Implementing Laboratory and Project-Based Embedded Control Sequence Courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

Abstract This paper will demonstrate a successful method of teaching a two-semester embedded course that will target the development of an autonomous firefighting robot at the end of the second course. These two embedded courses have been designed, implemented, and improved gradually within ten years and have become one of the core courses of the three following engineering technology programs: Electrical, Computer, and Mechatronics. Students take two embedded system courses, one upper and another lower division. Each class includes weekly lab experiments where students design and implement hands-on projects reinforcing lecture materials. While half of the course materials and fundamental lab projects are included in the first course, most advanced topics and the main task are covered in the second course. In these embedded courses, students deploy their knowledge and utilize devices from pre-sequel courses, such as Intro to Electrical Engineering and Digital Logics. Also, the design and implementation of the autonomous robot project will help students learn the complete cycle of an embedded control project. They can deploy this experience on other upper-division course projects such as Feedback Control Systems and Senior Technical Projects. So, the embedded system courses work as an integration tool to connect the programs' lower and upper-level classes. This procedure has been displayed as a flowchart in Figure 1. The elective courses and processes are shown with dashes, and the required courses are demonstrated with solid lines. This paper will explain the primary materials covered in each of the two embedded courses and list most of the embedded lab experiments within these courses that led to the ability of the students to design and develop autonomous Firefighting robots as their group project. A sample student's project is explained at the end of the They. Students had to present their projects and attend the college's annual Robot competition as part of their coursework. The winning group will attend the International Trinity College Robot competition in Connecticut.