ENGS 21 Search and Rescue Communication

Building better search and rescue communication - ENGS 21, Dartmouth College, 20W

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• Download Arduino from Arduino.cc
• Download VSCode
• Clone ENGS21SARCOM repo
• Copy all sub-library folders (e.g. Wind, Temperature, Sensor, etc...) to Arduino's root library folder
• Wire two microcontrollers together with RS485 controllers and attach any requisite sensors to the two boards
• Run Core.ino on one microcontroller, and run Peripheral.ino on another

Electronics Setup

An outline of the electronic systems used by the system to detect any anomalies within the system and respond to protect the battery packs and downstream electrical systems.

Peripheral Microcontroller

This microcontroller (Arduino Uno at the moment) will fit within the following specifications:

• Equipped with the following sensors measuring the surrounding environment:

  • Atmospheric pressure sensor
  • Humidity sensor
  • Atmospheric temperature sensor
  • Accelerometer / gyroscope module

• Read these sensors at regular intervals

• Transcode sensor protocols (SPI, I2C, other) into RS485 and transmit onto wire using UART

• Detect anomalies in any urgent sensor values and alert the core microcontroller

• Transmit data down to the core microcontroller via an adapted RS485 protocol

  • Transmit this data on a regular basis for non-urgent sensor readings (temperaure, pressure, humidity, normal accelerometer / gyroscope readings)
  • Transmit any urgent sensor readings (anomalous accelerometer / gyroscope readings) as sensor values update

Core Microcontroller

This microcontroller (Arduino Uno at the moment) will fit within the following specifications:

• Equipped with the following sensors placed within the battery holder of the system:

  • Atmospheric pressure sensor
  • Humidity sensor
  • Atmospheric temperature sensor

• Read these sensors at regular intervals

  • If any collected data are above set safe threshold values, respond accordingly

• Detect any anomalies in any urgent sensor values and respond accordingly

• Read data from the peripheral microcontroller as it becomes available via an adapted RS485 protocol

  • Poll data from the RS485 bus and determine if any of the data are above threshold levels
  • If such data are above threshold values, react accordingly

Power Relay and Indication System

This system is separate from but controlled by the core microcontroller, and will fit within the following specifications:

• Have the following physical modules with data buses to the core microcontroller:

  • Relay module interrupting the positive power supply line from the battery packs to the main relay module
  • RGB status LED with pre-defined states and corresponding display colors

• Be able to interrupt power on any fault detected by the core microcontroller or peripheral microcontroller

• Be able to signal quickly which fault has been detected by the core microcontroller or peripheral microcontroller to a technician or user