ECE 477 Digital Systems Senior Design Project Spring 2006
Homework 12: Ethical and Environmental Impact Analysis
Due: Friday, April 14, at NOON
Team Code Name: ____Team Brightriders ______Group No. __13__
Team Member Completing This Homework: _____Matthew Cozza______
E-mail Address of Report Author: ______mcozza______@ purdue.edu
Evaluation:
Component/Criterion / Score / Multiplier / PointsIntroduction and Summary
/ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / X 1Ethical Impact Analysis / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / X 3
Environmental Impact Analysis / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / X 3
List of References / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / X 2
Technical Writing Style / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / X 1
TOTAL
Comments:
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1.0 Introduction
The Purdue Solar Car Telemetry System is a module which provides communication between all of the components in the solar car. Specifically, the telemetry system interfaces with the Motor Controller, the Battery Protection System, the GPS module, a wireless packet modem, the driver interface, and the Maximum Power Point Trackers. It receives race critical vehicle data from all of the connected components and transmits them wirelessly via the packet modem to a laptop in the chase vehicle. This laptop will be running Labview to receive and interpret vehicle data for logging. The driver interface will also have the ability to request vehicle data via the CANbus. This project will replace the existing telemetry system in the solar car, which does not feature a GPS module, CANbus, accelerometers, or a temperature sensor.
As with anything in engineering, this project carries certain ethical and environmental impacts which will be addressed in the following sections. Specifically, from an ethical standpoint, the main concerns are the safety of the driver and others on the road during a race, as well as the durability of the design because of the nature of the environment it operates within. Along with the ethical considerations we face, environmental concerns are mainly centered on the manufacturing, normal use, and disposal of the system which could produce hazardous byproducts. This report will not only focus on these concerns, but also consider how they will be addressed.
2.0 Ethical Impact Analysis
The engineering profession has a direct, visible impact on society. It is paramount that those practicing the profession are held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity in the products and services they provide. As a result, it is important that a product follows proper ethical guidelines such as making decisions which are consistent with the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Also, a company or organization should not sell or distribute a product which will not be durable enough to withstand the environment it operates within. [1], [2] All of these ethical challenges are addressed.
First, steps will need to be taken to ensure the safety of the driver of the car, as well as those on the road during the race. The primary concern is in the event the chase vehicle sends a command to modify the contents of the Motor Controller registers while the car is moving. This could cause unpredictable behavior in the motor operation, and could ultimately result in a crash. Precautions to avoid this scenario include establishing two modes of operation, race mode and diagnostic mode. Diagnostic mode will be the only time which these registers can be modified, and the car can only be in this mode while not in motion. Software checks have been put in place to ensure that a command to change the registers will not occur while in race mode. Also, the user’s manual will mention safe operating conditions for modifying registers in the Motor Controller.
Second, in addition to the primary safety concern, the other safety considerations include the possible inability to communicate Battery Protection data to the driver interface and the possibility of electrical shock from an exposed board and wires. In the case where communication of Battery Protection data fails, the Battery Protection systems already has built in fail safe protocols to protect the batteries from exploding. Considerations have been made to include an external monitoring of Battery Protection data by the telemetry system, thus allowing the telemetry systems to shut down the battery pack. When dealing with the possibility of electrical shock, ensuring that all wires and the PCB are enclosed and covered to prevent accidental exposure will be of most importance. Warning labels will also be placed on the telemetry system case warning of possible shock if the case is opened or wires are exposed.
Third, it is important to make sure that the telemetry system is durable enough to withstand the environment which it will operate in. Since the telemetry system will be mounted inside the car during races, it will experience a lot of vibration. As a result of this vibration, components may be knocked loose. Since the microcontroller the telemetry system uses is a DIP package set in a socket, a zip tie can be wrapped around the microcontroller and attached to the board. This will ensure that the microcontroller will stay in the socket, even through adverse vibration. Wires connecting DB9 and MTE connectors will need to be fastened securely to the project casing to avoid them being disconnected. On top of these procedures, the casing which holds the telemetry system will need to be fastened to the solar car in a secure fashion to avoid the possibility of breaking loose during a race. All of these precautions will allow the telemetry system to have a longer lifespan and ultimately be a safer product.
