Ultra>DeepSeaWaterBuoy - TI.com · The Buoy System1 is composed of four parts: the buoy, the...

University of Puerto Rico

Mayagüez Campus

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Ultra-‐Deep Sea Water Buoy

by

Manuel J. Orán

Omar Roldán

Rafael O. Vázquez (PM)

Giovanni Viera

Prepare for: Manuel Jiménez,

TI Analog Design Contest

Course: ICOM 5217, Section 086-‐096

Date: June 2, 2011.

Ultra Deep-‐Sea Water Buoy 2 | P a g e

I. Abstract

The Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy is an electronic device that collects and stores

oceanic data that can be used by oceanographers to predict natural disasters like

earthquakes and tsunamis. The device can be used as a buoy retrieval system, a data

gathering system or as both. As a buoy retrieval system the device is in charge of

activating the release mechanism once the buoy hits the ocean floor, when the buoy

reaches the surface it will start emitting RF signals with a strobe light for easy retrieval.

As a data gathering system the device collects the acceleration, temperature and pressure

that are being applied inside the system, later on that data can be collected through a

computer user interface. The data being measured by the accelerometer and the sensors of

pressure and temperature will be interpreted by the MSP430F5438 microcontroller and

saved on a 2GB SD card.


Table of Contents: I. Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 2

II. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4

III. Theory ................................................................................................................................................... 5

A. Buoy System ...................................................................................................................................... 5

B. Battery Monitor ................................................................................................................................. 5

C. Sensors ............................................................................................................................................. 10

D. Memory ........................................................................................................................................... 11

E. Wireless Communication ................................................................................................................. 12

IV. Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 13

A. Block Diagram .................................................................................................................................. 13

B. Power Consumption ........................................................................................................................ 15

C. Driving Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 17

D. Timing Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 18

E. Memory Map ................................................................................................................................... 20

F. Hardware Schematic ........................................................................................................................ 21

G. Schematic Legend ............................................................................................................................ 22

H. Hardware Termination Level ........................................................................................................... 24

I. Operating Diagrams .......................................................................................................................... 25

J. Embedded Software Description: ..................................................................................................... 49

K. Software Termination Level ............................................................................................................. 50

L. Efficiency and Trustworthiness ........................................................................................................ 51

V. User Guide ............................................................................................................................................ 52

VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 56

VII. References ......................................................................................................................................... 57

VIII. Appendix .......................................................................................................................................... 58

A. Components used in our device ...................................................................................................... 58

B. Part List ............................................................................................................................................ 63

C. Standoffs Plastic Short ..................................................................................................................... 64

D. Task Distribution .............................................................................................................................. 65

IX. Description of the Project ................................................................................................................... 67

X. TI Parts Explanation .............................................................................................................................. 68


II. Introduction

The inspiration for the project came from a visit to the physics department in

search of an idea. There we met with Dr. Wilford Schmidt, a Physical Oceanography

professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Campus. Dr. Schmidt is

currently working on a project called “Free-fall and on-bottom ADCM (Acoustic-

Doppler Current Meter) measurements in the Puerto Rico Trench” at 19.75° N,

66.40° W. The purpose of this ongoing project is to study the ocean floor of the ultra-

deep-sea water (>5000m). The study includes taking samples of the oceanic water,

sand composition, temperature and pressure.

The old system was composed of a buoy, an embedded circuitry and a load.

The system was thrown to the ocean with a free-fall motion to the bottom of the

ocean. When it makes contact with the ocean floor, a pre-programmed timer sends a

signal that releases the weights used for submersion allowing the buoy to come back

to the surface. The system’s strobes lights and RF beacon were always turned on

before the system was submerged; this causes the batteries to be drained quickly.

Our system solves the previous problems which were a lack of a user-

interface, a poor circuitry layout and a poor use of power. Our user interface connects

wirelessly through Xbees and communicates with the micro-controller to obtain the

data collected from the different sensors, make a diagnostic and finally run the main

program. With the use of a micro-controller we built a better, more robust and more

secure buoy system that worked according to the specifications.


III. Theory

A. Buoy System The Buoy System1 is composed of four parts: the buoy, the crystal sphere, the

load and the weight load. The buoy is responsible of increasing the buoyancy of the

whole system, it allows the system to come back to the surface once it doesn’t have a

weight load attached. Our device will be inside the crystal sphere which is the one that

protects it from water and from the huge amounts of pressure at the bottom of the ocean

floor. The load is an optional load that allows taking sand and water samples or measure

the pressure outside of the buoy. The weight load is the counter part of the buoy, if the

weight load weights more than the buoyancy of the buoy the system will sink to the

bottom of the ocean floor.

While we were designing the buoy we found out two important constraints in the

buoy system. One of them was the space that we had inside the sphere, we only had a 17

inches diameter sphere which restricted our space to a 10 by 11 in2 area to work on. The

second constraint was that the buoyancy of the whole system will be affected by the

weight of our circuit. If we used a lot of batteries the weight of the system will increase

and the buoys would need to be replaced so they could come back to the surface.

B. Battery Monitor

The Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy has two different battery packs, one for the

system and one for the weight release mechanism. The battery pack of the weight release

mechanism will discharge in sea water and it will drain approximately around 200mA.

By having a separate battery pack for the system, a complete discharge of the release

mechanism batteries will not affect the system functionality.

Because of the application requirements a battery monitor chip would not be the

wisest way to implement the battery life estimation. There are two different battery packs 1 Buoy System-‐ Refer to the Figure X on the Appendix


of different batteries (Li-Ion Yuntong 3.7v @2650mAh and Li-Ion 3.7v@6Ah). This

means that the system will need two different kinds of battery chips for a battery life

analysis. The problem of having two different battery monitors is that it compromises the

application efficiency by adding more code to the system and the chip count increases.

Most of the battery monitor chips have features that are not needed in this application.

