january 19, 2009 school of engineering science simon ...whitmore/courses/ensc305/... · mobile...

SchoolofEngineeringScienceSimonFraserUniversity8888UniversityDriveBurnaby,BCV5A1S6

January19,2009Dr.PatrickLeungSchoolofEngineeringScienceSimonFraserUniversityBurnaby,BritishColumbiaV5A1S6RE:ENSC440ProjectProposalforPeaceofMindHomeMonitoringSystemDearDr.Leung,“TheWatchbirdTMRemotePeaceofMindSystem:ProjectProposal”,attachedtothisletter,proposesourprojectforENSC440.Thisprojectaimsatproducinga“peaceofmind”homemonitoringsystemwithwhichtheusercancheckonthestatusofseveralsensorsintheirhomeviamobilephonetexts.Theprojectwillbealow‐tomid‐costsolutionwithnomonthlyservicefee.Thisproposalfirstpresentsanoverviewofourproject,severalexistingalternativehomemonitoringsolutionsandotherdesignsolutionstoourproblem,andourproposeddesignsolution.Theproposalthendiscussesoursourcesforinformationaswellassomeofthesuppliersweareinvestigating.Finallyanoutlineofourfinancesandscheduleforthissemesterisincluded.ThemembersofChickadeeTechhavewiderangingtalentsandabilities.Webelievethattheintellectualdiversityofourgroupcombinedwithourworkethicwillallowustocompleteeveryaspectofthismulti‐facetedproject.Thedescriptionsofeachofourgroupmembers–DerekLowes,AndraSt.Quintin,EricShen,andmyself–completetheattachedproposal.Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveanyquestions,comments,orconcernsaboutthisproposal.Icanbecontactedat604.837.4009orbyemail([email protected]).Thankyouverymuchforyourtimeinconsideringthisproposal.Regards,

SamanthaGristPresidentChickadeeTech

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SamanthaGristDerekLowesAndraSt.QuintinShiouMin(Eric)Shen

January192009

TheWatchbirdTMRemotePeaceofMindSystem:ProjectProposal

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Executive Summary Inaworldincreasinglypopulatedwithmobiledevices,ChickadeeTechsetouttodeviseamethodtocreatemobilepeaceofmind.Withdemandingandhigh‐pacedlifestyles,manypeoplesometimesrushoutthedoor,andthenareunabletorememberiftheyperformedafewsimpletasks.“Ismyfrontdoorlocked?”“DidIremembertoturntheovenoff?”“Istheraingoingtogetinthroughanopenwindow?”

Inthisdocument,ChickadeeTechpresentsaproposalforourWatchbirdTMsystem,whichwilltakethesedomesticworriesoffauser’smind.Throughcellphonemessages,userswillbeabletocheckthestatusoftheirfrontdoor,theiroven,andtheirwindows.Asaneasytoinstallsystem,WatchbirdTMwillallowuserstocustomizethesensorstotheirownhome.Itwillalsopresentuserswiththeadditionaloptionofbeingabletoremotelylocktheirdoor,shouldtheydiscovertheyhaveforgotten.

Althoughexistingproductsmayincludesomeoftheseproposedfunctions,webelievewehaveputforwardauniqueproduct.Withnomonthlyservicefee,oursystemwillprovideuserswithamoderatedegreeofhomesecurityatalowercostthantraditionalsecuritysystems.TheremotelockingcapabilitiesofWatchbirdTMwillalsosetitapartfromothersecuritysystems.Additionally,oursystemwillprovideuserswithmonitoringcapabilitiesnotfoundinothersystems,suchastheabilitytocheckthestatusoftheirovenorstove.Oursystem’seaseofinstallation,easeofcustomization,andeaseofremoteaccess,willmakeitadesirablemethodforensuringpeaceofmind.

Ourcompanyisafourpersonteamcomprisedoftwofifthyearsystemsengineeringstudentsandtwofourthyearengineeringphysicsstudents.Ourvariedworktermplacementshavegivenusexperienceinembeddedsystems,CandC++programming,softwaredebugging,wirelessnetworks,circuitdesignandfabrication,anddesignspecificationdevelopment.Withtheseskills,ChickadeeTechfeelsconfidentthatwecandevelopafullyfunctionalWatchbirdTMprototypebymid‐April,2009.Althoughweexpectaproduction‐scaleproducttobeconsiderablycheaper,wehaveallocatedabudgetofslightlyover$755forourprototype.ThisfundingwillbeobtainedthroughtheESSEFandthroughpersonalinvestment.


