Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Project B.I.N.S
Senior Design Project:
Team 1 PDR
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Introduction - Team 1
Professor Tessier
Advisor
James Doty
EE
Belief Gratini
CE
Marcus Mei
EE
Frank Zhang
CE
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Trash bins overflowing in a Toronto neighborhood.
https://www.blogto.com/city/2018/07/toronto-
neighbourhood-fed-garbage-parks/
Problem Statement
▪ Waste management resources are limited.
▪ It creates a health and an environmental
hazard with overflow in parks, cities and
schools.
▪ We can increase resources through
optimization.
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Our Solution
B.I.N.S (Barrel Integrated Networked System)
A real time automated trash sensing system.
B.I.N.S will:
• Monitor trash levels.
• Provide optimized routes for pickup.
• Allow human resources to be allocated
ad hoc
• Prevent health hazards due to overflow
by providing notification.
• Provide location data.
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Competing Solutions - Smart Trash Bin
Features:
▪ Ultrasonic sensor (HC-SR04)
▪ PIR sensor for detecting usage
▪ SMS alerts to phone
▪ Solar powered lithium-ion battery
Drawbacks:
▪ Included a power bank
▪ SMS alerts required cellular carrier service
▪ PIR sensor malfunctioned frequently
Smart Trash Bin; Designed by Fady Samann
at Nawroz University, Iran
From: Researchgate.net
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Competing Solutions - Bigbelly Smart Bins
Features:
▪ “Embedded” sensors
▪ Solar-powered
▪ 8-year battery life
▪ All inclusive can
▪ Provides real-time data to facility via email
Drawbacks:
▪ Cost, upwards of $3500!
▪ No analysis done on data
▪ Sensor vs. trash bin
The HC5 solar powered compactor
From Bigbelly.com
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Preliminary System Specifications
The device...
1. Should be capable of operating for 1 week without sunlight
2. Should be capable of operating from 0°C to 50°C
3. Weight should not impact the ability of a barrel to stand up
4. Total volume should not exceed 5”x5”x5” footprint or impede normal use
of the barrel
5. Housing should provide water resistance
6. Should not exceed 100$ per unit
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Block Diagram
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Systems Overview
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Subsystem Definitions
▪ Firmware: Programming the microcontroller to properly interface with
the onboard electronics and send data to the server
▪ Sensing: Circuits and components pertaining to external measurements
▪ Power: Circuits and components pertaining to powering the system
▪ Wireless Communication: All remote data processing and user
interfaces
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Firmware Subsystem - Microcontroller
Options:
▪ Atmega328 w/ ESP8266 based WiFi Module
▪ ESP8266 Microcontroller
Decision:
▪ ESP8266 as sole microcontroller allows a lower cost
and still draws less power
▪ It satisfies our I/O pin needs with 16 GPIO
▪ Smaller Footprint than Atmega328
WRL-13678 WiFi Module
From: Sparkfun.com
Standalone ESP8266 Microcontroller
From: Digikey.com
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Firmware Subsystem - Power Estimates
Power draw will depend on:
• How long data transmits for?
• What IEEE WiFi standard used for Tx?
• 802.11n
• Wake-up and connectivity time?
• Built in Deep-Sleep (Tx within 1s)
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sensing Subsystem - A Breakdown
Ultrasonic Sensor
▪ Measures trash level within barrel
▪ Existing Components - HC-SR04
▪ Why do we want to build our own?
Temperature Sensor
▪ Verifies safe charging temperatures
▪ Analog vs. Digital Outputs
▪ i.e. LMT88
Proposed HC-SR04 Ultrasonic
Module
From: Digikey.com
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sensing Subsystem - Building a US Sensor
A schematic of HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Measuring Module, by
T.K. Hareendran
From. Electroschematics.com
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2
3
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4 Main Sections of the Design
(1)Embedded Microcontroller
(2)Transducer Driver for Tx
(3)Quad Op Amp for Rx
(4)Tx and Rx Transducers
Proposed Changes:
● (2) and (3) can stay
● No need for its own microcontroller
● Replace (4) with higher quality
transducers
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Power Subsystem
Solar Panel
▪ How much energy can we expect to
harvest in a year?
• 1300 kWh/m^2
▪ What size will we need to power our
device?
• Estimate: 15 cm x 15 cm
▪ Consider efficiency loss from solar panel
and charge controller
Global horizontal irradiation in kilowatt hours per meter
squared
From Solargis
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Power Subsystem
Charge controller
▪ Necessary to prevent overcharging
of battery
▪ Existing boards by DFRobot shown
▪ To reduce cost per unit, we want to
design our own
▪ MCP chip from Microchip looks solid
The Solar Power Manager Micro from DFRobot
From Mouser.com
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Power Subsystem
Battery
▪ How long can we operate without sun?
• Aiming for a week of continuous discharge
▪ Estimates: drawing 15 mA from US, 120 mA from ESP when active
Regulator
▪ Consider linear vs. switching
Other considerations:
▪ Efficiency loss across the devices
▪ Additional power drawn from ultrasonic sensor
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wireless Communication
Database:
● Schema: Location, fill
level, status filled, status
closed, battery life, health
check
Servers:
▪ App server:
• Business logic:
optimization of
routes
▪ Web server:
• Host web pages and
files.
1. B.I.N.S sensor monitors
fill level.
2. Sensor sends status
signal using 802.11n
module at 230 ft max
range.
3. Sensor data is sent to
servers.
4. Optimized data is sent to
client.
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Cost Estimates (Per Board)
Price Per Board Per Board Cost
Charge Controller $0.53 2 $1.06
Linear Regulator $0.44 1 $0.44
Switching Regulator $3.18 1 $3.18
Transducer Driver $0.90 1 $0.90
Ultrasonic Rx, Tx $5.94 2 $11.88
Quad OP Amp $0.53 1 $0.53
Microchip $6.95 1 $6.95
Battery $8.94 2 $17.88
Solar Panel $30.00 1 $30.00
Total $72.82
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Custom Hardware Component
▪ A hub is needed where all of our subsystems can interact
• Focal point will be the ESP8266
• Custom Built Ultrasonic Sensor Circuit
• Modified Charge Controller w/ Temperature Sensor
• Voltage Regulators
• Battery and Solar Panel Connectors
*There may be challenges in properly handling analog and digital signals on the same board,
but we look forward to tackling this along with support from our advisor
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
MDR Deliverables
1. Ultrasonic sensor system built on a breadboard interfacing with
ESP8266
1. Charge controller w/ temp sensor and regulators functioning on a
breadboard and charging batteries
1. ESP8266 communicating with server and able to send data
(w/ Power Analysis)
1. Servers up and running communicating with the website and an app
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Project Management
James Doty: Altium Lead, Sensor Subsystem
Belief Gratini: Software Lead, Server Subsystem
Marcus Mei: Team Coordinator, Power Subsystem
Frank Zhang: Budget Lead, Firmware Subsystem
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gantt Chart
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gantt Chart
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
