Power BotGroup 2

Luke CremeriusJerald Slatko

Marcel Michael Tarik Ait El Fkih

Sponsored By:

Aeronix Inc.

Project Description

• Autonomous Robot with onboard auxiliary battery

• Used to provide supplemental power to mobile devices (laptops, mobile phones…etc)

• Uses onboard navigation algorithms to navigate to users location

• Has iOS application to provide robot statistics and is used to control PowerBot’s movements.

Project Motivation

• Battery life longevity in mobile devices is a constant issue.

• Wanted to create a charging solution that could charge the device without inconveniencing the user.

• The device would be simple to use, allowing for easy adoption into a users everyday routine.

Objectives

• PowerBot will be able to navigate autonomously to a users location.

• PowerBot can be remotely controlled by user input, through the use of an onboard camera and the provided iOS application.

• PowerBot will contain a battery used to charge external devices through the use of USB, DC, and inductive charging.

Specs

• Will be at most 36” long• Max speed of 5 mph• Battery life of minimum 24 hours• Able to charge mobile phone from 0% - 100%

without needing to recharge internal batteries• Will re-charge internal batteries through in-home

AC and/or via onboard solar panel.• Will navigate to the user autonomously• Can be operated via manual control

Software Overview

• Embedded software for navigation and power control

• iOS application for controlling PowerBot • Wi-Fi module embedded software for

communication with iOS app

iOS Application

Embedded NavigationAlgorithm

Motor Control Power Management

SoftwareLayout

MCU Embedded Software

Sonar Sensors Servo Motors Solar PanelCharging Ports

iOS App• Written in Objective-C using

Xcode 4.4• Offers multiple options for

PowerBot:– Settings– Navigation– Manual– Statistics

iOS Views

• Each view contains a separate viewController, allowing each tab to contain a unique layout of buttons and fields to be presented to the user.

iOS Networking Methods

• Void socketConnect()– Creates input and output streams via theNSStream subclasses:

NSInputStream and NSOutputStream

• int sendMessage(NSOutputStream *out , char *buffer)– Sends data stored within the output buffer out via the output

socket

• int receiveMessage(NSInputStream *in, char*bufferIn)– Receives data via the input socket and stores it in the input buffer

• int parseData(char *bufferIn, int length)– Parses the input buffer and passes data to the appropriate method

Wi-Fi Communication• Used as the primary mode of communication between PowerBot and the iOS

Application.

• 802.11 used as physical layer communication, with sockets used for higher level communication

• RN-131 TCP/IP stack facilitates simpler TCP and UDP data transfer between PowerBot and its iOS App.

Application Layer

MCU - Serial

802.11 - Socket

iOS - Serial

802.11 Socket

Application Layer

Embedded Software iOS Software

Wi-Fi Module - RN-131 • The Microchip RN-131 provides a complete Wi-Fi solution for onboard

communication with PowerBot

• The integrated TCP/IP stack within the RN-131 allows for easier implementation of sockets and passing data via TCP/UDP

RN-131 – Power Consumption

• Provides low power

• communication solution

• 4uA Power Consumption when idle

• 40 mA while active and connected

• 140 mA Power while active and transmitting