Electrical
This page links to all the electrical designs, calculations, trade-offs etc.
The core functionality of Modularis is found on the main PCB. Here is where all other boards and external devices interface to process data or provide power. This board supports three on-board computer options and was designed to interface easily with any selection. The main on-board computer for this project was the Raspberry Pi 4, which contains ROS2 and handles the processing and decision-making for incoming data. It interfaces with the thrusters through an external pulse width modulation (PWM) driver. The power board regulates the thruster power and 5V power to all devices while also providing protection to the battery and all components from various electrical faults. The inertial measurement board, which is one of future sensor addons, provides a live tracking of acceleration, angular velocity, and magnetic field to assist in orientation and thruster control. An external SONAR board is also interfaced with the main board to provide location data of the AUV to prevent collisions. Modularis is also equipped with a camera, operated by a PWM servo. This is meant to allow for object detection during missions and will work alongside the thruster map to control speed through PWM, which will in turn keep an object in the center of the camera’s field-of-view. This continuous tracking will permit the construction of a neural radiance field (NeRF), which is a three-dimensional model made from a collection of two-dimensional images. Algorithms would be implemented for the AUV to select the best angle of image capture to provide the most useful information for the model. The system architecture has always focused on the key factor of modularity and ease of use at the forefront. These design choices offer a dependable AUV option, fostering advancements in underwater vehicle navigation and control research. Its architecture adopts a modular design in both hardware and software, enabling the AUV to facilitate diverse research applications.
Hardware Design
The hardware for Modularis is broken down into three PCBs. Each board went through various revisions from the previous and current semester.
Electronics Tree