Capstone Project

i

FINAL YEAR PROJECT REPORT

AUTO-HELM CONTROL OF

SAILING BOAT USING FUZZY

LOGIC B.S Electronic Engineering, Batch 2006

Internal Advisor External Advisor

Mr. Chandan Lal Mr. Danish Karim Iqbal

Assistant Professor Design Engineer

Electronic Engineering Deptt. R&D

SSUET, KARACHI Saltec Powerlink

Submitted by:

Sajid Mahmood 2006-EE-075

Ahsan Qamar Hashmi 2006-EE-086

Daniyal Siddiqui 2006-EE-098

Abid Muhammad Jawaid 2006-EE-105

Zohaib Jamil 2006-EE-115

Syed Muneeb Raza Bukhari 2006-EE-609

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology

University Road, Karachi75300

January, 2010

ii

SIR SYED UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

University Road, Karachi -75300, Pakistan. Tel: - 4988000-2, 4982393, 474583, Fax: (92-21) 4982393

http://www.ssuet.edu.pk

The Faculty of Electronic Engineering

Project Approval

Project Title AUTO-HELM CONTROL OF SAILING BOAT USING FUZZY LOGIC

Internal Advisor Mr. Chandan Lal (Assistant Professor )

External Advisor Engr. Mr. Danish Karim

Academic Year 2006

Group Members:

Sajid Mahmood 2006-EE-075

Ahsan Qamar Hashmi 2006-EE-086

Daniyal Siddiqui 2006-EE-098

Abid Muhammad Jawaid 2006-EE-105

Zohaib Jamil 2006-EE-115

Syed Muneeb Raza Bukhari 2006-EE-609

____

The Department of Electronics Engineering Sir Syed University of Engineering &

Technology has approved this Final Year Project. The Project is submitted in partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electronic

Engineering.

Approval Committee:

(Asst. Prof. Mr. Chandan Lal ) (Engr. Mr. Danish Karim Iqbal)

Internal Advisor External Advisor

(Muhammad Sharif ) (Dr. Bi lal Ahmed Alvi )

FYP Committee Incharge Chairman EE Department

January/ 2010

http://www.ssuet.edu.pk/

iii

ACKNOWLWDGEMENT

We are thankful to Almighty Allah, most beneficial and most merciful, for giving us

the courage and devotion to work on the assigned project successfully within due

course of time in the field of Electronic Engineering.

To acknowledge the efforts and devotion of those people, who have helped us during

our project, is perhaps, the most important part of this report. Although we cant pay

proper homage to their devotion and dedication to ourselves and to our project, but we

consider their right that their names and efforts should go in history with our project.

First we would like to sincerely mention all the efforts of Assistant professor Mr.

Chandan Lal has made on us for us to accomplish this major task which probably the

biggest project of our lives yet. He has helped us during the entire course of this

project. It would not be improper to say that the project could not see its final shape

without his help and assistance. We have found him humble and cooperative in every

aspect. He has not only helped us in our project but also acted as a source for

character building.

We also wish to express our gratitude to all the staff in the University and our

development and trial areas, Baharia Foundation, National Sailing Centre and PAF

Yacht Club for facilitating us in all possible manners. And last but not the least we

acknowledge the efforts of our external advisor Engr. Mr. Danish Karim Iqbal, our

batch mates Mr. Syed Kamran Ahmed and Mr. Muhammad Fahad Wallam who have

helped us throughout the project and have shared their knowledge and skills with us.

iv

SYNOPSIS

This project demonstrates an Automated Sailboat Control based on Fuzzy Controls.

While it also provides the Manual Controlling feature that may increase the

Scalability of the System. Implementations of various Controls are done using Fuzzy

controls. Other parameters should be controlled using ordinary control techniques.

Advanced sensing techniques must be practiced in order to automate the Sail boat.

Navigation and Path Determination of the boat should be done using Global

Positioning System (GPS). Use of Servo Motors to perform functions like Sail and

Rudder Trim should be done. Radio Frequency transmission using RF Transceivers

should be done in order to Monitor the Boat Parameters and also provide Path

feedback Experiments with a scale prototype show the ability of a fuzzy controller to

govern the rudder and trim the sails on a sailboat. Helm is the term used to describe

the Steering Mechanism of the boat.

A significant advantage of this project is the use of Wind Energy for the propulsion of

the boat. This might be the initial step for the awareness of sailing at the grass route

level in Pakistan and as well as in the other neighboring countries. Participation in

International Events held across the Globe could be made possible. Heuristics

involved in this Sport can easily be understood using the prototype. Participation of

Under-Developed Countries in this expensive Sport can be made possible.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLWDGEMENT iii

SYNOPSIS iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF FIGURES ix

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVE 2

1.2 SYSTEM STATEMENT OF SCOPE 2

1.3 LIST OF COMPONENTS 3

Chapter 2 INTRODUCTION TO SAILING 5

2.1 INTRODUCTION 6

2.2 THEORITICAL BACKGROUND 6

2.3 SAILING BOAT 6

2.4 HOW TO SAIL A BOAT? 7

2.5 RULES FOR SAILING 10

2.6 CARE FOR SAILING EQUIPMENT 14

2.7 SAILING TERMS AND ITS MEANING 16

Chapter 3 AUTOMATION OF SAILING BOAT 18

3.1 INTRODUCTION 19

3.2 HISTORY 19

3.3 OVERVIEW 19

3.4 OBJECTIVE 19

3.5 BACKGROUNDS OF PROJECT 19

3.6 ALGORITHM BEHIND AUTOMATION 20

3.7 DEFINITION OF NO-GO AREA 21

3.8 FUZZY LOGIC WITH RESPECT TO OUR PROJECT 21

3.8.1 FUZZY SETS 21

vi

3.8.2 FUZZIFICATION 21

3.8.3 RULE EVALUATION 22

3.8.4 DEFUZZIFICATION 22

3.9 KEY FEATURES 22

Chapter 4 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION 23

4.1 INTRODUCTION 24

4.2 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE 24

4.3 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR END USER 25

4.4 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OFF SHORE 29

4.5 SUBSYSTEM OVERVIEW 30

4.5.1 OFF SHORE STATION 30

4.5.1.1) MAIN CIRCUIT DIAGRAM 30

4.5.1.2) GPS INTERFACING 31

4.5.1.3) DC MOTOR INTERFACING 32

4.5.1.4) ANEMOMETER INTERFACING 32

Chapter 5 FUZZY CONTROLLING LOGIC 34

5.1 INTRODUCTION 35

5.2 FUZZY CONTROLLING LOGIC 35

5.3 DEGREES OF TRUTH 35

5.4) OVERALL STRUCTURE 35

5.5) FUZZIFICATION 36

5.6) RULE EVALUATION 37

5.7) DEFUZZIFICATION 38

Chapter 6 DESCRIPTION OF ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS 39

