Project Info

Project Goals

The main objectives of this project are to be reliable and simple.

Reliable:

The project needs to have a reliable transmission signal, be long lasting, and have a reliable lasting camera-to-car hook-up.

Simple:

The project needs to have a simple camera hook-up and a simple display that users of all backgrounds can use.

Needs

The Freescale Cup Race Car used in EELE 101 has a linear array camera with 128 pixels resolution that is used to find that black line in front of the car. A problem that can happen is that if the integration time of the camera is set too long for the lighting conditions in the room, the camera will saturate and thus be blinded. This can happen when the camera picks up a reflection off the ground or enters a brighter location in the room (under lights, etc.), and is likely the cause of the car losing the line. Students would like the ability to see the camera data in real-time to see if this is the cause of the car losing the line. Thus, the primary deliverable will be to transmit the camera data to a monitor (android smartphone or tablet) as the car is driving on the track. This will require a wireless link (wifi or bluetooth) to the monitoring device. Another objective is to make it easy to hook up to the race car and use the pre existing system.

Stakeholders

Anyone taking the Introduction to Electrical Engineering course after the completion of this project will benefit greatly. By allowing users to see what the camera is seeing is somewhat real time. This allows users to debug any bizarre behavior observed and also be able to view any saturation of the sensor. This would also allow for a greater community to develop in not only the EELE 101 class but any class beyond as well. Future development could include remote control of the vehicle as well as monitoring decisions made. Another stakeholder would be the current and future instructors of the Introduction to Electrical Engineering course. By viewing what the camera sees, the instructor can work on any changes that need to be done to the race car to enhance the class learning material.

Android App Information

The Android app created to display the data for this project can be freely downloaded using the following link:

Once the app has been downloaded and open, one must search for and select the correct device in use i.e. Race Car 1, Race Car 2, etc. (after the battery has been plugged in to start the device). After selecting the correct device and turning on the race car, data should begin flowing to the device displaying the information the camera on the race car "sees".