EZ-Park System & Application
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Contents Section 1: Introduction
The cause of headaches and annoyances among drivers and government in populous cities is the issue of parking. With a limited number of spaces available for parking in the streets, drivers can be circling the same block for hours trying to secure a spot (even if it is only for a few minutes). Generally, cities do not have the ability to increase the amount of parking spaces in a given area. However, this Design VI group has contrived an idea for a device that would eliminate the many problems that come with parking: The EZ-Park device enhances the process of regulating, paying for and finding parking.
This Design VI group has come up with an idea for a device that alleviates the issues that come with parking. The device is called the EZ-Park. Think of it as an EZ-Pass system for parking. The main part of the system will be the EZ-Park display and central parking device. The EZ-Park display will be mounted or integrated into the windshield and will appear as a simple LED display. This LED display will also act a simple integrated circuit with Bluetooth or NFC connectivity and GPS. The display will be able to display different colors and the amount of time left on the virtual parking meter. With the EZ-Park device, there will be less uncertainty and more customization.
Paying for parking will be easier with the EZ-Park Device. Paying for meters require that drivers have exact change or cash on hand. Instead of putting drivers through the trouble of finding change, EZ- Park can be used in a prepaid system. Drivers will be able to load funds into their EZ-Park account and pay as they use it (similar to EZ-Pass). Another payment method could be an accompanying piece of software available for the iPhone or any other Smartphone in order to facilitate payment via the EZ-Park device. Additionally, EZ-Park can be used in preexisting parking garages. The EZ-Park will sense that the car has been in the parking garage and prompt to charge the driver accordingly. Parking benefits can also be implemented within the EZ-Park system. There is great potential to utilize the EZ-Park system for all parking payments and even regulation.
Parking regulation has been increasingly difficult in crowded cities. The rise in the number of vehicles has made it hard for parking law enforcers to keep track. In addition, in many bustling cities, such as New York City, there is more than one category of parking and each of them has their own set of rules (Parking, Standing, and Stopping). Currently, centralized parking meters such as New York City’s Muni-Meter allow people to pay for parking, print out a receipt and leave the receipt visible in the car. These parking meters require maintenance and that parking enforcers check cars periodically. Generally, there are too many cars and specific laws to regulate parking effectively and efficiently. The EZ-Park will be customizable to the needs and regulations relevant to certain users. For example, handicapped drivers are not supposed to pay for parking in New York City. If the EZ-Park is programmed accordingly, parking enforcers will know not to penalize the driver with the EZ-Park that displays “Handicap.” Commercial vehicles are allowed to stand/stay idle in a certain spot to unload for a certain period of time. If the driver of a commercial vehicle uses the EZ-Park device, parking enforcers will be able to track how long a vehicle has been in a spot and penalize if necessary. The EZ-Park device and system works in a way to accommodate both the driver and parking enforcement official.
Because the EZ-Park device will be hooked up to a GPS and a Smartphone, the process of finding a parking spot can be optimized. A system can be implemented so that EZ-Park will have a database of available parking spots in an area. Once a spot is taken, the EZ-Park system will be able to recognize the spot being taken up and update the EZ-Park parking database. Drivers will be able to view that database and know where to find parking. In further versions, the EZ-Park system can simply direct drivers to the nearest possible parking spot. With the EZ-Park device, the status of parking will be dynamic and current.
The construction of the EZ-Park device adapts to today’s growing technology. The EZ-Park device and system will be compatible with any device that transmits data over Bluetooth. As more phones become more seamless with GPS and Bluetooth, so will the EZ-Park device and system. The EZ-Park device would be a viable solution to the majority of parking problems. The device benefits the drivers by providing an easy way to pay for parking and making it easier to find a parking spot. EZ-Park benefits city parking enforcers by making it easier to regulate parking laws and handle parking payments. EZ-Park will be beneficial for the entire community. Section 2: Hardware and Software Overview
Section 2.1: Functional Description of the Design and its Components
Hardware Overview: 1. Sun (source) – The Source of the energy for our EZ-Park System.
2. Sunlight (connection) – The energy used to power the electrical components of the EZ-Park System.
3. GPS Signal (connection) - The signal used to communicate coordinates from the GPS Satellite. It will also be used to request the coordinates from the satellite initially. 4. GPS Satellite (source) – The technology used to triangulate the location of the EZ-Park System.
