Current Project Status

Since mid march we have been working hard in the implementation of each module. The meetings have been done in the lab without the accustomed protocols and have been working sessions.  A list of the tasks that have been in progress are included by date.

March 8 (Before Happy Hour 1-Design)

Carlos:

• GUI – Done
• E-R, Database – Pending

Danyz:

• Schematics – Done
• Power Supply Schematics – Pending

March 15

Meeting Agenda

1. Status Report
2. Tasks for this week

1. Status Report

Fernando:

• Began researching mesh network implementation

Carlos:

• Adding more features to the GUI

Danyz:

• Coin module pseudo code
• Parking meter display research and implementation options
• LCD initialization research

2. Week Tasks

Danyz:

• LCD Initialization
• LCD interfacing
• LCD circuit prototype

Carlos:

• Coin module interfacing
• Coin module prototype
• Coin Code

Fernando:

• Mesh Network
• Interface Xbee to microcontroller
• Communications protocol

March 24

The progress report was presented in class. The following is a list of modules in which their implementation was started.

Fernando:

• Detection module circuit and firmware

Danyz:

• Coin collection and time display module code

Carlos:

• GUI- User authentication added and navigation functionality

April 13

Up to this date some of the modules have been already implemented. The handheld device has been delayed since the LCD was ordered again. The tasks per person are the following:

Fernando:

• Detection code completed-Ultrasonic sensor interfacing and car detection firmware implemented
• Communication code in progress
• Wireless transmitter interfacing – Began implementing the code for message generation and tested communication between MCU and PC.

Carlos:

• Server application  – Began implementing the server application object classes and data         access objects (for database management)
• Created database and tables – Began integration of database server with main application
• Database integration: Queries through GUI already implemented

Danyz:

• Parking meter display implementation – The circuit is able to display the time remaining in the parking meter and decrements according to the time elapsed
• Coin collection module implementation – Code for receiving coins and re-calculating the time remaining in the parking meter has been completed

Meeting and Software Design Session

Meeting Agenda

1. Status Report
2. Working Session

1. Status Report

Danyz Estevez

• Worked on the operation flowcharts for the handheld module. Brought some issues regarding functional requirements.
• Selected and purchased necessary components for the handheld device, alarm module, detection module, and communication device (XBee).
• Pending: Power and timing analysis, schematics.

Carlos Colon

• Selected  necessary components for the alarm module.
• Began to work on alarm module operation flowcharts and schematics.
• Pending: Finish Schematics and flowcharts, finish E-R diagram and database schema.

Fernando Cuadrado

• Selected  necessary components for the detection module and the parking meter module.
• Began to work on system power analysis and detection module schematics.
• Worked on operation flowchart of the car detection module.
• Pending: Finish schematics and power analysis, finish E-R diagram and database schema.

2. Working Session

The whole team worked on the functional requirements of the handheld device. Determined the functionality and assisted Danyz in the issues that she brought regarding the menu navigation.

Software Design Session

Carlos and myself conducted a special meeting to work on the server application design. We determined the applications functional and non-functional requirements and discussed the working plan for the next software design session. For the next session the whole team will be working on the use cases. Carlos will also be working on the user interface design.

Fernando Cuadrado

Meeting

Agenda

1. Status report
2. Discuss MCU options

1. Status report

Danyz Estevez – Handheld module

• Determined navigation flow of the hand-held device’s menu.
• Component research.
• Ordered an LCD module for instructional purposes (may be the one used in the project)
• Determined how the device will look and how it will be assembled (buttons, enclosure, etc.)
• Pending: MCU, schematics, operation flowchart, power analysis.

Carlos Colon – Anti-vandalism module

• Component research
• determined 2 possible accelerometer candidates and evaluated buzzers for the alarm (the accelerometers cost between $20 and $30)
• Pending: Decide on alarm components, schematics, operation flowchart, power analysis, coin detector.

Fernando Cuadrado – Car detection module

• Component research.
• Determined 2 approaches for making ultrasonic detection: use an ultrasonic sensor with built in circuit(~$30) or assemble sensor scheme using individual components (transducers, amplificators, comparators, etc.) wich would be cheaper.
• Researched and compared different MCU options. PIC18 microcontrollers are more suitable for our application because of their low power consumption.
• Pending: Power analysis, schematics, operation flowchart, noise considerations  (possibility of using RC filters)

2. MCU options

After some research and comparisons, we have come up with 4 possible microcontroller candidates:

• MSP430F149 – We have worked previously with this MCU and already have development kits available. Has low power consumption and the peripherals necessary for aour application.
• PIC18F24J11
• PIC18F25K20
• PIC18F46K20

*All PIC microcontrollers have been considered because they have lower power consumption than the MSP430 and there is a lot of available documentation and application notes available.

Notes:

Although we are a little behind schedule according to the project Gantt chart, the goal is to finish with most of the hardware design this week (including preliminary schematics and operation flowcharts) and we will be back on schedule. By the end of this week (Friday, February 26) we should at least have a complete list of hardware components so we can proceed to order them on the weekend.

Fernando Cuadrado

New project…

Since the last post, DFC Technologies has made changes regarding the project that will be developed. For various reasons, including cost and available resources, the previous proposal was not accepted. However, a different project has been proposed and will be developed: ParkWatch.

This product will keep track of the state of parking meters on a given area. It will also inform the person in charge of surveying the area if the meter’s time limit expires or if the meters have been disabled or tampered with. This is done by installing a device on each parking meter to detect whether a vehicle has been parked near the parking meter.  These parking meters will form a wireless sensor network that will relay the information obtained from the spot to an application running on a server PC to keep track of the meters. Once a parking meter’s fare expires, the device will inform the person patrolling the area via a handheld device that the fare has expired and that they should check on the parking meter to give them an infraction. If the meter detects an unusual action, such as being shaken, it will emit a signal back to the PC to inform that it is being damaged, as well as producing a loud alarm sound to alert nearby officers.

All the tasks related to the development of this project have been already identified and distributed between the team members. Right now we enter the design phase and it is expected to be completed by March 10, 2010. We will keep informing here the decisions made throughout the course of the project.

Fernando Cuadrado

Group Information and Project Description

Welcome to our project blog. DFC Technologies is one of the teams enrolled in the Computer Engineering Design Course at UPR-Mayaguez, which consists of members:

• Fernando A. Cuadrado – Project Manager
• Danyz Estevez
• Carlos A. Colon

This blog will document the decisions and experiences that will be made throughout the design and implementation of our term project. Team meetings will be held on the following days: Monday and Wednesday at 1:00 pm. Make-up meetings will be held on any day at 6:00 pm.

DFC Technologies will be working on a project throughout this semester. The goal of the project is to implement a system capable of detecting which spaces are available in a public parking lot via sensors and display the results, a layout of the parking lot, on a screen at the entrance of the lot. In addition to the empty parking space detection, the system will include a billing system consisting of an RFID module in combination with a high level application (GUI) and a database to effectively record the usage of the parking by the customers. The system proposed not only will be of benefit of regular customers by optimizing the process of finding a parking space and saving time, but it also will facilitate the job of public parking lot administrators.

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