Self-driving Car Project in Embedded Systems Class

Maddumage Karunaratne

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Conference: 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Publication Date: June 24, 2017
Start Date: June 24, 2017
End Date: June 28, 2017
Conference Session: ETD Projects
Tagged Division: Engineering Technology
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--28817
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/28817
Download Count: 4858

Paper Authors

biography

Maddumage Karunaratne University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown

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Dr. Maddumage Karunaratne is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Electrical Engineering Technology department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA. The department offers two undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Computer Engineering Technology. Dr. Karunaratne earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka), a Master of Science from the University of Mississippi (Oxford), and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona (Tucson).

Before joining academia, he gained fourteen years of extensive industry experience working in the semiconductor industry performing software development, application engineering, design, testing and verification of digital integrated circuits. He has taught electrical and general engineering technology classes at Pitt-Johnstown since 2004.

His research and teaching interests include Semiconductor circuit Testing and Verification, Low Power Design Analysis, Digital and Embedded Systems, Electromagnetic Wave Scattering, and IC Design Automation Software development. He has authored or coauthored 27 publications and he holds two US patents.

He can be reached at maddu@pitt.edu
209 Engineering and Science Building
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Johnstown, PA 15904

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Abstract

With every increasing integrated circuit manufacturing prowess, today an astounding array of devices include embedded microcontrollers to provide connectivity, automation, power efficiency along with entertainment to end user. One example is the widely used light bulbs. They first became LEDs and then miniature controllers were added that can be programmed using a cell phone remotely. The widely known term smart device really comes from embedded microcontrollers in majority of the devices. Silicon manufactures have launched hobby industries around inexpensive electronics, particularly microprocessor boards, with more capabilities and easy to program systems such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino. For individual developer or capable consumer those devices offer vast levels of customization.

When electrical and computer engineers are trained, it is imperative that nearly all acquire some level of exposure to embedded microcontroller and associated software development skills to effectively function as engineers in their careers. The nature of work performed in industry changes as they progress in careers. Lack of such exposure and experience will constrain their opportunities in different technical fields and even managerial advancements.

At this university, electrical engineering technology (EET) and computer engineering technology (CET) majors take one semester course in microcontrollers to learn embedded system developments in their junior year preceded by a C programming course and an electronics course. This course facilitates their understanding of digital controllers and most of the senior capstone projects would select one or two microcontrollers as the heart of the project. Students have used Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Freescale Dragon boards which the course and labs are based on due to its simplicity and legacy. With vast processing capabilities of electronics, Google and others are trying to push automation to a new degree with self-driving vehicles which have to read and interpret moving and stationary objects, black and white surface lines, light colors, etc. To provide more hands on experience and a flavor of such real world emerging technologies, the author recently introduced an automated vehicle project to students in lieu of the final written comprehensive assessment for the Embedded Systems course.

This paper discusses the content and experience in having an automated line tracking and moving object avoidance project as final class assessment in Embedded Systems class. The project is to be done by two student groups with limited skeleton code and help from the instructor within a few weeks’ time toward end of the course. Students mount Dragon 12 microcontroller boards on cars after removing remote controller units, but leaving the motors intact. Some use 4-wheel drive cars and separate driver circuits along with sonar sensors, sound sensors and line sensors. Students learn to be creative and sharpen their engineering skills. Instructor evaluates the devices on a track shown to them on paper, but not made available for trials. The track contains left-right curves, cross roads, and moving objects are used to test their vehicles in front of an audience. The paper will also include survey results from students about projects and its influence on their capstone project as well.

Citation
Format

Karunaratne, M. (2017, June), Self-driving Car Project in Embedded Systems Class Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28817

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - With every increasing integrated circuit manufacturing prowess, today an astounding array of  devices include embedded microcontrollers to provide connectivity, automation, power efficiency along with entertainment to end user. One example is the widely used light bulbs. They first became LEDs and then miniature controllers were added that can be programmed using a cell phone remotely. The widely known term smart device really comes from embedded microcontrollers in majority of the devices. Silicon manufactures have launched hobby industries around inexpensive electronics, particularly microprocessor boards, with more capabilities and easy to program systems such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino. For individual developer or capable consumer those devices offer vast levels of customization.  

When electrical and computer engineers are trained, it is imperative that nearly all acquire some level of  exposure to embedded microcontroller and  associated software development skills to effectively function as engineers in their careers.  The nature of work performed in industry changes as they progress in careers. Lack of such exposure and experience will constrain their opportunities in different technical fields and even managerial advancements. 

At this university, electrical engineering technology (EET) and computer engineering technology (CET) majors take one semester course in microcontrollers to learn embedded system developments in their junior year preceded by a C programming course and an electronics course. This course facilitates their understanding of digital controllers and most of the senior capstone projects would select one or two microcontrollers as the heart of the project. Students have used Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Freescale Dragon boards which the course and labs are based on due to its simplicity and legacy.  With vast processing capabilities of electronics, Google and others are trying to push automation to a new degree with self-driving vehicles which have to read and interpret moving and stationary objects, black and white surface lines, light colors, etc. To provide more hands on experience and a flavor of such real world emerging technologies, the author recently introduced an automated vehicle project to students in lieu of the final written comprehensive assessment for the Embedded Systems course.  

This paper discusses the content and experience in having an automated line tracking and moving object avoidance project as final class assessment in Embedded Systems class. The project is to be done by two student groups with limited skeleton code and help from the instructor within a few weeks’ time toward end of the course. Students mount Dragon 12 microcontroller boards on cars after removing remote controller units, but leaving the motors intact. Some use 4-wheel drive cars and separate driver circuits along with sonar sensors, sound sensors and line sensors. Students learn to be creative and sharpen their engineering skills. Instructor evaluates the devices on a track shown to them on paper, but not made available for trials. The track contains left-right curves, cross roads, and moving objects are used to test their vehicles in front of an audience. The paper will also include survey results from students about projects and its influence on their capstone project as well.          


AU  - Maddumage Karunaratne
CY  - Columbus, Ohio
DA  - 2017/06/24
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Self-driving Car Project in Embedded Systems Class
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/28817
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--28817
ER  -