Systems and Communications Commons^™

Plc Course Development, Leonard Hernandez, Jacqueline Grace Radding

Electrical Engineering

The goal of this project is to design and construct the first lab experiment for the newly developed EE435 laboratory course. The experiment entails PLC programming to automate LED lighting in a simulated building. Starting with why PLCs are used, how to use the interface of EcoStruxure Control Expert V15.0 and practice using logic to control the dimming of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) to sustain a certain number of lumens consistent in a zone. Through the lab manual developed in this project, students will gain experience of creating logic designs using Function Block Diagram (FBD) and learn the layout …

A Low Cost Iot-Based Arabic License Plate Recognition Model For Smart Parking Systems, Mohammad Mahmoud Abdellatif, Noura Hany Elshabasy, Ahmed Emam Elashmawy, Mohamed Abdelraheem

Electrical Engineering

License Plate Recognition is one of the significant enablers that can be utilized in wide range of applications in ITS and smart cities. The proposed design relies on three image processing stages to achieve license plate identification with high accuracy which are pre-processing, segmentation, and character recognition. The canny edge detection method with various thresholds, contour detection, and masking techniques are used to locate the car edges and license plate. In the experiment presented in this paper, 200 images were used to identify Egyptian car plates. The model successfully identified Arabic license plates with 93% accuracy. A prototype is implemented …

Variable Frequency Motor Drive Application, Jason G. Milne, Nick Mark

Electrical Engineering

This project entails the development of an electrical engineering undergraduate lab module focusing on utilizing a variable frequency drive (VFD) controlled with a programmable logic controller (PLC) — the Modicon M580. The variable frequency drive is a device that is able to automatically change the frequency of an object through automation without having to physically change the device that is being controlled (ex: fans, pumps, motors, etc.). This project will guide students to understand the software for programming and controlling the PLC within a 3 hour laboratory experiment. Throughout the lab, the students will learn how to implement the PLC …

Emulating The Doppler-Shift For Lora Based Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communication, Ariel Freiman, John Stephen Gharib

Electrical Engineering

This project investigates the adverse effects of the Doppler Shift on a LoRa waveform transmitted from a Low Earth Orbit Satellite or LEOSAT. This work is on behalf of Project OWL, who will use these results to justify further investment into developing a LEOSAT for their communication network. Part of the project is to design a test setup to replicate the Doppler Shift in the lab. The Doppler shift replication setup distorts the transmitted waveform, similar to how the signal gets distorted if sent from a LEOSAT. The test setup will comprise both software and hardware control, wherein software, the …

Tank Level Controller Plc Lab, Siddhi Upadhyaya, Teghvir Grewal

Electrical Engineering

The California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo’s Electrical Engineering Department is currently developing lab experiments for the new EE435 (Industrial Power Control and Automation) class. In order to support these efforts, fourth year Cal Poly students are expected to develop laboratory experiments that will be conducted during this new class for the semester system. The lab experiment focused on in this project is called the Tank Level Controller. This experiment will introduce EE 435 students to Schneider Electric Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) hardware and software, which is prominent in the automation industry.
This experiment will require students to develop …

Cybersecurity In Industrial Automation Lab Design For Ee 435, Jules Khalil Emile Hajjar, Emily Zhou

Electrical Engineering

This project involves the creation of an instructional laboratory aimed at teaching cybersecurity for industrial automation applications. Specifically tailored for Electrical Engineering students at Cal Poly, the experiment focuses on configuring the Modicon M580, a PLC from Schneider Electric, and serves to introduce students to relevant cybersecurity protocols and techniques. This project will be implemented into the EE435 (Industrial Power Control and Automation) course curriculum upon Cal Poly’s transition to the semester system.

Energy Storage And Communication System, Noah R. Johnson, Marc Wong

Electrical Engineering

The Industrial Power and Controls Lab in Engineering East is welcoming the addition of a new lab course, EE 435. Schneider Electric sponsors this course, which seeks to teach students how to use the Modicon M580 Program Logic Controller (PLC) in various industry use cases. This project is a continuation of previous senior projects and focuses on developing a lab experiment to teach students how to utilize the M580 in an energy storage use case. More specifically, it focuses on the battery management system that oversees the units and exposes students to the various situations this system may encounter during …

