Data-Driven Assessment/Evaluation System for EECE Laboratory Courses

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor:  Lason Watai, Instructor

Organization:  Vanderbilt EECS, Nashville, TN

As part of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science’s (EECS) ongoing development effort in its undergraduate instructional laboratory courses, the database driven assessment and evaluation lab evaluation system will be continued from last year. At the present time, the existing system requires additional security features. In addition, new labs and reporting capabilities must be added. Since last April, upgrades to the departmental MS IIS server have been accomplished, with loss of functionality. These issues must be corrected.

The developed system is being used by TAs for grading,professors to evaluate student progress, and by the EECS Department for ABET assessment. Part of the assessment process is the evaluation of trends in performance outcomes over longer periods than one year. These reports are used for ABET accreditation and other departmental requirements.

The system must also have provision for surveys, and evaluations of these survey results. The current system was developed using Gentoo Linux, MySQL, and PhP. The web serving application is Apache server. The development system has been migrated to the MS IIS environment using MS compatible versions of MySQL and PhP. Knowledge of these applications is required for successful implementation of this project.

Project 5. Safety Plug Manufacturing Project

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Chuck Riddle

The project sponsor retains a patent, and other electrical plug embodiments, on a 110 V electrical safety plug, whose purpose is to prevent electrical shocks and fires. When plugs on today’s market are slightly pulled from the wall, the conductive metal prongs in those plugs are exposed to whatever may be nearby: couches, curtains, blinds, liquids, hands, fingers. Herein lies the possibility of fire, and in the cases of hands and fingers, electric shock. This patented plug prevents such incidents. If the plug is pulled slightly from the wall, its protective element remains in place, and prevents electrical shocks and fires. The project team is to further develop this concept into a commercially viable product, both functionally and economically.

The design should incorporate a compatible relationship between the safety plug and the many female receptacles on the market. The design must also be compatible, yet tough and stable enough to withstand abuse. Prototypes of the candidate design(s) must be produced, tested, and replicated in order to submit to United Laboratories testing. UL is an internationally accredited testing facility. The UL must perform necessary tests on the product, and grant it entry into the marketplace. This safety plug will protect lives and prevent injury wherever it is used. Low manufacturing cost is essential to the market opportunity.

Project 6. Polymorph Gripper

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Dr. Kazuhiko Kawamura

Organization: Center for Intelligent Systems

System Description:

The gripper is the device at the end of a robotic arm, designed to interact with the environment. Robotic grippers are commonly required to grasp and manipulate loads under a wide range of conditions, without the load slipping from the end-effector, and avoiding damage to the load.

One of the most interesting and dexterous, but mechanically simple gripper which has seven degrees of freedom gripper, is shown in Figure below;

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Figure 1. The figure on the left demonstrates the five finger gripper and the figure on the right demonstrates one of the fingers. [1]

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Figure 2. The structure of one finger [1]

The kinematics of this gripper has several interesting features, including the capability of firmly grasping objects with irregular shapes and with a rather wide range of dimensions.

On the other hand, we have a new material, polymorph that can be used for the construction of this gripper. Polymorph is a thermoplastic material that can be shaped and reshaped any number of times. It is normally supplied as granules that look like small plastic beads. In the lab it can be heated in hot water and when it reaches 62 degrees centigrade the granules form a mass of ‘clear’ material. When removed from the hot water it can be shaped into almost any form and on cooling it becomes as solid as a material such as nylon. Although expensive, polymorph is suitable for 3D modeling as it can be shaped by hand or pressed into a shape through the use of a mould.

Requirements:

• Our existing grippers are not dexterous enough to grab various objects. We need a more dexterous gripper which can grab various objects such as pen, glass, bottle and etc.

• We need a humanlike robot hand, which will be used psychology experiments, so it should be similar to a real human hand.

Objectives:

• Design a five-finger gripper and construct it by using polymorph material.

• Design a circuit board that will drive the five actuators and establish the communication with the PC.

• Design controller for the gripper to grab various objects.

Project Tasks:

The students are supposed to construct the 5-finger gripper and write a real-time computer program to control the actuators. The students can use the devices located in the control lab.

Team Skills and Knowledge:

• Modular Control Techniques

• Basic computer programming skills ( C, C++ or C# )

• Basic circuit design skills

• Microcontroller design

• Basic mechanical design

• Basic biomimetics, which is the art and science of duplicating the functional anatomy of a biological organism in engineering materials

References:

1. Keith Wait, Design of a Goniometric input device for master/slave control of a transhumeral prosthesis, Ms Thesis, Vanderbilt University, May 2007

Projects 7-9.

