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CMU-Voyager Phase I Report

RPCS Spring 05

February 18, 2005

|Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering |Pratik Agarwal |

| |Gary Feigenbaum |

| |Yuan-Ning “Richard” Hsieh |

| |Asad Samar |

| | |

|Human-Computer Interaction Institute |Alexander Eiser |

| | |

|Robotics Institute |Kristen Stubbs |

Table of Contents

1. Overview 4

2. Scenarios 4

2.1 Dashboard Scenarios 4

2.1.1 Baseline Scenario

2.1.2 Visionary Scenario I

2.1.3 Visionary Scenario II

2.2 Scientific Visualization Scenarios 6

2.2.1 Baseline Scenario

2.2.2 Visionary Scenario

2.3 Dashboard Requirements Table 7

2.4 Hardware Requirements 7

3. System Architecture 7

3.1 Dashboard Prototype 7

3.1.1 “Power and Fuel Consumption” Page

3.1.2 “Electricity” Page

3.1.3 “Energy Sources” Page

3.2 Architecture Diagram 13

3.3 Sensor Placement Diagram 14

3.4 Software Architecture Diagram 15

3.5 Data Flow Diagram 16

4. Subsystems 17

4.1 HCI/Dashboard 17

4.1.1. Scenario Interaction Diagram, Power and Fuel Consumption page

4.1.2. Scenario Interaction Diagram, Electricity page

4.1.3 Scenario Interaction Diagram, Energy Sources page

4.2 Scientific Visualization 20

4.3 Instrumentation of the Electrical System 23

4.3.1 Existing System

4.3.2 Continuous Sensors

Dependencies

Product-Feature Matrix

Recommendation

4.3.3 On-Off Sensors

Product-Feature Matrix

Usage

4.4 Instrumentation of the Engines 29

4.4.1 Existing System

4.4.2. Flow Rate Sensor

Dependencies

Product-Feature Matrix

Recommendation

4.4.3. Torque Sensor

Dependencies

Product-Feature Matrix

Recommendation

4.5 Pollution Sensors 31

4.5.1 Technology Survey

4.5.2 Pollution Sensor Dependencies

4.5.3 Recommendations

4.6 Data Collection 32

4.6.1 Data Acquisition Device

Description

Features

4.6.2 Serial to Ethernet Device (RS-232 Hub)

Description

Features

5. Design Process 34

5.1 Tasks and Assignments 34

5.1.1 HCI/Dashboard

5.1.2 Scientific Visualization

5.1.3 Sensors

5.1.4 Group Tasks

5.2 Task Dependencies 35

5.3 Histogram of Time by Topic 35

6. Plan for Detailed Design 37

6.1 Timeline of Activities 37

6.2 Purchasing Recommendations 38

Appendix A. Table of Dashboard Requirements and Tasks 39

1. Overview

The goal of the Spring 2005 Voyager group is to support the work of the Pittsburgh Voyager project by providing means for students, instructors, and Voyager personnel to view data about Voyager’s energy consumption, electricity usage, and pollution generation.

The proposed design consists of three major subsystems:

• A network of sensors monitoring engine performance, electricity usage, and pollution generation

• A scientific data visualization tool allowing users to graphically represent the data returned from these sensors

• A “dashboard” interface that provides a graphical front-end to show students real-time data from these sensors in a way that will be easy for them to interpret

It is hoped that this work on the current Voyager boat will be applicable to the new Voyager, especially with regards to the dashboard display. After the new Voyager is completed, it is expected that our instrumentation and scientific visualization work will be useful to Voyager staff in the event they desire to use the old boats for testing of diesel fuel additives.

2. Scenarios

2.1 Dashboard Scenarios

For the dashboard, two visionary scenarios describing the use of the dashboard during each of the two types of Voyager trips have been developed.

2.1.1 Baseline Scenario

Currently, Voyager crewmembers do not talk with students about how much energy is used by the different electricity-powered systems of the ship, such as lighting, air conditioning, etc. They also do not talk about the pollution that the boats generate.

2.1.2 Visionary Scenario I: Environmental Trip

Jim is a seventh-grade student at Washington Middle School who is taking a trip on Voyager for the first time. Jim’s favorite subject is biology, so he has been looking forward to this field trip for a long time and can’t wait to start collecting and examining samples from the river. Disappointed that his group starts out going to the engine room, Jim listens to the Voyager instructor, George, talk about how the engines work and how the ship generates its own electricity.

When George leads Jim’s group into the classroom, Jim is all set to start doing some biology. Instead, George steps over to a large computer screen and starts telling the students that this dashboard can show them how much fuel the boat is using, how much energy they are using inside of the boat, and even how much pollution they are creating during their trip. Jim’s ears start to perk up a bit. He hadn’t thought about how much his class might be polluting the river by taking the trip!