Instrumented Control Column For Optionally Piloted Aircraft, Andrew J. Klein

Electrical Engineering

Natilus, an aerospace company that is rapid-prototyping optionally piloted aircraft (OPA) for the shipping industry, needs a system that retrieves control column position data in order to manipulate flight simulator parameters in software. At present, a universally compatible system for all aircraft does not exist. Typically, established aerospace companies will sink significant time and money into developing proprietary systems for control column data retrieval as every aircraft is unique in its layout and linkage design. However, as a startup developing their first aircraft, Natilus does not have the privilege of modifying an existing sensor system to work with their HIL …

Studying Routing Issues In Vanets Using Ns-3 And Sumo, Mohammad Mahmoud Abdellatif, Omar E. Aly

Electrical Engineering

ehicular Ad-hoc Networks VANETs are normally sparse, highly dense, and highly mobile with many different and ever-changing topologies. These characteristics impose a challenge on finding a routing algorithm that fits the requirements of such network. The aim of this work is to study the performance issues of VANETs under different scenarios using realistic mobility models. In this paper, a comparative study is done among Ad-hoc On- Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) and position-based routing protocols, namely Greedy Perimeter stateless routing (GPSR), and Max duration Min angle GPSR (MMGPSR). The comparison is done using key quality of …

A Stochastic Spectrum Trading And Resource Allocation Framework For Opportunistic Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, Mohamed Abdelraheem, Mohammad Mahmoud Abdellatif

Electrical Engineering

In this article, the spectrum trading problem between primary users and secondary networks is investigated. The secondary network requests multiple channels with the targeted availability to satisfy its users’ demands. Due to the uncertainty about the channels availability, stochastic optimization techniques are adopted to find the optimal set of channels for each secondary network for the lowest cost. Two different constraints on the secondary demand are defined. The first one is when the throughput has to be fully satisfied for a certain percentage of time, and the second one is when the expected value of the throughput has to exceed …

Hvac Hardware Modeling Using Programmable Automatic Controller, Panthil Ketan Patel, Lumanti Tuladhar

Electrical Engineering

The primary purpose of this project is to use the donated programmable logic controllers (PLC) from Schneider Electric to develop experiments for a future lab class at Cal Poly. Our goal as the first group working on this project is to develop an experiment where the PLC can control the HVAC system based on temperature and humidity sensors and user inputs to maintain a desired consistent temperature. The PLC will be controlled using Unity Pro XLS/Control Expert software for simulations. The overall purpose of the experiments will be to demonstrate the potential of the PLC to minimize manual intervention while …

Smart Bottle Ble Integration, Joshua M. Rizzolo

Electrical Engineering

In 1975, four percent of children aged five to nineteen were categorized as overweight or obese. As of 2016, this figure climbed above 18 percent [1]. Researchers at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) want to investigate the effect of overeating in early childhood on later childhood obesity. This research requires collecting feeding pattern data on infants, which proves challenging. Parents cannot be relied on to regularly collect clean data due to factors including work schedule, multitasking, and general exhaustion. Thus, we have developed a tool to automatically collect data on feeding frequency and duration, as well …

Wildfire Early Detection System (Weds), Mason Mciver, Vincent Liang, Jeanreno Racines

Electrical Engineering

With climate change causing an increase in temperature over the past several decades, wildfires have been burning hotter and moving quicker leaving a trail of destruction in their path. Detecting a wildfire early allows firefighters to respond efficiently and effectively to ensure containment. With the rise of advanced computer vision and algorithms, autonomous systems can be used to monitor and report any fire activity. Having multiple devices spread out across a large area will allow first responders to map out the fire location and track the fire. By utilizing smart technologies, property damage can be minimized and residents living in …

Survey And Design Of Microwave Low-Noise Amplifiers, Omri Yaari, Pavin Virdee

Electrical Engineering

This project is a contest entry in the Wide In-band Receiver area of the 2020 International Microwave Symposium, 5G Low Noise Amplifier Competition [1]. The project includes RF transistor selection, single, two-stage, and cascode models, and RF parameter optimization to maximize the IMS Competition figure of merit along with a supplemental figure of merit [2]. 5G technologies (used in cellphones, IoT, etc.), first introduced in 2018, are on the rise in current society. Fifth generation hardware requires extended capabilities in comparison to 4G (5-20MHz bandwidth EU: 0.6-2.6GHz), including the newly allocated sub 6GHz frequency bands (EU: 3.4-3.8GHz) and wider bandwidth …

Iot Asset Tracker, Jonny M. Erickson, Matt A. Murray

Electrical Engineering

This senior project will be the completion of an IoT asset Tracker. In today’s day and age, technology is weaving its way into every aspect of life. Because of this, we demand to know more and more information about everything that is going on in our lives. One of these needed pieces of information is knowing the location of our most valuable assets. This is the main goal of this project: to build a portable SMS driven GNSS tracking device. The device is designed to provide two methods of tracking for any mobile asset. The device will utilize a large …

