FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATIONS DOCUMENT

Electronic Package LockboxUniversity of Portland

Donald P. Shiley School of EngineeringEE 483 A - FALL 2017

Team Members:McKenzie Wilde (Team Leader)

Emmanuel Sion (Webmaster)Jean Paul Mugisha

Louie Amurao

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Joseph Hoffbeck

Clients: Jay and Laurie Wilde

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Table of Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................................3

Requirements................................................................................................................................4

Client Driven Specifications..............................................................................................4

General Specifications.......................................................................................................4

Technical Specifications....................................................................................................4

Use Cases......................................................................................................................................5

User Interface...............................................................................................................................5

Development Process...................................................................................................................6

Research.............................................................................................................................6

Design................................................................................................................................7

Testing...............................................................................................................................7

Construction......................................................................................................................7

Debugging.........................................................................................................................7

Possible Enhancements.....................................................................................................7

Streamlining......................................................................................................................7

Milestones....................................................................................................................................10

Preliminary Budget....................................................................................................................12

Facilities......................................................................................................................................12

Technical Assistance..................................................................................................................13

Physical Lockbox............................................................................................................13

Circuit design, build, test, and debugging.......................................................................13

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Risks............................................................................................................................................13

Overheating Electronics.....................................................................................................13

Insufficient Power for Device............................................................................................13

Loss of Signal....................................................................................................................13

Constraints...................................................................................................................................14

Technical...........................................................................................................................14

Economic...........................................................................................................................14

Environmental ..................................................................................................................14

Social.................................................................................................................................14

Professional ......................................................................................................................14

Ethical ..............................................................................................................................14

Legal.................................................................................................................................14

Health and Safety..............................................................................................................14

Security.............................................................................................................................15

Manufacturability.............................................................................................................15

Sustainability ...................................................................................................................15

Standards..........................................................................................................................15

Codes................................................................................................................................15

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................16

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IntroductionThis senior design project is about designing and constructing an Electronic Package Lockbox

that notifies the owner whenever a package arrives. There have been multiple products like this project such as Package Master by Mail Boss and Landport’s Essential mailbox line. However, these mailboxes are expensive ranging from $250 - $1000 and most of them do not have integrated communications that notify the owner when a package has arrived.

An engineering professor at the University of Portland emphasized how package theft has been an issue in their neighborhood, which lead to the idea for this project. Therefore, this group decided to build a lockbox prototype (see Figure 1) that is inexpensive and features communication between the lockbox and the owner via electronic message. The lockbox prototype will first detect if a package is put into the lockbox using sensors. When a package is put into the lockbox, the device will send an electronic message to the owner of the lockbox that they received a package. The owner will then retrieve the package by opening the lockbox door with a key. This process repeats when a package is put into the lockbox.

This document also contains the following sections of the design project: requirements, user interface, use cases, development process, milestones, budget, risks, and constraints. The goal of this design project is to learn wireless communication, circuit design, building, testing and debugging, as well as professionalism in the engineering field.

Figure 1. Device Design Prototype

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RequirementsThis section describes the general specifications of our design project, including client driven and technical specifications.

● Client Driven Specifications○ Prevent package theft

■ The clients' main focus for this project is to ensure packages will not be stolen.● General Specifications

○ Dry, room-temperature indoor operation■ Because this device is a prototype, the group anticipates that it will operate

indoors.○ Supports a standard size packages up to 12” x 9” x 6”○ Notifies user when package is delivered

■ The device will send a message to the user for every package delivered.○ Keeps package safe

■ Our prototype will implement a locking mechanism.● Technical Specifications

○ Powered by AC wall outlet■ Using an AC wall outlet will constantly power our device rather than relying on

batteries that may fail after a few weeks or even days.○ Communicates through Wifi to notify the user

■ We predict that Wifi is the most available type of communication and is the best way to notify the user that a package has arrived.

○ Uses a microcontroller■ Our device will be controlled using a microcontroller that will utilize sensors and

modules to receive and send data to the owner.

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Use CasesThis section describes how our device will be used including example scenarios, possible issues, and solutions to those issues (see Table 1 and 2).

Use Case 1: Detecting the presence of one package in the boxTable 1. Use Case 1

Goals and Scenario Possible Issues Solutions to possible issues Goal: Notify the user when one package is put in the box. Scenario: -Delivery person opens the lockbox. -Delivery person drops the package in the lockbox. -Package is detected by the lockbox. -Notification is sent to the owner of the lockbox.

-Package not detected because it's too small.

-Use different sensors to detect the small packages

-Notification is not sent to the owner.

-Check the phone service of the place or use WiFi. -Use other means of communication like email.