George touches the screen, and it starts displaying information about how much fuel the boat is using. George asks the class about what might make the boat need to use more fuel: moving upstream, moving downstream, or staying in one place? He points out on the screen how much fuel the boat is using right now, saying that over the whole trip, they use enough fuel to drive in a car from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

George touches the screen again, and the display changes. He explains that as they use all this fuel to move up and down the rivers, the boat is generating pollution. George points to the screen and explains that right now, the boat is generating ”this much” carbon dioxide. “That’s about the same amount made by this many cars traveling the same distance,” George says, pointing at the screen. Besides releasing harmful chemicals into the water, the boat also increases the temperature of the water around it, George explains. He asks the class to look at the screen and tell him the difference in temperature between the stern, where the exhaust is, and the bow. Jim looks carefully for a moment before raising his hand. He does the subtraction in his head and reports the somewhat surprising result. The difference in temperature is definitely larger than Jim would have expected. “I’m afraid so,” George replies. “We have to be very careful about how our ship affects the river and the life in it.” Jim’s class soon moves on to other activities, but throughout the day Jim keeps thinking about how his own class has impacted the river through their trip on Voyager. He is glad that he was able to go and study the river and how people affect the balance of the river ecosystem.

2.1.3 Visionary Scenario II: Boats, Bridges, and Water Trip

John is an eighth-grade student at Washington Middle School who is taking a trip on Voyager for the first time. John’s favorite subject is physics. He has been looking forward to this field trip for a long time, and he can’t wait to find out how the boat works. John’s group starts in the engine room where he listens to the Voyager instructor, George, talk about how the engines work and how the ship generates its own electricity.

George leads John’s group up to the classroom and starts showing them how various information about the ship is being displayed on a computer screen. “This shows us how much energy we’re using as well as how much pollution the ship is generating,” George explains. First, George touches the screen and shows the students how they can see how much fuel the boat is using.

George touches the screen again, and this time John can see that the screen is showing a little diagram of the ship. George explains that now they are looking at how electricity is being used on the boat. He points out how much power the ship’s batteries currently have. “If it takes about twenty-four hours to charge the batteries when they’re empty, how long would it take to charge up our batteries right now?” asks George. John’s friend Pete raises his hand and answers, “Well, the screen says our batteries are about half full, so about twelve hours?” “That’s right,” answers George with a smile. “Fortunately we don’t have to charge the batteries right now. I think we should probably have enough energy for the trip.” George goes on to explain that as the batteries run down, the crew can turn on a generator to charge them up while underway. However, it is much less expensive to use land-based power, so the Voyager crew tries to minimize the amount of time they run the generators.

George points to another area of the screen. “We already talked about some of the things that are powered by electricity on this boat, like the lights and the air conditioning. If you look at this dashboard, what system uses the most electricity?” John looks at the screen carefully. He can see how much energy is being used by the lighting, the air conditioning, and…the toilets? John raises his had and asks, “It looks like the bathroom uses the most electricity. What’s up with that?” George grins and replies, “It’s true. We do use river water to flush the toilets, but it requires a lot of electricity to make that flushing happen. Why don’t you try it out?” George tells Katie to go flush the toilet in the head. As the students hear the flushing sound, they watch the electricity used by the toilet spike on the dashboard display. Several kids gasp in surprise.

George touches the screen again and begins discussing the byproducts of using all of this energy. He asks students to look at the screen and name some of the types of pollution that the boat is generating. He then asks them to think about what they could do to make the boat generate less pollution. As students name energy sources, George touches the screen to show how much energy they produce. “Unfortunately, something like solar power doesn’t work so well in cloudy Pittsburgh,” George explains. “Look how much power it would generate: only five kilowatts, and we need at least twenty five kilowatts just to run the lights and electrical outlets! So solar energy could be a part of our solution, but it just wouldn’t produce all of the energy we need.” As John’s group moves on to the next station, John continues thinking about how he would build his own environmentally friendly boat to cruise up and down the three rivers.

2.2 Scientific Visualization Scenarios

2.2.1 Baseline Scenario

Currently there are no visualization systems for monitoring Pollutant and Energy consumption information. This information can be abstracted from the number of gallons of fuel used per month/year that Voyager is in use.

2.2.2 Visionary Scenario

Kim, a captain on board Voyager, a ship designed to help young students learn about the aquatic environment and shipboard life, has an important presentation to give this week. She will be asking the Heinz foundation to donate money to help build a new Voyager ship. For this presentation, she needs to generate several graphs that show the issues with the current boat, and highlight the reasons why a new boat is important.

