Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
57 Solar Scrubber
 Jonathan Sengstock
Sandra Georgy
Yehia Ahmed
 Chihun Song design_document1.pdf
other1.pdf
Team:
Yehia Ahmed (yahme6), Sandra Georgy (sgeor9), Jonathan Sengstock (jms32)


Problem
Keeping solar panels clean is crucial to their operation; if panels are obscured by dust, dirt, snow, or bird droppings, their power output is critically reduced. Additionally, solar power installations are in difficult-to-reach or remote locations such as rooftops and fields; this makes frequent cleaning of the solar panels difficult.

Solution
Our solution, which we call Solar Scrubber, is a robot that navigates on a 2-axis linear guide rail system. The guide rails will be mounted on the top and bottom of the solar array. The main body of the robot will contain the circuitry and electronics, cleaning module, and motors to navigate the guide rail system. Additionally, the Scrubber will have a module connected to the output wires of the solar panel to measure its power output. If a section of the panel is outputting lower power than the rest, the Scrubber will automatically clean that section of the panel.

The cleaning module will be a rotating cloth (similar to a mop head), and a water or cleaning solution dispenser.

We will be designing our project with the ECE building solar panels as the primary use case.

The system is composed of several integrated subsystems, including a rail-based locomotion unit for travel, an MPPT algorithm for power analysis, a cleaning module for scrubbing and fluid delivery, an ESP32 control unit for managing the Finite State Machine and Bluetooth communication, a power conversion system to step down 120V wall power to usable DC voltages, and the solar panel itself which serves as the operational surface.

Locomotion/Movement
The locomotion subsystem enables movement across the solar panel through vertical and horizontal drive components powered by 12V DC motors and drivers that interface with the microcontroller to ensure full coverage of the cleaning area. We aim to use linear guide rails, similar to how a 3D printer navigates.

MPPT and Algorithm
The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) component extracts maximum power from the solar panel and detects the power losses caused by dirt. The MPPT analyzes the I-V characteristics of the solar panel to identify a group of cells that aren’t meeting expected performance. The MPPT measurements will help us perform target cleaning rather than cleaning the full solar array. In addition, the MPPT measurements can be used to compare the output power before and after cleaning to determine the efficiency of the Solar Panel Cleaner.
Key components include ADC input (MCU), current sensor, perturb-and-observe algorithm in firmware (runs on STM32), and data logging for power measurements.

Cleaning Module
The cleaning module features a 12V DC motor with a rotating towel and a 12V water pump for fluid delivery. To bridge the gap between the 120V wall power and the 3.3V logic of the ESP32, the system uses an AC-DC power adapter and an L298N motor driver. The adapter converts the high-voltage wall power into a steady 12V supply, while the motor driver acts as a high-speed electronic switch. By receiving low-voltage commands from the ESP32, the driver directs the 12V power to the scrubbing motor and pump, allowing the Finite State Machine to control the rotation and spraying sequences based on the cleaning path.

MCU
The ESP32 Development Board acts as the robot's brain and was chosen because it has built-in Bluetooth to allow for manual control and data monitoring. The system uses a Finite State Machine (FSM) which is a logic map that tells the robot whether it should be in Auto mode to clean the panels, Manual mode to respond to your Bluetooth commands, or Idle mode when at the home position. The Bluetooth capability is especially important for the MPPT algorithm, as it allows the robot to wirelessly transmit real-time power data to a phone or tablet so you can see if the cleaning is actually improving efficiency.

Power Conversion
The power conversion subsystem supplies and regulates the voltages to all electronic components. Key components include a AC–DC converter (120V AC from the building grid to 12V DC), and DC-DC stepdown converters to supply the motors with 12V and the ICs with 3.3V and 5V.

Solar Panel
The solar panel we will be using is targeted for the panels on the roof of the ECEB. The dimensions of these panels are not posted online, but each panel outputs about 280 Watts. Our project will aim to function on existing solar panels, so purchasing a panel should not be necessary.

Criterion For Success
To ensure the Solar Scrubber is effective, the following goals will be tested:
The cleaning module must be able to detect the cells with dirt or debris, enable targeted cleaning, and should be able to tell the difference between dirt and shading/lack of sun. Upon cleaning the panel, it should be able to remove the majority of debris (more than 75%).
The cleaning module should be able to perform a full panel sweep every 2 hours autonomously.
The entire module should be able to function in a variety of conditions, including temperatures between 0° F and 100° F, and weather between sunshine, light rain, and snow.
The electronics and movement units should show little to no sign of breakdown or failure after 50+ uses.

Electronic Replacement for COVID-19 Building Monitors @ UIUC

Patrick McBrayer, Zewen Rao, Yijie Zhang

Featured Project

Team Members: Patrick McBrayer, Yijie Zhang, Zewen Rao

Problem Statement:

Students who volunteer to monitor buildings at UIUC are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 itself, and passing it on to others before they are aware of the infection. Due to this, I propose a project that would create a technological solution to this issue using physical 2-factor authentication through the “airlock” style doorways we have at ECEB and across campus.

Solution Overview:

As we do not have access to the backend of the Safer Illinois application, or the ability to use campus buildings as a workspace for our project, we will be designing a proof of concept 2FA system for UIUC building access. Our solution would be composed of two main subsystems, one that allows initial entry into the “airlock” portion of the building using a scannable QR code, and the other that detects the number of people that entered the space, to determine whether or not the user will be granted access to the interior of the building.

Solution Components:

Subsystem #1: Initial Detection of Building Access

- QR/barcode scanner capable of reading the code presented by the user, that tells the system whether that person has been granted or denied building access. (An example of this type of sensor: (https://www.amazon.com/Barcode-Reading-Scanner-Electronic-Connector/dp/B082B8SVB2/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=gm65+scanner&qid=1595651995&sr=8-11)

- QR code generator using C++/Python to support the QR code scanner.

- Microcontroller to receive the information from the QR code reader and decode the information, then decide whether to unlock the door, or keep it shut. (The microcontroller would also need an internal timer, as we plan on encoding a lifespan into the QR code, therefore making them unusable after 4 days).

- LED Light to indicate to the user whether or not access was granted.

- Electronic locking mechanism to open both sets of doors.

Subsystem #2: Airlock Authentication of a Single User

- 2 aligned sensors ( one tx and other is rx) on the bottom of the door that counts the number of people crossing a certain line. (possibly considering two sets of these, so the person could not jump over, or move under the sensors. Most likely having the second set around the middle of the door frame.

- Microcontroller to decode the information provided by the door sensors, and then determine the number of people who have entered the space. Based on this information we can either grant or deny access to the interior building.

- LED Light to indicate to the user if they have been granted access.

- Possibly a speaker at this stage as well, to tell the user the reason they have not been granted access, and letting them know the

incident has been reported if they attempted to let someone into the building.

Criterion of Success:

- Our system generates valid QR codes that can be read by our scanner, and the data encoded such as lifespan of the code and building access is transmitted to the microcontroller.

- Our 2FA detection of multiple entries into the space works across a wide range of users. This includes users bound to wheelchairs, and a wide range of heights and body sizes.