6.1 INTRODUCTION 40

6.2 ATMEGA-16 8-bit MICROCONTROLLER 40

6.2.1) OVERVIEW 40

6.2.2) FEATURES 40

6.2.3) PIN CONFIGURATION 42

6.2.4) BLOCK DIAGRAM 43

vii

6.2.5) PIN DESCRIPTION 43

6.3) DC GEAR MOTOR 45

6.4) SERVO MOTOR 45

6.5) MAX-232 DUAL RECIEVER 47

6.5.1) INTRODUCTON 47

6.5.2) PIN CONFIGURATION 48

6.5.3) FUNCTION TABLES 48

6.5.4) LOGIC DIAGRAMS (POSITIVE LOGIC) 49

6.5.5) APPLICATION INFORMATION 49

Chapter 7 NAVIGATIONAL MODULE 50

7.1 INTRODUCTION 51

7.2 HOLUX M-89 GPS MODULE 51

7.2.1) HISTORY 51

7.2.2) KEY FEATURES 51

7.2.3) APPLICATIONS 52

7.2.4) BLOCK DIAGRAM 52

7.2.5) PIN DEFINATION 53

7.3 NMEA Data Protocol 54

7.3.1) THE PROTOCOL 54

7.3.2) HARDWARE CONNECTION 55

7.3.3) NMEA SENTENCES 56

7.3.4) NMEA INPUT 59

7.3.5) DECODE OF SELECTED POSITION SENTENCES 60

7.3.6) DECODE OF SOME NAVIGATION SENTENCES 63

7.3.7) OTHER SENTENCES THAT MAY BE USEFUL 66

Chapter 8 TRANSMISSION MODULE 68

8.1 INTRODUCTION 69

8.2 WIRELESS RF TRANCIEVER 69

8.2.1 HISTORY 69

8.2.2 PIN DEFINATION 69

viii

8.2.3 INTERFACING DIAGRAM 70

8.2.4 DATA RECPETION 71

8.2.5 DATA TRANSMISSION 71

8.2.6 FREQUENCY SETTING 71

Chapter 9 SOFTWARE TOOLS 73

9.1 HOW TO COMPILE SOURCE CODE 74

9.2 BURNING .HEX FILE INTO THE MICROCONTROLLER

USING PONYPROG 82

APPENDICES

Appendix A: TIME AND COST ANALYSIS

Appendix B: DATASHEETS

Appendix C: REFERENCES

ix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2-1 Sailing Boat 6

Figure 2-2 Sailing Restriction Map 7

Figure 2-3 Stern 10

Figure 2-4 Tacks 11

Figure 2-5 Rule No.1 11





Figure 3-1 Automation Algorithm 20

Figure 4-1 System Architecture 24

Figure 4-2 System Architecture for End User 25

Figure 4-3 Graphical user Interface 27

Figure 4-4 Microsoft Access Data Base 28

Figure 4-5 System Architecture Off Shore 29

Figure 4-6 Main Circuit Diagram 30

Figure 4-7 GPS Interfacing 31

Figure 4-8 DC Motor Interfacing 32

Figure 4-9 BMS 33

Figure 5-1 Software Fuzzy Interface Unit 36

Figure 5-2 Two Input Member Function 37

Figure 6-1 Microcontroller 40

Figure 6-2 Pin Configuration 42

Figure 6-3 Block Diagram 43

Figure 6-4 DC Gear Motor 45

Figure 6-5 Servo Motor 46

Figure 6-6 Servo motor 46

x

Figure 6-7 Function of Servo motor 47

Figure 6-8 MAX-232 48

Figure 6-9 Logic Diagrams 49

Figure 6-10 Application Information 49

Figure 7-1 HOLUX M-89 GPS Module 51

Figure 7-2 Block Diagram 52

Figure 7-3 Pin Definition 53

Figure 8-1 Wireless RF Transceiver 69

Figure 8-2 Interfacing Diagrams 70

Figure 9-1 AVR Studio 4 (Step 1) 74








Figure 9-9 Parallel Port Interfacing 82

Figure 9-10 PonyProg (Step 1) 83





Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

2

1.1) GOALS AND OBJECTIVE:

Significant goals and objective of this project is the use of Wind Energy for the

propulsion of the boat. This might be the initial step for the awareness of sailing at the

grass route level in Pakistan and as well as in the other neighboring countries.

Participation in International Events held across the Globe could be made possible.

Heuristics involved in this Sport can easily be understood using the prototype.

Participation of Under-Developed Countries in this expensive Sport can be made

possible.

1.2) SYSTEM STATEMENT OF SCOPE:

Control the dissolution apparatus using microcontroller. The apparatus technician

controls the apparatus using microcontroller. Manual Input from the user is

transmitted through RF transmitter, where it is received at RF receiver, identified and

relayed to the controller then controlling done. While automation inputs are from

rudder and sail trim then controlling is done as describe above

The input to the system is from the user and input automation parameter of

boat (i.e. Rudder, GPS and Anemometer).

The output of the system is the processed signal to the controller.

This module can be motors for sail and rudder.

Major Inputs and Outputs:

Rudder

In basic form, a rudder is a flat plane or sheet of material attached

with hinges to the craft's stern, tail or after end. Often rudders are shaped so as

to minimize hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag. Here rudder is a both input

and output part.

GPS

Global Positioning System is used to navigate the boat along the

ocean; GPS provide accurate longitude and latitude information using NMEA

Protocol Format.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinge

3

Anemometer

It is a custom made anemometer based on Potentiometer that provide

voltages from 0-5v that can be decoded using Analog to digital Converter and

can be used to detect the direction of the air as the air strikes it and make it

rotate.

Sail Trim

Sail trim is term used to describe the control of sail; while in case of

sail we are using a geared dc motor that can produce high torque when there is

enormous applied of air pressure on the sail.

BMS

Battery Management System also provides Indication for low battery

and would also help us for the efficient use of Battery Power.

1.3) List of Components

SAILING BOAT ASSEMBLY

HULL (FIBER GLASS)

RUDDER

CENTER BOARD

MAST

SAIL

MECHANICAL COIL

Electronic Components

AVR MICROCONTROLLER (ATMEGA-16)

TTL-RS 232 Level Converter (MAX 232)

ROTARY ENCODER (Slotted Disc and Opto-coupler, U-type)

GPS (M-89)

4

RF TRANSCIEVER (CY2196R)

DC GEAR MOTOR

RC SERVO MOTOR (FUTABA S3003)

RELAYS (12V DC)

ANEMOMETER(Free-End Potentiometer)

OPTOISOLATER (2N35)

5

Chapter 2

INTRODUCTION TO

SAILING

6

2.1) INTRODUCTION:

In this chapter we discuss about sailing boat. What is Sailing Boat, How to sail a boat,

What are the rules that are to be followed during sailing of a boat, care methods

during sailing boat, different terms of sailing and terms of sailing boat.

2.2) THEORITICAL BACKGROUND:

Sailing has been for long times the only means of ship propulsion at sea. Although

the performance of a sailing vessel is well below the present power driven ships,

either in terms of navigation speed and predictability, wind energy is absolutely

reusable, clean and free. Sailing boats may exhibit a virtually unlimited autonomy

and be able to perform unassisted missions at sea for long periods of time. Promising

applications include oceanographic and weather data collecting, surveillance and even

military applications.

2.3) SAILING BOAT:

Figure 2.1

7

A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term

covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller

than sailing ships, but distinctions in size are not strictly defined and what constitutes

a sailing ship, sailboat, or a smaller vessel (such as a sailboard) varies by region and

culture.

2.4) How to Sail a Boat

Figure 2-2

The wind has four different effects on a sailboat, which must be understood by the

amateur sailor before he can begin to see why his boat performs differently under

different conditions of wind and sailing course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailboardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_shiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailboard

8

The wind drives the boat ahead-most important of all; it also drives it laterally or, to

speak in a nautical term, causes it to "make leeway"; it heels the boat over, and lastly,

turns it around, according to the balance of her sails, distribution of weight, and what

is known as the "center of lateral resistance." The proper handling of sails and rudder

is what enables the sailor to so utilize these effects of the wind that he may sail his

boat in any direction.

The propelling effect is the one most utilized, and it is for this reason that every boat

is constructed to offer the least resistance to its forward movement with as little

friction as possible.

Leeway is one effect to be avoided, and for this purpose boats are given either deep,

stationary keels or centerboards, or some other device for providing an extensive

lateral surface below the water.

Heeling and the stability of a boat go hand in hand. The boat must be prevented from

capsizing, and this is done either by putting lead or iron on the keel, or carrying

ballast in the hull in order to lower the center of gravity, or by building a broad and

shallow boat such as the cat boat, which is very stiff in a breeze and does not heel

readily, but when a certain point has been reached, is apt to capsize quickly in the

hands of an unskillful sailor.

The fourth effect is that of turning the boat around. This is done when the center of

effort on the sails does not come on a line with the center of lateral resistance. This is

always the case in a poorly balanced boat. A well-balanced boat requires very little

movement of the rudder to hold to a course.

Any novice can understand how a sailing boat can travel with the wind, but why it

should go forward when the sails are close hauled is a question of dynamics which we

will not try to explain in this short article. An easily understood explanation of why

boats go ahead instead of sideways can be made by taking a V-shaped block of wood

and pressing it between the thumb and forefinger. If sufficient force is used it shoots

forward quickly. The thumb may be likened to the wind and the forefinger to the

water on the opposite side of the boat. The pressure caused by the wind pushing the

boat against the water on the opposite side causes the boat to go forward.

The center of effort and center of lateral resistance must be understood in the handling

of a sailboat. The center of effort is the center of the total sail area. If, for example,

this comes forward of the center of lateral resistance when the boat is sailing with the

wind abeam, then the side pressure on the sails will turn the boat's bow in the

direction toward which the wind is blowing, or away from the wind, and a boat doing

this is said to carry a "lee helm."

On the other hand, if the center of lateral resistance is farther forward than the center

of effort, the wind will swing the boat in the direction in which it is blowing, thus

throwing the bow up into the wind. A boat doing this is said to carry a weather helm.

Every sailing boat should be so rigged as to carry a little weather helm, as, if struck by

a squall under those conditions, it will luff quickly up into the wind and so be in

safety, while if the lee helm is carried, the boat will fall off before the wind,

presenting a broadside to wind and wave which is very apt to cause it to capsize.