For the last 6 months, Kim has been running Voyager with specially designed sensors that gather information on the pollutants being created by the engines, as well as the exact energy consumption used by lights, equipment and toilets. Arriving at the Voyager Dock building, she connects to the diagnostic and visualization program. Knowing that the Heinz foundation is very sensitive to the environment, the first graph she creates maps the combined total of all four ship engines (and one generator) on a single graph indicating the grams of pollutant produced per day. Knowing this graph is meaningless with out a baseline, she quickly adds a line for what a new ship of similar design would have. While it’s upsetting that her ship is such a source of pollution, the chart clearly shows the environmental advantages of a new design.

While the old voyager engines cannot run for long periods of time on BIOdiesel, Voyager ran a short test where BIOdiesel was used in one engine, while another continued to use the normal diesel fuel. These tests occurred over a period of a week in May. Kim selects the time period in question, and selects a chart comparing the particulate and NOx output of engine one with engine four. Showing a clear advantage for using BIOdiesel capable engines, the graph is saved for the presentation.

One of the key concepts of the new boat is to use electrical motors, and run off of a battery as much as possible. To help illustrate this advantage, Kim uses the Visualization Tool to graph the fuel consumption of the generator, and the pollution it creates. Plotting the moving average of the generator pollution versus energy production. She is able to export this to excel, and use that to predict what kind of fuel consumption would be needed to run the electric motors.

The visualization software provides historic information which lets Kim perform all kinds of analysis on the operation of her boat.

2.3 Dashboard Requirements Table

Based on the visionary scenarios for the dashboard, a table of required functionality was developed. This table is presented in Appendix A.

2.4 Hardware Requirements

The computer and display purchased by the Voyager group last year will be used again for either the database or the dashboard. The dashboard display will also serve as the display for the scientific visualization tool.

3. System Architecture

3.1 Dashboard Prototype

At time of writing, the prototype is in its sixth iteration. Below are the three main screens that make up the dashboard (see next page).

3.1.1 “Power and Fuel Consumption” Page

[pic]

The first page, focusing on power and fuel consumption, is shown above. The key sections of this screen are:

• Rotations per minute (RPM) and speed dials which update in real time, along with a driving analogy where the location (“Philadelphia”) can be changed using a drop-down box

• Fuel consumption meter which updates in real time, along with another vehicle analogy where the vehicle (“a car”) can be changed using a drop-down box

• Pollution indicators (real time) for three different types of pollutants, including a graphical representation, numerical units, and analogy with regular cars

• Water temperature (real time) for both the exhaust and the bow, complete with graphical thermometer-style display and numerical values

When the captain increases the boat’s speed, the display should react in real time. An example is shown below:

[pic]

Note that all of the indicators have changed to reflect how much harder the engines must work now.

3.1.2 “Electricity” Page

Below is the second main screen of the dashboard, which focuses on electricity usage.

[pic]

The main features of this page are:

• A battery charge indicator (static) which shows how much power the battery can provide along with analogy to a common household item

• Electrical systems map showing the locations of the major electrical subsystem

• A list of all major subsystems along with a real-time indicator as to whether the system is off or on

• A power consumption pie chart which updates in real time according to how much energy each subsystem is using

• A graph of the energy usage by the toilets that plots a line in real time

On the graph at the bottom of the screen, students should be able to see the difference between a toilet flush (large spike) and a sink being turned on (smaller spike). The amount of energy used by the toilets is also displayed in real time to the right of the graph.

3.1.3 “Energy Sources” Page

This page allows students to compare how different energy sources might be able to satisfy the power requirements of the various electrical subsystems (see below).

[pic]

The main features of this page are:

• List of energy sources on the left (static)

• List of electrical subsystems and how much energy they require on the right (real time)

Students can use the dropdown boxes on the left to investigate different types of energy sources and compare them, as shown below.

[pic]

This allows students to see how different kinds of energy sources might be able to play a role in powering Voyager.

3.2 Architecture Diagram

The following diagram illustrates the entire system, including all sensors, computers, and interfaces. “MSD” represents the pumps for the toilets, “AC” is the air conditioning, and “DAD” is a Data Acquisition Device. “Flow E” and “Pollution Sensors E” indicate sensors attached to one of the engines, whereas “Flow G” and “Pollution Sensors G” indicate sensors that are attached to the generator.

[pic]

3.3 Sensor Placement Diagram

The following diagram shows the approximate physical locations of the sensors and computers that will be installed on Voyager.

[pic]

3.4 Software Architecture Diagram

The following diagram illustrates how sensor data will be aggregated and moved to the personal computer on which databases are stored. The bottom part of the diagram shows the IO Module that will be developed to help place this data into the databases.