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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVESUMMARY..........................................................................................................................................II

TABLEOFCONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................... III

1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................................12. SYSTEMOVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................2

3. ALTERNATEAPPROACHES .........................................................................................................................4

3.1. EXISTINGALTERNATIVES.............................................................................................................................................43.1.1. HomeSecuritySystem.......................................................................................................................................... 43.1.2. RemoteDoorLockingUtilities ........................................................................................................................ 43.1.3. DoorAlarms............................................................................................................................................................... 5

3.2. POSSIBLEDESIGNSOLUTIONS ....................................................................................................................................53.2.1. PersonalComputerastheCentralSystem .............................................................................................. 63.2.2. RadiotoRadioCommunication ..................................................................................................................... 63.2.3. CellPhonetoCellPhoneCommunication................................................................................................. 6

4. PROPOSEDDESIGNSOLUTION..................................................................................................................75. SOURCESOFINFORMATION.......................................................................................................................9

6. SUPPLIERINFORMATIONANDPARTS................................................................................................. 107. FINANCES....................................................................................................................................................... 11

7.1. EXPENSES......................................................................................................................................................................117.2. INCOME .........................................................................................................................................................................11

8. TIMELINE....................................................................................................................................................... 12

9. COMPANYPROFILEANDORGANIZATION .......................................................................................... 1410. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................ 16

11. REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................. 17


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1. Introduction Haveyoueverwonderedifyourememberedtolockthedoororturnofftheoven?Doyouworryaboutitallday?Areyouunwillingorunabletohandletheongoingfeesofafullsecuritysystem,orwouldyouliketoaddpeaceofmindfunctionalitytoyourexistingsecuritysystem?

Theseworriesaffectaconsiderablepercentageofthepopulation.Asurveyofalmost2000Britonsconductedin2008bytheNewcastleBuildingSocietyrevealedthat11%ofadultsreportedleavinghomeandforgettingtolockthedoor1.Wehypothesizethatifthismanypeopleactuallyforgettolocktheirdoors,aconsiderablenumbermoremustalsoworryaboutthispossibility.Furthermore,17%ofrespondentsreportedleavinghomewithoutactivatingtheirburglaralarm.Thisstatisticsuggeststhataconventionalsecuritysystemisnotalwaysthebestsolution,sinceitisjustonemoredeviceausermustremembertoactivateinorderforittobeeffective.

Statisticsalsosupportthefactthatanunlockeddoorisajustifiableworry.AccordingtoTempleUniversity,12%ofburglariesactuallyoccurthroughanunlockeddoor2.Ensuringthatdoorsarelockedisasimplestepindeterringthievesfromcommittingwhatwouldotherwisebeaneasytocommitcrime.

Basedoneverydayexperienceandthesestatistics,ChickadeeTechfeelsthispeaceofmindproblemneedsaninnovativesolution.Ourgoalistoprovidecustomerswithawaytocheckwhetherornotthedoorislocked,atanytimeorlocation,simplybyusingtheircellphone.Additionally,iftheychoosetoenablethefunctionality,customerscanlockorunlocktheirdoorremotely.Finally,thesystemwillbeexpandable,low‐impact,andhavenoongoingcosts.

Thisdocumentoutlinesourproposal,includingourapproachtothesolution,abudget,atimeline,andadescriptionofourteam.


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2. System Overview WatchbirdTMwillbearemotelyaccessible“peaceofmind”homemonitoringsystem.Thesystemwillconsistofacentralinternet‐connectedmonitoringsystem(physicallyanembeddedPCormicrocontroller)andseveralwirelesslyconnectedsensorsandactuators.

Themainfunctionalityofthesystemwillbetoallowtheusertocheckwhethertheirdoorislocked,windowsclosed,ovenoff,etc.remotelyviacellphone.Inordertodothis,theuserwillsendatexttothemonitoringsystem,indicatingthattheywanttomakeaquery.Themonitoringsystemwillthensendatextbacktothecellphoneindicatingthestatusofeachsensor.Iftheuserfindsthattheirdoorisunlocked,theywillalsobeabletoremotelylockitusingthesamemethod.TheconceptualoverviewofthesystempresentedinFigure1showsthegeneralstepspresentinoperationofthedevice.

Figure1:Theoreticaloverviewofsystem.

Theuserinterfaceofthesystemwillprovidetheuserwithaneasywaytoprogramintheircellphonenumber(s),passwords,andpreferences.Afterthissetup,thesystemwillbeginitsconstantcheckforqueriesandrequests.ThegeneralfunctionofthesoftwareforthesystemisshowninFigure2.


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Figure2:Softwareblockdiagram.

WatchbirdTMwillbealow‐to‐mid‐costhomemonitoringsystemthatisuser‐installableanduser‐expandableinthattheusermaychoosehowmanysensorstheywishtohaveandiftheywishtohavedoorlockingfunctionality.Additionally,itwillhavenoongoingmaintenanceorservicefee.