9

Too much weather helm is also to be avoided, as it makes it necessary to keep the

rudder over at a sharp angle and retards the progress of the boat.

To reduce weather helm, move the ballast aft or shorten the after canvas, or increase

the forward canvas by setting a larger jib. If a boat carries a lee helm, shift the ballast

forward or reduce the area of the head canvas.

In considering the action of the rudder, the amateur sailor should bear in mind that as

the boat is turned by the rudder, it swings as on a pivot. The water, pressing against

one side of the rudder, pushes the stern of the boat away from that side.

The pivot or turning point is always well forward of the center. This is a fact that

should be remembered when steering close to a boat or other object. Don't delay

turning out of the way too long, or the very act of turning your boat will throw the

stern over sufficiently to cause the collision you are trying to avoid.

Running before the wind may look like the ideal course to the amateur sailor, but a

little experience cures him of that belief. Steering is difficult when running with the

wind aft, especially in rough water, and there is danger of the sail gybing over when

least expected. Except on smooth water it is better to haul the boat up so as to have

the wind on the quarter, and after following that course for some distance, to "take the

other track", gybe over so as to bring the wind on the other quarter. The proper

location or direction of the boom, or, in a nautical term, how the sail should be

trimmed is of supreme importance. The wind on the quarter, the wind abaft the beam,

the wind abeam or directly at right angles with the boat, and the wind forward of the

beam. are what are known as favorable winds, the sheet being hauled in such

proportion as to give the best results. These positions all refer to a boat when it is

what is termed "sailing free."

To sail "close hauled" means to bring the boat up as close into the wind as possible

and still keep it on its course, with the wind filling the sail so as to drive it forward. A

properly built boat will lie within four or four and a half points of the wind, while

some, especially those built on racing models, will do even better than this. Figure 6

shows about the proper location of the boom when sailing close hauled. The wind

striking the sail at this angle will drive the boat forward and maintain a reasonable

degree of speed, while to haul it closer would increase the leeway until, if the sail

were hauled parallel with the keel, the only progress made would be to leeward. Most

boats will sail closer to the wind in smooth water than in a rough sea.

When sailing close hauled, it is necessary to hold the boat on a course that will just

nicely keep the sail filled with wind. This point can be ascertained by putting the helm

slowly to the leeward. As soon as the sail begins to shake near the head, you have

reached a point where it is not drawing as much as it should, and, if the helm is kept

down, the sail will begin to flap in the wind and the boat will lose headway. A little

practice will enable an amateur skipper to see the beginning of this "tremble" in the

sail, and at the first symptoms he must reverse the helm until the wind fills the sails

fairl

10

2.5) RULES FOR SAILING

There are five basic rules of the road for small sailing boats to decide who has the

"Right-of-Way" so that each boat's skipper (driver) will know what to do to avoid a

collision. When sailing the words "left" and "right" in reference are replaced with

"port" and "starboard". It is important to remember which is which since the rules of

the road for sailings rely on using these words to assign right-of-way.

You might be able to remember this by noticing that the letter "R" appears twice in

the word "starboard", and only once in "port". Then since "right" begins with "R", you

will know that the right hand side of the boat when facing forward is the starboard

side.

Figure 2.3

The next item to remember is the word "tack" and how it is used to describe which

side of the boat the wind is blowing from. As seen in the illustration below, if the

wind is coming from the right hand side of the boat, and the sail is on the left side, the

boat is on a starboard tack. When the wind and sail are reversed, the boat is on a port

tack.

11

Figure 2.4

Rule Number 1:

When two sailboats are approaching each other and are on different tacks, the boat on

the starboard tack has the right-of-way over the boat which is in the port tack. In the

illustration below, boat A on the port tack, must turn to avoid boat B on the

starboard tack.

Figure 2.5

Rule Number 2:

When two sailboats are approaching each other and are on the same tack, the leeward

boat has the right-of-way over the windward boat. Another way to say this is to say

that the boat closer to the wind source must keep clear. The boat further from the

12

wind source has the right-of-way. In the illustration below, boat B is the windward

boat and must turn to avoid boat A which is leeward.

Figure 2.6

Rule Number 3:

A sailboat that is staying on a tack has the right-of-way over a sailboat that is tacking

or jibing. A simpler way to say this is to say "make sure you have room to complete a

tack or a jibe without interfering with any other boats before doing so". Make sure

that you can see clearly in all directions to ensure you have room.

In the illustration below, boat "A" must ensure that it leaves plenty of room to avoid

boat "B", who has the right-of-way, since boat "B" is continuing on its tack. However,

in the event that boat "A" was unable to tack due to the proximity of "B", remember

that "A" is the leeward boat so therefore could tell boat "B" to give room to tack, but

would lose this right of way as soon as they actually began to tack.

13

Figure 2.7

Rule Number 4:

Any sailboat that is overtaking a slower boat from behind must steer clear of the

slower boat and give right-of-way. The slower boat should hold its course and allow

the faster boat to pass. In the illustration below, boat "A" is a faster boat, and must

steer around the slower boat "B", who should remain on the same course.

Figure 2.8

14

Rule Number 5:

Most of the time sailboats have the right-of-way over power boats. Since most

powerboats are more easily maneuverable than sailboats, they must steer clear. This is

not always the case however. Larger power boats are sometimes steering in the deep

channel of the area, and cannot leave the channel. In this case the sailboat does not

have right-of-way, and must avoid impeding the progress of the larger vessel. Many

larger power boats cannot simply stop quickly or easily turn to avoid a small sailboat,

so it is in the sailor's best interest to steer well clear of these larger boats. In the

illustration below, the powerboat "A" must turn to avoid the sailboat "B", who has the

right-of-way.

Figure 2.9

2.6) Care For Sailing equipment:

Drain and dry the boat:

The first thing you should do when your boat is back on shore is to open the portholes

and drain bungs. Always leave the boat with the drain bungs open and the portholes

open, so the flotation tanks can dry out completely. Prop the boat up if needed to

ensure the drain holes are the lowest point. You can place a piece of carpet on the

ground under the transom, and raise the bow of the boat onto a sawhorse or support.

Remember to close all drain holes before putting the boat back in the water.

Organize your gear:

Keep the hatches, drain bungs and other loose gear in one place, so you know they

will always be there. After sailing, and after rinsing out or washing, and drying your

sailing gear, put it back in a gear bag. It is frustrating to show up at the lake on a

gorgeous day, only to discover that you left your sailing boots or some other piece of

important gear, at home.

15

Sail care:

You can leave the mainsail on the boom, if you will be sailing the boat again soon.

Roll up the main from the head, perpendicular to the luff, so that it ends up in a roll

parallel to the boom. Also roll the jib up, put it inside the jib bag, and leave that in the

boat. All sails should be removed from the boat if it is to be trailed or stored out of the

water for any length of time. All sails should be dried and folded or rolled and placed

in sail bags ready for the next launch.

Centerboard care:

Leaving the board resting on the trolley or trailer may damage the leading edge, and

you want your slot gaskets left flat (in the normal closed position), so they do not take

on a permanent bend. If the centerboard up control does not have a shock cord take

up, you can put the line into a cleat, so the board is held all the way up, in the

centerboard trunk. Remove the dagger board completely from it's slot.

Rudder care:

Lay the rudder in the boat, or buy or make a rudder bag and put the rudder blade in

the bag as one of the first steps in derigging the boat. Also check your rudder fittings.

There should be no play in them.

Rig:

If leaving the boat with the mast rigged leave the boat with a little rig tension to

support the mast, but not so much as to load up the boat.

Cover:

The boat should be covered with a good top cover that shields the boat from UV

radiation. If the cover has holes in it, fix it or replace it. Figure out how to support the

cover so that water does not collect in it.

Salt:

Rinse salt water off the boat, rinsing out blocks, lines and once in awhile, inside the

tanks. If the tanks ever leak, you get salt in the tanks, and you will want to rinse that

out from time to time.

Turnbuckle grease:

If you have adjustable angle spreaders, lubricate the adjusters. Use turnbuckle grease.

If you don't lubricate these the stainless steel threaded part will permanently bond to

the aluminum, and you will not be able to adjust them ever again.

Inspections:

From time to time complete a visual inspection of your boat. There are lots of highly

loaded areas on a small sailboat. The chain plates are among them. Check where your

shrouds and forestay or jib halyard attach to the hull. Watch for cracks that could let

water into wooden reinforcements. Heavily loaded fasteners should be epoxied into

the boat. From time to time take your centerboard out of the boat and check both

centerboard and rudder for dings, cracks etc. Pay particular attention to the

centerboard bolt hole. If the bolt hole has been damaged such that water can get in,

16

wooden cored boards will soak up water, start to rot and will be weakened. Seal all

bare wood with epoxy. Anytime you run aground you should check the centerboard.

