The human and physical

interfaces
Chapter Eight
8.1 – 8.9

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 Outline
• Introduction
• Keypads
• Seven-segment displays
• LCDs
• Sensors
• Actuators
• Summary

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 Introduction
• A human interface is an important part of most
embedded systems.
• Users need to conveniently get information from the
embedded system.
• They also need to conveniently control the operation
of this system.
• Examples:
– Domestic fridge
– Photocopier
– Car dashboard
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Human Interface - Examples

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Human Interface - Examples

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 Human interface types
• Input: • Output:
– Switch – light-emitting diode
– Push button (LED)
– Keypad – Seven-segment LED
– Liquid crystal display
(LCD)

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The LED version of the Derbot AGV

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The LCD version of the Derbot AGV

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The Keypad

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Flow diagram
Reading a
keypad with a
microcontroller
port

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Outputs for the keypad
Port Bit Function
7 Row 1
6 Row 2
5 Row 3
4 Row 4
3 Column 1
2 Column 2
1 Column 3
0 Unused

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Flow diagram of program example

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 Keypad Example – Initialization
;Initialize
bsf status,rp0 ;select memory bank 1
movlw B'11110000' ;Port B initially Row bits
;are input, column output
movwf trisb
bcf status,rp0 ;select bank 0
...
clrf portb ;initialize keypad value
bcf intcon,rbif ;enable interrupt
bsf intcon,rbie
bsf intcon,gie
loop
goto loop ;await keypad entries
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 Keypad Example – ISR
kpad_to_lcd
call kpad_rd
call kp_code_conv
bsf portc,lcd_RS ;set for character op
movwf lcd_op
call lcd_write
rel_test ;test now for keypad release
call kpad_rd
movf kpad_pat,0
andlw 0fe ;suppress lsb, not used
sublw 0fe ;test if inactive
btfss status,z
goto rel_test
bcf intcon,rbif ;clear interrupt flag
retfie Dr. Gheith Abandah 14
 Keypad Example – Read keypad
kpad_rd
movf portb,w ;read portb value, row pattern
andlw B'11110000' ;suppress unwanted bits
movwf kpad_pat
bsf status,rp0 ;set row to op, column to ip
movlw B'00001110'
movwf trisb
bcf status,rp0
movlw 00
movwf portb ;ensure output values still 0
movf portb,w ;read portb value, col. pattern
andlw B'00001110' ;suppress unwanted bits
iorwf kpad_pat,1 ;OR results into the pattern
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 Keypad Example – Read keypad 2
;reset keypad interface
bsf status,rp0 ;set row to ip, column to op
movlw B'11110000'
movwf trisb
bcf status,rp0
clrf portb ;ensure output values still 0
return

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Seven-segment displays

Common
Anode

Common
Cathode

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 Connecting multiple digits
Need 1.2 kΩ
line resistors

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Timing diagram

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7-seg. display example – page 1

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 7-seg. display example – page 2
;Initialise loop
bcf status,rp1 ;set digit 1
bsf status,rp0;bank 1 movlw B'00011101' ;H
movlw B’00000000’ ;out movwf porta
bcf portc,6 ;seg
movwf trisa
a
movwf trisb
bsf portc,7 ;seg
movwf trisc b
bcf status,rp0;bank 0 bsf portc,1 ;dig 1
; call delay5
bcf portc,1
;set digit 2
…
goto loop
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 Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
• Liquid crystal responds to an applied electric field by
changing the alignment of its molecules, and in so
doing changing the direction of the light polarization
that it introduces.
• Liquid crystal can be trapped between two parallel
sheets of glass, with a matching pattern of
transparent electrode on each sheet.
• When a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the
optical character of the crystal changes and the
electrode pattern appears in the crystal.
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 Interfacing with LCDs
• Hitachi developed a special microcontroller
(HD44780) for interfacing LCDs.
• This microcontroller is usually integrated with
LCDs.
• Features:
– 8- or 4-bit data transfer
– Simple instruction set to initialize, clear, display,
and position cursor
– Has instruction register and data register
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HD44780 timing diagram

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Derbot’s LCD

Each digit
is a liquid
crystal dot
matrix

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 LCD Drive Example – Page 1
lcd_write bcf status,c
call busy_check rrf lcd_op,1
bcf portc,lcd_rw bcf portc,7
bcf status,c btfsc status,c
rrf lcd_op,1 bsf portc,7
bcf portc,6 movf lcd_op,0
btfsc status,c movwf porta
bsf portc,6 bsf portc,lcd_E
bcf portc,lcd_E
return

