Design of the Wireless Telecommunication System of an Autonomous Solar Vehicle

Abstract

English: The Automatic Control Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of technology Zurich (ETH) is currently designing and building an autonomously driving solar vehicle (ASV). Having the size of a Radio Control Model Car, the main purpose of it is to serve as a research platform to test new control methods and strategies. The ASV project has been divided into different stages such as mechanical design, power train motor control, energy management, etc. The aim of this particular Semester Project is to design and fully implement a wireless telecommunication system onto the ASV. This wireless channel will enable the transmission of information between the ASV and a remote PC in charge of sending instructions and processing data measurements. The main constituent devices of this project are a microcontroller onboard of the ASV that manages its motion; two radiofrequency modules (one integrated and with accessible pins and the other embedded with a USB) and a PC. The structure of the project is mainly divided in two parts, one is the ASV-side, where the microcontroller is connected via USART (Universal Asynchronous Transmitter Reciever) to the IC wireless device. On the other side, the PC-side, the system will present a PC connected to the USB RF Module. Through the programming of the microcontroller and the development of a computer application on the other side, a communication channel between the two wireless devices will be established. The PC will be able to send special instructions to the ASV and receive measurements and data that later on are going to be processed. Due to the ongoing works on the ASV project, one of the main goals of the current project is to build a software communication layer independent of changes in the data or instruction to be sent. The aim of this layer is to provide a system where instructions and data reach their destination regardless of their structure. Taking the OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection) as the reference, future enhancements in the project will not modify the lowest layers of the architecture but rather the two top ones: Application and Presentation.

Castellano: El Automatic Control Lab del Instituto Federal de Tecnología de Zurich (ETH) está actualmente diseñando y construyendo un vehículo solar autónomo (ASV por sus siglas en inglés). Del tamaño de un coche de control remoto, la principal motivación para su construcción es que sea usado como plataforma de investigación para probar nuevas estrategias y métodos de control. El proyecto ASV ha sido dividido en diversas etapas: el diseño mecánico, el control del tren de rodaje, la gestión energética, etc. El objetivo de este proyecto de final de carrera es el de diseñar e implementar un sistema inalámbrico de telecomunicaciones que irá integrado sobre el vehículo. El sistema sin hilos posibilitará la transmisión de información entre el ASV y un ordenador remoto encargado de enviar instrucciones y procesar datos sobre mediciones del coche. Los principales elementos constituyentes de este proyecto son un microcontrolador a bordo del ASV que gestionará su movimento; dos módulos radiofrecuenciales (uno integrado y con pines accessibles y el otro encastado en un dispositivo USB) y un PC. La estructura del proyecto está fundamentalmente dividida en dos partes, por un lado la parte del vehículo, donde el microcontrolador está conectado via USART (Universal Asynchronous Transmitter Reciever) a un circuito integrado sin hilos. Por otro lado el PC, el sistema presentará un PC conectado al dispositivo USB radiofrecuencial. A través de la programación del microcontrolador y el desarrollo de una aplicación de ordenador en el otro lado, un canal de comunicaciones entre los dos dispositivos inalámbricos será establecido. El PC será habilitado para enviar instrucciones especiales al ASV y recibirá mediciones y datos que posteriormente serán procesados. A causa de los trabajos que actualmente se llevan a cabo sobre el ASV, uno de los objetivos principales es el de establecer una capa de comunicación software independiente de los cambios en los datos o en las instrucciones a ser enviadas. El objetivo de esta capa es la de proveer un sistema donde los datos e instrucciones llegan a su destinatario sin importar su estructura. Tomando como referencia el modelo OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), futuras mejoras del proyecto no afectaran las capas más bajas de la arquitectura sino sólo a las dos superiores: Aplicación y Presentación.

English: The Automatic Control Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of technology Zurich (ETH) is currently designing and building an autonomously driving solar vehicle (ASV). Having the size of a Radio Control Model Car, the main purpose of it is to serve as a research platform to test new control methods and strategies. The ASV project has been divided into different stages such as mechanical design, power train motor control, energy management, etc. The aim of this particular Semester Project is to design and fully implement a wireless telecommunication system onto the ASV. This wireless channel will enable the transmission of information between the ASV and a remote PC in charge of sending instructions and processing data measurements. The main constituent devices of this project are a microcontroller onboard of the ASV that manages its motion; two radiofrequency modules (one integrated and with accessible pins and the other embedded with a USB) and a PC. The structure of the project is mainly divided in two parts, one is the ASV-side, where the microcontroller is connected via USART (Universal Asynchronous Transmitter Reciever) to the IC wireless device. On the other side, the PC-side, the system will present a PC connected to the USB RF Module. Through the programming of the microcontroller and the development of a computer application on the other side, a communication channel between the two wireless devices will be established. The PC will be able to send special instructions to the ASV and receive measurements and data that later on are going to be processed. Due to the ongoing works on the ASV project, one of the main goals of the current project is to build a software communication layer independent of changes in the data or instruction to be sent. The aim of this layer is to provide a system where instructions and data reach their destination regardless of their structure. Taking the OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection) as the reference, future enhancements in the project will not modify the lowest layers of the architecture but rather the two top ones: Application and Presentation.