Inspect all lines from time to time, replace worn lines.

2.7) SAILING TERMS AND ITS MEANING:

Abeam

90 (perpendicular) to the side of the boat.

Aft

Towards the Stern or rear of the boat.

Ahead

Towards the front of the boat.

Aloft

Towards the top of the mast.

Astern

Actually behind the boat. (Aft can mean on the boat but at the rear)

Bailer

A bucket or scoop used to remove water from the cockpit.

Block

Nautical word for pulley.

Centerline

An imaginary line from the bow of the boat, to the center of the stern.

Draft

The depth of water required to float your boat. On a small sailboat, draft can

vary from the length of the centre board (or daggerboard) to a few inches if the boat

outfitted with a movable centre board (or removable daggerboard) and a kick-up

rudder.

Ease

To let out the sails.

Give-Way Vessel

The boat which changes course because it does not have the right of way.

Heel

The degree of sideways tilt caused by wind on the sails or balance of weight in

the boat.

17

Leeward

Away from the wind (downwind).

Luffing

The flapping of the sail when not properly trimmed or when the boat is in

irons.

Stand-On-Vessel

The boat which does not change course because it has the right of way.

Trim

To pull the sails in towards the wind.

Windward

Towards the wind (upwind).

18

Chapter 3

AUTOMATION OF SAILING

BOAT

19

3.1) INTRODUCTION: In this chapter we will discuss about the basic concept of our Project then we will

discuss about automation of Sailing Boat and projects key features.

3.2) HISTORY: Sailing has been for long times the only means of ship propulsion at sea. Although

the performance of a sailing vessel is well below the present power driven ships,

either in terms of navigation speed and predictability, wind energy is absolutely

reusable, clean and free. Sailing boats may exhibit a virtually unlimited autonomy

and be able to perform unassisted missions at sea for long periods of time. Promising

applications include oceanographic and weather data collecting, surveillance and even

military applications.

3.3) OVERVIEW:

Automation of sailboat is a very nonlinear and time-variant problem, and modeling

ship dynamics considering all real phenomena is a very complex task. Besides, it has

to compensate for stochastic disturbances acting upon it, such as wind, waves and

currents. Heuristics in sailing plays an important role: sailing rules obtained from

skippers can be included in a knowledge base to govern the boat correctly in different

conditions. Besides that Sailing is an Olympic class Sport played around the world.

Automation of such a kind would develop interest in the people of our Country to

actively participate in this Sport.

3.4) OBJECTIVE:

A significant advantage and objective of this project is the use of Wind Energy for the

propulsion of the boat. This might be the initial step for the awareness of sailing at the

grass route level in Pakistan and as well as in the other neighboring countries.

Participation in International Events held across the Globe could be made possible.

Heuristics involved in this Sport can easily be understood using the prototype.

Participation of Under-Developed Countries in this expensive Sport can be made

possible.

3.5) BACKGROUNDS OF PROJECT:

Sailing is the art of controlling a boat with large pieces of canvas cloth called sails. By

changing the rigging, rudder, and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force

of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat. Mastery

of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as

knowledge concerning sailboats. The subjection of Automation of Sailing boats will

provide an innovative solution to this Sport. The popularity of Sailing will certainly

be increased with the help of these types of Projects. Involvement of Control

Electronics will certainly produce amazing results and highly sophisticated Control

Systems.

20

3.6) ALGORITHM BEHIND AUTOMATION

Since Global Positioning System is used for navigation. It provides information like

Longitude, Latitude, heading and speed etc. These values are the main inputs to the

navigational system of our project.

The basic algorithm behind the automation is the use of these longitude and latitudes

to produce a straight between destination and current location. Then from this

equation of line we can determine the coordinates of the actual path and then compare

it to the values from GPS. By differentiating both the vales we can determine the

bearing in which the boat has to move in order to follow the given path.

Figure 3-1

21

3.7) Definition of No-Go Area

In automation of a sailing boat the first thing that is supposed to make the boat

understand is the wind direction. A sailing boat cannot work into the wind. There are

certain limitations for a sailing boat to properly steer along the water. These

limitations can be manipulated using values from the Anemometer (in our case).

No-Go Area Zone (Refer to figure 2.2)

3.8) FUZZY LOGIC WITH RESPECT TO OUR PROJECT

Fuzzy logic is a form of multi-valued logic to deal with reasoning that is approximate

rather than precise. Similarly our system works in the same procedure that it does not

have precise conditions to operate the system. Therefore we require approximate

functions to deal with our system. These functions requires fuzzification and

Defuzzification as we have gone through system and have produced following

functions on the basis of rules, determined from the system behavior. Thus creating a

knowledge base.

3.8.1) FUZZY SETS

Our system has three crucial inputs and two crucial outputs.

Input Membership Function

Anemometer= MFA

MFA = {MFA1, MFA2, MFA3, .., MFA26}

Rudder = MFIR

MFIR = {MFIR1, MFIR2, MFIR3, MFIR4, MFIR5}

Sail = MFIS

MFIS = {MFIS1, MFIS2, MFIS3, MFIS4, MFIS5}

Output Membership Functions

Rudder = MFOR

MFOR = {MFOR1, MFOR2, MFOR3, MFOR4, MFOR5}

Sail = MFOS

MFOS = {MFOS1, MFOS2, MFOS3, MFOS4, MFOS5}

3.8.2) FUZZIFICATION

The fuzzification comprises the process of transforming crisp values into grades of

membership for linguistic terms of fuzzy sets. The membership function is used to

associate a grade to each linguistic term.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-valued_logichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasoning

22

3.8.3) RULE EVALUATION

The rule evaluation process uses a list of linguistic rules from the knowledge base to

perform inference in the fuzzy domain. The inputs to this process are the fuzzy inputs

from the fuzzification process.

3.8.4) DEFUZZIFICATION

Defuzzification is the process of producing a quantifiable result in fuzzy logic.

Typically, a fuzzy system will have a number of rules that transform a number of

variables into a "fuzzy" result, that is, the result is described in terms of membership

in fuzzy sets.

3.9) KEY FEATURES:

This project provides robust features from the Automation till its Monitoring. State of

the Art Control Techniques, Complex manipulation of Time variant Analog Values

and Optimized Sensing are included in the basic features of this boat.

Implementation of Fuzzy Logic on the control system

Auto Piloting and Manual Navigation

Real Time Tracking and Monitoring

Path Logging which will provide a record of past surveyed Longitudes and Latitudes

Battery Management System

Efficient use of Wind Energy

Replacement of Human Sailor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzzy_logichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzzy_sets

23

Chapter 4

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

24

4.1) INTRODUCTION:

This section will provide an overview of the system model, its constituents parts and

major data objects and their relationship that flows in the system. Data object is any

data that is being transformed by our system.

4.2) SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE:

Figure 4-1

25

4.3) SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR END USER:

Figure 4-2

26

End User is subjected to the following components that are provided either to monitor

or to control the sailing boat.

These components include:

Base Station circuitry

RF-Module

MAX-232

Power Supply

Personal Computer

Visual Basic

o Monitoring

Rudder Position

Sail Position

Wind Direction

Battery Level

Longitude

Latitude

Speed

Heading

o Controlling

Rudder

Sail

27

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

The following is the Human Machine Interface which is being used in our system

which provides visual display from all the sensors and feedback values and it all

enables us to manually control the Boat. The Data Base is also connected with this

GUI/HMI.

Figure 4-3

28

MICROSOFT ACCESS DATA BASE

A constant stream of data from microcontroller in the form of command byte is sent

to the base station in the following format:

$ Rudde

r

Anemomete

r

Sail

Positio

n

Tim

e

Latitud

e

Longitud

e

Headin

g

Speed *

The above defined format is received and saved in the data base in the Microsoft

Access Data Base in their respective fields.

Figure 4-4

29

4.4) SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OFF SHORE:

Figure 4-5

For further details review the base station and off shore station section

30

4.5) SUBSYSTEM OVERVIEW:

4.5.1) OFF SHORE STATION

4.5.1.1) MAIN CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Figure 4-6

31

4.5.1.2) GPS INTERFACING:

Figure 4-7

32

4.5.1.3) DC MOTOR INTERFACING:

Figure 4-8

4.5.1.4) ANEMOMETER INTERFACING:

A free end potentiometer is used with a wooden assembly. The output of the

potentiometer is connected to the ADC of the microcontroller. It gives a particular

value at different angles which is used to calculate the wind direction.

