ELEC3300

Introduction to Embedded Systems

Student projects
Prof. Tim Woo

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Outline

• Introduce the past student projects and their further

development

• Project Design from abstract idea to implementation

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Embedded System Project

Entertainment Innovations Applications

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Some Projects from Past Years
• What did they do?
– Good projects are driven by your motivation and interest.
Entertainments Innovations

Applications
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 Theme of Embedded System Project

Entertainment

Innovations Applications

There are always overlapping between the themes!

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 Beyond your ELEC 3300 course project …
Rehab tools

Braille Printer

Mobile phone
+ GPS Entrepreneur
competitions
FYPs / FYTs

Project design
competitions

ELEC 3300
course projects
Apps for Hearing
Impairment children
Rehab tools
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 Social Impact

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 Other application: Robotics Competitions
Starting from Spring 11-12, HKUST Robotics Team uses the embedded system board of
robot design.

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 Much inspiration of embedded system

Are you ready

to
brainstorm
your course project?

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Do you still have inquiries?

• You may have several questions on

– Project idea
– Feasibilities
– Any supports
– ….

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 You may ask ……
• How can I get the project idea?

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 You may ask ……
• How can I get the project idea?

https://www.facebook.com/HKUST.SENG.GCE

Student Societies

HKUST Connect Competitions UROP

Clans @SENG
Service‐Learning Projects
Hall Life
Professional Institutes
Internship
Exchange Program

Living Learning Communities Program

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 You may ask ……
• How do I know the feasibilities of project idea?

Peer-discussion
on project proposal

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 You may ask ……
• How can I get the reflection from peers, teaching assistants
and professor? Any additional help?

Project Consultation
Hours
Proposal Presentation

Interim Project Demonstration

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 Do you still have inquiries about ……

• How can I get support for those technologies which are not
discussed in class?
– Mentor (Teaching Assistant)
– Workshops on some advanced technologies
– Public discussion forum

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Project Design from abstract idea to implementation

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 How do engineers solve daily life problems?

Efficient
Solution to Daily Life
daily life Problem
problem

Safety and
Creativity
Reliability

Embedded
Basic Science
System Knowledge
Integration

Engineering
Knowledge
and
Mathematics

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 How do engineers solve daily life problems?

S
Knowledge
Discovery

Design Thinking

E T
Modelling
Reinforces
learning of

Leads to the
Innovation development
of
Prototyping
Skills

M
Logic
Analysis
Problem Solving http://stem.mpls.k12.mn.us/
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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• We have to consider 6 components but not limited to these

Description Choices in this course

Products Abstract idea of project Many
(Define the functionality of the system)
Data format / representation Many
Programming Language C-language
Communication Protocol Many
Physical connection (Pins assignment) Many
Hardware devices Microcontroller: STM32 ARM Platform
(Microcontroller, Peripherals) Peripherals: Many
Components

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• Some inquiries, but not limited to these How to do Mixed

Hardware/Software
Co-Development?
Which?
How?
Where?

When?
Project …….

Any more? Any alternatives?

Block diagram

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• Let’s start from a simple project idea:

Product A device is used to monitor the temperature of this lecture room.

How to receive signals?

Input signals Output signals

Sensors Controller ???

Components

Temperature sensor(s)

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Design architecture of an embedded system
Monitor the temperature
Schmitt trigger of this lecture room
(a dual threshold) Efficient
Solution to Daily Life
daily life Problem
problem

Measure the temperature?

Safety and
Creativity
Reliability

Does the actuator always

trigger a change (on/off) ? Embedded
Basic Science
System Knowledge
Integration Temperature sensor(s)

Engineering
Embedded system: Knowledge
STM32 ARM Platform and
Mathematics
Mapping between
temperature (Celsius)
and
ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo electrical signal (Voltage)
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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• What do you concern in the design?

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• With some inquiries, but not limited to these

Temperature sensor(s)
How often do you monitor?
Which type? Second/minute/hour/daily?
(analog / digital)
Where do you install it/them?
1 / 2 / 4 corners in the room?
When does it operate?
Daytime/evening time?
Project …….

Any more? Any alternatives?

Do we keep the historical record?
Storage and/or display it?
How to do Mixed
Block diagram
Hardware/Software
Co-Development?