Battery manager chips estimate the battery life by measuring three parameters: voltage,

temperature and current. These three parameters are done by a built in ADC that

measures the battery voltage, the temperature through a thermo resistor and implements

the coulomb-counter 2 technique for current integration. All these parameters are

calculated over time, battery monitor chips feature its own registers and memory for data

logging and mathematical manipulation. The program that analyses the batteries

calculates more information than what the system requires to, leading to a higher power

consumption of the system. For example, the coulomb counting technique consists of

reading through an ADC the output of a small resistor in the anode of the battery. With

the voltage value obtained by the ADC at both points of the resistor and the value of the

resistor, the discharge current flowing out of the battery can be calculated. This

calculated current has to be stored in memory over time for an accurate integration. The

integration of the current with respect to time, estimates the charge left in the battery.

Since we have a limited space (17 in diameter sphere) and power efficiency is one

of the main characteristics of the system circuitry, the alternative method chosen consists

of measuring the batteries voltages across the Analog to Digital Converter. By only

taking into account the battery voltage for a battery life prediction the result may be

unreliable3 . Coulomb Counting is recommended for precise estimation, but it is not

necessary if other parameters in life estimation such a temperature are considered in the

analysis. In this application the only parameter read from the ADC is the battery voltage.

With this parameter and the temperature parameter, mathematical manipulations of the

2 Coulomb Counting : http://www.liionbms.com/php/wp_soc_estimate.php 3Accurately Measuring Charge Level: http://www.maxim-‐ic.com/app-‐notes/index.mvp/id/3958


LI- ION Battery Voltage vs Battery Life%4 characteristic curve make possible a precise

approximation. This way a single battery voltage measure from the ADC is sent through

the Xbee to the PC to perform the approximations of the measured value. With this

approach there is no battery life analysis code compromised in the system. All the battery

analysis software is in the PC not in the system code.

To read the battery voltage, a voltage divider is used such that the 3.3V reference

voltage is not exceeded .The input calibrating voltage is 4.095Vand the voltage divider

output gives 2.896V. For example, when the ADC reads 2.896V it has to be scaled up the

correction factor is added to the ADC measure to scale it up to the original voltage value

before the voltage divider.

Vin-Vout(voltage divider) = correctionFactor

Vout is the measure of the ADC (voltage divider output)

4.095-2.896=1.199

4.090-2.893 =1.197

4.070- 2.879= 1.191

4.000- 2.832= 1.168

3.900-2.761=1.139

3.850-2.726=1.124

3.800-2.690=1.111

Average Correction factor=1.161 for (4.095,3.450] interval

3.750-2.655=1.095

3.700-2.620=1.080

3.650-2.584=1.066

3.600-2.549=1.051

4 LI-‐ ION Bat Voltage vs Battery Life% :http://www.ibt-‐power.com/Battery_packs/Li_Ion/Lithium_ion_tech.html


3.550-2.514=1.036

3.500-2.478=1.022

3.450-2.443=1.007

Average Correction Factor =1.051 for (3.750,3.450] interval

3.350-2.372 = .978

3.300 -2.337 = .936

3.250 - 2.301 =.949

3.200 - 2.266 =.934

Average Correction Factor =.949 for (3.350,3.20] interval

The correction factors are applied in the ADC conversion formula.

batVoltage = ((ADCmeasurement / 4095) * 3.3) + correctionFactor.

LI- ION Battery Voltage vs Battery Life% Linearization code was performed as follows:

Figure 1: Characteristic Curve

2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 4

4.1 4.2 4.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Baêry Vo

ltage

BaêryLife%

Baêry Voltage vs BaêryLife% at 25 °C


During the Li-Ions battery life there are three different discharge rates as Figure 1.0

shows.

From the linear equation:

Vbat1 = BatLife*m + b

1. From 4.2v to 3.8v discharge rate of change

m1 = (3.8-4.2) / (20-0) = -.02

Let Vbat1 = 4.2, BatLife = 0

4.2 =0*(-.02) + b1

b1=4.2

Equation #1 : Vbat1= -.02*BatLife + 4.2


m2 = (3.5-3.8) / (90-20) = -.004286

Let Vbat2 =3.8, BatLife = 20

3.8 =20*(-.004286) + b2

b2=3.8857

Equation #2 : Vbat2= -.004286*BatLife + 3.8857


m3 = (3.0-3.5) / (100-90) = -.05

Let Vbat3 =3.5, BatLife = 90

3.5 =90*(-.05) + b3

b3=8


Equation #3 : Vbat3= -.05*BatLife + 8

The PC software5 uses the following derivation to make the approximation at

25 degrees Celsius. The corrected Voltage read by the ADC is the input of the

following functions sent to PC through Xbee.

From Equation #1: BatLife = (Vbat-4.2) / (-.02)

From Equation #2: BatLife = (Vbat-3.8857) / (-.004286)

From Equation #3: BatLife = (Vbat-8) / (-.05)

C. Sensors The Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy contains the following analog sensors: the accelerometer

(ADXL335), temperature sensor (LM335A) and the pressure sensor (MP3H6115A). When

analog sensors are utilized their readings cannot be directly interpreted by a microcontroller. In

order to get the readings we need to use the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) of the

microcontroller. The ADC of a microcontroller always uses a reference voltage called Vref to

compare a sensor reading. As a rule of thumb, the maximum value of a sensor reading should be:

!!!!

Vref, where n is the number of bits of the ADC

When an analog sensor takes a reading the ADC interprets that voltage as a quantized

number that number needs to be divided by the resolution of the ADC and then multiplied by Vref

to get the actual reading of the sensor. The reading that we obtain is a close approximation of the

actual reading of the sensor. If we take for example a LM335A in a 12 bit ADC and we measure a

2.76 V output from it the ADC will work as follows:

!"# !"#$%&'() !"#$%& = 3413.33, number converted by the ADC

5 Refer to The Flow Chart Page #43 to see the implementation


Now we need to interpret that quantized number to a function of the Vref voltage, to do this you

must divide the number by the ADC resolution

!"# !"#$%&'($) = 2! − 1, !ℎ!"! ! !" !ℎ! !"#$%& !" !"#$ !" !ℎ! !"#

!"# !"#$%&'($) = 2!" − 1 = 4095

!"#$ !"#$%&'# = !"#!.!!!"#$

= 0.8335 ∗ !"#$

This means that the actual reading of the LM335A is 0.8335 Vref, if we multiply by Vref = 3.30 V

!"#$%& !"#$%&' = 0.8335 ∗ 3.30 ! = 2.75 !