33

RUDDER FEEDBACK:

The position of rudder is decoded from the potentiometer installed in a servo package

i.e. built in. The analog voltage across this potentiometer is then feedback to the 8-bit

ADC of the microcontroller.

SAIL TRIM FEEDBACK:

Feedback of sail is coming from the opto-coupler which is connected with the DC

motor. It is counting the count that how much the sail is loosed or tight. The

programming is interrupt based.

BMS FEEDBACK:

An Operational Amplifier is used to measure the voltage level of the system battery.

The configuration used in Op-Amp is Differential Amplifier with a gain of Unity.

Figure 4-9

34

Chapter 5

FUZZY CONTROLLING

LOGIC

35

5.1) INTRODUCTION:

In this chapter we will discuss about fuzzy controlling logic. It contains what is

fuzzy what are its degree of operation, structure, fuzzification rule to

evaluation fuzzification and defuzzification with rules to evaluate.

5.2) FUZZY CONTROLLING LOGIC:

Because of its association with neural networks and artificial intelligence, many

people expect fuzzy logic to require complex algorithms and lots of processing

horsepower. Surprisingly, even a small 8-bit microcontroller can be programmed to

perform fuzzy logic inference. This can perform tasks in milliseconds. This speed is

appropriate for many common control applications, and the small program size can

easily fit within the budget of a small MCU system. This paper discusses the

requirements of fuzzy logic and describes the structure of a general purpose fuzzy

inference program that is suitable for use in small 8-bit microcontroller systems.

5.3) DEGREES OF TRUTH:

Fuzzy logic derives its power from the concept of partial degrees of truth. Unlike

Boolean logic where a given input level either is or is not a member of a selected set,

fuzzy logic allows an input value to be a partial member of a set. In fact the same

input value can be a partial member of an overlapping set at the same time. For

example, the temperature 50F can be both COLD and COOL at the same time. In

Boolean logic, truth can be represented by a single bit with one representing true and

zero representing false. In fuzzy logic, truth can be represented by an 8-bit value in

the range $00 (0 or completely false) to $FF (0.996 or completely true).

The second powerful concept in fuzzy logic is that of linguistic variables. Linguistic

variables allow rules to be stated in a language that closely resembles natural

language. This allows an application expert to describe a system in familiar terms

without requiring knowledge of computer programming. These two important

concepts are tied together by membership functions. An input membership function

describes the meaning of a linguistic label by providing a mapping of truth values

for all possible values of the input. Typically trapezoids are used for input

membership functions because they satisfy the need for a gradual change from

false to true without requiring much memory space. A trapezoid can be defined by

two 8-bit points and two 8-bit slopes. Output membership functions typically use

simpler singletons to relate a linguistic label to a specific output value. The

corresponding fuzzy output determines the height (weight) of the singleton.

5.4) OVERALL STRUCTURE:

As shown in Figure #, a software fuzzy inference unit (nu) consists of three main

parts. Each of these subprograms has an associated data structure in a

36

knowledge base. All application specific information is contained in the knowledge

base which is developed independently from the fuzzy inference program.

Figure 5-1

(Software Fuzzy Interface Unit)

The fuzzification process uses membership functions from the knowledge base to

transform system input values, such as a binary value from a temperature sensor, into

fuzzy input values. The fuzzy input values are stored in RAM for use in the following

rule evaluation subprogram. The rule evaluation process uses linguistic rules from the

knowledge base to produce fuzzy outputs based on the current values of fuzzy inputs.

The fuzzy outputs are stored in RAM for use by the last process in the fuzzy inference

program. The final defuzzification process uses output membership functions from

the knowledge base to resolve the fuzzy outputs into a single system output. The

system output is a weighted average of the fuzzy outputs.

5.5) FUZZIFICATION:

The first process in a fuzzy inference unit takes us out of the domain of crisp

input values like 50F and into the fuzzy domain where fuzzy inputs (RAM

variables) describe the degree to which linguistic expressions are true. The key to

this translation is the input membership function which provides a numerical meaning

to a linguistic label such as COOL. A trapezoid is used because it provides a

37

reasonable compromise between shape flexibility and memory space required to

define the membership function. Four bytes can describe any trapezoidal membership

function. Figure # shows two membership functions (labeled COLD and COOL) for

the system input named TEMPERATURE. The vertical dashed line shows that

when temperature is 50F, the label COLD has a degree of membership of

about $40 or about 25% true. At 50F, the label COOL has a degree of membership

of $BF or about 75% true.

Two Input Member Function

Figure 5-2

Notice that as the system input value changes from $40 to $70, the label COLD

changes gradually from completely true to completely false. At the same time,

COOL changes from completely false to completely true. In a medium sized system

like an inverted pendulum, there may be two system inputs with seven linguistic

labels per input, or fourteen membership functions. Using trapezoids, this system

would need only 56 bytes to define the input membership functions. The freeware

program mentioned earlier uses a 43 byte routine to calculate a fuzzy input value for a

given system input value. This routine is placed in a simple loop, and is executed once

for each label of each system input. The inputs to the fuzzification process are the

current values of system inputs such as temperature and pressure. The outputs are 8-

bit fuzzy input values stored in RAM variable locations. One byte of RAM is required

for each label of each system input.

5.6) RULE EVALUATION:

The rule evaluation process uses a list of linguistic rules from the knowledge base

to perform inference in the fuzzy domain. The inputs to this process are the fuzzy

inputs from the fuzzification process. The outputs of this process are fuzzy outputs (8-

bit values in RAM variable locations). The rule "If temperature is warm and pressure

is medium then fan is medium-high has two antecedents (inputs) and one consequent

(output). Each antecedent is of the form "input-name is label", where input-name is

the name assigned to a system input and label is the name of a label of that input.

Each consequent is of the form "output-name is label", where output-name is the

name of a system output and label is the name of a label of that output. To evaluate a

38

rule you would replace each antecedent phrase with the associated fuzzy input

value, determine the overall truth value of the rule, and update the fuzzy output

corresponding to the rule consequent. This is done by storing the rules as a list of

addresses or pointers to fuzzy inputs and fuzzy outputs.

In microcontroller based fuzzy inference units, only two operators are needed. The

AND operator connects rule antecedents and an implied OR operator connects

separate rules. The AND operator corresponds to the mathematical minimum

operation and OR corresponds to the maximum operation. The overall truth of a

rule is found by taking the minimum of all fuzzy inputs to the rule. Before any

rules are processed, all fuzzy outputs are cleared to zero. As rules are evaluated, the

truth value for the rule is stored to the fuzzy output corresponding to the rule

consequent unless the fuzzy output is already larger. In this way the fuzzy output ends

up with the maximum truth value of any rule related to that fuzzy output. This is

called min-max rule evaluation.

5.7) DEFUZZIFICATION:

The fuzzy outputs generated by the rule evaluation process collectively define the

desired system output. The defuzzification process takes a weighted average to

translate the fuzzy outputs into a single crisp system output value.

Singleton type output membership functions are used for a microcontroller based FIU.

A singleton is defined by an 8-bit value that represents the output value

corresponding to a linguistic label of a system output. The corresponding fuzzy

output value in RAM provides the height (weight) of the singleton. The following

formula is used to calculate the weighted average which is used as the system output

value.

The operations required to implement fuzzy logic inference are simple enough for a

small 8-bit MCU. Memory requirements are small and execution time for a software

fuzzy inference unit is fast enough for typical real-time control applications.As fuzzy

logic becomes familiar to more engineers, applications once thought too difficult for

small microcontrollers will routinely be solved using fuzzy logic techniques.

Good general purpose fuzzy inference programs will allow non-programmers to

access the power of microcontrollers to solve a wide range of design problems.

39

Chapter 6

DESCRIPTION OF

ELECTRONIC

COMPONENTS

40

6.1) INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we will discuss controller that used in our project the features,

significant and other parameter of the controller its block diagram pin configuration

and description of pins.

6.2) ATMEGA-16 8-bit Microcontroller with 16K Bytes In-

System Programmable Flash

Figure 6-1

6.2.1) OVERVIEW:

The ATmega16 is a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller based on the AVR

enhanced RISC architecture. By executing powerful instructions in a single clock

cycle, the ATmega16 achieves throughputs approaching 1 MIPS per MHz allowing

the system designed to optimize power consumption versus processing speed.