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• Further extension: Integrate with a digital clock widget

• Features
1. Power up by the battery
2. Set the clock information by using buttons
3. Display the texts, numbers and graphics
4. Provide real-time clock
5. Sense the temperature and display its values
6. Keep the historical data

• Let’s see how this course helps

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• How does our lab experiment on Microcontroller STM32 ARM Platform help?
Description Lab 2 Lab 3 Lab 4 Lab 5 Lab 6
Features Interact with Display Timer ADC External storage
Buttons, LEDs information features through serial port
onto LCD
Data format Digital Texts, numbers, Digital Analog (Input) Digital
graphics, dots Digital (Output)

Programming C-language C-language C-language C-language C-language

Language
Communication Polling, FSMC N/A N/A Serial
Protocol Interrupt Communication –
I2C
Physical I/O port I/O port Timer port ADC ports Serial port for I2C
connection
Hardware devices Switches, LCD devices External / Sensors IMU
(Microcontroller, LEDs Internal timers (Temperature, or
Peripherals) Light) RAM / EEPROM

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 Design architecture of an embedded system

• After completing the laboratory experiments, you are able to integrate

Description
Lab 6 Abstract idea of project
(Define the functionality of the
Feature 6 – Serial Communication system)
Data format / representation
Programming Language
Communication Protocol
Lab 1
Feature 1 - Power Physical connection (Pins
Lab 5 assignment)
Hardware devices
Feature 5 - Sensors (Microcontroller, Peripherals)

Lab 2
Lab 4
Feature 2 – I/O port Feature 4 - Timer
Lab 3
Feature 3 - Display

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 Class exercise

• Identify the basic 6 features in the different projects

– Feature 1: Power
– Feature 2: Simple I/O device (Switches / LEDs)
– Feature 3: Display
– Feature 4: Timer
– Feature 5: Sensors
– Feature 6: Serial Communication

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 Class exercise

• Identify the basic 6 features in the project

– Feature 1: Power
– Feature 2: Simple I/O device (Switches / LEDs)
– Feature 3: Display
– Feature 4: Timer
– Feature 5: Sensors
– Feature 6: Serial Communication

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 Class exercise

• Identify the basic 6 features in the project

– Feature 1: Power
– Feature 2: Simple I/O device (Switches / LEDs)
– Feature 3: Display
– Feature 4: Timer
– Feature 5: Sensors
– Feature 6: Serial Communication

ELEC 3300 : Spring 17/18 Tim Woo

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 Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development
• Traditionally, in a mixed hardware/software system, hardware and
software are seen as independent
• Partitioning first, development afterward
• In general, changes in hardware imply changes in software and vice versa
• The overall verification is not done until the integration phase, which
means that the cost of detecting hardware/software errors is very high

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 Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development

• Take an example:
Temperature Display the values
Controller
Sensors onto LCD
Data Collection Routine and Text Display Routine

Controller
Co-Development
1. Data Collection Routine
Display the values
Temperature onto the PC console Display the values
Sensors onto LCD
pre-defined texts
and number in PC
Controller
2.Text Display Routine

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 Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development

• Take an example:
Camera Save image into
Controller
module SD Card
Image Capture Routine and Read/Write Routine for SD Card

Controller
Co-Development
1. Image Capture Routine
Display the values of color
Camera onto the PC console Save the data into
module the SD card
pre-defined texts
Pure color images:
R,G,B,K,W and number in PC
Controller
2.Read/Write Routine
for SD Card

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 Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development
• It is obviously better if the hardware and software engineers can work
together through the design and integration so that debugging become
incremental rather than a post integration process

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 Class exercise

• Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development

– Japan Robot Trash Can
– Other projects

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 Class exercise

• Mixed Hardware/Software Co-Development

– Japan Robot Trash Can

Mechanical Design

Electronics Circuit Design

Joystick controller Kinect

Computer
Wireless communication Object detection algorithm

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 In summary

• Enhancing you design skills

• As a project owner
• Write up a 100-150 word proposal (with laymen terms) by late
February
• Describe your project to the student group during lecture hours in
week 4 or 5.
• Tell them how you can tackle it with some solutions (Refer to those
6 steps)
• As a listener
• Raise some inquiries about other student projects
• Write up some comments / suggestions to them
• If you are an active listener, you will receive more feedback from other
students.

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 Reflection (Self-evaluation)
• Do you have any idea about the project design?
• Are you ready to draft proposal?
• Are you going to be an active participant (being active
presenter and listener)?

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