This gives us a very close approximation of the actual reading of the sensor

D. Memory The Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy requires an external non-volatile memory to record the

different values obtain by the analog sensors. To satisfy this requirement we used a SD card

(Secure Digital). In order for the system to read and write from the SD card we used the SPI

(Serial Peripheral Interface) from our MSP430. The SPI is a serial synchronous interface where

data is shifted in/out one bit at a time. The basic configuration consists on a clock signal, a Slave

In Master Out (SIMO), Slave Out Master In (SOMI) and a Slave Select (SS).

Figure 2: SPI Basic Connection

SPI basically consists of two shift registers, one at the master and the other at the

slave. They are both connected in a loop and each register holds 8-bits. Each time a value

wants to be transferred, the device puts a new bit on its output from the most significant

SCLK SOMI SPI SIMO Slave SS

SCLK SPI SOMI Master SIMO SS


bit of the shift register when the clock has a negative edge. The data is read into the

lowest significant bit of the shift register on the positive edge of the clock. This means

that a bit is transferred on each direction during each clock cycle. Once the 8-bits are

filled, the contents of the registers have been transferred and the process is completed.

Figure 3: SPI between Master and Slave6

E. Wireless Communication Wireless is a type of communication in which the emitter and receiver are not

connected through a physical medium. Wireless communication utilizes the modulation

of electromagnetic waves through space. It allows the transfer of data over a certain

amount of distance where is impossible or impractical the use of wires. Our system

required a wireless communication module to be able to communicate with a computer to

extract and set parameters remotely without the need of having to compromise the rest of

the system. To accomplish this we used the Xbee technology which uses the IEEE

standard of 802.15.4. The 802.15.4 standard basically defines the physical layer and the

medium access controls of wireless personal networks (low-rate wireless personal area

network, LR-WPAN).

The Xbee module operates in the 2.4GHz with speeds of up 250kps. Before

starting any communication with the Xbee, they need to be setup. For our application the

master and slave configuration was not needed since both our act as transmitter and

receiver. As for the baud rate and channel id we set them to 9600 and 1515 respectively.

Another important thing that can be pointed out is that we are using the simple

configuration which includes VCC, GND, DI and DO. When data enters the RF module

6 This picture was taken from the MSP430 Microcontroller Basics by John Davis


through the DI (Data In) pin, the data is stored in the DI buffer until it can be processed.

To send data, the data enters the DO (Data Out) buffer and it’s sent out the serial port to

the receiving device. If the DO buffer reaches full capacity, any incoming RF data will be

lost.

IV. Discussion

A. Block Diagram

Figure 4: Block Diagram


The ultra-deep sea water buoy is a system that can be divided into two parts. One

of these parts is the embedded system that contains the different peripherals that will be

controlled by a MSP430F5438. The other part is the application on the computer that is

used to control certain features of the embedded system.

The embedded system has several peripherals that can be divided into: analog

sensors, memory, wireless communication, release mechanism and battery pack. In the

analog sensors the system has a temperature sensor (LM335A), a pressure sensor

(MP3H6115A), and an accelerometer (ADXL335). These sensors are connected through

the ADC ports of the microcontroller. In the memory we have a 2GB SD Card where the

collected data will be saved. For the communication we have an Xbee module that is

connected through the UART pins of the MSP430. It also contains an RF and strobe

light for easy retrieval. The system is powered by two battery packs of 3.3v that will

supply the microcontroller and a power supply of 7.4v that supply voltage to the release

mechanism.

The computer application includes a GUI through which the user can control

various features of the embedded system. These features include making a system

diagnostics, set parameters and extract data. This application communicates to the

embedded system through the Xbee that is attached to the computer.


B. Power Consumption

Msp430F5438

Operating Voltage: 3.3v Operating Current: 1 mA Operating Power: 3.3 mW ADXL335 (Accelerometer)

Operating Voltage: 1.8 v - 3.6 v (Selection of 3.3 v) Operating Current: .38 mA Operating Power: 1.254 mW Xbee Explorer

Operating Voltage: 2.8v -3.4v (Selection of 3.3v) Operating Current: 52 mA Operating Power: 171.6 mW LM335A

Operating Voltage: 3.3 Operating Current: 1mA Operating Power: 3.3mW SD CARD

Operating Voltage: 3.3v Operating Current: 44 mA Operating Power: 145.2 mW MP3H6115A

Operating Voltage: 3.3 v Operating Current: 4mA Operating Power: 13.2 mW REG1117 (LDO)

Operating Voltage: 3.3v Operating Current: 10 mA Operating Power: 33 mW


Battery Monitor

Operating Voltage: 3.2v – 4.2v Operating Current: 3mA Min Power: 9.6 mW Max Power: 12.6 mW RF Beacon

Operating Voltage: 3.3v Operating Current: 32mA Operating Power: 105.6 mW Burnwire

Operating Voltage: 7.70 v Operating Current: 277 mA Operating Power: 2132.9 mW Luxeon 1 (LED)

Operating Voltage: 3.3 v Operating Current: 72 mA Operating Power: 237.6 mW ICC = 1mA + .38mA + 52mA + 1mA + 44mA + 4mA + 10 mA + 3 mA + 3 mA + 32 m + 72 mA

ICC = 222.38mA

Total Power Consumption = Total Current * 3.3V Total Power Consumption = 222.38mA*3.3V

Total Power Consumption = 733.84mW

Microprocessor and Components Power Supply:

Battery Pack 1 – 3x 3.7v Polymer Lithium Ion Battery PRT-08484 (6Ah) 3 batteries in parallel for a total of 3.7v @ 18 Ah Burn Wire independent power supply Battery Pack 2 – 2x 3.7v Polymer Lithium Ion Battery YUNTONG YT604261(2650mAh) 2 batteries in series for a total of 7.4v@ 2650mAh