6.2.2) FEATURES:

High-performance, Low-power AVR 8-bit Microcontroller

Advanced RISC Architecture

131 Powerful Instructions Most Single-clock Cycle Execution

32 x 8 General Purpose Working Registers

Fully Static Operation

Up to 16 MIPS Throughput at 16 MHz

On-chip 2-cycle Multiplier

High Endurance Non-volatile Memory segments

16K Bytes of In-System Self-programmable Flash program memory

512 Bytes EEPROM

1K Byte Internal SRAM

Write/Erase Cycles: 10,000 Flash/100,000 EEPROM

Data retention: 20 years at 85C/100 years at 25C(1)

Optional Boot Code Section with Independent Lock Bits

41

In-System Programming by On-chip Boot Program

True Read-While-Write Operation

Programming Lock for Software Security

JTAG (IEEE std. 1149.1 Compliant) Interface

Boundary-scan Capabilities According to the JTAG Standard

Extensive On-chip Debug Support

Programming of Flash, EEPROM, Fuses, and Lock Bits through the JTAG Interface

Peripheral Features

Two 8-bit Timer/Counters with Separate Pre scalars and Compare Modes

One 16-bit Timer/Counter with Separate Pre scalar, Compare Mode, and Capture

Mode

Real Time Counter with Separate Oscillator

Four PWM Channels

8-channel, 10-bit ADC

8 Single-ended Channels

7 Differential Channels in TQFP Package Only

2 Differential Channels with Programmable Gain at 1x, 10x, or 200x

Byte-oriented Two-wire Serial Interface

Programmable Serial USART

Master/Slave SPI Serial Interface

Programmable Watchdog Timer with Separate On-chip Oscillator

On-chip Analog Comparator

Special Microcontroller Features

Power-on Reset and Programmable Brown-out Detection

Internal Calibrated RC Oscillator

External and Internal Interrupt Sources

Six Sleep Modes: Idle, ADC Noise Reduction, Power-save, Power-down, Standby and Extended Standby

I/O and Packages

32 Programmable I/O Lines

40-pin PDIP, 44-lead TQFP, and 44-pad QFN/MLF

Operating Voltages

4.5 - 5.5V for ATmega16

Speed Grades

0 - 16 MHz for ATmega16

Power Consumption @ 1 MHz, 3V, and 25C for ATmega16L

Active: 1.1 mA

Idle Mode: 0.35 mA

Power-down Mode: < 1 A

42

6.2.3) PIN CONFIGURATION:

Figure 6-2

43

6.2.4) BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Figure 6-3

6.2.5) PIN DESCRIPTION:

VCC

Digital supply voltage.

GND

Ground.

Port A (PA0-PA7)

Port A serves as the analog inputs to the A/D Converter. Port A also serves as

an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port, if the A/D Converter is not used. Port pins can provide

internal pull-up resistors (selected for each bit). The Port A output buffers have sym-

metrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability. When pins

PA0 to PA7 are used as inputs and are externally pulled low, they will source current

if the internal pull-up resistors are activated. The Port A pins are tri-stated when a

reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.

44

Port B (PB0-PB7)

Port B is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors

(selected for each bit). The Port B output buffers have symmetrical drive

characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As inputs, Port B pins that

are externally pulled low will source current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The

Port B pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is

not running. Port B also serves the functions of various special features of the

ATmega16 as listed on page 58.

Port C (PC0-PC7)

Port C is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors

(selected for each bit). The Port C output buffers have symmetrical drive

characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As inputs, Port C pins that


Port C pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is

not running. If the JTAG interface is enabled, the pull-up resistors on pins PC5 (TDI),

PC3 (TMS) and PC2 (TCK) will be activated even if a reset occurs. Port C also serves

the functions of the JTAG interface and other special features of the ATmega16 as

listed on page 61.

Port D (PD0-PD7)

Port D is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors

(selected for each bit). The Port D output buffers have symmetrical drive

characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As inputs, Port D pins that


Port D pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is

not running. Port D also serves the functions of various special features of the

ATmega16 as listed on page 63.

RESET

Reset Input. A low level on this pin for longer than the minimum pulse length

will generate a reset, even if the clock is not running. The minimum pulse length is

given in Table 15 on page 38. Shorter pulses are not guaranteed to generate a reset.

XTAL1

Input to the inverting Oscillator amplifier and input to the internal clock

operating circuit.

XTAL2

Output from the inverting Oscillator amplifier.

AVCC

AVCC is the supply voltage pin for Port A and the A/D Converter. It should

be externally connected to VCC, even if the ADC is not used. If the ADC is used, it

should be connected to VCC through a low-pass filter.

AREF

AREF is the analog reference pin for the A/D Converter.

45

6.3) DC GEAR MOTOR:

We are using 3 DC Motors to rotate the shafts in the vessels these all 3 motors are 24v

dc Many projects require the use of a cheap dc motor to create rotational movement.

There are a number of ways motors can be interfaced to the microcontroller. This

circuit uses a darling ton transistor to switch the motor on and off. This circuit will

work with solar motors, but may not function correctly with cheap dc motors. This

is because this type of motor introduces a lot of electrical noise on to the power

rails. This noise can affect the microcontroller, and in some cases can completely stop

the control program functioning. These comparators are designed for use in level

detection, low-level sensing and memory applications in consumer, automotive, and

industrial electronic applications.

Figure 6-4

6.4) SERVO MOTOR:

Servo is an automatic device that uses error-sensing feedback to correct the

performance of a mechanism. The term correctly applies only to systems where the

feedback or error-correction signals help control mechanical position or other

parameters. For example, an automotive power window control is not a

servomechanism, as there is no automatic feedback that controls position the operator

does this by observation. By contrast the car's cruise control uses closed loop

feedback, which classifies it as a servomechanism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedbackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_controlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_theory

46

A servomechanism is unique among control systems in that it controls a parameter by

commanding the time-based derivative of that parameter. For example, a

servomechanism controlling position must be capable of changing the velocity of the

system because the time-based derivative (rate change) of position is velocity. A

hydraulic actuator controlled by a spool valve and a position sensor is a good example

because the velocity of the actuator is proportional to the error signal of the position

sensor.

Figure 6-5

Servo motors are devices which provide precise position through feedback. RC

Servos can rotate only 180 degree and have wide applications in robotics. These

servos are used for application like robotic arms and humanoid.

RC servos consist of a DC motor, gearbox, control circuit and feedback devices. The

feedback device (mostly potentiometer) is mechanically coupled to the output shaft.

The control signal (PWM signal) proportional to the required shaft position is given to

the servo.

Figure 6-6

47

The PWM signal is converted into a voltage corresponding to the desired position.

The output voltage also changes in proportion to the actual shaft position. These two

will have same value if the position of the shaft is at the desired position. If the

position of the shaft is not the same as desired position then an error voltage is

generated which will move the motor until the desired position is obtained.

Figure 6-7

The RC Servo motors require a PWM having time period of around 20ms is required

and the pulse width of 1-2ms. 1ms pulse width corresponds to 0 degree and 2ms pulse

width corresponds to 180 degree. For any other angle between 0 degree and 180

degree corresponding pulse width is required. The RC servo has three wires, one for

control signal and others for power supply (Vcc and Gnd). Operating voltage or

supply voltage is in the range of 4.8v to 6v. Refer to the programming section for the

program of RC Servo motor.

6.5) MAX-232 DUAL RECIEVER

6.5.1) INTRODUCTON:

The MAX232 is a dual driver/receiver that includes a capacitive voltage generator to

supply TIA/EIA-232-F voltage levels from a single 5-V supply. Each receiver

converts TIA/EIA-232-F inputs to 5-V TTL/CMOS levels. These receivers have a

typical threshold of 1.3 V, a typical hysteresis of 0.5 V, and can accept 30-V inputs.

Each driver converts TTL/CMOS input levels into TIA/EIA-232-F levels. It has two

drivers and two receivers.

48

6.5.2) PIN CONFIGURATION:

Figure 6-8

6.5.3) FUNCTION TABLES:

EACH DRIVER

INPUT

TIN

OUTPUT

TOUT

H L

L H

EACH RECIEVER

INPUT

RIN

OUTPUT

ROUT

L H

H L

49

6.5.4) LOGIC DIAGRAMS (POSITIVE LOGIC):

Figure 6-9

6.5.5) APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Figure 6-10

50

Chapter 7

NAVIGATIONAL MODULE

51

7.1) INTRODUCTION:

In this chapter we discuss about the navigational component used. There is interfacing

and description of GPS navigation module. There is also description of NMEA

protocol to extract and differ in data get from GPS

7.2) HOLUX M-89 GPS MODULE

Figure 7-1

7.2.1) HISTORY:

M-89 is an ultra miniature 25.4 * 25.4 * 3 mm GPS engine board designed by low

Power consumption MTK GPS solution. It provides superior sensitivity up to -

159dBm and fast Time-To-First-Fix in navigation application. The stable performance

of M-89 is your best choice to be embedded in your portable device design, like PDA,

PND, mobile phone, Digital Camera for GPS service.

