Final Report. Project Title: Dial A Whip

Transcription

1 EEL 4924 Electrical Engineering Design (Senior Design) 25 April 2012 Project Title: Dial A Whip Team Members: Name: Chris Calvo Name: Daniel De Leo Project Abstract: Dial A Whip consists of a compact module that connects to a car s electrical system to allow partial system control and relay status information about the car to the owner. The module will allow the owner to use a cellphone to remotely perform several functions on the car such as: Lock/Unlock doors, open trunk, read inside temperature, receive GPRS location, sense internal lights and external headlights, receive door status, sense motion inside car, and start the car. The project presents the technical challenge of interfacing a microcontroller with both a GSM modem and a car s BCM (Body Control Module). Once the project has been completed, it is expected that Dial A Whip will present users with the ability to partially control their car and check on the status of their car using SMS text messages on any cellphone.

2 Page 2/12 Contents Introduction:... 3 Project Features:... 4 Concept/Technology Selection:... 5 Visual of Functionality:... 6 Installation:... 7 System Block Diagram:... 8 Software Flowchart:... 9 Android Application: Distribution of Labor: Project Costs: Grant Chart: Figures Figure 1 Dial A Whip Module... 3 Figure 2 Android App... 4 Figure 3 Basic SMS Texting... 4 Figure 4 Basic View of Software Function... 6 Figure 5 - Module Connectors... 7 Figure 6 - Dial A Whip System Block Diagram... 8 Figure 7 - Software Flowchart... 9 Figure 8 Android App Home Screen Figure 9 Android App Extra Features Screen Figure 10 Android GPS Car Locator Screen Figure 11 Grant Chart... 12

3 Page 3/12 Introduction: Dial A Whip is an automotive accessory that gives the user the ability to control some vehicle characteristics and pull status readings about their vehicle from anywhere in the world (as long as the car and user lie in a GSM cell phone coverage area). A similar system has been developed by Viper Inc. they call the system SmartStart and it gives the user similar features to our system however the SmartStart system requires users to pay monthly fees to Viper in order to keep the system working. These fees arise from a monthly fee to keep each car connected on a GSM network and also for the user to access the Viper web server to control the vehicle. Dial A Whip in essence will provide all of the same features as SmartStart but in a much more open source based system allowing the user control capabilities via any phone using SMS (See Figure 2), which does not force users to have a smart phone. Dial A Whip also allows users to retain their own GSM SIM card to ensure cell phone coverage for the system. Figure 1 Dial A Whip Module

4 Page 4/12 Project Features: Plug and Play Module plugs directly into OBDII port Internal Battery Back-up Uninterruptable power supply to system Internal Temperature Sensing Module able to SMS text the user the temperature inside the car. Internal Motion Sensor Module alerts the user via SMS text whenever motion is sensed inside the car Interface With Installed BCM/Remote Starter Module connects to BCM through CAN BUS to allow the following features: SMS Security Car Status Lock/Unlock Door Control Trunk Opening Control Remote Engine Start 4 digit passcode required for all text commands Android Mobile Application (See Figure 1) Ability to interact with the car module using a graphical interface rather than simple SMS texts. The application presents the user with buttons which send the corresponding commands automatically via SMS, saving the user the extra effort of composing texts. Figure 2 Android App Figure 3 Basic SMS Texting

5 Page 5/12 Concept/Technology Selection: Dial A Whip is broken down into three main parts that together fulfill the objectives of providing users control of their car from anywhere in the world: 1. The communication backbone to the Dial A Whip system in order to provide nearly worldwide coverage for our system we opted to use the widely used GSM technology (cell phone architecture). By using GSM the Dial A Whip system is always accessible to the user as long as the user is within range of a cell phone tower and the system is as well. Another benefit of using GSM versus other cell phone architectures is the fact that with GSM SIM cards are required in order to access the network this gives consumers of the Dial A Whip system the ability to choose any GSM carrier/provider that they wish. Other possibilities that were examined included WIFI and Bluetooth however both of these technologies did not provide the coverage we were looking for to provide a nearly worldwide coverage for the Dial A Whip system. 2. The processing power and overall control center for the Dial A Whip system will be placed on the shoulders of an Atmel Atmega 2560 microcontroller. This microcontroller provides us with access to UART connections that are full duplex (can send and receive simultaneously), which is essential to our application considering communication with the GSM modem is done completely through UART. Another feature of this microcontroller is its large flash memory which totals up to 256 KB this allows for plenty of room to design a robust system all on one chip without the need for external memory interface. Lastly, because this microcontroller is widely used in industry there is access to a lot of example code and literature that will all help to realize the Dial A Whip control center. A few other microcontrollers were examined (PIC, TI, and other Atmel chips) however they all lacked one or all of the above key features that the Atmega 2560 offered.

6 Page 6/12 3. Interfacing with the vehicle is done via the CAN BUS interface which is standard on all cars manufactured in 2006 and later. The Dial A Whip system has an on-board MCP2515 and MCP2551 which are the controller and transceiver in charge of CAN BUS communication. It is this CAN BUS communication which allows the Dial A Whip system to be completely plug and play via the OBDII port on any car. Visual of Functionality: Figure 4 Basic View of Software Function

7 Page 7/12 Installation: Dial A Whip has two simple connections that are used to install the module on the car. Two cables are used. One cable has a DB-9 serial connector on one side which plugs into the back of the system to the DB-9 port (shown below). The other side of the cable has an OBDII connector which plugs into the car s OBDII port below the steering wheel. The second cable has the motion sensor on one end and a USB connector on the other. The USB connector plugs into the side USB port of the Dial A Whip system (shown below). Those two cables are all that are necessary to install the system. When the power switch is turned on, the system boots and within seconds is ready to receive texts. Figure 5 - Module Connectors

8 Page 8/12 System Block Diagram: Figure 6 - Dial A Whip System Block Diagram

9 Page 9/12 Software Flowchart: Figure 7 - Software Flowchart

10 Page 10/12 Android Application: The android application automates all the SMS text message commands that control the Dial A Whip system. This saves the user the hassle of having to manually compose all the text messages on their phone. The android application also provides a visual representation of the GPS coordinates that are sent back by the Dial A Whip system. The coordinates are translated into a google maps coordinate and is shown visually as a red car (Figure 10). Button Functions: Lock All Doors Unlock All Doors Unlock Driver Door Unlock Passenger Door Trunk Open Start Car GPS Car Location Car Temperature Arm Motion Sensor Car Doors Status Change Security PassCode Figure 8 Android App Home Screen Figure 9 Android App Extra Features Screen Figure 10 Android GPS Car Locator Screen

11 Page 11/12 Distribution of Labor: The following is a breakdown of each team member's projected labor by approximate percentage. Christopher Calvo Daniel De Leo Preliminary Research 50% 50% Design Phase 50% 50% Board Construction 90% 10% Interfacing With Car 80% 20% C code for Atmel 20% 80% Test and Debug 50% 50% Physical Assembly 50% 50% Android App Development 10% 90% Project Costs: GSM Module $60.00 GPS Module $60.00 Temperature Sensor $1.50 Motion Sensor $10.00 Connectors/Cables $20.00 PCB $33.00 ATMEGA2560 w/ Oscillators $22.00 Capacitors, Resistors, Inductors $8.00 ICs $12.50 Total $227

12 Page 12/12 Grant Chart: Figure 11 Grant Chart