[pic]

3.5 Data Flow Diagram

The following diagram illustrates how data will be transferred from sensors, stored, and later accessed by the Scientific Visualization system and the Dashboard.

[pic]

4. Subsystems

4.1 HCI/Dashboard

Based on the Dashboard prototype presented above, the following diagrams of users’ interactions with the system have been created.

4.1.1. Scenario Interaction Diagram, “Power and Fuel Consumption” Page

4.1.2. Scenario Interaction Diagram, “Electricity” Page

4.1.3 Scenario Interaction Diagram, “Energy Sources” Page

4.2 Scientific Visualization

Data Visualization functionality is provided as an extension of the dashboard. Since the sensors will be gathering a large amount of data about the ship’s functions, it only seemed obvious to record that information and track relationships over time. The advantage of this approach is that the information gathered is not readily available for the current Voyager.

Currently, Voyager crewmembers can track total ship fuel consumption and energy usage from the fueling logs combined with the ship’s voyage log. To calculate this information accurately data on the winds and current must also be recorded. To obtain all of this information and perform an analysis on it is a very difficult task.

Using the data recorded directly from sensors attached to the ship’s components, it is possible to measure extremely accurately the ship’s efficiency, fuel consumption, and even the pollution that the ship generates.

To allow users to visualize this information, a Data Visualization component has been created. This component interfaces with the database and allows the user to graph various data values over a configurable time period.

As seen in figure below, the interface uses a simple system for selecting the measure to examine and a date range. This is an early prototype and as such does not have many of the user interface refinements that are being planned for. In particular, the interface will have a visual method of selecting the date, as well as a more options for visualizing more complex information. The interface will also allow the user to select values on both the x- and y-axes, as well as provide some interesting preset graphs.

[pic]

The example result graph allows for some quick analysis. On the 24th of December, the ship was obviously out of service, and on January 4th the ship did not perform a normal voyage. This was most likely caused by a trip to a bunkering station.

[pic]

4.3 Instrumentation of the Electrical System

4.3.1 Existing System

Voyager has a low voltage system (DC) and a high voltage system (AC) in place. Direct Current is used to provide power to navigational equipment, engine starters, and navigational lights. Power for this application is from an AC-to-DC converter. DC voltages around the boat are at 6-, 13.6-, or 24-volt ratings. Alternating Current is used for the heavier load consumed in powering pumps, motors, lighting, heating, A/C and receptacles. AC current is provided at dock or by Voyager’s diesel generator while it is underway. This high voltage is at 115- or 208-volt ratings.

High Voltage System

[pic]

Low Voltage System

[pic]

4.3.2 Continuous Sensors

1 Dependencies

2

Based on the aforementioned electrical systems onboard the Voyager, electrical sensors are needed that can measure the power consumption for the various uses on the boat. These sensors will be used to differentiate power output for motors, heating and A/C, pumps and lighting.

In order to do this, ammeters that can measure the current drawn for each use are needed. For things like lighting, heating and A/C, a basic ammeter would be sufficient. However, for motors and pumps, constant measurements need to be made since these values could change depending on usage.

One possibility is to have digital ammeters output results in real-time to computers via an RS-232 cable. This could then convey real-time data to the proposed dashboard.

Another option is to store power consumption for certain uses such as lighting, heating and A/C are were more or less constant when being utilized. Real-time data would then not be required and based on the scenario the appropriate data could be displayed. On/ off sensors could then be used to sense if a particular system is active.

In order to display all the electrical information, a few digital ammeters with RS-232 capability and an LCD screen for displaying results would be required. In order to collect all data from the different ammeters, a RS-232 hub with 4 or more ports would also be required.

3

Product-Feature Matrix

|Model |Meter Type |DC Current |AC Current Ranges |Output Options |Additional Notes |Price ($) |

| | |Ranges | | | | |

|B&K Precision |Bench |200µA – 20A |200mV – 1200V |- |Large LCD, portable, test |299 |

|2831C | | | | |lead compartment | |

|B&K Precision |Handheld |200µA – 20A |200mV – 750V |- |Battery powered, water |99 |

|2860A | | | | |resistant, fused | |

|B&K Precision 5380 |Handheld |500µA – 10A |500mV – 750V |RS-232 |Large LCD, measure AC+DC, |289 |

| | | | | |battery | |

|B&K Precision 5492F |Bench |40mA – 12A |400mV – 750V |GP-IB*, RS-232 |Very accurate, Altitude up |695 |

| | | | | |to 2000m | |

|Yokogawa 73401 |Handheld |500µA – 10A |500mV – 1000V |RS-232 |Battery powered, IR |368 |

| | | | | |communication, user | |

| | | | | |calibration | |

|Extech Instruments |Handheld |0.1mA – 20A |0.1mV – 700V |RS-232 |Battery powered, PC |399 |

|381285 | | | | |Interface | |

|Real Goods Digital |Bench |Up to 199.9A |Unknown |- |Shows polarity, includes |89 |

|Ammeter | | | | |100A shunt | |

|B&K Precision |Clamp |10A, 80A & 100A |Up to 600V |- |0.5” clamp opening |159 |

|316 | | | | | | |

|B&K Precision 313A |Clamp |Up to 600A |Up to 600V |- |0.98” clamp opening |149 |