7.2.2) KEY FEATURES:

Small form factor: 25.4 * 25.4 * 3 mm

RoHS/WEEE compliant

High sensitivity -159dBm

Searching up to 32 Channel of satellites

Fast Position Fix

Low power consumption

RTCM-in ready.

52

Built-in WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS Demodulator.

Support NMEA0183 V 3.01 data protocol.

Real time navigation for location based services.

For Car Navigation, Marine Navigation, Fleet Management, AVL and Location-Based Services, Auto Pilot, Personal Navigation or touring devices,

Tracking devices/systems and Mapping devices application

7.2.3) APPLICATIONS:

Automotive and Marine Navigation

Automotive Navigator Tracking

Emergency Locator

Geographic Surveying

Personal Positioning

Sporting and Recreation

Embedded applications:

Smart phone, UMPC, PND, MP4

7.2.4) BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Figure 7-2

53

7.2.5) PIN DEFINATION:

Figure 7-3

Pin No. Pin Name Type Function Description

1 VCC_IN I/p 3.3 - 5 V Supply Input

2 GND Gnd Ground

3 NC I/p NC

4 RXDA I/p Serial Data Input A

5 TXDA O/p Serial Data Output A

6 TXDB O/p Serial Data Output

7 RXDB I/p Serial Data Input B

8 GPIO0 I/O General purpose I/O. Flash at 1Hz when position is fixed

9 INT1 I/O General purpose I/O

10 GND Gnd Ground

11 GND Gnd Ground

12 GND Gnd Ground

13 GND Gnd Ground

14 GND Gnd Ground

15 GND Gnd Ground

16 GND Gnd Ground

17 RF_IN I/p GPA Signal Input

18 GND I/p Ground

19 V_ANT_IN I/p Antenna Power Supply Input, 3V

20 VCC_RF_O O/p Antenna Power Supply, 2.8V

21 V_BAT I/p RTC and backup SRAM power, 2.6 - 3.6 VDC

22 HRST I/p Reset, Active low

54

7.3) NMEA Data Protocol:

7.3.1) THE PROTOCOL:

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) has developed a specification

that defines the interface between various pieces of marine electronic equipment. The

standard permits marine electronics to send information to computers and to other

marine equipment. A full copy of this standard is available for purchase at their web

site. None of the information on this site comes from this standard and I do not have a

copy. Anyone attempting to design anything to this standard should obtain an official

copy.

GPS receiver communication is defined within this specification. Most computer

programs that provide real time position information understand and expect data to be

in NMEA format. This data includes the complete PVT (position, velocity, time)

solution computed by the GPS receiver. The idea of NMEA is to send a line of data

called a sentence that is totally self contained and independent from other sentences.

There are standard sentences for each device category and there is also the ability to

define proprietary sentences for use by the individual company. All of the standard

sentences have a two letter prefix that defines the device that uses that sentence type.

(For gps receivers the prefix is GP.) which is followed by a three letter sequence that

defines the sentence contents. In addition NMEA permits hardware manufactures to

define their own proprietary sentences for whatever purpose they see fit. All

proprietary sentences begin with the letter P and are followed with 3 letters that

identifies the manufacturer controlling that sentence. For example a Garmin sentence

would start with PGRM and Magellan would begin with PMGN.

Each sentence begins with a '$' and ends with a carriage return/line feed sequence and

can be no longer than 80 characters of visible text (plus the line terminators). The data

is contained within this single line with data items separated by commas. The data

itself is just ascii text and may extend over multiple sentences in certain specialized

instances but is normally fully contained in one variable length sentence. The data

may vary in the amount of precision contained in the message. For example time

might be indicated to decimal parts of a second or location may be show with 3 or

even 4 digits after the decimal point. Programs that read the data should only use the

commas to determine the field boundaries and not depend on column positions. There

is a provision for a checksum at the end of each sentence which may or may not be

checked by the unit that reads the data. The checksum field consists of a '*' and two

23 GPIO1 I/O General purpose I/O






29 PPS O/p 1 PPS output, synchronized with GPS time. TIME_MARK

1PPS output, 1us/s

30 GND Gnd Ground

http://www.nmea.org/

55

hex digits representing an 8 bit exclusive OR of all characters between, but not

including, the '$' and '*'. A checksum is required on some sentences.

There have been several changes to the standard but for gps use the only ones that are

likely to be encountered are 1.5 and 2.0 through 2.3. These just specify some different

sentence configurations which may be peculiar to the needs of a particular device thus

the gps may need to be changed to match the devices being interfaced to. Some gps's

provide the ability configure a custom set the sentences while other may offer a set of

fixed choices. Many gps receivers simply output a fixed set of sentences that cannot

be changed by the user. The current version of the standard is 3.01. I have no specific

information on this version, but I am not aware of any GPS products that require

conformance to this version.

7.3.2) HARDWARE CONNECTION:

The hardware interface for GPS units is designed to meet the NMEA requirements.

They are also compatible with most computer serial ports using RS232 protocols,

however strictly speaking the NMEA standard is not RS232. They recommend

conformance to EIA-422. The interface speed can be adjusted on some models but the

NMEA standard is 4800 b/s (bit per second rate) with 8 bits of data, no parity, and

one stop bit. All units that support NMEA should support this speed. Note that, at a

b/s rate of 4800, you can easily send enough data to more than fill a full second of

time. For this reason some units only send updates every two seconds or may send

some data every second while reserving other data to be sent less often. In addition

some units may send data a couple of seconds old while other units may send data that

is collected within the second it is sent. Generally time is sent in some field within

each second so it is pretty easy to figure out what a particular gps is doing. Some

sentences may be sent only during a particular action of the receiver such as while

following a route while other receivers may always send the sentence and just null out

the values. Other difference will be noted in the specific data descriptions defined

later in the text.

At 4800 b/s you can only send 480 characters in one second. Since an NMEA

sentence can be as long as 82 characters you can be limited to less than 6 different

sentences. The actual limit is determined by the specific sentences used, but this

shows that it is easy to overrun the capabilities if you want rapid sentence response.

NMEA is designed to run as a process in the background spitting out sentences which

are then captured as needed by the using program. Some programs cannot do this and

these programs will sample the data stream, then use the data for screen display, and

then sample the data again. Depending on the time needed to use the data there can

easily be a lag of 4 seconds in the responsiveness to changed data. This may be fine in

some applications but totally unacceptable in others. For example a car traveling at 60

mph will travel 88 feet in one second. Several second delays could make the entire

system seem unresponsive and could cause you to miss your turn.

The NMEA standard has been around for many years (1983) and has undergone

several revisions. The protocol has changed and the number and types of sentences

may be different depending on the revision. Most GPS receivers understand the

standard which is called: 0183 version 2. This standard dictates a transfer rate of 4800

b/s. Some receivers also understand older standards. The oldest standard was 0180

followed by 0182 which transferred data at 1200 b/s. An earlier version of 0183 called

56

version 1.5 is also understood by some receivers. Some Garmin units and other brands

can be set to 9600 for NMEA output or even higher but this is only recommended if

you have determined that 4800 works ok and then you can try to set it faster. Setting it

to run as fast as you can may improve the responsiveness of the program.

In order to use the hardware interface you will need a cable. Generally the cable is

unique to the hardware model so you will need an cable made specifically for the

brand and model of the unit you own. Some of the latest computers no longer include

a serial port but only a USB port. Most gps receivers will work with Serial to USB

adapters and serial ports attached via the pcmcia (pc card) adapter. For general

NMEA use with a gps receiver you will only need two wires in the cable, data out

from the gps and ground. A third wire, Data in, will be needed if you expect the

receiver to accept data on this cable such as to upload waypoints or send DGPS data

to the receiver.

GPS receivers may be used to interface with other NMEA devices such as autopilots,

fish finders, or even another gps receivers. They can also listen to Differential Beacon

Receivers that can send data using the RTCM SC-104 standard. This data is consistent

with the hardware requirements for NMEA input data. There are no handshake lines

defined for NMEA.

