EE 331 Design Proposal
1. Our project will be a device to aid in hooking up a vehicle to a trailer using microcontrollers and range sensors. It will be composed of two components, one affixed to the rear of the vehicle and one mounted on the hitch of the trailer being attached to. The device on the vehicle will have a PIC microcontroller. The device located on the vehicle will have an array of three light receivers and an Infrared range finder. The three receivers will be set up so there is a small one in the middle with two larger ones on each side. The range finder will be in the center set to a level so it detects the range of an object right above the hitch. The device on the trailer will consist of a laser diode powered by a small battery. Our basic idea is to have the user align the laser with the center light sensor on the vehicle. The PIC will then determine both how far the vehicle needs to back up (via the Infrared sensor) and whether the vehicle deviates from the straight path to the hitch (via the two light receivers on either side of the main receiver).
2. We are planning on using the PIC 16F886. Our initial estimates put our I/O count at 21, which means that the 16F886’s 28 ports should accommodate it with room for additional features if we think of any.
3. Translating the output of the range finder into a usable value is one design challenge we will have to face. Making the laser line up well with the receivers on potentially uneven terrain may also be a challenge we will face.
4. Dalton Mainil – Programming and logistics.
Tom Bazin – Parts research and debugging.
Tyler Spink – Prototype construction and testing.
These roles are not all encompassing as most of the jobs will be shared amongst all members. This is just defining who will be the person primarily responsible for each division.
5. Oct. 16 : Have all components ordered
Oct. 20-25 : Estimated arrival time for components
Nov. 1 : Have a start on connecting components
Nov. 8 : have prototype fully constructed, begin programming
Nov. 18 - 25 : Testing and debugging
Nov. 26 : Project Complete.