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3. Alternate Approaches

3.1. Existing Alternatives TherearemanyoptionsthatcanpartiallyachievethegoalsoftheWatchbirdTMsystem.Eachoftheoptionshasmeritsandfaults,andthefaultsofthesealternativespreventedthemfrombeingcompletesolutions.Ourprojectaimstoachieveasystemthatisalow‐cost,flexible,standalone,self‐maintained,non‐intrusive,remotelyaccessible,anduser‐friendly.Uponrequest,itmustnotifythehomeownerofthestatusofthedoorsandwindows,andmustlockorunlockthedoorastheuserdesires.Existingalternativesarelistedandcomparedbelow.

3.1.1. Home Security System

Thispaidservicecontinuouslymonitorsthehomeusingsensorsattachedtodoorsandwindows,motiondetectors,glassbreakdetectors,and/orcameras.Thesesensorsareconnectedtoacentralsystemthatsendsinformationtothesecuritycompanywheneverthesystemisactivatedbytheuser.Ifthesecuritysystemdetectsaninvasionwhileitisactivated,thesystemwillalertthesecuritycompany’smonitoringcentreandthecompanywillsendsomeonetocheckonthehome.High‐endsecuritysystemsarealsoabletogivetheuserstatusupdatesandcanevenallowtheusertoremotelycontroltheirlightsandappliancesusingdigitizedvoiceandthetelephonesystem3.

TheWatchbirdTMdoesnotaimtostopbreak‐inswhileinprogressasasecuritysystemdoes.Rather,itaimstogivetheuserpeace‐ofmindastowhethertheyandtheirfamilyhavelefttheirhomeinanacceptablestate.Mostsecuritysystemsareincapableofprovidinganysortofon‐demandinformationonthestatusofthehome–onlytheveryhighend(andexpensive)systemsgivestatusupdates.Thesestatusupdatesalsodonotindicatethestatusoflocks,etc.inthehome,onlywhetherdoorsandwindowsareclosed.Thetext‐basedsystemoftheWatchbirdTMisalsofarmoreconvenientformostusersthanthedigitizedvoiceusedbysecuritysystems.Furthermore,asdiscussedabove,statisticsshowthatnotallusersremembertoactivateasecuritysystemwhentheyleavehome.Additionally,themonthlyfee,oftenmorethan$30permonth,isaburdentohome‐ownerswithlowerincomes(especiallyduringthepresenteconomicrecession).Anotherproblemisthatthesecuritysystem,onceinstalled,isfixedandcannotbemodifiedbythehome‐owner;thehomeownercannotaddorremovesensorsastheydesire.

3.1.2. Remote Door Locking Utilities

Therearetwoexistingvarietiesoftheselockingutilities.ThefirstisanRFdoorlock,similartoagaragedoor,whichallowstheusertouseakeyfobtolockorunlocktheirdoor.


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Thissystemhasthedisadvantagethatitonlyworksforashortdistancefromthehome(lessthan100meters),aswellasthatit’simpossibletotellwhetherthehome’sdoorsarelockedfromoutsidethisradius.TheWatchbirdTMsystemresolvesbothoftheseissues.

Thesecondvarietyofremotedoorlockwasrecentlyintroduced(inFall2008)bySchlageLock.Thissystemisinternet‐connectedandallowstheusertoremotelylocktheirdoorsusingtheinternetonacomputerorcellphone.Accesstotheweb‐basedapplicationthatallowstheusertocontroltheirlockscosts$13permonth4.

Thereareseveraldisadvantagestothissystem.Firstly,itdoesnotallowtheusertocheckthattheirappliancesareoff,windowsareclosed,etc.Italsorequiresinternetaccessinordertolockorunlockthedoors.Whileinternetaccessisavailableonmanycellphones,onthemajorityofphonesitisexpensive,slow,andawkward.Withthetext‐basedsystemofWatchbirdTM,theuserdoesnotneedasmartphoneoradataplantoquicklycheckontheirlocksorlocktheirdoors.Finally,themonthlyfeeoftheSchlagesystemisadefinitedrawbackformanyusersandvastlyincreasesthetotalcostofthesystem.

3.1.3. Door Alarms

Thissystemismadeupofaseriesofsimplemagneticcontactsensorsthatbeepwhencontactisbroken.Theadvantageofthesesensorsistheirflexibility;theycouldbeaddedtodoorsorwindowsasneeded,andcouldeasilyadapttootherpartsofthehomethroughminormodification.Furthermore,thesedooralarmsarelowcostandwidelyavailableonlineorinhardwarestores.