Polyone Smartphone, Joshua Zalmanowitz, Chi Nguyen, Gerome Cacho, Chris Lim

Electrical Engineering

The Poly One Smartphone is a student designed smartphone built to explore the implementation of 5G, provide a hardware solution to ensure personal information security and privacy, and provide longer battery life. The key features of this smartphone include but are not limited to a main cpu, some form of network connectivity in the form of Wi-fi or Cellular Data, calling functionality, a rechargeable battery that works with common power connection protocols, and compatibility with popular applications.

Lawn Buddy, Jayson Johnston, Andrew Brown, Jacob Maljian

Electrical Engineering

Grass lawns are a common hallmark of the American home. In 2019, a survey from the National Association of Landscape Professionals found that 81% of all Americans owned a lawn [1]. Mowing is a time consuming and costly chore that is part of maintaining a grass lawn. The manual labor in mowing a lawn can exceed 40 hours per year [2]. People commonly incur weekly costs on mowing services to save time. Traditional gas powered mowers are physically demanding and use engines that need routine maintenance. They operate loudly enough that users should be wearing hearing protection and the noise …

Controller Area Network (Can) Bus Simulator And Data-Logger For In-Vehicle Infotainment Testing, Sandra Roksic

Electrical Engineering

In the infotainment testing environment, various tools simulate a select range of Controller Area Network (CAN) bus signals onto the infotainment workbench. The integration of signal input devices and trace-gathering tools often results in a cluttered workspace and an inefficient testing environment. This project eliminates the need for multiple signal simulators and allows for a single system source for various input CAN-bus messages. This system enables the tester to store output CAN-bus data from the test vehicle for future reference and analysis through the same integrated system. It optimizes the time it takes the tester to complete testing catalogs and …

Wildland Fire Location Management System (Wflms), Robert G. Goldie, Jack A. Gallegos

Electrical Engineering

Wildland firefighters work in complex, dangerous environments where effective communication is key to developing situational awareness. Currently, the only communication firefighters have is with Very High Frequency (VHF) 160 MHz band analog radios. While digital radio protocols could potentially allow location data and commands to be sent to field crews, the technology is primarily for voice communication. This project presents a new system that frees up voice channels and uses LoRa transceivers for robust communication. The system allows for emergency and location reports to be sent to a dispatcher via an airborne repeater. The entire system is software-defined, so it …

3d Signal Strength Mapping Of 2.4ghz Wifi Networks, Brett D. Glidden

Electrical Engineering

Many commercial businesses operate out of multi-story office buildings. These companies often use many Wi-Fi access points to set up their own wireless network. IT personnel determine proper Wi-Fi access point placement using Wi-Fi strength maps. Conventional Wi-Fi strength maps only provide a two-dimensional view representing the wireless access point's effective range. The signal quality and strength measurements do not include changing vertical elevation. Efficient network layout in a multi-story building requires a system calculating signal quality metrics in three dimensions.

This project involves designing and prototyping a system to achieve 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal quality measurements in a three-dimensional reference …

High-Bandwidth Iop Sensing Backscatter Transceiver, Mark Manuel

Electrical Engineering

This document describes the design and build of a mobile phone attachment that communicates with an ASIC embedded smart contact lens. The portable device enables patients and clinicians to conveniently and instantaneously measure intraocular pressure (IOP). The device replaces bulky and expensive benchtop RF synthesizer and signal analyzer machines required for communication to the smart contact lens into a portable and convenient device. The transceiver transmits VHF ISM band radio and can capture reflected backscatter On-Off-Keying modulated message signals at bandwidths from DC to 130MHz.

Two Senior Projects: 2.4 Ghz, 40% Efficiency Radio Frequency Amplifier, Ieee Design Contest, & Design And Implementation Of A Software Costas Loop For Audio Frequencies, Robert J. Tong

Electrical Engineering

How to Read this Document:

This document combines two senior project reports. The first senior project documents designing a class AB RF amplifier. The second, discusses the design and implementation of a software Costas loop for audio frequencies. The first report begins on the next page, while the Costas loop report starts on page 24. The two reports are orthogonal from one another. It is not a prerequisite to read the RF amplifier report before reading the Costas loop report. This document is merely two reports combined into one document. The second report, about the Costas loop, was written as …