Figure 5: Battery Life Calculation

C. Driving Analysis

Maximum Allowed Current through an I/O Pin MSP430F5438: 15 mA

Case: Result: SD Current Consumption > Maximum I/O Current (44 mA > 15 mA) Fail

Current Interface Required

RF Transmitter > Maximum I/O Current (32 mA > 15 mA) Fail


Luxeon I> Maximum I/O Current (500 mA > 15 mA) Fail


MP3H6115A < Maximum I/O Current (4mA < 15 mA) Pass

No Problem

ADXL335 Accelerometer < Maximum I/O Current (.38mA < 15 mA) Pass

No Problem

LM335< Maximum I/O Current (1mA < 15 mA) Pass

No Problem

Xbee Wireless Chip < Maximum I/O Current (52mA > 15mA) Fail



D. Timing Analysis

UCLK

SOMI

SIMO

Figure 6: SPI Master Timing

tvalid, MO

tsu,MI

tHD,MI


Request

Address

Write/Read

Ready

Data

Clock

Figure 7: SD Card Timing Diagram


E. Memory Map

The MSP430F5438 has the following memory organization:

• Memory Code Area: 256KB • RAM Memory: 16KB • Bootstrap Loader: 2KB

0x1C0A

0x1CFA

0x5C00

0x83IC

Figure 8: Battery Life Calculation

The RAM memory of the MSP430F548 is divided into four sectors. Each sector is

4KB long. The variables of the application are stored on the RAM. They start at address

0x1C0A and finish at address 01xCFA.

The code memory is divided into four banks. Each bank is 64KB long. The code

of our application covers from 0x5C00- to 0x831C.

Bootstrap

(2KB)

Variables

App. code


F. Hardware Schematic

7

7 Bigger size available at the Appendix


G. Schematic Legend

ADXL335:

The ADXL335 is a low power 3-axis accelerometer. The accelerometer can measure

acceleration of gravity and dynamic acceleration. It measure acceleration between the

ranges from -3g to +3g. The output signal is a voltage that is proportional to acceleration.

The output for zero g is Vs/ for all supply voltages. The sensitivity of the output change

with the Vs for Vs=3.6V sensitivity is 360mV/g. For Vs=2V the sensitivity is 195mV/g.

LM335A:

The LM335A is an analog temperature sensor. It can operate from -40 Celsius to 100

Celsius. The sensor can be easily calibrated using two resistors. We calibrate it using a

variable resistance of 10KΩ and other resistor of 270Ω. With this configuration the

output sensitivity is proportionally to 10mV/K.

MP3H6115A:

The MP3H6115A is an analog pressure sensor for measuring absolute pressure. It

measure from 15 to 115kPa with an output from 0.12 to 2.8V. We interface it using a

51kΩ between the output pin and ground. The output sensitivity is 27mV/ kPa.

Vpack 5V Step-Up:

The Vpack 5V Step-Up is a DC to DC voltage converter. It converts the input voltage to

a higher voltage. The minimum input voltage to make it works is 1.0V. The output rage

is from 3V to 6.5V but it is default set to provide en output of 5V.

Luxeon I:

The Luxeon I is a high power LED. It provides light with a high flux density. The red

one has a range of lumens from 50 to 102 at Vs=3.3V. Since it requires too much current

to turn on we interface it using a 2n222 transistor with base resistance of 390Ω to drive it.

It is used as signaling LED.


REG1117:

The REG1117 is a low dropout regulator (LDO). The minimum dropout voltage is 1.2V.

The output can be adjusted to Vomax=13.8v from a Vinmax = 15v . The regulator is

interfaced with a 10µF electrolytic capacitor in Vin node, an equal capacitor in the GND

node and another equal capacitor in the Vout node. With the resistors we can vary the

output Voltage. The buoy implementation has fixed R’s values. With R1=115 Ω and

R2=187 Ω the output is fixed to 3.3v

Battery Monitor 1:

This circuit is a voltage divider of the input battery voltage. This is required to

meet the driving specification of the microcontroller. The voltage divider ha R1= 410.8 Ω

and R2=1k Ω.

Design Considerations and Reliability:

With the above information we can see that the sensors and devices chosen are

low power and energy efficient. Due to the weight and space limitations that our system

have, our design was based on low power consumption. By reducing the amount of

power consumed we managed to use fewer batteries than the previous design. The design

includes a system diagnostic feature that allows the user to verify if any component is

measuring properly. This feature also allows the user to verify the amount of charge left

on the batteries; if the batteries are low the system could be plugged in to charge the

batteries. Developing our system without a battery monitor would be a high risk because

the system could be left at the bottom of the ocean floor forever.

By having features like this, we make sure that the system is more reliable and secure for

investigation purposes.


H. Hardware Termination Level

The Ultra Deep-Sea Water Buoy has all the necessary hardware components for

the system to perform the essential task required by our customer. Our system is the

essential component of the “Buoy System” developed by Dr. Wilford Schmidt. The

system currently uses a 7.4V release mechanism but in a near future we will be adding a

12V release mechanism so that the burn wire could be released faster. Another feature we

will add in the future is a camera system which will be able to take pictures of living

organisms at the ultra deep depths.

Dr. Schmidt also wanted to add an IPhone feature capable of setting up all

the diagnostics and parameters instead of a computer. Even though this is not a critical

requirement is something that we are planning to incorporate in the near future.


I. Operating Diagrams

Function main:

This function will initialize the different components of the system. The components

include the Xbee, set the ADC registers, set the timer and the memory. Also this function

will enable the global interrupts of the microcontroller.

Start

Init. Xbee

Enable Xbee interrupts

Init. Memory

Set ADC registers

Enable ADC interrupts

Init. Timer

Enable Timer interrupts

Enable Global interrupts

Call diagnostic Call waitForInterrupts


Function startConversions:

The function startConversions is responsible of sending the command to start reading the

ADC of the microcontroller. Once it detects that there have been eight readings of the

sensors it calls the functions each sensor.

Yes

No

Start

Send command to start ADC

AllRead=8?