Theproblemwiththesealarmsisthatthereisnocentralsystemthatmonitorsthem.Thehomeownermusttakeontheroleofthecentralsystemandmonitorthesealarms.Ifthebatteriesinoneofthealarmsdie,itispossiblethattheusermaynotevennotice,causingthefailureofthatdooralarm.Anotherproblemisthattheownerhasnowaytodeterminethestatusofthewindowsanddoorswhenawayfromhome.Theusermustbeathomeforthesystemtobeeffective.Lastly,thesealarmsareveryintrusive.Somehomeownersmaynotappreciatetheconstantbeepingwhenthedoorisintentionallyleftunlocked,andmayevenbeginto“tuneout”thebeeping,renderingitineffective.

3.2. Possible Design Solutions Thecompletehomemonitoringsystemmusthavethreecomponents:sensors,door‐lockingmotors,andacentralsystemthatcollectsdataandanswersrequestsfromtheuser.Withcurrenttechnology,therearemanywaystodesignthishomemonitoringsystem.However,oneproblemthatneedstobeconsideredistheaccessibility(i.e.howeasilycantheusercontactthehomemonitoringsystem).SeveralpossibledesignsthatwereconsideredbyChickadeeTechareoutlinedbelow.


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3.2.1. Personal Computer as the Central System

Personalcomputerswithinternetaccesscaneasilysendmessagestocellphonesthroughe‐mailorSMS.ThisdesignwouldutilizeaUSBtransceiverorPCIcardtosendandreceiveinformationfromdoorandwindowsensors.Thecomputerwouldthensendthestatusofthesesensorstotheuser.Atthispoint,theusercouldreplywithrequestthecomputertoactivatethedoor‐locking.ThedisadvantageofthisdesignisthedependenceonthePC.Electricitywouldbeconsumedbythecomputertokeepthehomemonitoringsystemrunning,andthesystemwouldnotmeetthegoalofbeingstandalone.

3.2.2. Radio to Radio Communication

Hand‐heldtransceiversarewidelyavailableandcouldbeeasilymodifiedtotransmitshortmessages.Amicrocontrollercouldcollectinformationfromthesensorsandsenditusingthetransceiverandcouldacceptrequestsfromthetransceivertostartthedoor‐lockingmotor.Howeverthemainconcernwiththisdesignisthesignaltransmission.Thesignalcouldeasilybeblockedorinterfered,andtherangeoftransmissionbetweenthehand‐heldtransceiverswouldbeverylimited.Anotherissueisiftheuserweretolosethetransceiver,whoeverfounditwouldhavecompleteknowledgeofthestatusofthelocksoftheuser’shouse.WithWatchbird’scellphoneinterface,itislesslikelythatthepersonwhofoundthephonewoulduseittocontactthebasemonitoringsystem.Eveniftheuser’stextswerenotcleared,itisunlikelythatthefinderwouldsearchthroughthemandbeabletocontactthebasesystemandbreakintotheuser’shomebeforetheusercancelledtheircellphoneserviceorreprogrammedtheirWatchbirdTMwithanewcellphonenumberorpassword.

3.2.3. Cell Phone to Cell Phone Communication

Thisideacomesfromanonlinepersonalproject5.Theideawouldbetouseacellphoneinsteadofahand‐heldtransceiverforrelayingmessages.TheuserwouldissuerequeststhroughSMStextmessages,andthehomemonitoringmicrocontrollerwouldprocessthetextmessageandsendthestatusofthesensorsback(againintheformofSMS)usinganothercellphone.Thisdesignwouldsolvetheproblemofradiotoradiodesign.However,itwouldrequiremodifyingacomplexexistingdeviceinamannernotintendedbythemanufacturer,whichprovidesnoconventionaldevelopmentmethods.Inadditiontotheselegalandmonetaryconcerns,theextramonthlycostofthecellularserviceisnotdesirable.


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4. Proposed Design Solution

WatchbirdTMwillbeastand‐alonedevicetoprovideuserswitharemotelyaccessiblehomemonitoringsystem.Ourproductwillprovideabasiclevelofhomesecurityforcustomerswhodonotdesireorcannotaffordaconventionalhomesecuritysystem.Itwillalsoprovidefeaturesnottraditionallyofferedbysecuritysystems.

Aswedevelopthisproduct,wewillbeguidedbyseveraldesigngoals:

• offeringalow‐tomid‐costsolution• avoidingamonthlymaintenancefee• facilitatingeasyinstallationbytheuser• allowingtheusertoselectwhichsensorstheydesire• providingaminimallyintrusivedesign• presentingtheuserwithoptionstosuittheirneedsforsecurityandflexibility

Thefirstfunctionofoursystemwillbetoprovidearemotecheckofwhetherauser’sfrontdoorislocked.Auserwillbeabletocheckthestatusoftheirlockviaatextmessagequery.Toensurethatonlydesiredusersareabletocheckthelock’sstatus,theusermustfirstenterallowablecellphonenumbersintothesystem’scentralbasestation.Oursystemwillbedesignedsothatuserscanchooseadditionalsensorpackagesfortheiroven,stove,andwindowstomeettheirpersonalneeds.Insomecases,thisfunctionalitymaybeallthatauserdesirestoensurepeaceofmind.