Use Case 2: Detecting the presence of two packages dropped in the box at different times.Table 2. Use Case 2

Goals and Scenario

Possible Issues

Solutions to possible issues

Goal: Send a second notification to the user. Scenario: -Delivery person opens the box. -Delivery person drops the 1st

package into the box. -First package is detected. -Notification is sent to owner of the box. -The delivery person closes the box and leaves. -Another delivery person opens the box. -He drops into the box the second package -2nd package detected. -2nd notification is sent to the owner of the box.

-Second package not detected. -Only one notification is sent.

-Use a sensor to detect when the door is open.

-Power goes down. -Use the house power outlet instead of using batteries or solar panels

User InterfaceThis section describes how the user interacts with our device.

● Delivery person drops package through the top door.● Owner receives a notification on their phone.● Owner retrieves their package by unlocking the bottom door.

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Figure 2. User Interface Diagram

When a delivery person drops a package into the box, he or she will open a door similar to a standard mailbox and drop the package in. The owner will then receive a notification on their phone through standard email or text with a message that their package has been delivered. A door on the bottom of the device will unlock using a key. The user then locks the door and the process can repeat.

Development ProcessThis section will describe the development of our design project (see Figure 3 and Table 3).

● Research○ Gather all data about different components of device such as the following:

■ Microcontroller■ Sensors and Modules■ Code for microcontroller■ Physical aspects of the box

● Design○ Lockbox will be analogous to public mailboxes○ Circuit Design

■ Create a schematic of the circuit I/Os along with sensors and modules.○ Program Design

■ Create a model of the program.■ Write program.

● Testing○ The prototype will be tested using lab equipment to ensure that device functions properly

at all stages of development to ensure all components function properly.

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● Construction○ The physical lockbox prototype will be made with the help of the University of Portland

Shiley lab technicians.○ The prototype will be constructed and wired by the design team and with the help of the

faculty advisor or lab technicians in Shiley’s labs.● Debugging

○ Reevaluate device circuit design and ensure that all components are connected properly. ● Possible enhancements

○ Allow the owner to unlock/lock the lockbox remotely from a smart device. ○ Battery/solar powered device with auto sleep mode.

● Streamlining device○ Ensure the physical aspects of the lockbox prototype is neat and functions properly.○ Ensure all wires of the device are connected properly and neatly.

The initial steps to the project's development will be research and part procurement. The team will decide on the right components to ensure each piece is compatible, functional and fits within our budget. Before a purchase of any components, the group will ask if the school has any extra components for testing. When the team decides on what components to purchase, testing will begin.

Figure 3. Development Process Diagram

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This design project involves different roles. The team will be composed of two parts: circuit layout and programming. Initially the circuit layout team will set up the device in a temporary setup to test each component. The programming team will write a test program to ensure each component works properly as well as check sensors are reading and are able to send a message. Once the internal electronics are working properly, completion of the physical box will be the next objective.

The team will design a box and submit it to the Shiley machine shop to be fabricated. On completion of the box, the electronic components will be connected inside. The group will run test programs from before to ensure each component is properly communicating with each other. Then several tests will be conducted to ensure a package is detected and a message is sent to the owner. Once the basic functionality of the device is working, the team can move on to streamlining and enhancing the project in power management, an electronic lock, or a phone application.

Table 3. Development Process Outline

Activity Action

Research -Team will look up device components. -Ensure component compatibility.-Ensure components fit within the project budget.

Design -Draw a general block diagram.-Draw a circuit diagram for the electronic components-Draw a box and door mechanism.-Figure out the layout of where the electronic components will fit inside the box.

Construction -Wire the sensors to the Arduino-Attach wireless communication device.-Write program to receive sensor data.-Write program to send a message. -Creating of box-Set up electronics into the box.

Testing -Ensure each component receives sufficient power.-Ensure device is wired properly.-Ensure sensor is sending data to Arduino.-Ensure a message is sent to the user.

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MilestonesThis section describes major and minor milestones for the design project. Table 4 provides deadlines, descriptions, and indications of success/failure.

Table 4. Milestones and Deadlines

Milestone Title Deadline Description Indication of success/failure

Minor or Major?

Assigning tasks to team members

Weekly Assign tasks to each team member

Check progress of team members

Minor

Functional Specification Document V0.9

19 Sept 2017 Finish Functional Specification Document v0.9

Submit completed Document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

Launch of website 28 Sept 2017 Project website will help us to collaborate easily and to communicate the progress of our project to our advisor

Website Launched Major

Functional Specification Document v0.95

29 Sept 2017 Edit the 1st draft of the functional specification document

Submit revised Document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

Have a list of all the needed components

29 Sept 2017 Have a list of all the components for our device

List of components completed

Minor

Design of box 2 Oct 2017 Finish design of the box

Design of box completed

Major

Purchase all the parts.