Call calcTempertature

Call calcAcceleration(X)

Call calcAcceleration(Y)

Call calcAcceleration(Z)

Call calcPressure

Call calcBatVoltage

Set AllRead=0

Set flagToConvertions=0

Return

Enable low power mode


Function waitForInterrupts:

This function will wait for interrupts to occur. Once a timer interrupt occur the timer ISR

will set a flag. This function will be pending if that flag change in value. If change it will

call the function to start conversions and places the flag=0. If the flag does not change its

value send the microcontroller to low power mode.

YES

NO

Start

startConvertionsFlag=1

Call startConvertions

startConvertionFlag=0

Enable low power mode


Function runDiagnostic:

This function is responsible for making the diagnosis of the different sensors and system components. The diagnosis is based on the component that the user specifies to be tested. The user specifies the sensor on the GUI and the microcontroller will receive a char in the variable Rchar.

YES

NO

YES

NO YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

Start

Call startConvertions

Rchar=’1’

Rchar=’2’

Rchar=’3’

Rchar=’4’

Rchar=’5’

1

2

Extract temperature

Extract acceleration

Extract pressure


Extract temperature


Extract pressure

3


NO

YES

NO

YES

NO YES

NO YES

NO

YES

NO YES

NO

NO

Yes

2

Rchar=’6’

Rchar=’7’

Rchar=’l’

Rchar=’b’

Rchar=’c’

Rchar=’t’

Rchar=’9’

3

3

Extract pressure

Extract temperature

Extract pressure

Extract acceleratio

n

Turn On Strobe

Test battery level

Clear memory

Test temperature

1

Return

Extract temperature


Function AccelerationPeak:

This function is called when an acceleration peak is detected. When is called it will check if the flag loadPresent=1 and if the final time has elapsed. If both conditions are true proceeds to send the signal to the burn wire. The signal will remain active until the system detects change in acceleration. On the other hand, if this function is called and flag loadsPresent=0 and the final time has elapsed it will program the timer to blinking the strobe light and send the signal to activate the RF.

Start

Final time has

elapsed

loadPresent=1

Send signal to burn wire

Change in accelerati

on?

Disable signal to burn wire

Set loadPresent=0

Reset timer

Final time has

elapsed

Program timer to blink strobe

Send signal to turn RF

peakFlag=1

Return


Function calcTemperature:

This function is responsible for converting the values that has been read by the ADC to temperature in Kelvin. Once the temperature is calculated it sends the value to be storage in memory.

YES

NO

Start

Index=0, temp=0, temperature=0

Index<8 temp=tempResults[index]

temp=(temp/4095)(3.3)(100)

temperature+=temp

Index++

temperature= temperature/8

Send to memory

Return


Function calcPressure:

This function is responsible for converting the values that has been read by the ADC to

pressure in kPa. Once the pressure is calculated it sends the value to be storage in

memory.

YES

NO

Start

Index=0, temp=0, pressure=0

Index<8 temp=pressResults[index]

temp=((temp/4095)(3.3)(1000))/27

pressure+=temp

Index++

pressure=pressure/8

pressure= pressure/6.89476

Return

Send to memory


Function calcAcceleration:

This function is responsible for converting the values that have been read by the

ADC to acceleration in g’s. Once the acceleration is calculated it sends the value to be

storage in memory. If this function determines a negative acceleration peak it will call

the function acceleration peak.

YES

NO

Start

Index<8 temp=accResults[index]

temp=((temp/4095)(3.3)-‐1.65

acceleration+=temp

Index++

acceleration= acceleration/8

1

Index=0, temp=0, acceleration=0

temp=temp*1000/330


YES

NO

YES

NO

NO

YES

1

Axis=x

Axis=z

accY<0

accX=acceleration

accZ=acceleration

Save to memory

accZ= accZ/2.45

accY=acceleration Save to memory

Call accelerationPeak

Return

Save to memory


Function calcBatVoltage:

This function is responsible of getting the battery voltage measurement. It converts

the value reading by the ADC to a voltage level. This voltage level will be used to

estimate the battery life of the system. The CorrectionFactor8 scales the ADC

measurement to the input voltage.

8 Refer to the Theory were the Battery Monitor is explained to understand the CorrectionFactor.

Start

Index=0, temp=0, batVoltage=0

Index<8 temp=batResults[index]

batVoltage=(batVoltage/4095)(3.3)

batVoltage+=temp

Index++

batVoltage= batVoltage/8

Apply CorrectionFactor1

Return


Function Transmit:

This function is responsible of communicating the microcontroller with the PC application. The main task is to sending the data thought the transmission buffer (TX) r to the received buffer (RX) of the Xbee that is connected to the computer.

NO

YES

YES NO

Start

Prepare the byte to be transmitted

All bytes are already

transmitted?

Transmission buffer is ready?

Transmit byte

Return


Function Timer ISR:

This function has three main tasks: real time clock, set the flag to start the conversion and blinking the strobe light. We are using the timer A0 with a clock of 32 KHz and default terminal count of 1024. Each time the clock reach 1024 we make readings of the different analog sensors.

On the blinking task we make two different re-‐program of the terminal count of the timer because we want the strobe to stay more time off than the time that it is turn-‐on. Like a 65% of the period turn-‐off and 35% turn-‐on.

YES YES

NO NO

NO

Start

Acceleration Peak?

Strobe light is off? Turn on

strobe

Re-‐program the terminal

count Turn off strobe

Re-‐program the terminal

count

Set flag to start conversions

Counter++

Counter>32

1 Seconds++ Counter=0

YES


1

Clear Timer count

Disable low power mode

Ret


Function ADC12 ISR:

This function is responsible to handle the analog to digital converter (ADC) interrupt. When the interrupt occur this ISR will storage the values contained on the ADC register to an array for future calculations. Also this function will set a flag to indicate that eight readings of the analogs sensors have been done.

Start

Index=0

Storage the ADC registers on the different arrays

Index++

Index=8?