5. Bluetooth Signal (connection) – The signal used to communicate with the Mobile Phone Application and Hardware.
6. Mobile Phone (interface) – The device needed to communicate with the EZ-Park system. This device is also in charge of communicating with the server to submit payment and also to verify parking spot eligibility.
7. Display – Used to display whether the user is in a valid parking space with accepted payment or whether one of these in invalid. (Display: Valid/Invalid).
Overall Software Diagram: Figure 2
Software Overview: 1. Mobile Phone (source) - The device needed to communicate with the EZ-Park system. This device is also in charge of communicating with the server to submit payment and also to verify parking spot eligibility. 2. Servers (source) – The CPU and Web Services used to verify payment using credit card or PayPal information. Also to be used in comparing the location of the parked car with the parking database in order to confirm that the spot chosen is in fact, valid. In addition, the server will be used to cache the locations of the vehicles in order to keep track of currently available/unavailable spots.
3. EZ-Park Microprocessor (source) – The basis of the EZ-Park device where all of the sensors and modules will be connected. The GPS chip, Bluetooth module and display system will both directly interface with the EZ-Park Microprocessor in order to facilitate the sending of the data provided by the mobile phone.
4. Credit Card Information (data) - One of the pieces of data that will be entered by the user directly into the mobile phone application and in turn sent to the servers. This information will have to be encrypted when being sent over the air, whether too the device or to the servers for payment.
5. Location – The GPS coordinates that are requested by the EZ-Park device and in turn sent to the microprocessor. From the microprocessor, they are sent to the mobile phone and then to the servers for record keeping purposes.
6. Parking Authorization Status – Once given GPS coordinates, the server will relay a message to the mobile phone that indicates that both the parking space and payment is valid or invalid. This information will then be relayed to the EZ-Park device. The Device will then be in charge of instructing the display (figure 1. #7) to show either “Valid” or “Invalid”.
In order to create the functionality of the EZ-Park system, there will be several components needed that will perform a multitude of tasks. The heart of the EZ-Park System will be the microcontroller and microprocessor, which will have the purpose of the interpreting the data received from the sensors and modules. These sensors will be wired directly to the circuit board and will interact as expected according to the program that will be running the system. All of the information that needs to be processed will pass through the microcontroller at one point or another.
Some of the sensors and modules that will be required for the system to function are the GPS (Global Positioning System) and Bluetooth module. The GPS module will be required not only to request a coordinate-based location, but also to receive that location and pass it into the microprocessor. The Bluetooth module will be the direct connection to the mobile phone, providing both input and output. The EZ-Park Device will received data from the mobile phone via this Bluetooth connection and also will send Bluetooth signals to the mobile phone, both containing various pieces of data. The LCD module will be directly connected to the microcontroller but will provide output only, as it will act as a notification display system. In order for the system to keep running without the need for replacing batteries or constant AC power, it uses a solar panel system to convert sunlight to the necessary electricity. The solar panels will provide input in the form of the photons that will power the electrical system of the device.
The mobile phone software, on the other hand, is also an integral part to the functionality of the EZ-Park device. A large amount of sensitive data will be passed between the EZ-Park device, mobile phone and the third-party servers. For this reason, it is important that the data is not openly transmitted, but encrypted instead. The EZ-Park will provide the location coordinates to the mobile phone, while the mobile phone will pass them over the cell network to the servers for analysis. The user will also submit their credit card information using their mobile phone, which will in turn be sent to the payment servers to be verified.
In return, the servers will provide some form of a parking authorization status that will be sent to the mobile phone and then communicated with Bluetooth to the EZ-Park microprocessor. This status will be the culmination of all of the previous pieces of information that were submitted and analyzed. For example, a response of Valid will be received and displayed if the location, credit card, Bluetooth, and cellular connection are functioning and valid. If a single piece of data or connection is incorrect, the transaction will automatically return an invalid response. Section 2.2: Technical Description of the Design and its Components Hardware Component Specifics:
3. Solar Charger - The solar charger will charge the device battery while the device is being used and cannot be connected to a standard AC power supply. It will do so by absorbing sunlight and converting it to electric power, thus charging the battery. Here we are using a Pocket Solar Charger made by Sundance Solar. It measures about 3 inches by 3 inches and operates using a 20 mA current. It is made to charge a 9V battery in about 8 hours. It costs $30. Reference: Pocket Solar Charger Information
4. Battery and AC Power - The batteries will keep the device operating while it is being used and an AC power source is not available. The AC power adapter will allow the device to quickly charge at home when the device is not being used. Here we are using a 9V battery compatible with the 9V battery Solar Charger. It costs $20.
