EEL 4924: Senior Design. 27 January Project Design Report: Voice Controlled RC Device

Transcription

1 EEL 4924: Senior Design 27 January 2009 Project Design Report: Voice Controlled RC Device Team VR: Name: Name: Kyle Stevenson Phone: Phone: Abstract: The original idea for this project was to take an RC car and use it as a platform for testing voice recognition. The application of a mapping system will be added in order for the user to guide the car through a user-defined blueprint. The mapping application will be composed of a grid system that can be configurable by the user by creating a maze, walls, etc. The system will allow the user to use voice commands or directional buttons to control the movement and other functions of the car. There will be an option to have live commands, where the car will perform the last operation stated, or an option to save a string of commands and perform all of them after the user is done inputting them. For example, a user could define a maze and specify a path for the car to travel through the maze. The user can decide to move the car one grid space at a time or define the entire path for the car to travel at once. The user interface controller will consist of an LCD and a voice recognition module connected to a microcontroller that will wirelessly connect to the microcontroller of the car. Added to the car will be 1

2 object detection sensor that will detect obstructions in its path and signal the user interface controller. The user will then have the option to reconfigure the path of the car through the map. The system allows for the expansion of more sensors for the car to interact with its environment. Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures... 3 Project Features/Objectives... 4 Components/Concept Selection... 6 Diagrams... 8 Separation of Labor Gantt Chart References

3 List of Tables and Figures Pictures Picture 1. XBee Wireless Chip...4 Picture 2. Robot Car...5 Picture 3. Sonar Proximity Sensor...5 Diagrams Figure 1. Top-Level Design View...8 Figure 2. Car Controller Diagram...9 Figure 3. Remote Controller Diagram...9 Tables Table 1. Summary of Costs...8 Table 2. Separation of Labor...10 Gantt Chart Gantt Chart

4 Project Features/Objectives The voice-controlled device finds applications in the advancement of unmanned vehicles. Unmanned vehicles are becoming popular in military, police and rescue operations in which the situation is dangerous or inaccessible by human contact. The unmanned devices can be programmed or designed for several different applications or missions. Relating to the wireless device describe in this project, the system allows the user to input a known blueprint of a certain structure, and then guide the car through that structure. The car will be able to detect objects inside that structure that might have been previously unknown by the user. The ability to control the device with voice commands can give the user hands-free convenience allowing for multi-tasking. Wireless Transmission We plan on using X-Bee chips in order to control the Robot car remotely. These are 2.4GHz chips that have a rated signal range of 1600m. There will be an X-Bee chip on the car, and on the remote. Our objectives include getting the X-Bee on the remote to transmit commands to the X-Bee in the car. If time permits, we may look into adding an option to have the X-Bee on the car transmit information back to the X-Bee on the remote like speed, or object detection information. Picture 1. XBee wireless chip Robot Car The car is a simple kit that we decided to get because it very basic and didn t have any unnecessary components. We will be able to add our own processor and control it the way we want it 4

5 to, instead of having to buy a car that has a processor already on it with sensors that we won t use and other useless options. Our objectives include getting the car to move at various speeds that can be controlled from the processor. The car will also be able to detect objects and avoid them, using proximity sensors. Our options for these sensors include infrared and sonar. We plan on powering the car with a 9V battery. Picture 2. Robot Car Picture 3. Sonar Range Sensor Voice Recognition With this feature, a user will be able to control the car and tell it to do things with voice commands. The chip we purchased was the HM2007. This chip works by recording various voice patterns for a certain command, and when that pattern is detected by the chip, it will output a certain command corresponding with the pattern. This could be difficult because we are unsure of how well the chip works and how accurate it is. Remote Control The car will be controlled wirelessly with a remote that we design. This remote will have a D- pad to control the car, if the user wishes, as well as the option to control the car using voice commands. This remote will have an LCD on it. The user will be able to input a string of commands and have the car perform all of them after the user is finished with the string, using either the D-pad or voice commands. There will also be a microphone connected to the remote to receive the voice commands. One of our objectives for the remote is to add a mapping system that will appear on the LCD, and the user will be able to edit the map and have the car navigate its way through this map on the ground, where there will be a grid that is related to the map on the LCD. We plan on powering the remote with a 9V battery. 5