8 Oct 2017 Order all the parts needed for the project and test them

All the ordered parts are tested and they work

Major

Functional Specification Document v1.0

9 Oct 2017 Improve the 2nd draft of functional specification Documents

Submit final Document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

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Design Document v0.9

3 Nov 2017 Finish Design Document v0.9

Submit completed document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

Design Document v0.95

10 Nov 2017 Finish the Design Document v0.95

Submit revised document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

Design Document v1.0

1 Dec 2017 Finish the Design Document v1.0

Submit final document to Dr. Hoffbeck

Major

Final Budget 11 Oct 2017 Get all the costs related to components needed and other project costs to be submitted to the EE/CS faculty.

Submit budget to EE/CS faculty

Major

Microcontroller programming

26 Jan 2018 Program the microcontroller that will be responsible for controlling all other parts of the project.

The code works. Major

Box construction 2 Feb 2018 Assemble the circuit to allow the first test.

All parts work when connected in an actual circuit.

Major

Testing and Debugging

6 March 2018 Test and debug the product to make sure it works properly.

The product detects a package and sends a notification to the owner.

Major

Final Report v0.9 9 March 2018 Finish the Final Report first draft.

Submit the final report to Dr. Hoffbeck.

Major

Final Report v0.95 30 March 2018 Edit the first draft. Submit the revised Final report to Dr. Hoffbeck.

Major

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Founder's Day 10 April 2018 Prepare for the presentation of our project.

Present at the Founder's day.

Major

Final Report v1.0 20 April 2018 Finish the Final report

Final report is submitted to Dr. Hoffbeck.

Major

Preliminary BudgetThis section goes over our estimated cost of our project. We will purchase our components online (seeTable 5).

Material Description # of parts CostMicrocontroller 1 $50

Wireless Modules 1 $50Sensors 3 $35Lock 1 $40Physical Box 1 $75

AC Power Supply 1 $30Other components Varies $100 Total $380

Table 5. Preliminary Budget

FacilitiesThis section describes what facilities will be used in developing our design prototype.

● University of Portland’s Shiley School of Engineering Labs and shops○ Shiley Lab 306 – Electronics lab for circuit construction and testing as well as soldering

if needed.○ Shiley Lab 208 - Computer lab for programming microcontroller and software use ○ Shiley Machine Shop – Workshop for building the lockbox

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Technical Assistance:This section lays out how much technician assistance required for design project.

● Physical lockbox○ The team will be coordinating with the Shiley School of Engineering Lab technicians in

building the physical lockbox that houses the electronics. ● Circuit design, build, test, and debugging

○ The group plans to seek assistance if needed from their faculty advisor as well as the university's electrical engineering professors and lab technicians for an optimal circuit design.

RisksThis section details the anticipated risks and gives the likelihood and severity of each risk (see Table 6).

Risk Likelihood SeverityOverheating Electronics Low ModerateInsufficient Power for Device Low HighLoss of Signal Moderate LowUnable to Detect Package Moderate Moderate

Table 6. RisksOverheating Electronics

Due to the lack of ventilation or fans like in a desktop computer, the electronic parts inside the lockbox could be prone to overheating over longer running times. However, the temperature rating for the microcontroller and peripherals are high enough that prolonged use indoors and at room temperature should not be a problem. If the electronics do overheat, they could be damaged in minor or major ways that could produce false sensor results or device failure. Testing the device over long periods of time will be necessary to ensure that the device doesn't overheat.

Insufficient Power for DeviceThe lockbox is powered through a standard electrical outlet that should ensure that the electrical components of the lockbox be powered at all times. However, there will always be the case of power outages or the lockbox being unplugged, so it is necessary to design the circuit to ensure that a sudden loss of power does not cause damage or disrupt the circuit in a way that it cannot function when power is restored.

Loss of SignalIn order for the lockbox to send a message to the user, it must have access to a wireless network. This can pose a problem as many wireless networks can be unreliable if not properly installed. Therefore the circuit has to have the capability to reacquire a lost signal to ensure that losing the signal once does not mean the signal is lost forever.

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ConstraintsThis section describes in detail how our device prototype might impact different individuals, organizations, and society both locally and globally for each constraint.

● Technical The prototype lockbox uses technologies that require basic knowledge in programming

microcontrollers and their various peripherals in order to produce the lockbox but not to use. The user interface does require a smart phone that can receive text messages and use applications downloaded from the app store. The lockbox also requires an active wireless network to connect to in order to send any messages.

● Economic The prototype lockbox will enable consumers to prevent financial loss when receiving

packages delivered to the lockbox. The non-electronic, physical lockbox has many similar products on the market that could potentially utilize the prototype lockbox to integrate or create a similar system for a low cost. The microcontroller and peripherals used are less expansive when purchased in bulk.