Set allReads flag=1

Index=0

Disable Low power mode

Ret


Function saveData:

The function saveData takes two parameters, a float number “value” and an integer

“type”. The float number will be the data to be saved and the integer is the type of data

to be saved. The purpose of this function is to save the value to an SD card.

NO

NO

Start

Set temporary variables:

int temp= 0, char toSave[10], temp = size(toSave) i=0

type == 1 (Pressure)

A

B

type == 2 (Temperature)

YES

YES

C

YES

type == 0 (Acceleration)

A’

B’

C’


accPosition<512

A

i <temp

Store value in buffer value-‐>accBuffer

i++

YES

accPosition<512

&& accSector<1237509

accPosition -‐> 0 mmcWriteSector -‐> buffer accSector++

accSector=123750

9

accSector =0

A’

YES

NO NO

YES

NO NO

YES


pressPosition<512

B

i <temp

Store value in buffer Value=pressBuffer

i++

YES

pressPosition<512

&& pressSector<2575018

pressPosition = 0 mmcWriteSector= pressbuffer pressSector++

pressSector=2575018

pressSector = 1287510

B’

YES

NO NO

NO

YES

NO

YES


tempPosition<512

C

i <temp

Store value in buffer Value=tempBuffer

i++

YES

tempPosition<512

&& tempSector<3862527

tempPosition = 0 mmcWriteSector =tempbuffer tempSector++

tempSector=3862527

tempSector = 2575019

C’

YES

NO NO

NO

YES

NO

YES


User Interface Software Plan

Main Function:

This Function shows the User Interface to the user, initializes all the parameters and

connections and checks for click_events, which is the function that is invoked once the

user makes a click on the interface. If the done button is clicked, the user interface will

send a signal through the Xbee so the microcontroller knows that the application was

terminated. As soon as the signal is sent the application will terminate.

YES

NO

Start

Init GUI

DONE = 1? Exit

Call Click_Event

Toggle Finished Signal


Click_Event Function This function is in charge of displaying the different views of the User Interface. If the

Diagnostic View is clicked it toggles the Diagnostic View and erases the previous view,

and it will do the same if the Data Read view is clicked.

YES

NO

YES

.

Start

Diagnostic Clicked?

Data Read Clicked?

Toggle Diagnostic View

Toggle Data Read View

Ret


Extract_Button Function

This function verifies if the temperature, acceleration or pressure checkboxes were marked by a user click. When the extract button is clicked then it will send the proper character according to the checkboxes that were marked. The character is sent through the Xbee and lets the microcontroller know the data that will be extracted from the SD Card.

All Marked?

Send “6”

Send “7”

Start

Temperature Marked?

Acceleration

Marked?

Send “1”

Send “2”

Send “3”

Send “4”

Send “5”

Pressure Marked?

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

RETtart

Acceleration&&Temp

Marked?

Acceleration&&Pressure Marked?

Temp&&Pressure Marked?

NO


System Diagnosis Function

This function sends the proper signal to the microcontroller, the signal is a

character that lets the microcontroller know which component is being tested. The

components are the battery monitor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, RF beacon,

strobe light and the accelerometer.

yes

no yes

no yes

no yes

no yes

no yes no

Start

Temperature marked?

Battery life marked?

Pressure marked?

Rf marked?

Strobe light marked?

Accelerometer marked?

Send “b”

Send “t”

Send “p”

Send “r”

Send “l”

Send “a”

RETtart


Li-‐IonBatteryAnalyzer Function

This function approximates the battery life percentage with the read measure from the Xbee. The code uses the linear approximation equations of the BatVoltage vs BatLife%.

yes

no

yes

no

yes

Start

inputVoltage=0;

batLife=0;

inputVoltage=

readInputVoltage();

inputVoltage<=4.2 && inputVoltage >=3.8

inputVoltage >4.2

inputVoltage >4.2

inputVoltage<3.8 && inputVoltage >=3.5

inputVoltage >4.2

inputVoltage >4.2

inputVoltage<3.5 && inputVoltage >=3.0

inputVoltage >4.2

inputVoltage >4.2

batLife= (inputVoltage-‐4.2)/ (-‐.02)

batLife= (inputVoltage-‐3.8857)/ (-‐.00428)

batLife= (inputVoltage-‐8)/ (-‐.05)

RET

batLife


J. Embedded Software Description: When we turn on our device the microcontroller will enter to the diagnosis state.

In this state the user can verify if all system components works properly. After finish the

diagnostic state the system enters to the free fall state in which the system is collecting

data until it detects an acceleration spike. Once that spike is detected the device pass to

the activate release mechanism state. After the loads are released the next state is the

upward state in which will collecting data until it detects another acceleration spike.

Once that last spike is detected the system enters to the retrieval state.

On the diagnosis state using the computer application the user can test all of the

system components. The user can send different commands to: turn on strobe, get

measurements of temperature, acceleration and pressure. Also the user can extract the

data that was previously saved to the memory. When all components are tested the user

send the finish diagnostic command and the system will pass to the free fall state.

When the system is on the free fall state it will be collecting the data of the

different sensors. This data will be stored on the memory for future retrieval. Each time it

reads the acceleration of the system will verify if a negative spike is measured. When the

spike occurs the device will enter to active the release mechanism.

On the release mechanism state the system will send a signal to turn on the

release. This signal will cause that the burn wire get burned. The mechanism will be

active until the system detects a change in acceleration. Once the system change in

acceleration is detected the system turn off the signal and enters in the upward state.

The upward state is very similar to the free fall state the system will be collecting

data of the different sensors and store it on memory. Once an acceleration spike is

detected the system enters on the retrieval state.

On the retrieval state the system will sends signals to turn on the strobe light and

turn on the RF. The strobe and the RF will be blinking until the buoy is retrieved by the

user. Then the user can simply turn off the device or retrieve the information.


K. Software Termination Level

The software of our device is divided into two parts: the embedded software and

the computer application. The device software provides all the functions that are

necessaries to do the main functionalities of the system. Also the computer application

provides all the necessaries basic functions to control the device.