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsors: See Below

Organization: Qualifacts

|Project |Description |

|CFIT |Sponsor: Troy Abruzzo, Director of Customer Support |

|Web-based outcomes | |

|measurement tool |CFIT (Contextualized Feedback Intervention and Training) is a Web-based tool that tracks |

| |questionnaires administered to adolescent mental health patients. CFIT provides weekly and quarterly|

| |feedback reports to help organizations tailor professional development and quality enhancement |

| |through: |

| | |

| |Outcome measurement and client satisfaction |

| |Practice based evidence and quality assurance |

| |Comprehensive need based training identification |

| | |

| |Overall, CFIT provides a standardized means of determining whether treatment for a client is |

| |successful or not. |

| | |

| |For the project, students will design and implement a fully functioning standalone Web-based system |

| |with project activities including: database architectural decisions, software analysis and design, |

| |software development, and quality assurance testing. Development will be done using Java or Oracle |

| |PL/SQL technology. |

| | |

| |The existing CFIT product was developed in partnership with the Vanderbilt Center for Evaluation and |

| |Program Improvement (CEPI) department (where active/dedicated resources are available).The system |

| |enhancements developed from this project will be used by clinicians nationwide across 50 healthcare |

| |regions. |

|Real Time EDI (837 Files) |Sponsor: Gerry Andrady, Director of Product Strategy |

| | |

| |Real time Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is used by our customers’ billing offices to |

| |electronically submit/receive claims/payments to/from payers (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, etc) |

| | |

| |For the project, students will build a web-based configurable EDI engine that allows end users of the|

| |core software to selectively create and modify billing interfaces through the system. The primary |

| |activities include taking an existing EDI Web application framework and enhancing it to do real time |

| |multiple system interfacing. |

| | |

| |EDI knowledge is beneficial to those wishing to enter the information technology side of the |

| |healthcare, banking, or retail space. |

Project 10. Registration System

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Amanda Traylor

Organization: Campus for Human Development

The Campus for Human Development serves the homeless community in Nashville. In conjunction with over 150 religious institutions in Nashville, it provides a safe place to stay during the cold months of the year. Over 1,000 homeless clients are served. They have a capacity of about 350 individuals per night. Currently, the registration, assignment, and information on the clients, religious institutions, and transportation arrangements is handled manually. All of the registration is accomplished in 45 minutes each evening. This project will develop a more automated approach to the manual, form-based approach currently used. The architecture of the system is anticipated to use open source software products, including database managers, web servers, and hypertext preprocessors. Both hardware and software must be specified. The team members should have strong database, web development, and user interface development skills.

Project 11. Automotive Instrumentation System

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Dr. AB Bonds

Organization: Formula SAE Racing Team

This project will develop a data acquisition and display system for the race car that is developed by VUmotorsports, and used to compete in the annual Formula SAE national event. The Formula SAE team will be the requirements developer. It is anticipated that the design team will implement an on-board module that can capture critical data from the car and drive train. If possible, wireless communication to a control station is desired. It is anticipated that the system will be prototyped using National Instruments Labview, and commercially available off-the-shelf data acquisition modules. If time permits, a smaller on-board module will be developed that can meet the stringent size/weight/power requirements of the race car will be developed. The design team should be knowledgeable in the area of data acquisition, microprocessors, user interface development, and Labview.

Project 12. Electric Motor Dynamometer

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Taylor

Organization: U.S. Army Research, Development, & Engineering Center

This project is anticipated to be similar to a previous dynamometer development for the Formula SAE team two years ago. The AMRDEC will provide an eddy current dynamometer that is rated at a maximum of 8 horsepower. The application is test and characterization of DC electric motors that are used for unmanned aerial vehicle applications. The eddy current dyno must be mounted, motor mounts designed, and instrumentation that can acquire data to be specified by AMRDEC. It is anticipated that this system will use National Instruments hardware and software, which is available from the previous project. The goal of the project is to finish the dyno design and implementation early enough in the Spring semester to allow test and characterization of a variety of electric motors to be provided by AMRDEC. The design team should be able to implement the mechanical mounting fixtures, and be familiar with the NI Labview suite of hardware and software products.

Project 13. Book Sorter

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Giani d’Aprile

Organization: NetCentral/Books-a-Million

This project is a continuation of a project developed last year. The book sorter is a mechanical device that is installed in a warehouse in Florence, AL. Some modifications and improvements of the existing sorting machine are required. The project team last year developed a set of macros that allows control of the sorter and data acquisition from the scanners and sensors in the book sorter. These macros, software, and hardware will be utilized to develop a real-time control system. Code listings in the C programming language are available from a similar machine. The majority of this effort will entail porting the existing code to a modern, PC-based system, integrating it with the existing NI Labview utilities and hardware, and successfully testing the integrated system. The team should be knowledgeable in the design of electrical interlocks for the sorter, C programming, and development of script files in either Unix or Windows based environments.

Project 14. Smart Thermostat & Water Heater

Faculty Mentor:  Andrew Dozier

Sponsor: Terry Slattery

Organization: Netcordia

This is a continuation of a project that was started last year. The emphasis on the project is to finalize the design of a microprocessor based smart thermostat, and water heater instrumentation module. After development of these modules, they must be integrated into the existing web-based environment, tested, and characterized. The project team should be knowledgeable in microprocessor development, data communications, and web-based applications.

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