* Indicates optional feature

4

5 Recommendation

Based on the requirements of a digital ammeter that could measure fairly high loads for uses such as lighting, heating and A/C that remained constant, the B&K Precision 313A sensor would be ideal.

Apart from this, some ammeters to collect variable data would be needed. This would include flushing the toilet, water pumps, etc. Loads for this should not exceed 20A, and hence a sensor such as the Extech Instruments 381285 would be ideal. It includes an RS-232 cable for networking with a computer and has the desired current range.

4.3.3 On/Off Sensors

Some of the electrical equipment on Voyager that will be monitored for load has a constant draw, i.e., uses a constant amount of electrical energy if running. This includes lighting, ventilation, and possibly heating and A/CS. In order to monitor the electricity consumption of these appliances, it is convenient and cheaper to use power on/off sensors rather than full-blown ammeters. Initially, the draw can be measured for each of these appliances using an ammeter. This will be a one-time job. Later, the on/off sensors can be used to find out if the appliance has been switched on, and, if it is, the draw measured earlier will be contributed on the appliance’s behalf to the total electricity being consumed in the boat.

Product-Feature Matrix

The table above shows the results of some research on the different types of on/off sensors currently available off-the-shelf and compares these across different metrics. The sensor highlighted as bold is the one recommended. This one has mainly been chosen due to the convenient input interface: it can simply be clamped on the wire without having to peel or remove the insulation from the conductor. This particular sensor is shown in the figure below.

[pic]

Figure: On/Off current sensor based on Hall Effect

Usage

The next figure shows a detailed schematic of how to use this sensor to monitor the current flow (on/off status) to an appliance. This particular sensor is also a crude ammeter: the output voltage is a function of the current flowing through the wire. So, if it is desirable to actively monitor the energy being consumed by these devices, this can also be done without having to purchase more sensors.

[pic]

Figure: Example of how to use H922 on/off sensor

4.4 Instrumentation of the Engines

4.4.1 Existing System

The current Voyager boat is equipped with five Detroit Diesel engines, four 6-71 series engines to move the boat, and one diesel generator. The drive engines are arranged in pairs with each pair connected to one of two drive shafts. The engines are generally run two at a time (outside pair, or inside pair, see diagram) with one engine powering each drive shaft. The speed at which the engines are run is variable with the speed of the boat. Each engine will run at around 1,800 RPM and will go through a reduction gear with about a 3:1 reduction. With the torque sensors attached to the propeller shaft for measurement, the shaft RPM is around 600. With the engine at full power of 325 horsepower, the engine will require a torque sensor that are capable of measuring torque up to around 4,000 Nm or around 3,000 lb-ft. The diesel generator is run constantly once the boat has left the dock. It produces a constant power output of 30 kW.

4.4.2. Flow Rate Sensor

Dependencies

In order to properly measure the efficiency of the diesel engines, the fuel input to the engines must be measured. This is done by use of flow rate sensors. A sensor network needs to be created which measure both the fuel flow into the engine, and the fuel flow out of the engine. Using the fuel consumption data and the power output readings from the engine, overall efficiency can be calculated.

The sensors used must be able to take valid readings despite the interference presented by diesel engines. Minimal interruption of the fuel line is also preferred so that the sensors can remain in place and provide real-time readings. If permanent real-time sensing is not possible, the sensors may be employed for a variety of different trips under different conditions, and engine profiles can be created. Minimal cost is also a consideration.

The engines have an expected flow rate of 10 – 30 gallons per hour, or .1 - .5 gallons per minute. The fuel runs through standard 5/16” metal piping.

Two main types of sensors may be employed for the network: ultrasonic sensors, which utilize sound waves, or turbine sensors, which place an impellor in the fuel path. Both come available with RS-232/Serial outputs, the decided networking agent for the system. Both present difficulties: the ultrasonic sensor may not function properly in the “noisy” environment created by the diesel engine, and the turbine sensor may bind up and block the fuel line.