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 LCD Drive Example – Page 2
busy_check
bsf status,rp0 ;bank 1
movlw B'00111111' ;set port A all ip
movwf trisa
bcf status,rp0
bcf flags,0
btfsc portc,lcd_RS ;save RS in flags, 0
bsf flags,0
bcf portc,lcd_RS ;access instr register
bsf portc,lcd_RW ;set to read

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 LCD Drive Example – Page 3
busy_loop
bcf portc,lcd_E
bsf portc,lcd_E
btfsc porta,lcd_busy ;test the busy flag
goto busy_loop
bcf portc,lcd_E
bsf status,rp0 ;select memory bank 1
movlw B'00000000‘ ;set port A all op
movwf trisa
bcf status,rp0
bcf portc,lcd_RS
btfsc flags,0 ;reinstate RS bit
bsf portc,lcd_RS
return
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 Sensors
• Convert physical variables to electrical.
• Examples:
– The microswitch
– Light-dependent resistor
– Ultrasonic object sensor

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The Microswitch

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 Light-dependent resistors
• A light-dependent
resistor (LDR) is made
from a piece of exposed
semiconductor material.
When light falls on it, it
creates hole–electron
pairs in the material,
which improve the
conductivity.
• 20M Ω to a few hundred
ohms
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Optical object sensing
Infrared LED and phototransistor

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The opto-sensor applied as a shaft
encoder

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Ultrasonic object sensor

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Digital input
If a microcontroller
is to receive logic
signals, then it is
essential that
those signals are at
voltage levels
which are
recognized by it as
being either Logic 0
or Logic 1.

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 Forms of signal corruption

(a) Spikes in signal, potentially harmful to device input. (b) Spikes in

signal.
(c) Excessively slow edges. (d) DC offset in signal.
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Input protection
• For Rprot = 1KΩ and max.
diode current =20 mA
• What is the maximum
voltage spike?

Vmax =
[(20mA × 1 k Ω) + 5.3]
= 25V

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 Ensuring legal logic levels
• Can use Schmitt trigger
for speeding up slow
logic edges.
• Schmitt trigger with RC
filter can be used to
filter voltage spikes.
• Digital filtering: sample
the input three times
and use a majority vote.

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Isolation or level shifting with the
opto-isolator

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Switch bouncing

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Hardware switch debouncing

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Software switch debouncing

Typically
10 ms

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 Actuators: motors and servos
• Often need to cause
physical movement
• For linear movement
use solenoids
• For angular movement,
use ‘servos’
• For angular or rotary,
use DC or stepper
motors

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 Comparison
DC Motors Stepper Motors
• Range from the extremely • Simple interface with digital
powerful to the very small systems
• Wide speed range • Can control speed and
• Controllable speed position
• Good efficiency • Awkward start-up
characteristics
• Can provide accurate
angular positioning with • Lose torque at high speed
angular shafts • Limited top speed
• Only the armature winding • Less efficient
needs to be driven • More complex to drive
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Derbot DC Motor

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Servo input and output
characteristics

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 Interfacing to actuators
• Simple DC switching
– Bipolar transistors
– MOSFET transistors
• Reversible switching
– The H-bridge

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Bipolar transistor switching of DC
resistive loads

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MOSFET transistor switching of DC
resistive loads

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MOSFET transistor switching of DC
inductive loads

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Characteristics of two popular
logic-compatible MOSFETs

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Driving piezo sounder and opto-
sensors

I = (5 − 3.4)/91
I = 17.6 mA

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Reversible switching: the H-bridge

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The L293D dual H-bridge

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The L293D applied in the Derbot
motor drive circuit

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 Summary
• An embedded microcontroller must be able to interface with
the physical world and possibly the human world as well.
• Much human interfacing can be done with switches, keypads
and displays.
• To interface with the physical world, the microcontroller
must be able to interface with a range of transducers. The
designer needs an understanding of the main sensors and
actuators available.
• Interfacing with sensors requires a reasonable knowledge of
signal conditioning techniques.
• Interfacing with actuators requires a reasonable knowledge
of power switching techniques.
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