James Ding Janet Lu
Hardware Lead Software Lead
Sophomore, Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Junior, Computer Science
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Our team helped NASA design an automatic battery testing and storage system. The goal was for the system to be expandable, easy to maintain, durable, and easy to use. Through this project, members could learn about the engineering design process and gain CAD experiences. This project was the first of industry-related projects for the club, and it has formed a great foundation for our club to tackle future client-based projects.
Project Overview
* Due to the NDA with NASA, some details of the project are not disclosed on this website
Hardware Brainstorming
The main focus of our project was to design a battery storage system. During the brainstorming stage of the project, we finalized on a design that split the system into three parts: the elevator, the battery catridge carrier, and the elevator-sideway transport mechanism. The image at the right is a rough sketch of the elevator sideway mechanism.
CAD
The team used Solidworks to CAD the design resulting from the brainstorming stage. Besides the battery storage system, a battery catridge that can hold up to 50 cylindrical batteries was also designed. The images below show the CAD of the battery catridge, the shelf, and the catridge carrier for the system.
Hardware Brainstorming
The main focus of our project was to design a battery storage system. During the brainstorming stage of the project, we finalized on a design that split the system into three parts: the elevator, the battery catridge carrier, and the elevator-sideway transport mechanism. The image at the right is a rough sketch of the elevator sideway mechanism.
CAD
The team used Solidworks to CAD the design resulting from the brainstorming stage. Besides the battery storage system, a battery catridge that can hold up to 50 cylindrical batteries was also designed. The images below show the CAD of the battery catridge, the shelf, and the catridge carrier for the system.
The battery catridge, capable of holding up to 50 cylindrical batteries.
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The shelf for storing the battery catridge
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The carrier for transporting the battery catridge. The carrier works by tilting forward to unload the battery catridge, and tilting backward to load the battery catridge (with the aid of a "pusher" in the shelf).
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Results
The battery catridge designed by the team is already being in use by NASA for the storage of cylindrical batteries. The battery storage system has yet to be utilized by NASA, but it is possible it will be used in the near future.
Software
The main focus of the software team was to program a battery recognition software that would aid the battery storage system. Python and openCV was utilized to help the team achieve a high accuracy battery recognition software.
The battery catridge designed by the team is already being in use by NASA for the storage of cylindrical batteries. The battery storage system has yet to be utilized by NASA, but it is possible it will be used in the near future.
Software
The main focus of the software team was to program a battery recognition software that would aid the battery storage system. Python and openCV was utilized to help the team achieve a high accuracy battery recognition software.