However,weanticipatethatmanyuserswillbekeentoupgradetheirsystemsotheycanlocktheirdoorremotely.Inthiscase,atextmessagetothebasestationwouldactivatealockingmechanism.Tofurtherincreasefunctionality,wewillprovideuserswiththeoptiontoalsounlocktheirdoorremotely.Tosomeusers,thisfunctionwillbedesirable,incasetheyneedtoallowanotherhouseholdmembertoenter,orincasetheyremotelylockedthedoorbutlefttheirkeysinside.Forsecurity,inadditiontothesystemonlyrespondingtoarequestfromanallowablenumber,thesystemwillalsorequiretheusertosendapasswordtounlockthedoor.Weanticipatethatthislevelofsecuritywillbeacceptabletomanyusers,butwewillalsoprovideasimplemethodtodisableremoteunlockingforuserswhowishtotradesomeconvenienceforincreasedsecurity.Aphysicalswitchatthebasestationwillallowuserstoturnofftheunlockingcapabilityastheydeemnecessary.

Thesystemwillbewirelesstomakeitscomponentsunobtrusiveinahomeenvironment.RFtransmittersandreceiverswillbecontrolledbythecentralbasestationormicrocontroller.ThefrequenciesoftheRFdeviceswillbechosensuchthatevenifauserhasmultiplesensorsintheirhousehold,thesignalswillnotinterferewitheachother.

Thebasestationwillbeconnectedtotheinternettoenablecommunicationwithcellphones,withouttherequirementofamonthlyfee.OurteamrecognizesthatcellphonescannotdirectlycommunicatewiththePC;rathertheymustdelivermessagestoanonlinehost,whichthePCcanthenretrieve.We


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haveidentifiedafewpossiblehosts–Twitter6andKwiry7–thatprovidethiscapabilitywithnouserfee.Theuserwillcreateanaccount,whichprovidesthemwithanumbertheycansendtextmessagesto.Thesemessageswillthenberelayedtoemailoranotherformatthatthebasestationcouldaccess.Suchasystemisidealforourapplication:theusercantextsimplemessagessuchas“query”or“lock”totheirpersonalnumber,andtheembeddedPCcantakeappropriateaction.Cellphonecompaniesalreadyprovideinternetuserswithaneasyandfreemethodtosendtextmessagestocellphones,soreversecommunicationwillbecomparativelystraightforward.

Fortheproductionlevelproduct,ChickadeeTechwilldesignaweb‐basedservicesimilartoKwirysothatcustomerswillnotneeduseathird‐partycompanytorelaytheirtexts.Fortheproof‐of‐conceptprototype,however,usingathird‐partycompanyisacceptable.


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5. Sources of Information Inordertocompletethisproject,wewilluseeverypossiblesourcetoobtainnecessaryinformation.Severaloptionsimmediatelyavailabletousaretheinternet,theSFUlibrary,peersandprofessors.

Thelibraryoffersvariousresources,includingbooks,software,andpublishedresearchjournals.Additionally,theuseofthelibraryproxyallowsaccesstomanyonlinejournals.Thesebooksandjournalswillprovidethemembersofourcompanywithacademicandtheoreticalinformation,whichwillbevitalinthedesignofthevariouscomponentsofoursystem.

Themostvaluablesourceforinformationistheinternet.Partsdatasheetsarereadilyavailablethroughmanufacturerandretailerwebsites.ManualsfortheTri‐MembeddedpcoramicrocontrollerdevelopmentboardwillbeespeciallyhelpfulindevelopingsoftwarefortheWatchBirdTM.Throughonlineencyclopedias,designstrategiesandengineeringprinciplescanbereviewedquickly.Also,electronicandprogramminghobbyistsoftenposttheirprojectssootherscangaintheknowledgeoftheirwork.Finally,visitstopatentwebsiteslikeCanadianPatentsDatabaseandPatentscopehelppreventanypossiblelegalissuespertainingtopatentsforsimilarproducts.

Finally,professorsandteachingassistantscanprovidemuchneededdirectionswhenwereachabottleneck.Eachstudentinengineeringorcomputersciencehasaslightlydifferentbackgroundandexperienceandthusadifferentapproachtoproblems.Consequently,newmethodstoapproachaproblemcanbegeneratedthroughdiscussionwithotherstudentsandfaculty,andtheircontributionswillbeproperlyreferencedinthefinalproductdocumentation.


