ECE Capstone - Autonomous Digital TV Antenna (SMARTenna)
This was a team-based design project completed in the fourth year of my BASc in Engineering Science in the ECE option. The course was taught by Professor Jason Foster and Orbis provided funding for the projects while collaborating as consultants for the term. The result of the course was summarized in a website, which has been embedded below with relevant information. Only my individual work is shown on this website as the rest is the result of other individual's work or team collaborated work.
Welcome to the SMARTenna Website - We are "Digital TV for Everyone!"
Members of the SMARTenna Team
Catherine Kocia
René Rail-Ip
Rezwana Sharmin
Cong Wang
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Professor Jason Foster for the guidance and supervision needed to ensure we met all of our milestones and goals and for continuously challenging our design process and decisions to help us grow as engineers.
We would like to thank Orbis for providing the funding to develop a hardware prototype of our vision and for providing us with insightful entrepreneurial feedback that has helped us better understand how a product can be brought to market.
We would like to thank Professor Sean Hum for assistance in developing the initial concepts for the prototype and for guidance in the design of the circuits required to to analyze the antenna signals and feed them to the controller.
René Rail-Ip
Rezwana Sharmin
Cong Wang
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Professor Jason Foster for the guidance and supervision needed to ensure we met all of our milestones and goals and for continuously challenging our design process and decisions to help us grow as engineers.
We would like to thank Orbis for providing the funding to develop a hardware prototype of our vision and for providing us with insightful entrepreneurial feedback that has helped us better understand how a product can be brought to market.
We would like to thank Professor Sean Hum for assistance in developing the initial concepts for the prototype and for guidance in the design of the circuits required to to analyze the antenna signals and feed them to the controller.
The SMARTenna Vision
The final product that would be developed is a self-adjusting High-Definition Television (HDTV) antenna system. The control system positions an HDTV antenna in an optimal direction to receive the best possible signal. The challenge was determining when an antenna direction is good or bad and designing a controller to keep the antenna oriented in the optimal direction. Circuits were designed that take in the receiver's signal, amplify it, and rectify it to a DC voltage usable by the controller. This DC voltage is proportional to the power in the signal, which determines good or bad signal quality. Both a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and proportional feedback system were designed, implemented, and tested so that the control system is constantly checking if the signal it is receiving is optimal and adjusts the position accordingly if it is not.
The initial proof-of-concept was implemented and used to illustrate that the antenna can find the optimal position for one frequency (ie. one channel). The prototype is a digital antenna receiver mounted inside a reflector and a mobile digital over-the-air transmitter. When the transmitter is moved around a room, the receiving antenna is able to track its position and rotate to the optimal signal strength, which is in the direction directly facing the transmitter.
Our Stakeholders
The stakeholders that have an interest in this product of engineering design are summarized in the figure below. More details about each stakeholder can be found below the graph.
The initial proof-of-concept was implemented and used to illustrate that the antenna can find the optimal position for one frequency (ie. one channel). The prototype is a digital antenna receiver mounted inside a reflector and a mobile digital over-the-air transmitter. When the transmitter is moved around a room, the receiving antenna is able to track its position and rotate to the optimal signal strength, which is in the direction directly facing the transmitter.
Our Stakeholders
The stakeholders that have an interest in this product of engineering design are summarized in the figure below. More details about each stakeholder can be found below the graph.
Users
The end-users are the most important stakeholders to consider in this project. For the self-adjustable antenna to be marketable, the benefits will be required to be immediately observed by the user. Thus, the majority of the requirements will revolve around making the product appealing enough that antenna users will switch to the self-adjusting version and cable and satellite viewers will opt for the high-quality free service that is being offered.
Intellectual Property (IP)
There must be some consideration taken to determine if there are any Intellectual Property rights associated with the free OTA signals being broadcasted by the networks. If so there may be some royalties that would have to be paid in order to distribute an antenna that displays these signals to televisions.