5. GPS Receiver - Here we are using an ATR0630 single chip receiver based on Atmel’s ANTARIS4 technology. It integrates an RF front-end, filtering, and a baseband processor in a single package. It is 7 mm by 10 mm and contains 96 pins. This chip provides performance with low noise figure and low power consumption. Reference: ATR0630 Data Sheet
8. Bluetooth Module - Here we are using a KC-5100 Wirefree Hi Power Bluetooth Data Module. It is a 5 chip set sized 33.2 mm by 15.8 mm. It is Bluetooth v2.1 +EDR compliant with 20 programmable digital I/O pins and 2 analog I/O pins.. It is a Class 1 radio with a range of around 150 m. The data rate is around 3 Mbps. It costs $36. Reference: KC5100 Datasheet
11. LCD Controller Board - Here we are using an LCD Panels controller board, code LB102 (Pull A). It comes with all necessary cables and costs $100. Reference: LC102 Information
12. LCD Display – Used to display whether the user is in a valid parking space with accepted payment or whether one of these in invalid. (Display: Valid/Invalid). Here we are using one manufactured by LCD Panels, code LQ049B5DG01 (Pull A). It is 120 mm by 36 mm and weights 110 g. It has a screen size of 4.9 inches. It only consumes 2.77 W of power. The operating temperature is between -30 degrees C and 85 degrees C. Reference: n/a for consumers Section 2.3: Mathematical Principles Embedded in the Project
GPS Technology The Global Positioning System was established by the United States Department of Defense to provide a real-time navigation system for the US military. Today, it has grown to provide world-wide, all-weather navigation as well as precise determination of one’s position. GPS technology consists of three parts, including the Control Segment, the Space Segment, and the User Segment. The Control segment is composed of the main control center and several control stations around the world. The Space Segment consists of 24 satellites orbiting about 12,500 miles above the earth, each inclined at about 55 degrees with respect to the equator. The User Segment is the term used for the receivers listening to the satellites at any given time. Each segment uses mathematical principles in order to provide proper operation of the entire system.
In simple terms, GPS navigators use the mathematical technique known as trilateration to determine user position, speed, and elevation. They constantly receive and analyze radio signals from GPS satellites and use simple mechanics equations to calculate the range to each satellite being tracked. The signals broadcast carry the location of the satellite and the current time. Receivers listen to these broadcasts and determine what time it is and where the receivers are located. Data from a single satellite narrows position down to a large area of the earth’s surface. Adding data from a second satellite narrows position down to the region where the two satellite ranges overlap. Adding data from a third satellite provides the user with an accurate position. Data from a fourth satellite can also be used if one needs to know elevation or altitude. How trilateration works
To go into further detail, each satellite broadcasts two signals consisting of carrier waves that undergo phase changes that occur in a defined pattern at extremely precise rates and times. A receiver generates a copy of the pattern caused by the phase change and moves it back and forth in time. This is so that it can match it with the signals it receives. Once it does so, it will generate an output. Both the output and the matched phase change pattern lock on to a satellite and tell the receiver that it is working exactly in step with the received signal. Once the receiver knows how much the generator was shifted in time, it also knows when the signal arrived at the receiver with respect to its own internal clock. The GPS then determines how its clock was adjusted with respect to true time and multiplies it by the speed of light (3.0*10^8 m/s) to determine how far away it is from the satellite. This distance is called the pseudorange. Since the receiver’s clock is not precisely coordinated to true time, the pseudorange also consists of how much these two times differ, an amount known as clock offset. The X,Y,Z coordinate positions of the receiver and the clock offset make up the four unknowns . Here mathematical techniques are used to compute these unknowns. To understand how this technique is implemented, it is useful to look at the figure below. Points A, B, and C are locations of three satellites and d1, d2, and d3 represent their respective pseudoranges. Since the intersections of the three pseudoranges do not meet at a point, a clock offset is implemented, seen as t in the figure. Now the user’s exact position is known. Bluetooth Technology
Bluetooth units are able to communicate only if they are both time and frequency synchronized on a common Frequency Hopping channel, knows as a piconet. A piconet can host as many as eight active units, one which takes the role of a master while the others act as slaves. An important feature of Bluetooth technology, and one which makes it particularly useful for our design, is its energy efficiency. This is accomplished because a receiving unit stops reception and enters a low power sleep mode once it determines that the incoming packet is addressed to another unit. The energy efficiency and power saved using Bluetooth can be represented mathematically, as will be explained.