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6. Supplier Information and PartsAtthisstageinourproject,wehaveidentifiedseveralpossiblesuppliersforthekeycomponentsofourdesign.Weacknowledgethatfactorssuchasspecificrequirementsorleadtimesmayaffectourfinalchoices,butwepresentourresearchtodateasapreliminaryplan.

WehaveidentifiedseveraladvantagesanddisadvantagesofusingamicrocontrolleroveranembeddedPCasthebasestationofoursystem.ThemicrocontrollerboardismorecustomizablefortheneedsoftheWatchbirdTM,whichwouldresultinalowerendpriceforthecustomer.Additionally,theinterfacebetweenthewirelessreceiversandtransmittersatthebasestationandthebasestationitselfwouldbemuchsimplerwithamicrocontrollerboardasthebasestation.Themaindisadvantagesofusingamicrocontrollerboardasthebasestationwouldbereducedeaseofdevelopmentandmorecomplexsoftwareneededtoprovideamethodofallowingourbasestationtocommunicatewiththeusers’cellphones.Moreresearchisneededtodeterminetheexactcomplexityofsoftwareneededtomakethiscommunicationbeforewechoosewhichroutetofollow.

Digi‐Keyhasbeenidentifiedasanappropriatesupplierforthemicrocontroller,shouldwechoosethatoption.WehaveidentifiedthePICDEM.net2developmentboard,madebyMicrochipTechnologyInc.,asagoodmatchfortheneedsoftheWatchbirdTMprototype.IthasanEthernetinterfaceandanLCDpanelaswellasseveralpushbuttonsandLEDs8.

WehaveidentifiedTri‐MSystemsasasuitablesupplierfortheembeddedPC,shouldwechoosethatroute.AmeetingwithasalesrepresentativehelpedusidentifytheETM‐LX8009asthebestmatchforourneeds.Sincewehaveminimalprocessingrequirements,thislowcostandlowpower(lessthan1watt)productisaviableoption.IthastwoCOMportsandfourUSBconnectionsforinterfacingwithourexternalcomponents,andaLANinternetconnection.Tri‐Mhasalsoprovideduswithareasonablypricedquoteforasimplecharacterdisplayscreenandkeypad.

LinxTechnologieshasbeenidentifiedasapotentialsupplierforRFtransmittersandreceivers.TheirLCSeriesisalowcostoption,andisalsoverycompact,withanareaofjustoverhalfasquareinch10.Itisabletotransmitdataupto90metres,whichiswellwithintherangeofanaveragesizedhouse.

AfewpossiblesourceshavebeenidentifiedforWatchbirdTM’slockingsystem.SeveralbasicmotorizeddeadboltsareavailablefromHomeDepot11.Alternatively,ReoStylesellsamotorizeddeadboltwithsomepre‐existingRFcapabilities12.Itsexistingremotecontrolcouldbeadaptedfortheprototypetobeoperatedelectronicallyratherthanmanually.

Foroursystem’ssensors,wehaveconsideredafewsuppliersformagneticsensors.GMWAssociatessuppliesAsahi’sHalleffectsensorsataunitcostofabout$113.Honeywellsellshighresolution,lowpowerrotarysensorsforabout$4each14.Furtherinvestigationintotherequirementsforprecisionandpowerconsumptionwilldeterminewhichoptionismoresuitable.


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7. Finances

7.1. Expenses OurexpectedexpensesareshowninTable1.ThislistincludeseachpartwewillneedfortheWatchbirdTM,aswellasacategoryforintegrationcomponentsandmiscellaneouscosts.Integrationcomponentswillcoverthewires,batteriesandotherpartsneededtoincorporateeachpartintotheoveralldesign.Miscellaneouscostswillcoveranycostoverrunsoradditionalcomponentsthatwefindoutweneedbutdidnototherwiseplanfor.

Table1:Expenses

Item EstimateCost

EmbeddedPCorMicrocontroller $200

PCComponents(RAM,powersupply) $100

Display $60

Keypad $4

RFTransmitter/Receiver $11

RFDoorLock $150

Sensors $30

IntegrationComponents $100

MiscellaneousCosts $100

TotalCost $755

7.2. Income WehaveappliedforfundingfromtheEngineeringScienceStudentEndowmentFund,whichshouldcoveraportionoftheexpenses.Weplantoinvestinourprojectourselvestocovertheremainingcosts.Inadditiontoensuringthatweareresponsibleforanyoverages,thisplanwillkeepuswell‐motivatedtoavoidanyunnecessaryexpenditure,andstaywithinourbudget.

