Senior Design Projects Spring 2018

Medical Device Tool One-Wire Communication Emulator

Larry Kennedy Industry Innovation Award

Team Members
Charles Lubitz, Morgan English, and Ben Schaedig, Electrical Engineering Technology
Kyle Ludwig and Justin Evankovich, Computer Engineering

Advisors
Trever Hassell and Tony Pinar, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsor
Stryker Instruments

Project Overview
The CORE2 (Consolidated Operating Room Equipment) Console supplies power to a variety of devices, including small and large bone handpieces, footswitches, and a bone mill. CORE2 is a non-sterile, reusable device intended for use outside of the sterile environment during surgeries, which contains a touch screen graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the user to program a number of customized settings related to the connected devices and irrigation. The settings and limitations for each compatible device are contained within each device’s memory (referred to as NOVRAM), which can be read by the console. It is our team’s goal to develop a testing process by emulating a device NOVRAM for the CORE2.


Functional Safety Controller for Autonomous Vehicle Prototype

Team Members
Matt DeGroot, Eric Mason, Isobel Alberts, and Leah Peterson, Computer Engineering
Darien Benner, Electrical Engineering

Advisors
Christopher Middlebrook, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsors
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Enterprise Program

Project Overview
The overarching goal of this project is to create a functional safety controller for the autonomous vehicle used in the GM/SAE Autodrive competition. The scope of the project has three main parts. The first is the Simulink Stateflow design that evaluates the conditions of various sensors to determine the proper state for the vehicle (autonomous control/user control). The second is testing and validation of the design. Since this is a safety-related project, validation is a very important step. The third is the deployment of the Stateflow design to an embedded system.


Radar Integration

Team Members
Braden Bennett, Tanay Patel, and Chen Lou, Electrical Engineering; Jacob LaPonse, Mechanical Engineering; Codie Hjorth, Computer Engineering

Advisor
Dan Fuhrmann, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsors
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Enterprise Program, AutoDrive Challenge

Project Overview
Our team supports the Robotic Systems Enterprise’s AutoDrive Challenge team by investigating multiple radar integration in an autonomous vehicle platform. The results from this project will aid the team in developing a strategy for the most ideal radar placement. After radar placement location has been approved by the Robotic Systems Enterprise team, we will fully package and integrate the radars into the autonomous vehicle.


Instrument Transformer Signal Conditioner

Team Members
Mitchell Paris and Austin Schank, Computer Engineering; Christopher Churchill, John Falzon, and Brad Revett, Electrical Engineering

Advisor
Trever Hassell, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsors
Michigan Technological University, Industry Partner

Project Overview
Our team is implementing a device that interacts with current switchgear used in power transmission, so that it adheres to the IEC 61850-9-2 standard. The device will take in 8 AC analog signals from a switchgear (4 voltage and 4 current), convert these signals into a digital representation using analog to digital converters, and send this information out over Ethernet following the packet outline in IEC 61850-9-2.


Human Machine Interface (HMI) Annunciator Replacement

Team Members
Lucas Kuta, Forestry; Joel Jepson, Seth Majeski, and Jonathan Schulz, Computer Engineering; Kelsey Stickney, Electrical Engineering

Advisor
Chee-Wooi Ten, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsor
ITC Holdings Corporation

Project Overview
The Annunciator human machine interface (HMI) is the primary interface between technicians and their electrical substations. Using the Annunciator, operators can monitor the states of devices from one central location. ITC currently runs Windows XP and bulky enterprise software on legacy hardware with stringent disk and processing constraints. ITC requested a software upgrade on a new operating system that would allow for continued use of the hardware and long-term support. Running on Linux Mint, the new software operates in three layers: a communications layer to talk between the master station and outstations; an alarm state layer that saves the status of monitored devices; and a touchscreen user interface for simple human interaction.


Performance and Protection Characterization of Plug and Play Solar Systems

First Place Design Expo Senior Design Award

Team Members
Lauren Clark, Erik Romanski, Gabe Simmering, and Jason Wesley, Electrical Engineering

Advisor
Sumit Paudyal, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsor
Consumers Energy

Project Overview
Our team researched, tested, and evaluated “Plug and Play” solar systems. These systems consist of all-in-one packages of solar panels, inverters, and hardware that are advertised to produce power for homeowners by plugging into any 120V receptacle. We performed market research to determine overall demand and popularity, worked with standards and codes to determine the safety and legality of recommended installations, and tested products to ensure they meet Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards. We provided our findings and recommendations for future policies and actions regarding safe and responsible use to Consumers Energy so they can appropriately plan for the use of “Plug and Play” systems in their service territory.


Optical Design Camera System

Team Members
Stephen Grulke, Isaac Rasmusson, and Matthew O’Brien, Electrical Engineering; Qiyue Lin, Computer Engineering

Advisor
Durdu Guney, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Enterprise Program

Project Overview
Our group is in charge of exploring and documenting optical camera functionality on autonomous vehicles. This includes providing multiple designs and camera layouts that are backed up with simulation results. These designs include the device the cameras are attached to, as well as mounted camera specifications. We are also providing research into relevant camera characteristics and the reasoning behind our particular camera choices. Our research and design is intended as a starting point for further exploration of the topic.