Applications and Experiments with eBlocks Electronic Blocks for Basic Sensor-Based Systems

1. Applications and Experiments with eBlocksElectronic Blocks for Basic Sensor-Based Systems

2. Introduction • eBlock is an electronics block. • It can define as embedded system building block used in sensor based system. • Enable non-experts to build basic small-scale sensor based system.

3. Commercial motes/sensor nodes

4. Commercial Mote Example: PRICE??

5. Applications… • Complicated: • Sensor Node on Buoy System • Check temperature, wave height, humidity, and so on. • Simple: • Wide range and closed to daily usage. • Counting Cars, Customer Monitoring, Object Locator and so on.

6. Sensor Node Vs eBlock • It is not mean to replace sensor node but e-Blocks can also be used in conjunction with sensor network nodes as a means to combine several sensor block inputs before sensor data enters a sensor network.

7. Introduction to e-Block • Defined four types of blocks: • Sensors • Simple 1/0 (yes/no) output • Logic/state • Take at least one 1/0 inputs from others block and generate at least one output. • Allow configure using DIP switch.

8. Communication • A splitter: • Wireless transmitter or receiver that can replace by wired connection. • Wired or wireless is depend on application. • Output block • Include LED, buzzer, electric relay

9. Example Applications: • In the medical arena, institutions such as hospitals or nursing homes must ensure the safety of their patients. • Able to observe simple activities of patients by nurse or doctor.

10. Use in monitoring nocturnal (night) endangered species. • Typically, scientists study species by first trapping individual animals, photographing the animals, and attaching a tag such that the scientists can identify the animals later. • Prohibited by law from trapping the endangered species animals. • An alternative: set up a feeding station including a simple sensor-based system to detect motion at night and trigger a camera to take a photograph of the animals as they feed.

11. Building e-Block… • Developed e-Blocks to address the need of enabling non-technical user to build basic sensor-based systems. • Used components, such as buttons, light sensors, motion sensors, LEDs, buzzers, etc., and added a low-cost, low power preprogrammed processor to execute the block’s function and communication protocol.

12. LDR-light dependent resistor LED- Light emitting diode Microcontroller

13. Simple Light detecting circuit: • Example microcontroller circuit:

14. Basic set of an e-blocks • The e-blocks modules that form by several blocks:

15. e-Blocks at end user side…

16. Experiments… • Conducted experiments to determine whether people of varying skill levels could build basic sensor-based systems effectively using e-Blocks. • Three skill levels: • Beginner- Student with no programming or electronics experience. • Intermediate-Student that have basic knowledge but no experiences in electronics. • Advanced-Student that have electronics knowledge and experiences.

17. Experiments… • Experiment using physical prototypes • Students had 15 minutes to follow a small written tutorial describing how to build e-Block systems before building their own systems.

18. Experiment using graphic simulator • Students were given a short step by-step tutorial illustrating the basic idea of e-Blocks, how sensors interacted with one another, how to select blocks from a library, and how to draw wires to connect the various blocks within the simulator.

19. Results with difference type of sensor system… • Sensor to output • Required the user to select the appropriate sensor and output blocks and connect those blocks to implement a particular application.

20. Results with difference type of sensor system… • Sensor with logic • Required the user to use at least two sensors and to feed sensors’ outputs through a logic block before connecting to an output.

21. Results with difference type of sensor system… • Sensor with state • Required the user to connect a sensor with a state block and then an output.

22. Results with difference type of sensor system… • Sensor with logic and state • Require user to connect multiple sensor through logic and state block before connecting to an output block.

23. Conclusion… • Developed sets of electronics block that called e-block. • Experiment done towards various level of student to show the effectiveness of the e-block.