A data packet being sent over Bluetooth is structured into three fields: the Access Code (AC), the Packet Header (HEAD), and the Payload (PAYL). In order to be sent correctly, the acquisition of the AC, the recognition of the HEAD and the reception of the PAYL, must be executed consecutively without an error. In case one of such steps fails, the remaining steps are not performed and the unit enters a power saving mode. In order to compute the consumed energy of such a system, we will focus our attention to one master and one slave unit. At each step, the master unit spends energy units by transmitting its downlink frame. If the slave unit is recognized by the master frame, which happens with probability it will return a frame. Thus the master will execute the three reception steps, unless one such step fails. If the AC and HEAD steps are executed correctly, which happens with probability , the master will receive the entire data frame, otherwise a collision occurs. In the case of a collision the master will retransmit the same frame times before the collision is fixed. Finally, if the slave cannot recognize the master at all, no frames are returned and the master shuts off its receiver immediately after sensing an idle channel for a time period equal to the AC duration. Taking all this into consideration the average amount of energy spent by the master is given by :
The average energy spent by a slave is:
The overall system efficiency is then given by:
, where D is the average number of bits successfully delivered by the master and slave units, respectively.
Solar Charging Technology
Solar power has recently become a major topic in science and engineering because it is a clean and efficient way of powering many of the things we use today. Solar energy can be used to power many electronic devices using the sun, thus it does not have to rely on any electrical wires and connections. Our group plans to use solar technology in order to charge the portable EZ-park device we are designing. A solar charger is necessary because the device will have to stay on without being connected to an electrical power source. If at any point it were to die, a driver would be at risk of getting a ticket, even though he might have already paid to park there.
The principle part of a solar charger is the photovoltaic process, which uses cells to convert the sun’s energy directly into electricity. Solar panels are made up of multiple cells which are connected together in a module and covered with thin layers of semiconducting material such as silicon. When the silicon is exposed to sunlight, electrical charges are generated within the cells. These charges can be conducted away by metal contacts, creating a direct current. The mathematical implementation of generating a current using sunlight is explained next. Photons, which are present in sunlight, are absorbed in the depletion layer of the photovoltaic cell, and thus electron-hole pairs are created. This creates an electric field which points from the positive ion charge in the depletion layer on the N-type side towards the negative ion charge in the depletion layer on the P-type side. For this reason, the generated holes move to the left of the cell, while the electrons move to the right. This diffusion of holes and electrons creates a direct current with a magnitude equal to:
,
where q is the charge of an electron and F is the flux. B A C P-Side Neutral P Region P-side N-side Depletion P Region
Ionized Acceptor R n R n R p R p Mobile Hole
Depletion Electric Field Region N-Side (a) Basic photodiode with incident photons Neutral N Region
Depletion N Region P-side N-side Ionized Donor
Rp Rn Mobile Electron
Depletion Electric Field Region Lines (b) Photodiode electric fields
P-Type Intrinsic N-Type Illustration depicting the movement of holes and electrons in a cell
Section 2.4: Performance Expectations/Objectives:
The(c) main PIN Photodiode objective (larger of active our detection project area) is to build a device which allows the user to pay for a parking spot directly from their vehicle through the use of a smart phone application. In general, we expect our device to be extremely responsive with no noticeable delays and to be able to operate without failure or without dying while it is being used. More specifically, we expect the Bluetooth in our device to detect a smart phone quickly (within 15 seconds) and to transfer information at 1 Mbps. The range between the EZ-Park device and the phone need only be about a meter, and thus Bluetooth 1.0 is sufficient because of its 10 meter range. The Bluetooth connection will use a frequency- hopping spectrum, transmitting data at approximately 2.4 GHz. The maximum power used by the Bluetooth will be 1 mW. The solar charger will be expected to fully charge the device battery in just 5 hours, and once fully charged, the device is expected to operate at least 12 hours without dying. Finally, we expect the smart phone application to successfully facilitate payment through a 3G network, which has a minimum data rate of 2 Mbps, which is sufficient for the small amount of data we are transmitting.