6 Components/Concept Selection The following components are required based on the preliminary design. Certain products were primarily chosen on the basis of cost and simplicity of design. Atmega32 Cost: ~$8 each Qty.: 2 The Atmega32 will be the device used for the two microcontrollers needed in this design. This microcontroller was chosen because of availability and previous experience with the device. The Atmega provides a serial output port that will be useful for communicating with the motor controller. The two controllers that are described is the user interface controller and the RC car controller. XBee Pro Cost: ~$40 each Qty.: 2 The option for wireless chips were between Nordic, XBee, and Bluetooth chips. Bluetooth chips were more expensive, and we have no experience with them. Between the Nordic and XBee's, the XBee chips are easier to program and offer a further signal range that was beneficial to our project. HM2007 Cost: ~$25 Qty.: 1 The HM2007 is the voice recognition chip that will be used to receive voice commands. When researching voice recognition chips, the HM2007 and the VR Stamp module were the only two chips that were available. We chose the HM2007 because of the simplicity of the programming instructions and its basic functionality was the closest to what we will be using it for. Motor Controller 6

7 Cost: ~$55 (sold with Motor Gearbox and Chassis) Qty: 1 The motor controller will be used to output the necessary signals to operate the motion of the car. It was chosen to provide an interface between the Atmega32 microcontroller on the car to the gear motors. The motor controller we are using was chosen because is was conveniently included in a kit with a motor gearbox so we knew it would work. Twin-Motor Gearbox Kit/Chassis Cost: ~$55 (so with Motor Controller) Qty: 1 The twin-motor gearbox kit includes two motors, wheels and axles, ball caster assembly, and the motor controller. The motors will be used to drive the wheels to give motion to the car. This particular kit was chosen because it contained simple, essentially bare-bone components which will allow us to better customize the car to fit our needs. A basic chassis will also be used to hold the gearbox components and later used to attach the electrical components. The car design is meant to be small and compact in order to have more options for maneuverability. LCD/Control Buttons Cost: ~$20 The LCD will provide a visual interface from the remote control to the user. It will consist of a square screen used to display a map grid as well as different requests and warnings from the program. The LCD must be large enough to effectively display the map to the user but must also be simple enough to interface with our microcontroller. We are currently still searching for an LCD. Control push buttons and a D-pad will also be used to receive user inputs. Sensors Cost: ~$15 Qty.: 1 or more The primary sensor to be used on the car is a proximity sensor to detect when the car comes in close contact with and object. This sensor can be achieved in two ways, by infrared and by sonar. Even though a sonar device is slightly more expensive, it will provide more accuracy in being able to test the design both inside and outside. It will also provide us the ability to add range detection in the future. If time permits, we will look into adding more sensors to improve functionality of the car. 7

8 Summary of Costs PART UNIT COST QTY. TOTAL Atmega32 $ $16.00 Xbee Pro $ $80.00 HM2007 $ $25.00 Motor Controller/Gearbox Kit $ $55.00 LCD/Input Controls $20.00 $20.00 Sensors $ or more $15.00 TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS Table 1. Summary of Costs $ Diagrams The following diagrams describe the overview of the design and the basic data flow between the different components. Top-Level View 8

9 Figure 1. Top-Level Design Diagram Car Controller Figure 2. Car Controller Diagram User Interface Controller 9

10 Figure 3. Remote Controller Diagram Separation of Labor The following table is a preliminary list of each partners responsibilities, although, a lot of the work will be done together. This list is subject to change. Chris Kyle Project Research Ordering Parts Robot car assembly X-Bee chip coding Voice Recognition Chip Coding Object Detection LCD coding Mapping System coding Build Prototype Test/Debug Prototype Table 2. Separation of Labor 10

11 Gantt Chart 11

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13 References 1. Datasheets for Parts: Atmega32, HM2007, XBee Pro, Motor Controller 2. Internet. Infrared vs. Ultrasonic. 13