Tomakesurethatthecostsarebalancedamongstourteam,wewillkeepafullrecordofallexpensesincurred.Wewillthenreviewtheserecordsonamonthlybasis,andrectifyanydifferencesinthecostspaidbyeachmember.


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8. Timeline ChickadeeTechhasdevisedascheduleforallmajortaskstoensurecompletionbymidApril,2009.Table2showsaGanttChartofthisschedule,andFigure3showsabreakdownofdeadlinesfordeliverables.

Table2:GanttChartforthedevelopmentofWatchbirdTM.


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2009

January February March April19 216 2 13

Figure3:MilestoneChartofmajordeadlines.

ProjectProposalCompleted

ProgressUpdate

Completed

FunctionalSpecificationCompleted

PrototypeandPost‐MortemCompleted

DesignSpecificationCompleted


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9. Company Profile and Organization

SamanthaGrist(President)

SamanthaisinherfourthyearofengineeringphysicsatSFU.Inherthreeverydifferentco‐opterms,shehaslearnedvariousskillsthatwillbeinvaluableinthesuccessfulexecutionofthisproject.Herfirstco‐opattheKavanaghphysicslabatSFUgaveherexposuretomanagingaproject,designingasystem,andexecutingaccurateandefficienttests.Hersecondco‐opatTRIUMFgaveherexposuretoUNIXoperatingsystemsandthedesignandfabricationofelectriccircuits.Herfinal8monthco‐opatRedbackNetworksgavehervaluableexperiencewithembeddedsystems,operatingsystems,andkernel‐levelprogrammingfordevicedrivers.Samanthawillberesponsibleforsettinguptheconnectionsbetween

thereceiversandtransmittersatthebaseendandtheembeddedPCormicrocontroller.Samanthawillalsouseherprogrammingexperiencetohelpsetupandgetanoperatingsystemupandrunningonthebasestationassoonasitisobtained.ShewillalsoperformasmuchprogramminginthesoftwarecoreasdirectedbyDerekLowes.Finally,SamanthawillactasthecompanyPresident,overseeingalldevelopmentandensuringthatproperschedulingandhighstandardsaremet.DerekLowes(VicePresident–SoftwareDevelopment)

Derekisafifthyearsystemsengineeringstudent,andhastakenavarietyofcoursesintheareasofelectronicsandprogramming.Additionally,hehascompletedtwoeight‐monthcoopplacementsinsoftware‐relatedjobsatSierraWirelessInc,acompanyfocusedonwirelessdatacommunication.Consequentially,hehasconsiderablepracticalexperienceinwriting,testinganddebuggingsoftware,aswellasexposuretomanydifferentcomponents,devicesandtechnologiesthatwillbeusefulforoursystem.

Derekwillbeoverseeingandcoordinatingthesoftwaredevelopment,aswellasbeingtheleadprogrammer.Thispositionwillentailplanningthesoftwaresolution,separatingitintoindependentpartsasmuchaspossible,spreadingthatworkamongsttheteamtoincreaseefficiency,andthenworkingtomakesureitallfitstogether.

Additionally,hewillprovidesupportandtroubleshootinghelpinotherareasofthesystem.


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AndraSt.Quintin(CFOandVicePresident–RFCommunications)

Afourthyearengineeringphysicsstudent,AndrahascompletedoneworktermatPavacResearchInc.,oneatNRC,andtwoatKodak.AtKodak,sheworkedonavarietyofprojects:developingtherequirementsforanauto‐focussysteminanewlaserimagingsystem,determiningtheprecisionrequiredtocreateaflawlessimagewheninterleavingimagescreatedbytwoseparatelasers,anddecidingwhatcombinationofPeltiercoolersandheatsinkswasrequiredtokeepalaseratitsdesiredoperatingtemperature.Whilestudyingtheseproblems,shewasgiventhefreedomtodeviseatestplan,physicallyimplementtheteststep‐up,andanalyzetheresults.Andraisconfidentthattheseexperiencesindevisingdesignspecificationsandtestingphysicalsystemswillbehighlyrelevantindevelopingourproposedproduct.

Andrawillbeinchargeoftheproject’sfinances.Shewillkeeptrackofallpurchasesandfunding,emailoutfinancialupdates,andensurethatpersonalfinancingoftheprojectisdistributedequallyamongallmembers.Additionally,shewillberesponsiblefororderingappropriateRFtransmittersandreceivers,andforimplementingtheircommunication.Andrawillalsobeinvolvedinprogrammingthebasestation,ascoordinatedbyDerekLowes.