The embedded software implements the functions that control all the peripherals

of the microcontroller. This function includes the calculation of acceleration,

temperature and pressure, the blinking strobe light and the release mechanism. Also we

have implemented the functions that manage the collection of data which include sending

data to memory and retrieving it from memory. We also added the function to

communicate the embedded system with the computer application. This function is

responsible of establish the connection and the exchange of data between the

microcontroller and the computer application. We still need to do an optimization of the

functions to send and receive.

The computer application provides a user interface (UI) that allows the user to

interact with the system. The UI implements all the basic functionalities to control the

system. It includes the functions to send and retrieve data from microcontroller. Also it

provides the function to make the diagnosis. The UI can be improved to add more

functionality that depending of the arrivals of new requirements by the customer.


L. Efficiency and Trustworthiness

The efficiency and reliability of an embedded system is an important part

that should be considered in the design time. Efficiency does not mean having a high

speed microcontroller. The speed of a system will directly affect negatively the power

consumption. With more efficient software the system will require a lower speed which

helps to save power.

To achieve efficient code and use the least amount of power we

take several aspects into consideration. First we use a modular code where each of the

functions has a specialized and unique task. We also try to use the simplest

algorithms that could perform the required work. Also avoid the excessive

use of conditionals and loops because these statements do not only affect efficiency but

will also affect the reliability of the system.

Another aspect that we consider in our design was to use the interrupt and low

power modes. The analogs to digital, the timers and the serial communication were

served by interrupts. The use of interrupts allows the microcontroller to perform other

task while is waiting to serve that component or simply set the microcontroller to low

power mode.

The reliability of our system depends greatly on the failure tolerance that the

software would provide. To solve the failure tolerance we add a diagnostic function that

must be executed as soon as the system turns on. With this function we can verify that all

components are working properly. One of the key components that our software must

manage is the mechanism release. The software must ensure that this mechanism is

activated and that it really burns the burn wire. To solve this problem the software

combines the activation of the signal with the accelerometer. Once the mechanism

receives the signal it should keep activated until a change in acceleration is detected. This

change in acceleration will predict that in fact the cable was burnt and the loads were

released.


V. User Guide

We start by giving a typical scenario of the Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy User

Interface. The user can utilize this application to verify that the sensors are measuring

correctly and to extract the data that was stored on the SD card. The following images

show both applications of the user interface and how to access the user interface. The

display of the user interface may change in a near future, but the functionality will remain

the same.

The scenario starts by opening the application, to do this the user will just double

click an icon on the Desktop of the computer. When the application start it will show the

main view, in this view the action button will be the only button that interacts with the

user. If the action button is clicked then another panel will show allowing the user to

select between the read data and diagnostic menus.

The read data menu will allow the user to select the data that he wants to retrieve

from the SD memory. The temperature, acceleration and pressure data are all available to

be selected through a checkbox; the user marks the data that he wants and clicks the

extract button to retrieve it. The data will be stored in the Desktop through a .txt file.

The diagnostic menu will allow the user to measure and test all the devices that

are incorporated in the system. The user can verify the LED lights, RF beacon, battery

percentage and measure data from the temperature, pressure and acceleration sensors. If

the user is satisfied with the obtained outputs the button “done” may be clicked to

prepare the buoy system to be dropped to the bottom of the ocean floor. By clicking the

“done” button the application will automatically close and send a signal to our device so

the microcontroller knows that it should be ready to enter the free fall state.


Ultra Sea Water Buoy Application:

Figure 9

Ultra Deep Sea Water Buoy User Interface Main Screen

Figure 10


User Pressing the Action Button of the User Interface

Figure 11

User selecting the Read Data option from the Figure 1.2

Figure 12


User selecting the Diagnostic option from the Figure 1.2

Figure 13


VI. Conclusion

After all the initial system requirements were reviewed, the final result is a

device that meets the client expectations. The system is capable of storing and

obtaining the data of acceleration, temperature and pressure while is ascending or

descending to the ocean. The system uses the Xbee radios effectively to

communicate to a computer and send the data that was stored on memory. The

system also meets with all the limitations that were given by the client.

Some software design choices were made which allow the user to verify

the amount of charge that is left on the batteries. These choices include writing

efficient code, minimizing loops, conditionals and using interrupts wherever

possible. In order to save power and space we used lithium polymer batteries

which are smaller and lighter. We had to do this because our system had space

and weight constrictions.

Some improvements for our system include: a 12V battery upgrade for the

burn wire. Doing this the system will be able burn the wire quicker and thus

giving us more battery life. Another enhancement our system will have in the

future is the camera and light system which will be able to take pictures of the

marine life at great depths. Our customer, Dr. Wilford Schmidt, would also like

an IPhone application to replace our current computer application.

This device could be a part of another system where a data gathering or a

release mechanism is needed. Our device could be very useful for different

applications that require traveling long distances underwater where data collection

might be needed. Another application for our device could be in the military were

ultra deep water exploration is needed.


VII. References

National Semiconductor.(2009). Characteristics of Rechargeable Batteries. Retrieved on 4, 2011 from http://www.national.com/appinfo/power/files/f19.pdf

Maxim Innovation Delivered. (2011). Accurately Measuring Charge Level. Retrieved on 4,2011 from http://www.maxim-ic.com/app-notes/index.mvp/id/3958.

Li-Ion BMS. (2008). Estimating the State the State of Charge of Li-Ion batteries. Retrived on 4, 2011 from http://www.liionbms.com/php/wp_soc_estimate.php.

IBT Power. (2001). Lithium Ion Technical Data. Retrieved on 4, 2011from http://www.ibt-power.com/Battery_packs/Li_Ion/Lithium_ion_tech.html.

Davies, J. (2008). MSP430 Microcontroller Basics. Newnes.

Lutz, B. (2000). MSP430 Mixed-Signal Microcontroller Application Reports. Texas Instruments.