Section 3: Critical Evaluation of Project
Section 3.1: The "Good"
At the beginning of this project, sustainability of our device became a major concern. If the device happens to be malfunction or become disabled in some way shape or form, we will be the ones taking hit of the cost. So, it must have the longest lifespan possible. However, as the project goes on, we find out that sustainability is not a major concern for our device especially in term of power and temperature. We know that energy is limited for our devices. So, the main parts of our device such as GPS receiver, Bluetooth module and LCD display are of low power consumption. On the other aspect, our device will have its battery being charged when it is being used and it cannot be connected to a standard AC power supply. Solar power will be converted into electric power to charge the battery. Heat is also a major concern of electronics. We must keep the surface temperature of the device at a comfortable temperature so not to burn the user, damage the internal electronics, or melt the outside shell. However, our device’s components are theoretically proven to sustain temperature in the range of -30oC to 85oC because most of its major structural components such as LCD display and GPS receiver have operating temperature between -30oC and 85oC. So, the issue of temperature will not be of high priority for our device.
Bluetooth module is one of main components in our device. It connects the device to its user’s cell phone to do transaction. Indeed, it is very useful technology and easy to implement and use. Bluetooth is used for high speed short range wireless connection. Hence, it is really suitable to our device in which its user will be most probably inside his or her car when doing payment. Its high speed connection is a very important aspect for our device because the high speed connection can avoid delay or maybe termination of the connection. These kinds of situation make the connection vulnerable to be hijacked or eavesdropped although probability of it to happen is low especially for short range wireless connection such as Bluetooth. Furthermore, we do not need to worry if our device’s radio band interferes with other devices’ radio band. Bluetooth is using radio frequency which in a range of globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) that will not affect other devices in professional industries. So, it is safe to assume that we will not counter any major problem with Bluetooth module in our device.
LCD display is the main structural component for our device. It will be most likely to shape our device’s structure. However, the implementation of this component is easy because the implementation can be done accordingly by following its manual. The main deal that will make LCD display to work as we wish is the LCD controller board. LCD controller board interfaces LCD display and microprocessor. So, we will surely not to have trouble with LCD display if everything goes well for LCD controller board and microprocessor. LCD controller board and microprocessor will be discussed in the next section. Section 3.2: The "Scary"
As mention in previous section, LCD controller is the main deal that will make LCD display to work as we wish. It will interface microprocessor with actual LCD screen. The microprocessor is reprogrammable. We need to program the microprocessor to make the LCD screen work as we wish. A slight error in programming the microprocessor will cause us the LCD screen to work in different way as we wish. Indeed, it might also cause us malfunction of our device. Programming the microprocessor will also determine how the payment is done. The reliability of the payment and where the payment will go depends on the programming. So, we must have our computer engineer to be extra cautious in dealing with programming the microprocessor.
GPS receiver is one of main components in our device. The receiver must be working for our EZ system to work. It will be a problem if receiver does not receive GPS signal because our device will not be able to locate parking location. Hence, parking payment cannot be made by using our device. The GPS receiver must be interfaced correctly to our device to extract the information correctly. On the other end, GPS transmitter is not of our concern because GPS satellites are working 24 hours every day. One other concern is GPS signal. If GPS signal does not reach GPS receiver, our EZ park system will not work. This situation will most likely happen in underground parking or in building where there is no GPS signal can reach GPS receiver.
We will also have trouble if consumers do not believe in our device in term of privacy. They might be afraid that our device will expose their location to third party. We must make it clear to consumers that we do not keep users’ locations or expose users’ locations to the third party. They must know that the information is encrypted and deleted as soon as the parking fee is paid. Our computer engineer can make it happens by programming the microprocessor. It is important to explain to users about this kind of ethical responsibility to boost their confidence in our device. This information can be informed to users through our device’s manual. The privacy and safety of our customers must be put in priority if we want customer to have confidence in our device.