● Environmental The prototype lockbox's non-electrical parts could be created using a various number of

environmentally friendly metals to reduce environmental impact during production. The electrical power used by this device does contribute to the total electrical usage of a household.

● Social This prototype product would help reduce petty theft by reducing the chance of package

theft in areas that have problems with stolen packages.● Professional

The prototype lockbox will need to be able to maintain a professional appearance in order to work efficiently as a theft deterrent. A poorly designed or easily degraded appearance would not convey the message of safety well to the consumer.

● Ethical The protection of a person's property is the purpose of the prototype lockbox, so there are

no ethical issues with the lockbox and its components. The materials used to create the lockbox should be created ethically and within all laws and standards of their various industries.

● Legal The materials used in the manufacturing of the prototype lockbox would have to be

within regulation of the US government and the wireless aspect of the lockbox would have to satisfy FCC regulations. This prototype is not intended to be marketed to consumers and is to be used as a proof-of-concept.

● Health and Safety Due to the simple design of the physical aspects of the lockbox, there is no great risk for

potential injuries. With the electrical components separated from the package holding area within the lockbox to prevent physical contact with the electronics, risk of electric shock is minimal. The risk of fire in the electronics is minimal due to the use of high quality electronics and the electronics separation from any flammable material.

● Security

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The prototype lockbox will be created out of fiberglass to conserve production costs, but the consumer version would be created out of a durable metal, such as steel, to prevent the box being broken into. The door to the lockbox would have a lock that requires a key to open and the drop off slit should be designed to prevent packages from coming out of the box.

● Manufacturability The prototype lockbox’s non-electrical aspects have similar products already in market

and should be able to utilize a similar electronic aspect with a small addition to the price of the product.

● Sustainability The prototype lockbox could be manufactured to be more sustainable if the lockbox was

designed to be weatherproof and if the materials used were environmentally friendly. However, this is non-applicable for a senior design project as the cost in money and time would be too great.

● Standards This device should be within product standards for the US and other marketable countries

to ensure it is not banned for including certain hazardous substances found in electrical and electronic equipment.

● Codes Due to the lockbox being designed to be anchored to the siding of a house, it is

recommended that users place the lockbox on their own property. Users should also check the integrity and viability of the wall to be an anchor for the lockbox.

Conclusion

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This senior design project's goal is to design and construct a working prototype of a lockbox that notifies the owner when a package is placed inside, preventing the package from being stolen while the owner is gone. This concept came from a University of Portland employee where package theft had become a problem in their neighborhood. The requirements for the prototype lockbox are separated into three categories: client, general and technical requirements. The clients driven requirement is that the lockbox prevent the theft of the package while it is in the lockbox. The general requirements are that the lockbox be meant for use in a dry, room-temperature indoor operation, accept a package of standard size and notify the user when a package is placed inside the box. The technical requirements are that the lockbox utilizes a microcontroller, powered by a standard AC wall outlet, send a message through a WIFI connection to the user.

The Use Cases for the prototype lockbox are where one package is detected and a message must be sent and where multiple packages are detected to have been put in the lockbox and multiple messages are needed to be sent. The User Interface is how someone interacts with the device, and begins with a package being dropped into the lockbox, the user would then receive a notification on their phone, then the owner would retrieve the package by unlocking the door to the lockbox. The development process for the prototype lockbox goes as follows: Research, Design, Construction, Debugging, Possible Enhancements and then Streamlining. While in the development process, testing will be done at all stages to ensure the device and its components function properly.

The milestones for the prototype lockbox outline when a stage of the development process should be completed and when reports and documents are due. The most important milestones are: October 9 th when the final version of the functional specifications document is due, December 1st when the final version of the design document is due, March 9th when the prototype lockbox should be completely functional, April 10th when the prototype lockbox is presented during Founder's Day, and April 20th when the final version of the final report is due. The Budget for the prototype lockbox is presented in Table 5, which lists the price of each component. The facilities needed to create the prototype lockbox are: Shiley Lab 306, Shiley Lab 208 and the Shiley Machine Shop. These facilities are needed to design and test the electrical components of the prototype lockbox, as well as create the lockbox itself. Technical assistance is required from the lab technicians and Shiley engineering professors as needed to ensure that all designs and testing is done at the highest quality.

The risks section goes over the anticipated risks in designing and creating the prototype lockbox, which the main risks are: overheating electronics, insufficient power and loss of signal. These risks are anticipated and the design of the prototype lockbox works to minimize each risk. The constraints dealing with the prototype lockbox describe in detail how the lockbox may impact individuals, organizations and society both locally and globally. These constraints point out the different factors that may be influenced or created by the prototype lockbox in the world around it. These sections make up the functional specifications document for the prototype lockbox and show a general and specific picture of how the device will operate, how it will be used and its limitations.