Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
Make Duckietown a smarter city.
Modified 2017-11-23 by Andrea Censi
OMNES VIAE ANATUM URBEM DUCUNT
(All roads lead to Duckietown)
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Team | Reference Person |
---|---|
Intersection Navigation | Nicolas Lanzetti (ETHZ) |
Parking | Samuel Nyffenegger (ETHZ) |
Traffic controller HUB | no teams actively working on this project in Fall-2017 |
System Architect | Sonja (ETHZ) |
Software Architect | Breandean (UdM) |
Knowledge | Tzarina |
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
We have to design a traffic lights system that integrates seamlessly and efficiently with the tiles currently used to build Duckietown. The development of a traffic lights system has to be considered as part of a bigger plan aimed to make Duckietown a smart city. A smart Duckietown has the capability of delivering wireless connectivity everywhere (Duckietown Wireless Network - DWN) in the town and power to each tile. A tile that can provide power is called a hot tile. The power grid that provides power to all the tiles is called Duckietown Power Grid (DPG). A simple use case for this infrastructure would then be the traffic lights system. Traffic lights at each intersection are powered and controlled by a Raspberry Pi with a Duckiebot-like LED Hat and 3 (or 4) LEDs. A Raspberry Pi responsible for the traffic lights at an intersection draws power from a hot tile and connects to the DWN.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2018-04-29 by Andrea Censi
To create a smarter Duckietown and provide data and power to the tiles, we will wireless networks (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) for data communication, and we will implement a power grid to provide power to the various devices and PDs throughout Duckietown. Since we are using common implementation of wireless networks, the rest of this design document will focus on the specifications of the power grid.
Power Grid Implementation Ideas:
Idea 1: Attach a 2-row breadboard along the edges of each tile, between the white tape and the teeth of the tile. PDs are connected to the power grid simply by inserting the two wires (+ and -) into the relative holes.
Idea 2: Attach a plastic rail to the edge of each tile, between the white tape and the teeth of the tile. The rail would carry two conductive strips (copper strips), one on each side (see image below).
Prototype: The image below shows a possible design of the plastic rail along with a compatible plug. The black part of the 3D model above constitutes the rail (sectional view) while the white part is the plug. The system is designed so that the plug, once pressed onto the rail, remains attached. The white box on the plug would contain one of the step-down converters (http://a.co/fAIAhuw) described above. This would solve the problem of having a weak 5V power grid by running 24V through the grid and stepping it down to 5V only when, and exactly where, we need it. There would be limit neither to the number of plugs nor to the position where we can attach them (even better than a breadboard in this sense). We can then design simple connectors for straight and curved tiles to make everything modular. Since the most common PD in Duckietown is a Raspberry Pi, we can design a USB plug (shown below) to make things even easier.
Enhancement 1: We can modify the plug by adding an extrusion to one side and carving its negative into the rail. This would prevent us from attaching the plug in the wrong direction, thus violating the positive/negative polarity of the conductors.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
The actual voltage and amperage available at each tile/power terminal will depend on the power grid approach we choose. Regardless of the implementation, the primary functionality provided by the power grid is access to power for at each tile in the Duckietown.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
The resources for this project are the parts to build the traffic lights and the power grid. Since, the specific parts and associated costs for the power grid are highly dependent on the implementation approach we decide on, we are unable to obtain specific details at this time. However, for all of the approaches, we will need enough parts to build a power grid that provides power for all of the tiles in the Duckietown.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Power Grid:
System:
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Input: 12/24 V, Output: 12/24 V between tiles, 5 V on tile
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
Power grid and integration into the individual tiles must be designed and implemented. While the traffic lights exist, there needs to be a revised method of providing power.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
May have to modify Duckietown tiles.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
None, this is a hardware project.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
All modules are infrastructure.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Decide connector option and wire routing.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Stability of power grid. How many traffic lights can be supported per voltage source.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
None.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
Specification of traffic light.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Sam Nickolay
None.
Modified 2017-11-22 by Andrea Censi
What could go wrong?
How to mitigate the risks?
No questions found. You can ask a question on the website.