VIII. Appendix

A. Components used in our device

SD Card Memory Dongle

Xbee Chip

Xbee Dongle


Xbee USB Dongle

LM335A Temperature Sensor

ADXL335 Accelerometer

MP3H6115A Pressure Sensor


MSP430 100-‐Pin Target Board

MSP430F5438IPZ Microcontroller


5V Relay

Li-‐Po Battery Charger

Luxeon I (High Power LED)


2GB SD Card

TTA-‐100 (RF Transmitter)


B. Part List

Item Number Quantity Part Number Description Part Reference Value

1 1 BQ20Z40EVM-‐001 Battery Manager BQ1 $0.00

2 3 MSP430F5436 Micro-‐Controller U1 $11.20

3 2 XBEE-‐1B3 Xbee Wireless Chip U2 $22.95

4 4 LM135 Temperature Sensor (Analog) U3 $1.50/each

5 2 5 Pack Step Up $9.95

6 2 MP3H6115A Barometric Pressure Sensor U4 $9.95

7 1 ADXL335 Accelerometer Breakout Board

$24.94

8 4 NPN 2n2222 Transistor U5 $8.00

9 1 LUXEON I High-‐Luminance LED U6 $5.95

10 10 Capacitors (100nF, 10uF) $15.00

11 1 SD SanDisk 2 GB U7 $1.97

12 1 BOB-‐00204 SD Breakout Board U8 $9.95

13 1 XBEE_EXPLORER Xbee Dongle Board U11 $9.95

14 1 TTA-‐100 RF Transmitter U12 $209.95

15

16

1

2

PRT-‐08484

PRT-‐08483

3.7 Volts/6Ah Polymer Lithium Ion Battery

3.7 Volts/ 2000mAhPolymer Lithium Ion Battery

BT3-‐5 BT1&BT2

$39.95

$33.84

17 2 PRT-‐10161 USB-‐LiPoly Battery Single Cell Battery Charger

$29.90


18 2 REG1117 Single Output LDO,800mA,

Adj(1.25 to 13.5V)

1-‐2A $0

19 2 COM-‐00100 Relay SPDT Sealed

U13 $1.95/each

20 1 Target board MSP430 Target Board $75.00

21 5 PRT-‐08815 ProtoBoard $4.50/each

22 5 PRT-‐00444 C. Standoffs Plastic Short

$1.95

23 3 PRT-‐09389 Jumper Wires Premium 6" F/F Pack of 10

$3.95/each

24 3 PRT-‐00116 Break Away Headers-‐ Straight $2.50/each

25 4 Potentiometers $13.95

26 1 MAX-‐5000/30 RF Tracker $1069.00

Total:$1655.20


D. Task Distribution

Tasks Manuel J Orán Omar Roldán Rafael Vázquez Giovanni Viera

1.Finding a problem x x

2.Solution to problem x x x x

3.MCU Selection x X x x

4. Poster/Web Page & Operating Chart x x x x

5. Schematics x x x x

6. Part List x

x

7. Timing & Power Analysis x

x x

8. BDv3 x x

9. Xbee

x x

11. Strobe and Light sensor Controller

x

12. Accelerometer

x

13. Thermometer

x


Sensor

14. Pressure Sensor x

15. Power Supply x

x

16. Battery Monitor x

17. User Interface x x

18. Memory x

19. Software Integration x x

20. Hardware Integration x x

21. Burnwire Launcher x

22. Prototype Mounting x x x x


IX. Description of the Project

The Ultra-Deep Sea Water Buoy System consists on three important parts:

the circuitry which is the part that takes care of all the sensors and peripherals, a

load which an additional device used for different tasks (include a barometer to

measure outside pressure or a fish trap or and a water and sand gathering sample

tube). The third part is the buoyancy system, which includes the two buoys and a

counterweight mechanism that allows the whole system to travel to the bottom of

the ocean.

Our project consists on the circuitry, which basically is the heart and brain

of the complete system. The circuitry consists of a power supply and the micro-

controlled peripherals. The micro-controlled system consists of a TI MSP430F5

series micro controller, an accelerometer, a barometer, a LED strobe light, a RF

Transmitter, a temperature sensor, an Xbee module for wireless communication, a

memory card, and a circuit to activate the release mechanism. The system works

in the following matter: First the system is powered on, once it is “powered on” it

goes to the system diagnostics, which in this case is controlled using a computer

and communicates to the system wirelessly. In the diagnostic all the sensors, and

lights can be tested to ensure the system is working property. Once the user is

done with the diagnostic and closes the Graphical User Interface, the system starts

collecting data from the sensors and starts saving in the Memory Card. When the

system touches the ocean floor (about three hours later) a spike in acceleration

occurs therefore signaling the MCU to activate the release mechanism. After the

release the signal is stopped and the system start ascending to the surface. Once at

the surface the accelerometer detects changes in acceleration, which this triggers,

the RF Transmitter and LED Strobe lights so that we can find the system in the

middle of the ocean.


X. TI Parts Explanation

1. MCU à We used a TI MSP430F5438. We chose the MSP430F5 series because our project required several I/O ports and UART ports for the completion of our design. We could have used another TI MCU but this was the one available that fed all our needs. The MCU benefitted our design in that it allowed us to easily incorporate the Analog sensors without the need of an external Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). Another benefit was that the MS430F5438 and its board provided us with a 32KHz clock without the need of an external circuit and clock.

2. LDO à We used TI REG1117 which is a Single Output LDO, 800mA, Adj(1.25 to 13.5V). This IC allowed us to effectively obtain 3.3V from the 7.4V that we have in the power supply. This chip helped our design because without this chip we would have to find another way to regulate the voltages so that the system would work. With the REG1117, our system was reduced in hardware, which was key in the designing due to our weight and space constraints.

3. Battery Monitor à We used TI’s BQ20Z40EVM-001 battery monitor to monitor the battery life and system overall power consumption. Due to a complication in the interfacing with this battery monitor we opted to use the BQ20Z40EVM-001 with the provided interface from TI. The BQ20Z40EVM-001 really benefited us to measure the true power consumption and the currents being drawn by the system, but due to a failure in communicating with the MCU, the BQ20Z40EVM-001 only communicates with the computer through a USB cable. For that reason the BQ20Z40EVM-001 is only being used in firm ground for testing and comparisons.

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