Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
65 Chip Storage (Dispenser)
Qi Chen
Tianyang Sha
Xulun Huang
Raman Singh design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.png
presentation1.pptx
proposal2.pdf
# Chip Storage

Team Members:
- Qi Chen (qic7)
- Tianyang Sha (tsha3)
- Xulun Huang (xulunh2)

# Problem
As we all know, ECE classes like ECE210 and ECE385 will dissipate kits with chips and electronic parts. Electronic parts can be easily distinguished because of their size and shape; chips on the other hand look generally the same: a small black box with several pins. For a class with more than 200 students, placing the right number of intended chips becomes lab-intensive and time-consuming.

# Solution
We propose to make a system that can dispense a certain number of intended chips. The user can input the desired list of chips on the terminal and then hit the button to dispense those.

To extend the functionality, an identification system can be integrated to accommodate a pile of chips are all different types. For the input, the identification system will need a sequence of chips. Each chip will then be identified and placed into a specific slot. For identification purposes, either text recognition or barcode/QR code can be implemented.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1: Chip delivery system.[1]

This subsystem will accept a sequence (inline) of different chips and output them one by one for the scanner to use.


## Subsystem 2: Chip identification subsystem.[1]

This subsystem will have a barcode scanner to identify the chip and tell the controller chip ID. For identification, the scanning area will have at most one chip at a time, and the chip must be placed at a proper angle to the scanner. These requirements will be fulfilled by the Chip delivery system.

Explain what the subsystem does. Explicitly list what sensors/components you will use in this subsystem. Include part numbers.


## Subsystem 3: Storage subsystem [1]
This subsystem will place chips into their corresponding slot(long bar shape). Each slot will hold one specific type of chip. For example, slot#1 will hold chip HCF4072B, and slot#2 will hold chip SN74ALS21. All chips without a barcode will be grouped in one slot.

## Subsystem 4: Dispensing subsystem
This subsystem will dispense the intended chip from the storage.
At the bottom of each storage chip bar, an electric motor could drive a stick to push the very bottom chip into a funnel-shaped collecting place.


## Subsystem 5: Power subsystem
This subsystem is responsible for the power supply of the whole system. We will use a battery to deliver power.

## Subsystem 6: User terminal
This subsystem will accept the user's chip request (chip ID and number) through the USB port.

## Subsystem 7: Control system
Input part[1]: A microcontroller accepts signals from the camera and sends signals to chip delivery, identification, and storage systems.
Output part: A microcontroller accepts a file from users via a USB connection and sends signals to the dispensing system.

_[1]: These systems may not be required. Since chips are already categorized into different piles when bought by staff. Loading the chip manually may be accepted._

# Criterion For Success

Describe high-level goals that your project needs to achieve to be effective. These goals need to be testable and not subjective.

- A sequence of, user-input, mixture chips get classified individually and stored in certain slots. (depending on the actual usage environment, this might not be critical)
- After the user chooses desired chips, the dispenser system outputs specified chips with the correct numbers.
- The dispenser system can output a single chip.
- Chips in the storage system form a regular bar shape by stacking them one by one.

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Anuraag Vankayala, Amrutha Vasili

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Featured Project

Idea:

To build a GPS-assisted, cloud-controlled quadcopter, for consumer-friendly aerial photography.

Design/Build:

We will be building a quad from the frame up. The four motors will each have electronic speed controllers,to balance and handle control inputs received from an 8-bit microcontroller(AP),required for its flight. The firmware will be tweaked slightly to allow flight modes that our project specifically requires. A companion computer such as the Erle Brain will be connected to the AP and to the cloud(EC2). We will build a codebase for the flight controller to navigate the quad. This would involve sending messages as per the MAVLink spec for sUAS between the companion computer and the AP to poll sensor data , voltage information , etc. The companion computer will also talk to the cloud via a UDP port to receive requests and process them via our code. Users make requests for media capture via a phone app that talks to the cloud via an internet connection.

Why is it worth doing:

There is currently no consumer-friendly solution that provides or lets anyone capture aerial photographs of them/their family/a nearby event via a simple tap on a phone. In fact, present day off-the-shelf alternatives offer relatively expensive solutions that require owning and carrying bulky equipment such as the quads/remotes. Our idea allows for safe and responsible use of drones as our proposed solution is autonomous, has several safety features, is context aware(terrain information , no fly zones , NOTAMs , etc.) and integrates with the federal airspace seamlessly.

End Product:

Quads that are ready for the connected world and are capable to fly autonomously, from the user standpoint, and can perform maneuvers safely with a very simplistic UI for the common user. Specifically, quads which are deployed on user's demand, without the hassle of ownership.

Similar products and comparison:

Current solutions include RTF (ready to fly) quads such as the DJI Phantom and the Kickstarter project, Lily,that are heavily user-dependent or user-centric.The Phantom requires you to carry a bulky remote with multiple antennas. Moreover,the flight radius could be reduced by interference from nearby conditions.Lily requires the user to carry a tracking device on them. You can not have Lily shoot a subject that is not you. Lily can have a maximum altitude of 15 m above you and that is below the tree line,prone to crashes.

Our solution differs in several ways.Our solution intends to be location and/or event-centric. We propose that the users need not own quads and user can capture a moment with a phone.As long as any of the users are in the service area and the weather conditions are permissible, safety and knowledge of controlling the quad are all abstracted. The only question left to the user is what should be in the picture at a given time.

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