Product-Feature Matrix

|Model |FloScan 7000 |Crydom flowsonic |Malema |Thermo Electron 6600 Series |

| | | |M-2000 Series | |

|Permanent |Yes |Yes |Yes |No |

|Break Fuel Path |Yes |Yes |No |Yes |

|Mechanism |Turbine |Ultrasonic |Ultrasonic |Turbine |

|Interface |RS-232 |Analog |Digital |Analog |

|Flow Range |0.3 – 48 G/hr |0.1 – 10 L/min |0 – 50 L/min |0 – 10 G/min |

|System or |System |Sensor |Sensor and Signal Converter |Sensor |

|Sensor | | | | |

|Resolution |0.1 Gallons |0.05 L/min |.1 L/min |.1 G/min |

|Cost |$900 |$1,400 |$2,000 |Unknown |

|Availability |Now |Now |Now |No |

Recommendation

Given the required parameters, desire for real-time data, and cost, the FloScan system is the best choice. The FloScan system is custom-built for each particular engine and is also recommended for marine applications. The systems are FAA certified not to block the fuel line, so they can be left in without any risk. The sensor system also includes both an input and an output sensor as well as a control device, something not included in any of the other devices.

The ultrasonic sensors may be able to provide the best resolution and most accurate readings; however, they may not operate under the desired conditions. The per sensor cost is also too great since two sensors must be bought for each engine. The turbine sensors run too great a risk of blocking the fuel line.

4.4.3. Torque Sensor

Dependencies

Given the engine configuration on Voyager, one method that could be used to measure the power output of the engine is to attach a torque sensor on each of the propeller shafts. In addition, the recommended flow rate sensor is able to measure RPM. With the torque reading from the torque sensors and RPM reading from the flow rate sensors, it is possible to calculate the power of each engine. It is then possible to analyze the power output VS. fuel consumption for each engine.

Since all of this data needs to be stored within a database on a computer, it is desirable to have a torque sensor with digital output via an RS-232 cable or any other type of output that has a computer interface build in.

Another possible alternative is to simply not measure the torque at all. With the RPM given by the flow rate sensors and the data given by the engine, it is possible to figure out the power output of each engine based on the RPM and engine data.

Product-Feature Matrix

| | | | | |

|Model |Torque |RPM |Temperature |Output |

| |(Nm) | |(C) | |

| | | | | |

|MCRT 48006P (4-4) |4,500 |8,000 |3 ~ 85 |RS-232C |

| | | | | |

|MCRT 28006T (4-4) |4,500 |8,000 |-18~ 107 |5 mV/V |

| | | | | |

|Datum 420-IT-4 |5,000 |20,000 |-30 ~ 90 |RS-232 |

Recommendation

After researching for a suitable torque sensor, it was discovered that the cost would be too prohibitive to order both torque sensors and flow rate sensors. Since the FloScan system also measures RPM, there will be no need for additional torque sensors. Using the specifications of the engine, it will be possible to use the FloScan system to compute the data needed.

4.5 Pollution Sensors

4.5.1 Existing System

The four 6-71 series Detroit Diesel engines and the Detroit Diesel generator produce a significant amount of emissions. The engines are “wet” cooled, as opposed to “dry” cooled, meaning that river water is used to cool the engines as opposed to air. No current standards exist for levels of emissions permissible; therefore, the emissions are not regularly monitored. Attempts have been made to minimize the amount of emissions using fuel additives and running the engines at optimal efficiency.

The emissions from all diesel engines include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxide and carbon particulate, or soot. The carbon particulates usually account for 60% to 80% of the emissions content, with most of the other emissions being nitrous oxide. The emissions are clearly visible as a “plume” behind the boat, due to the wet cooling nature of the boat.

4.5.2 Pollution Sensor Dependencies

The “wet” nature of the present Voyager’s cooling system presents a difficulty in instrumentation. Most sensors are made for a dry cooling system, since standards do not exist for wet cooling systems, and these sensors will not work in water. The sensors that do exist need constant calibration and require expertise to use properly.

4.5.3 Recommendation

The most significant and visible emissions from diesel engines are the carbon particulates. Therefore they should be the focus of analysis. Gases are extremely difficult to analyze in the wet environment, and it does not seem worthwhile to pursue this as a goal. Turbidity sensors are available to measure particulates; however, they can be quite expensive. A cheap and effective method for analyzing particulates should be researched.

4.6 Data Collection

4.6.1 Data Acquisition Device

Description

The on/off current sensor recommended above outputs a voltage in the range [0,5]V. It is desirable to be able to monitor all these devices using a PC so that all of the data can be accumulated and fed to the visualization system and the dashboard. All the other sensors being used on the boat have an RS-232 output which can be fed to a computer. So, ideally, this output voltage should also be converted to the RS-232. To do this, a data acquisition device is used.

The recommended data acquisition device is shown in the figure below. This device can take 0-5V as input and output a single RS-232 feed. Most of these devices available in the market have similar specifications. This one is being offered by the same company that offers the on/off sensors chosen above, so they have been tested to work together. This device called 232sda12.