We also need to manufacture our device according to rules and regulations. If we are not able to follow rules and regulations, we might find out that we are prohibited to manufacture our devices. As a matter of fact, all electronic devices are put under Electronic Waste Recycling Act. Under this regulation, retailers are required to collect a fee from the consumer upon the purchase of covered electronic devices. This fee will be used to dispose or recycle the electronic devices themselves. Under this regulation, manufacturers also are required to increase the use of recyclable materials in their product, reduce the levels of toxic substances use and provide outreach programs to consumers. So, we should use recyclable materials where applicable. This will make it easier to recycle our devices when customers return broken devices to us. Besides, at the part where recyclable materials where not applicable, we can use materials with low level of toxin. By following the rules, we will not have problem in manufacturing our device.
Section 3.3: The "Fun"
Since the project is related to something that is going to make people’s life easier, our project clearly has a good purpose. It will save people’s time and energy. They just need to pay their parking inside their car and it will take only a minute. People do not need to line up to pay parking ticket anymore. It is rather convenient, saving time and energy.
It is also fun to test out our devices’ functionality. Up until now our project is theoretically working. However, when working in real field, there are external factors that might make our device malfunction. It is somewhat a challenge to figure out those factors especially when we are just proving our device’s functionality theoretically. Indeed, we are still inexperience in designing this kind of device. We sure will face some problem when creating our EZ park system.
The current team is a mixture of electrical engineering major and computer engineering major only. It will be easier for us to distribute the work and work together because our project does not need multidisciplinary teamwork. Our device is solely based on electrical engineering such as circuit board and wireless technologies and computer engineering such as microprocessor programming. This factor makes our project easier as we are working with stuffs we already know. On other aspect, we have been working together since the start of our project. So, we have been discussing on how to make the project better from the beginning. We also have a leader with well-planned schedule for every assignment given. He makes the job distribution and organization well. Hence, we do not face difficulty every time we are doing our assignment.
It is really fun to learn about new things in our life. This project is a new challenge for all of us. It is a mixture of wireless communication, microprocessor and circuit. Although we already learnt all the stuffs, we are bringing up the stuffs we learn to a new different level. We integrate all our knowledge to create a new device. On the other words, we are applying engineering application and we are a step higher into the real engineering field.
Section 3.4: Funding of Project
The interesting part of this project is how we will find a way to subsidize the cost of parts and manufacturing. We want as much of the public to use the device as we can. In order to accomplish this, we can take a similar approach as the EZ-Pass system. They require you to pay a small security deposit for the device that sits up in your window or on your license plate but it saves you money when paying for tolls along the parkway and/or turnpike. If we use a security deposit system, the consumer will treat the unit with care, driving our manufacturing costs down, and subsidizing the cost of the unit itself.
We can use recyclable materials where applicable. Also, when a device may be broken, or malfunction, the customer would send back the device to us. This keeps the units out of the trash, lowering the waste production and disposal. If we can't get the devices to work when we receive them, we can then scrap them for parts to use for other devices that are fixable. For any other parts that we cannot use, we can dispose properly or recycle them if applicable. This approach can help us reducing manufacturing cost and maintaining cost of our device.
Police department might see this project as a suitable investment. Our EZ park system can help lowering summon ticket especially for people who always forgot to pay their parking.
Furthermore, in the future, we can possibly integrate this device into a standard GPS device or cellphone with GPS functionality. If we do this, we can work with an already established manufacturing plant to produce our equipment, allowing us to drop our costs significantly and unnecessary use of valuable lot space, from multiple industrial manufacturing sites.
Section 4: “Bringing it all full circle”
Summary Mr. Truncale brought this idea forward to the group and we hit the ground running. This product fills a huge need that many cities have been trying to accomplish, as well as a convenience drivers have been looking for, for many years. All while not bring But, it is also a very feasible design, and can even be transitioned into a senior design project. And, if we are able to accomplish this project, it will surely set our group away apart the rest, or get us an A in CpE 322.
The use of this EZ-Park system will benefit multiple parties in many aspects. The drivers are able to park easier, which will cause the flow of traffic to increase. The city will make more money on better enforcing of parking violations due to the availability of automatic fines through the system. This will also allow more parking spaces to be available since drivers will know how long they have left in their spot. All while we are attempting to remain environmentally conscience EZ-Park is such a win/win for everyone involved, that this project has nowhere to go but forward. This group is very confident that this product can cause one of the biggest improvements to the traffic system since EZ-Pass.