Wireless Communication For Greenhouse Environment, Chris J. Lambert, Dean T. Lockman, Ian A. Nielsen

Electrical Engineering

Modern day population growth and global climate change requires high-yield agricultural systems that can function in harsh environments. Greenhouses can maintain temperature and humidity, while serving as a protective, nurturing alternative to vulnerable farm environments. With weather effects eliminated, greenhouses provide productive environments for experimental agriculture techniques such as hydroponics and aquaculture. These methods of agriculture, specifically aquaculture, require constant monitoring. The failure of electronic devices such as an air pump prove fatal to a fish population in a short time frame. In developing countries, agricultural locations may be a significant distance from a farmer’s home, with no internet or …

Investigation Of Mimo Communications, Rodrigo Mendez Olea, William C. Tran, Patrick C. Kezer, Jean M. Whitmore

Electrical Engineering

This project focuses on the background of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication and its advantages over the other possible implementations. A background of wireless communication in regards to modulation types, information theory, antenna background and a hardware implementation using a VSA and VSG is provided. The theory is compared and verified with the hardware implementation with regards to the effect of the increase in the number of antennas and the parameter vector error magnitude.

Hands On, Michael Le, Justin Remulla, Chris Menezes, Noah Beilin

Electrical Engineering

The goal is to design an extremely articulate smart glove, which acts a virtual reality controller. The smart glove will have gesture detection, which could include hand movements and/or combinations of finger movements to emulate mouse click or scroll, or digitally map out a hand for integrations with virtually reality softwares. This glove will have multiple accelerometer sensors on each finger and joint, connected to a single board running BLE MCU SoC in order to communicate with computer or mobile devices. The glove would connect to devices such as computers or phones using a Bluetooth dongle with applications in virtual …

Remote Cable Gantry, Allen L. Bailey

Electrical Engineering

The Remote Cable Gantry is a robotic system that was initially intended to aid in the art of aerial videography. It was designed to enable novice and expert users alike to capture both video footage and audio from perspectives unachievable by current methods. This system uses a series of cables to control the position of a camera gimbal in a defined 3D space and, as a self-contained unit, is portable and easy to use. The Remote Cable Gantry offers a quiet, intuitive, and safe alternative to existing technology, which has been limiting the market and potential of aerial photography and …

Underwater Optical Wireless Audio Transceiver, Angel Ayala

Electrical Engineering

Scuba diving carries risks that can endanger lives. Many of these risks are preventable. However, an underwater communication system can increase a diver’s safety. Along with providing safety, an underwater communication device can enhance the scuba diver’s enjoyment.

A low cost underwater optical wireless audio transceiver is designed. The project consists of the off-the-shelf parts that uses a microphone and speaker to transmit and receive sound. The project uses the concepts of visible light communications and pulse width modulation to transmit and receive sound. Although sound is commonly transmitted through ultrasound methods, visible light communications has several advantages. Visible light …

The Electric Reel For Soccer Fields, Stephen Taylor

Electrical Engineering

Painting a soccer field consumes too much time. The process of reeling the string after laying out string along the field needs to improve. As a result, my project addresses improvements in how the workers retrieve the string through the production of an electric reel. This electric reel allows the worker to have control of the speed, direction, and on/off state of the device. Direction control allows the user ability to reel and unwind the string. Variable speed allows the user to control how fast the reel unwinds and reels the string. The device gathers string in an orderly manner …

Uav Avoidance System, Zachary Stargensky

Electrical Engineering

This is an ongoing design project being funded by Northrop Grumman in which Cal Poly SLO is working in collaboration with Cal Poly Pomona to complete a working design at the end of each academic school year. The project consists of two UAVs that can navigate around a given area without running into each other or other obstacles. There are sensors to be mounted on the vehicles that can detect objects within a given distance and a microcontroller is used to control how the vehicle responds to an object being detected. The avoidance code has been written for previous years’ …

Design Improvement For The Smart Dc Wall Plug, Cory Yee, Haoyan Huang

Electrical Engineering

The DC smart wall plug is a subsystem within the Cal Poly DC House Project. The previous version faces challenges supplying DC voltage to meet household appliances’ nominal values. Specifically, it can only output the minimum required voltage for DC appliances to operate, resulting in unwanted power loss. In addition, the maximum output voltage is rated at 15V, which is insufficient to power most DC appliances. This design improvement project incorporates NFC technology as a solution to overcome the power loss and a new buck converter configuration to increase the output voltage range. Additionally, the new design introduces short-circuit and …