Features

1. 11 channels of 10-bit A/D

2. 2.44mV A/D resolution

3. 3 digital inputs

4. 3 digital outputs

5. automatic baud rate detection

6. Price: 65$. Also requires power supply that costs $15

[pic]

Figure: Data Acquisition Device

4.6.2 Serial to Ethernet Device (RS-232 Hub)

Description

7

Since the system will have many sensors with a serial (RS-232) output, this data must be aggregated and fed to the computer. However, the computer does not have as many serial ports as there will be sensors. One way to solve this problem is to use a serial-to-Ethernet device server. This device takes as input serial RS-232 communication channels and outputs an Ethernet feed that can be connected to the PC.

There are basically two main brands for serial to Ethernet conversion that are widely available. These are V-linx and Nport. V-linx does not make serial device servers that have more than 4 serial ports. Since the system requirements indicate that more than 4 serial ports will be needed, the Nport 8 port serial device server is recommended.

8

9 Features

The figure below shows the Nport 5610 device server. It has 8 serial ports and an Ethernet port. It comes with the required software drivers. These drivers map the serial ports on the device server to COM ports on the PC. This allows an application to individually poll each serial port according to the specific protocol for that sensor. This Nport device costs $800.

[pic]

Figure: Nport serial device server

5. Design Process

The visionary scenario was developed through a process that began with discussions with the entire group regarding the need for a dashboard and some of the ideas of things that it could display. The HCI group members then spent time reading past Voyager project documentation as well as some of the educational materials that Voyager provides to participating classes. The HCI group then met together for a brief brainstorming session. The document was created by one team member and sent to the other team member who made changes, asked questions, and added comments to the document. The document was sent back and forth between the team members in this way until both were satisfied with the scenarios.

The development of the dashboard prototype was also an iterative process. One member designed an initial prototype, and she continued to refine it as other group members gave suggestions and as she had new ideas.

5.1 Tasks and Assignments

For this phase of the project, the group leader was Gary, the presenter was Alex, and the editor was Kristen.

5.1.1 HCI/Dashboard

The major tasks of the HCI/Dashboard group were:

• Understand current Voyager curricula (Kristen)

• Write baseline and visionary scenarios (Kristen and Alex)

• Develop dashboard prototype (Kristen)

5.1.2 Scientific Visualization

The major tasks of the Scientific Visualization group were:

• Investigate the previous year’s database (Alex)

• Write baseline and visionary scenarios (Alex)

• Develop a software architecture diagram (Alex and Asad)

5.1.3 Sensors

For each type of sensor, the person investigating it was responsible for understanding the relevant systems on Voyager, generating product-feature matrices, and making a recommendation to the group. The sensors that were investigated in this manner are:

• Flow rate (Gary)

• Torque (Richard)

• Ammeters (Pratik)

• On-off electricity sensors, RS-232 hubs, and data acquisition devices (Asad)

Both Gary and Richard had been assigned to work on pollution sensors, but due to unavailability of a certain expert in the area, they were unable to construct product-feature matrices.

5.1.4 Group Tasks

The entire group worked together to develop the system architecture diagram and each person contributed to the report and the presentation.

5.2 Task Dependencies

Since the size of the group was very small, all three groups were able to work on their activities in parallel. Weekly meetings helped to ensure that each subgroup had the most current information about the state of the project from the other two subgroups.

5.3 Histogram of Time by Topic

The table below shows how many hours this group spent in a variety of activities for the weeks that such data was available on the Kiva:

| |1/14-1/20 |1/21-1/27 |1/28-2/3 |2/4-2/10 |

|Administrative tasks |1.9 |1.9 |1.1 |0.8 |

|Architecture design |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |1.0 |

|Class |5.8 |19.1 |16.8 |7.3 |

|Field testing |4.5 |1.0 |2.0 |0.0 |

|Group meeting |6.3 |10.3 |4.2 |4.3 |

|Liaison meeting |0.0 |1.0 |2.5 |0.0 |

|Preparing specs |0.0 |0.0 |2.0 |0.0 |

|Research |6.6 |16.3 |10.9 |4.0 |

|Staff/leaders meeting |0.0 |0.0 |0.0 |1.6 |

|User interface design |0.2 |7.9 |0.8 |0.8 |

|Writing reports/presentations |0.0 |1.2 |1.6 |16.0 |

|Total |25.3 |58.8 |41.9 |35.8 |

[pic]

6. Plan for Detailed Design

6.1 Timeline of Activities

A plan for the beginning part of the second phase, the detailed design phase, is shown below. Because of recent additions to the group for phase two, these tasks have not yet been assigned to specific individuals.