Engineering Team
For this Capstone project, the group will develop a hardware prototype in the field of controls, communications, electromagnetics, and antennas: a self-adjusting HDTV antenna. This project is in our area of interest and will allow us to expand our knowledge in hardware circuit design, communications, signal process, and control. Further, it will give the team some experience in entrepreneurial decision-making processes and in developing business strategies and a marketing mix which will be necessary to demonstrate the advantages of the product.
Teaching Team
The project must meet the goals and objectives of the course including the development of a prototype that practices innovative, entrepreneurial, engineering design. Our prototype must be developed to serve an entrepreneurial purpose and niche. The prototype must also strive to meet the overall goals of the group and it should follow the constraints and criteria set by the members of the group. The teaching team will provide support in order for the engineering team to achieve its objectives while having an enjoyable and instructional experience.
Orbis Investors
The project must pursue a promising entrepreneurial niche with the potential for successful implementation in the market. The project must be convincing both in innovation and technology as well as marketability. It will be pitched to the stakeholders and judged accordingly.
Electronics Recyclers
Since the product will involve electronics, the engineering team must adhere to electronics recycling policies and regulations.
Installation, Manufacturers, and Sales Industry
This project will influence the antenna industry. Currently the antenna market is very small compared to cable. By making the use of antenna easier and more user-friendly we will grow this market. This will be very beneficial to antenna manufacturers, private antenna installation companies, as well as companies that produce and sell HDTV antennas to consumers.
Regulators
According to CSA, Canadian Standards Association, the following regulations should be adhered to during the implementation of our control solution.
C22.6 No. 1-11 - Electrical inspection code for existing residential occupancies
C22.2 No. 205-Mi 983 - Signal Equipment
C22.2 No. 1-04 - Audio, video and similar electronic equipment
C22.2 No. 68-09 - Motor-operated appliances (Household and commercial)
The end-users are the most important stakeholders to consider in this project. For the self-adjustable antenna to be marketable, the benefits will be required to be immediately observed by the user. Thus, the majority of the requirements will revolve around making the product appealing enough that antenna users will switch to the self-adjusting version and cable and satellite viewers will opt for the high-quality free service that is being offered.
Intellectual Property (IP)
There must be some consideration taken to determine if there are any Intellectual Property rights associated with the free OTA signals being broadcasted by the networks. If so there may be some royalties that would have to be paid in order to distribute an antenna that displays these signals to televisions.
Engineering Team
For this Capstone project, the group will develop a hardware prototype in the field of controls, communications, electromagnetics, and antennas: a self-adjusting HDTV antenna. This project is in our area of interest and will allow us to expand our knowledge in hardware circuit design, communications, signal process, and control. Further, it will give the team some experience in entrepreneurial decision-making processes and in developing business strategies and a marketing mix which will be necessary to demonstrate the advantages of the product.
Teaching Team
The project must meet the goals and objectives of the course including the development of a prototype that practices innovative, entrepreneurial, engineering design. Our prototype must be developed to serve an entrepreneurial purpose and niche. The prototype must also strive to meet the overall goals of the group and it should follow the constraints and criteria set by the members of the group. The teaching team will provide support in order for the engineering team to achieve its objectives while having an enjoyable and instructional experience.
Orbis Investors
The project must pursue a promising entrepreneurial niche with the potential for successful implementation in the market. The project must be convincing both in innovation and technology as well as marketability. It will be pitched to the stakeholders and judged accordingly.
Electronics Recyclers
Since the product will involve electronics, the engineering team must adhere to electronics recycling policies and regulations.
Installation, Manufacturers, and Sales Industry
This project will influence the antenna industry. Currently the antenna market is very small compared to cable. By making the use of antenna easier and more user-friendly we will grow this market. This will be very beneficial to antenna manufacturers, private antenna installation companies, as well as companies that produce and sell HDTV antennas to consumers.
Regulators
According to CSA, Canadian Standards Association, the following regulations should be adhered to during the implementation of our control solution.
C22.6 No. 1-11 - Electrical inspection code for existing residential occupancies
C22.2 No. 205-Mi 983 - Signal Equipment
C22.2 No. 1-04 - Audio, video and similar electronic equipment
C22.2 No. 68-09 - Motor-operated appliances (Household and commercial)