Lessons Learned
The design originally started very rough during the preliminary stages. After doing extensive research through trade journals, professional societies, and internet databases, we were able to come up with a feasible and economical design that both fit our budget but also would be eco and driver friendly. During the planning stages of the device, we had not taken into account the size that would be required to include all of the features that we required. We had to make sure to keep it small enough to allow drivers to keep the device on the windshield and not obstruct their vision. Based on this, we decided that using a device the size of a typical GPS system you see on most drivers’ windshields today. Also, we had first begun just having the EZ-Park device plugging into the DC plug in the console. Later, we decided that we could harvest the use of the sun to allow the system to be completely separate from the cars battery. If we had left it the same, the car’s battery may have been dead by the time the driver got back the next morning after leaving it overnight. This is just two examples of the many innovative corrections this group has come up with over the period of the project.
References 1. "Bluetooth Basics." The Official Bluetooth® Technology Web Site. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.
3. GPS. The National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G#Data_rates
5. http://gps.about.com/od/glossary/g/trilateration.htm
6. http://www.inventeksys.com/GPS_Facts_Principles_of_GPS.pdf
7. http://paduaresearch.cab.unipd.it/141/1/BTv2-energy-07.pdf
8. http://stewks.ece.stevens-tech.edu/EE471- Main/CourseNotesB/Optoelectronics/General_opto.pdf
Contributions Joseph Truncale: Project Manager and Organizer, Section 2.1 & 2.2
Brian Tagalog – Section 1.1
Lucas Bilar – Section 2.3 & 2.4
Muhammad Bazli Abdul Rahman – Section 3 (all)
Clifford Hults – Section 4 (all) and Compiler Bios (Vita)
Brian Tagalog
Brian Tagalog is a junior at Stevens Institute of Technology pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering. Brian is undertaking an engineering degree to explore the science and technology behind today’s advancements. His interests are broad and he is still undecided as to what he wants to do with his engineering degree.
In high school, Brian took up an internship at Ivivi Technologies, a biotechnology company specializing in pioneering technology in the pain management. As an intern, he shadowed a senior engineer who created circuit plans and device prototypes. Brian used the software, Protel DXP, to design a layout for a circuit board. Working at Ivivi sparked his interest in electronics.
At Stevens, Brian took advantage of the highly acclaimed Co-op program. He was a quality assurance intern at SaksFifthAvenue.com, an online retail store with sales estimated at $430,023,866 for 2009. In this position, Brian ensured that defects on the website were identified, documented, tracked, and resolved. He learned much about the business and corporate world at this job. His eagerness to graduate caused him to drop out of Co-op and get back on track to graduating May 2012.
Brian’s strengths include working in groups and focusing on the task at hand. He picks things up quickly and takes his work seriously. Brian is working on not being too hard on himself. With his intense focus, he is trying to find more time to relax. Besides his interests in engineering, Brian loves business and music and is hoping to incorporate all of these disciplines in his future work. Lucas Bilar
I am a junior at Stevens Institute of Technology majoring in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in wireless systems. I am a member of Eta Kappa Nu, an ECE honor society. My main goal at Stevens is to receive the necessary knowledge and hands-on experience in order to become a successful engineer. So far my educational journey has been a good one and I feel that I have learned many concepts related to circuits, electronics, and signal processing. One of my biggest weaknesses as a student is the lack of work experience related to engineering. Thus far, I have not worked for any companies dealing with engineering or information technology. My goal for the summer is to acquire an internship related to electrical engineering so that I can gain some valuable experience.
I was born in Poland, but I currently live in Staten Island, New York. I became interested in engineering in high school as I excelled in all my mathematics and science classes. I attended Port Richmond High School and graduated in 2008 as salutatorian. For the past two years I have worked at Costco as a food server. I enjoy going to the gym and playing basketball. I am also interested in electronic gadgets and circuitry. In my spare time I enjoy playing around with sound system components like speakers and amplifiers. Joseph Truncale
I'm a junior at Stevens Institute of Technology studying Computer Engineering. I am originally from Oradell, NJ, a part of Bergen County and attended River Dell Regional High School. During High School, I gained a lot of experience when I interned with my school's technology department. I helped with the roll out of our school's one-to-one laptop initiative, which inspired my interest in technology and electronics. With this new passion, I applied to Stevens with hopes of eventually designing new and innovative projects.