|CMU Voyager Spring 05 Activity Timeline |February |March |

|Activity |12 |13 |14 |15 |16 |

|Flowscan 700 |Fuel Flow |1 |$900 |$900 |Gary |

|Extech instruments 381285 |Ammeter |1 |$399 |$399 |Pratik |

|Veris H922 |On/Off meter |4 |$100 |$400 |Asad |

|232sda12 + power supply |Data acquisition device |1 |$80 |$80 |Asad |

|Nport 5610 |RS-232 server |1 |$800 |$800 |Asad |

|PC and monitor (last year) |Dashboard and Scientific Visualization |N/A |N/A |N/A |N/A |

| | | | | | |

|Total | | | |$2,579 | |

|Actual total may be slightly higher due to shipping charges. | | |

Appendix A. Table of Dashboard Requirements and Tasks

|Scenario |Technologies |Tasks |

|George shows kids the dashboard |LCD monitor |Purchase computer/monitor for dashboard/database |

|  |Touchscreen or mouse |Install dashboard/database |

|George explains fuel consumption |Fuel consumption sensor |Collect data from sensor |

|  |RPM/torque sensor |Load data into database |

|  |  |Dashboard reads from database |

|Compare fuel consumption with other vehicles |  |Get data on fuel consumption in vehicles like: |

|  | |a car |

|  | |a smaller boat |

|  | |a semi truck |

|  | |a small airplane |

|  |  |Compute distance traveled using that amount of fuel for other |

| | |vehicles |

|George explains amount of pollution |Pollution sensors |Collect data from sensor |

|  | |Load data into database |

|  |  |Dashboard reads from database |

|Compare amount of pollution with other vehicles |  |Get data on pollution in vehicles like: |

|  | |a car |

|  | |a smaller boat |

|  | |a semi truck |

|  |  |a small airplane |

|George asks about difference in water temp |Temperature sensor at exhaust |Collect data from sensor |

|  |Temperature sensor at bow |Load data into database |

|  |  |Dashboard reads from database |

|George shows energy usage on ship |Sensors for amount of electricity used |Determine subsystems to monitor |

|  | |Collect data from sensor |

|  | |Load data into database |

|  | |Dashboard reads from database |

|  |  |Dashboard needs a model of ship/subsystems |

|George asks about battery charge |Sensor for how charged the battery is |Collect data from sensor |

|  | |Load data into database |

|  | |Dashboard reads from database |

|  |  |Collect data on max battery charge/length of time to charge |

| | |battery |

|George shows kids alternative energy sources |  |Determine what other "green" technologies the dashboard should |

| | |be able to compare |

|  | |Collect data on how much energy those technologies can provide |

|  | |(Can use data from new Voyager) |

|  |  |Dashboard displays comparison of current energy sources vs. new |

-----------------------

Clicks on distance drop-down box and chooses a new location

Updates number of hours required to reach the location

User Action

System Response

Clicks on fuel consumption vehicle drop-down box and chooses a new vehicle

Updates the location to which the vehicle would travel

Watches system update in real time

Updates fuel consumption, RPM, and speed

Updates amount of each type of pollutant, water temp at bow and stern

Clicks on “View Electricity” button

Clicks on “View Energy Sources” button

Switches display to “Electricity” page

Switches display to “Energy Sources” page

Updates pie chart showing how much electricity each subsystem is using

Updates ON and OFF indicator for each electrical system

Plots power usage of toilet pumps over time; displays current power usage

Watches system update in real time

Clicks on “View Power” button

Clicks on “View Energy Sources” button

Switches display to “Power” page

Switches display to “Energy Sources” page

Updates pie chart showing how much electricity each subsystem is using

Updates ON and OFF indicator for each electrical system

Plots power usage of toilet pumps over time; displays current power usage

Watches system update in real time

Clicks on “View Power” button

Clicks on “View Energy Sources” button

Switches display to “Power” page

Switches display to “Energy Sources” page

Detroit Diesel 6-71 Engines

Detroit Diesel 6-71 Engines

Detroit Diesel 6-71 Engines

Detroit Diesel 6-71 Engines

Drive Shaft

Drive Shaft

Propeller Shaft

Propeller Shaft

3:1

3:1

|Vendor |Sensor |Ratings |Output |Input |Price |

|Baytech |RPC4-30 |110V-30A |RS-232 |Receptacles |475$/8devices |

|Xanboo |XPS155 |- |- |- |- |

|Sensorsoft |SP6400J |12V DC |RS-232 |12V DC |70$ |

|Veris |H922 |.5-150A |0-5V |Clamp-on |90$ |

|Dancraft |CS2-1 |10W-2000W |- |- |- |

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