ShiouMin(Eric)Shen(VicePresident–HardwareDesign)

EricisafifthyearSystemsEngineeringstudentatSimonFraserUniversitywithco‐opexperienceatAdvancedControl&SystemsInc.HehasprogrammingexperienceinC++underVisualStudioenvironment.Ericisfamiliarwithcircuitdesign,testing,andanalysisandenjoysworkinginelectronicslabs.Inaddition,hehasexperiencebuildingcircuitsusingPCBboards,whichisvitalinbuildingprojectprototypes.

Ericwillberesponsibleforplanningandimplementingallhardwaredesigns.HewilldesigncircuitstointegratesensorsandRFtransmitters,andassistintheimplementationofRFcommunications.HewillalsotakepartinsettingupandprogrammingthebasestationfollowingDerek’sdirections.Finally,hewillbeplanningsystemintegrationandtesting.


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10. Conclusion WithWatchbirdTMintheirhouses,themillionsofpeoplewhoforgetwhethertheylockedtheirdoor,turnedofftheirovenorotherappliances,etc.willnolongerneedtoworryaboutthestatusoftheirhome.Furthermore,theywillbenefitfromtheincreasedsecurityofknowingthattheirhomewillnotbeincludedintheestimated12%ofburglariesthatoccurthroughunlockeddoors.ThispeaceofmindiswhatChickadeeTechstrivestogiveitscustomers.Inthisdocument,wehaveproposedaplantocreateacost‐effectivetoolkittoassisthomeownersinensuringhomesafetyandpeaceofmind.WatchbirdTM,tobedevelopedbyChickadeeTech,willguaranteethathomeownerscanavoidworryingaboutanunlockedhomeorfirehazardsbyremotelycheckingthesystem’sstatus.Thissystemwillenablehomeownerstopersonallymaintainasecureandsafehouseholdinsteadofhiringservicesthatrequireamonthlyfee,makingitidealforlowerincomefamilies.Inshort,WatchbirdTMwillsavehomeownerstimeandmoney.TheproposedbudgetandschedulewillhelpkeepthedevelopmentoftheWatchbirdTMsystemwithinbudgetandontime.Withtheclearlydefinedgoalsandwell‐plannedprojectpresentedabove,ChickadeeTechisconfidentthatwewillsucceedindeliveringWatchbirdTM.


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11. References

1.NewcastleBuildingSociety,2008,“Securingyourhomeiscommonsensebutoneintenfailsto lockthedoor”, http://www.newcastle.co.uk/content/docs/2008‐press/26‐06‐2008.pdf,.2.AlarmsBC,2008,“StatisticLocationsofB&E”,http://alarmsbc.com/statist.htm.

3.Chubb,2008,“AlarmSystems:Simon”,http://www.chubbsecurity.com/utcfs/Templates/Pages/Template‐53/0,8062,pageId%3D1234%26siteId%3D376,00.html.

4.infopackets,2008,“ForgetYourKeys?NewLocksActivatedbyInternetCommand”,http://www.infopackets.com/news/technology/science/2008/20080917_forget_your_keys_new_locks_activated_by_internet_command.htm.

5.Instructables,2008,“Makearemotecontrolledcamerafromacellphone!”,http://www.instructables.com/id/Make‐a‐remote‐controlled‐camera‐from‐a‐cellphone/.

6.Twitter,2008,“TwitterPhoneFAQ”,http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/14014.

7.KwiryCustomerService,2008,“HowdoIaddkwirys?“,http://getsatisfaction.com/kwiry/topics/how_do_i_add_kwirys.

8.MicrochipTechnologyInc.,2007,“PICDEM.netTM2Internet/EthernetDevelopmentBoardUser’sGuide”,http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/51623b.pdf.

9.Tri‐MSystemsInc.,2005,“ETM‐LX800ECM‐1342”,http://www.tri‐m.com/products/avalue/files/specs/etmlx800_spec.pdf.

10.LinxTechnologiesInc.,2008.“LCSeries”,http://www.linxtechnologies.com/Products/RF‐Modules/LC‐Series‐Low‐Cost‐Transmitter‐and‐Receiver‐Modules/.

11.TheHomeDepot,2008.“PlymouthKeypadDeadboltwithTurn‐LockFeature”,http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=930349&Ntt=930349&catalogId=10051&langId=‐15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber.

12.CA‐Technology,Inc.,2007,“RFRemoteDeadboltLocks”,http://reostyle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=46

13.GMAssociates,Inc.,2008,“AsahiLinearHallEffectICMagneticSensors”,http://www.gmw.com/magnetic_sensors/asahi/linear‐hall‐effect‐ic.html

14.Honeywell,2008,“Linear/Angular/RotaryDisplacementSensors”,http://www.magneticsensors.com/datasheets/hmc1501‐1512.pdf.

january 19, 2009 school of engineering science simon ...whitmore/courses/ensc305/... · mobile...

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