7.3.3) NMEA SENTENCES:

NMEA consists of sentences, the first word of which, called a data type, defines the

interpretation of the rest of the sentence. Each Data type would have its own unique

interpretation and is defined in the NMEA standard. The GGA sentence (shown

below) shows an example that provides essential fix data. Other sentences may repeat

some of the same information but will also supply new data. Whatever device or

program that reads the data can watch for the data sentence that it is interested in and

simply ignore other sentences that is doesn't care about. In the NMEA standard there

are no commands to indicate that the gps should do something different. Instead each

receiver just sends all of the data and expects much of it to be ignored. Some receivers

have commands inside the unit that can select a subset of all the sentences or, in some

cases, even the individual sentences to send. There is no way to indicate anything

back to the unit as to whether the sentence is being read correctly or to request a re-

send of some data you didn't get. Instead the receiving unit just checks the checksum

and ignores the data if the checksum is bad figuring the data will be sent again

sometime later.

There are many sentences in the NMEA standard for all kinds of devices that may be

used in a Marine environment. Some of the ones that have applicability to gps

receivers are listed below: (all message start with GP.)

AAM - Waypoint Arrival Alarm

ALM - Almanac data

APA - Auto Pilot A sentence

APB - Auto Pilot B sentence

BOD - Bearing Origin to Destination

BWC - Bearing using Great Circle route

DTM - Datum being used.

http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GGA#GGAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GGA#GGAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GGA#GGAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#AAM#AAMhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#ALM#ALMhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#APB#APBhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#BOD#BODhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#BWC#BWC

57

GGA - Fix information

GLL - Lat/Lon data

GRS - GPS Range Residuals

GSA - Overall Satellite data

GST - GPS Pseudorange Noise Statistics

GSV - Detailed Satellite data

MSK - send control for a beacon receiver

MSS - Beacon receiver status information.

RMA - recommended Loran data

RMB - recommended navigation data for gps

RMC - recommended minimum data for gps

RTE - route message

TRF - Transit Fix Data

STN - Multiple Data ID

VBW - dual Ground / Water Spped

VTG - Vector track an Speed over the Ground

WCV - Waypoint closure velocity (Velocity Made Good)

WPL - Waypoint Location information

XTC - cross track error

XTE - measured cross track error

ZTG - Zulu (UTC) time and time to go (to destination)

ZDA - Date and Time

Some gps receivers with special capabilities output these special messages.

HCHDG - Compass output

PSLIB - Remote Control for a DGPS receiver

In addition some GPS receivers can mimic Loran-C receivers by outputing the LC

prefix in some of their messages so that they can be used to interface to equipment

that is expecting this prefix instead of the GP one.

The last version 2 iteration of the NMEA standard was 2.3. It added a mode indicator

to several sentences which is used to indicate the kind of fix the receiver currently

has. This indication is part of the signal integrity information needed by the FAA. The

value can be A=autonomous, D=differential, E=Estimated, N=not valid, S=Simulator.

Sometimes there can be a null value as well. Only the A and D values will correspond

to an Active and reliable Sentence. This mode character has been added to the RMC,

RMB, VTG, and GLL, sentences and optionally some others including the BWC and

XTE sentences.

If you are interfacing a GPS unit to another device, including a computer program,

you need to ensure that the receiving unit is given all of the sentences that it needs. If

it needs a sentence that your GPS does not send then the interface to that unit is likely

to fail. Here is a Link for the needs of some typical programs. The sentences sent by

some typical receivers include:

http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GGA#GGAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GLL#GLLhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GSA#GSAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#GSV#GSVhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#MSK#MSKhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#MSS#MSShttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#RMB#RMBhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#RMC#RMChttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#RTE#RTEhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#VTG#VTGhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#WPL#WPLhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#XTE#XTEhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#ZDA#ZDAhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#HCHDG#HCHDGhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PSLIB#PSLIBhttp://gpsinformation.net/main/nmea3.txt

58

NMEA 2.0

Name Garmin Magellan Lowrance SiRF Notes:

GPAPB N Y Y N Auto Pilot B

GPBOD Y N N N bearing, origin to destination - earlier G-

12's do not transmit this

GPGGA Y Y Y Y fix data

GPGLL Y Y Y Y Lat/Lon data - earlier G-12's do not

transmit this

GPGSA Y Y Y Y overall satellite reception data, missing

on some Garmin models

GPGSV Y Y Y Y detailed satellite data, missing on some

Garmin models

GPRMB Y Y Y N minimum recommended data when

following a route

GPRMC Y Y Y Y minimum recommended data

GPRTE Y U U N route data, only when there is an active

route. (this is sometimes bidirectional)

GPWPL Y Y U N

waypoint data, only when there is an

active route (this is sometimes

bidirectional)

NMEA 1.5 - some units do not support version 1.5. Lowrance units provide the ability

to customize the NMEA output by sentences so that you can develop your own

custom sentence structure.

Name Garmin Magellan Notes:

GPAPA N Y Automatic Pilot A

GPBOD Y N bearing origin to destination - earlier G-12's do not send

this

GPBWC Y Y bearing to waypoint using great circle route.

GPGLL Y Y lat/lon - earlier G-12's do not send this

GPRMC Y N minimum recommend data

GPRMB Y N minimum recommended data when following a route

GPVTG Y Y vector track and speed over ground

GPWPL Y N waypoint data (only when active goto)

GPXTE Y Y cross track error

The NMEA 2.3 output from the Garmin Legend, Vista, and perhaps some others

include the BWC, VTG, and XTE sentences.

59

The Trimble Scoutmaster outputs: APA, APB, BWC, GGA, GLL, GSA, GSV, RMB,

RMC, VTG, WCV, XTE, ZTG.

The Motorola Encore outputs: GGA, GLL, GSV, RMC, VTG, ZDA and a proprietary

sentence PMOTG.

Units based on the SiRF chipset can output: GGA, GLL, GSA, GSV, RMC, and VTG.

What is actually output is based on which sentences are selected by the user or

application program. See below for more details. Some implementations have

enhanced the SiRF capabilities with other sentences as well by changing the

firmware. For example, the u-blox receivers add ZDA and some proprietary sentences

to the above list of sentences. Check your documentation for more details.

Garmin receivers send the following Proprietary Sentences:

PGRME (estimated error) - not sent if set to 0183 1.5

PGRMM (map datum)

PGRMZ (altitude)

PSLIB (beacon receiver control)

Note that Garmin converts lat/lon coordinates to the datum chosen by the user when

sending this data. This is indicated in the proprietary sentence PGRMM. This can help

programs that use maps with other datums but is not an NMEA standard. Be sure and

set your datum to WGS84 on Garmin units when communicating to other NMEA

devices.

Magellan also converts lat/lon coordinates to the datum chosen on the receiver but do

not indicate this in a message. Magellan units use proprietary sentences for waypoint

maintenance and other tasks. They use a prefix of PMGN for this data.

Most other units always output NMEA messages in the WGS84 datum. Be sure and

check the user documentation to be sure.

It is possible to just view the information presented on the NMEA interface using a

simple terminal program. If the terminal program can log the session then you can

build a history of the entire session into a file. More sophisticated logging programs

can filter the messages to only certain sentences or only collect sentences at

prescribed intervals. Some computer programs that provide real time display and

logging actually save the log in an ascii format that can be viewed with a text editor or

used independently from the program that generated it.

7.3.4) NMEA INPUT:

Some units also support an NMEA input mode. While not too many programs support

this mode it does provide a standardized way to update or add waypoint and route

data. Note that there is no handshaking or commands in NMEA mode so you just send

the data in the correct sentence and the unit will accept the data and add or overwrite

the information in memory. If the data is not in the correct format it will simply be

ignored. A carriage return/line feed sequence is required. If the waypoint name is the

same you will overwrite existing data but no warning will be issued. The sentence

http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PMOTG#PMOTGhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#sirf#sirfhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PGRME#PGRMEhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PGRMM#PGRMMhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PGRMM#PGRMMhttp://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#PSLIB#PSLIB

60

construction is identical to what the unit downloads so you can, for example, capture a

WPL sentence from one unit and then send that same sentence to another unit but be

careful if the two units support waypoint names of different lengths since the

receiving unit might truncate the name and overwrite a waypoint accidently. If you

create a sentence from scratch you should create a correct checksum. Be sure you

know and have set you unit to the correct datum. Many units support the input of

WPL sentences and a few support RTE as well.

On NMEA input the receiver stores information based on interpreting the sentence

itself. While some receivers accept standard NMEA input this can only be used to

update a waypoint or similar task and not to send a command to the unit. Proprietary

input sentences could be used to send commands. Since the Magellan upload and

download maintenance protocol is based on NMEA sentences they support a modified

WPL message that adds comments, altitude, and icon data.

Some marine units may accept input for alarms such as deep or s

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