Finally, it is important that all functionality of the telemetry system is tested both in operational conditions, as well as abnormal conditions. Tests need to include verification of proper communication between the telemetry system and the chase vehicle and all other devices. This testing will also occur during start-up using a self test that verifies functionality and communication. Testing will also be done using controlled software bugs to test the system’s functionality in adverse operating conditions. Once the board and system are mounted in the casing, vibration tests will be conducted to test how well the board and wires are fastened to the casing. After all of the testing and precautions are completed, the telemetry system will be fit to go to market while following all ethical guidelines.
3.0 Environmental Impact Analysis
There exists a growing concern for the environment in today’s society. People are taking steps to preserve and maintain the health of the environment and the creatures and people who live in it. Because of this, there is a greater push towards Green engineering. Green engineering is the process of design, commercialization, and use of products and processes that minimize pollution at the source, as well as minimize risk to human health and the environment. As engineers, we need to use life cycle thinking in all activities, ensure that all energy inputs and outputs are as inherently safe as possible, and strive to prevent waste. [3] There are three areas in a product’s lifecycle which need to attain these goals. Environmental analysis needs to be done on the manufacture, normal use, and disposal of the telemetry system.
The main environmental impact from the telemetry system during the manufacturing process would come from the fabrication of the printed circuit board. Negative impacts to the environment could occur during fabrication of the PCB because of the hazardous byproducts created in the process. These byproducts include air pollutants such as acid fumes, ammonia fumes, and CFCs, as well as water stream pollutants such as acid and alkaline solutions, electroless copper baths, and etchants. [4] If not properly handled by those responsible for fabrication of the PCB, these pollutants could find their way into the atmosphere and water supply. The EPA has outlined steps to help prevent these pollutants from reaching the environment. These steps include eliminating chelated baths to improve metal wastewater treatments and reuse of spent alkali and acid to neutralize the other’s waste streams before introducing them to water waste systems. [5]
There will be minimal to no adverse affects to the environment while the telemetry system is in normal use. The system’s printed circuit board will be enclosed and out of contact with the environment, as well as the fact that there are no harmful byproducts being produced or emitted. The system also uses no rechargeable batteries. Although the system interfaces to the battery system on the solar car, these batteries are not a part of the telemetry system itself.
The telemetry system will need to be disposed of and recycled properly due to the negative impact that the printed circuit board could have on the environment. One of the main concerns of disposal of the PCB is the presence of lead based solder. Due to the lead based solder and other materials considered hazardous, PCBs need to be segregated from other non-hazardous solid materials and handled separately. Several companies offer services for recycling the board by systematically removing raw material from the board matrix. Some of the recovered materials that can be recycled from the board include silver, gold, lead, and copper. As an added benefit, recycling these raw materials recovers the value of those materials for reuse in the fabrication of boards. [6]
4.0 Summary
In summary, several steps have been taken into consideration while designing and developing the telemetry system to meet proper ethical and environmental guidelines. Ethical considerations such as the safety of the driver and others on the road during a race, as well as the assurance of the systems durability have been addressed. Environmental concerns focused around the production of harmful byproducts produced during the product’s manufacturing, normal use, and disposal have also been taken into account. The measures to correct and address all of the concerns will help to make the telemetry system a more reliable and environmentally conscious product.
List of References
[1] IEEE, “IEEE Code of Ethics”, [Online Document] Available: http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/about/whatis/code.html
[2] National Society of Professional Engineers, “Code of Ethics for Engineers”,
[Online Document] Available: http://www.nspe.org/ethics/Code-2006-Jan.pdf
[3] Environmental Protection Agency, “What is Green Engineering?”, [Online Document] Available: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenengineering/pubs/whats_ge.html
[4] Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, “The Environmental Cost of Printed Circuit Boards”,
[Online Document] Available: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=3433
[5] Alison Gemmell, “Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing Pollution Prevention Opportunities Checklist”, [Online Document] Available: http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/cheklst7.html
[6] “Printed Circuit Board Recycling” [Online Document] Available: http://p2library.nfesc.navy.mil/P2_Opportunity_Handbook/2_II_8.html
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