Throughout my time at Stevens I have taken advantage of many of the programs at my disposal. Up until this spring I was participating in the Co-op program and completed an 8 month co-op term at Saks Fifth Avenue as a Quality Analyst. Once I completed the term, I decided to create some of my own opportunities and discontinue my participation in Co-op. From Fall of 2010 to Spring of 2011, I was an Residents Assistant (RA) where I managed a floor of freshmen during some of their most trying times as well as pledged and later became of brother of Alpha Sigma Phi. Currently, I'm a Specialist at the Apple Store Fifth Avenue where I continue to learn and pursue technology.
I feel my greatest skills are related to problem solving and interpersonal skills. With my current position at Apple, I feel that I get to demonstrate my people skills with the hundreds of interactions I have each day. In addition, I'm also the first line of defense in terms of troubleshooting issues and creating solutions. I enjoy the "fixing" aspect of any situation but also love the human interaction and spontaneity that Apple offers.
My least prominent skills would probably relate to programming, as many other Computer Engineers can relate. Many courses at the beginning of my time here at Stevens were not focused much on the computer science aspect since I have the title of engineer. Most of the programming knowledge I have is from my own experimentation during high school and in college.
I'm looking forward to Senior Design in order to gain more knowledge and contribute with the talents available at my disposal. Muhammad Bazli Abdul Rahman
I am an Electrical engineering major pursuing a Master’s degree in Wireless Communication. Wireless communication is a not well developed area back in my country. So, I think it will be interesting if I can somehow help my country in this area. I have taken many wireless communication courses in my graduate course especially spread spectrum, signal, wireless communication hardware and structure. I also have developed my liking in networking technologies and spread spectrum. I also have some basics in programming and microprocessor as I took programming and microprocessor courses in my undergraduate.
I use to learn and research Bluetooth and GPS in some of my graduate courses. It is a fun experience to learn those stuffs. Earlier in this project, I did some research about Bluetooth and GPS. It is very fun to know that I can apply my knowledge in this course. I also can practice my information gathering skill that I have been developed in my graduate course so far. Later on, I have been given task to do evaluation on our project. It is a great experience thought. With my wireless communication knowledge, I might be capable to give a critical evaluation on our project especially our project involved Bluetooth and GPS.
Although I am an Electrical engineering major, one of my weaknesses is that I might not be so good in circuit analysis. I just have average knowledge about circuit analysis although I used to take circuit courses. I am more into wireless communication and networking like I said before. However, if I am given enough time, I am sure I can catch up with my weaknesses by doing revision about circuit analysis.
This project has the same concept with the project that I proposed earlier in this course. The project that I proposed is using the same concept but it is applicable to railway-based public transportation such as subway and PATH train. When I wanted to find a group member, I found out that this EZ park system has the same concept with my proposed project. So, I become interested to participate in this project and here I am participating in this project until the end of the course. Clifford T. Hults III
I am a 4/5 year co-op student here at Stevens focusing on the Computer Engineering major with a minor in Music & Technology. I am a Jersey boy hailing from Matawan, NJ a town in northeast Monmouth County. I attended Matawan Regional High School, graduating in 2007. I’ve been interested in computers and music ever since I was in Junior High. I’ve been looking for a way to combine the two in my studies and hopefully I can turn that into a full time career.
Other than being a part of the co-op program, I have participated in many groups on campus. I am a co-founder of Stevens’ Jazz/Rock group named, Bandwidth. Also, I am the former Senior Vice President of Stevens’ record label, Castle Point Records.
During my time in the co-op program, I have worked at 3 different companies in 3 different positions. My first job was working for Calyon Credit Agricole in New York, NY in a helpdesk position. Next, was at Mindray Datascope PM in Mahwah, NJ, performing software diagnostics on bedside monitor interfaces. My last position was at the Franklin Lakes, NJ location of Becton-Dickinson, working on networking diagnostics and implementation.
As you can see, there is a common trend with these positions. That’s because one of my best skills is that I enjoy problem solving. It has always been a talent of mine and I pride myself on this ability. Some of my other strengths include circuitry, hardware architecture, and project management. My least prominent skill has to be programming. I’ve only very much dabbled in studying programming and have never taken an interest to it.
We all know how bad parking is in New York and in Hoboken alone. This is the reason I joined this project because it was a very creative and I’ve always been interested in finding a way to better the parking system. There is also a lot of current technology that is being used in this project that will help for other projects, such as senior design.