Control Unit of a Docking Station for Light Electric

Vehicles
Bogdan NAUM, Iulian IACOB, Liviu KREINDLER, Aurelian SARCA
Abstract
In the context of growing interest and importance for the development of modern and efficient solutions using
electric vehicles, the concept of bike and car sharing is getting more interest. The management of such a
docking station implies several functional aspects as: user-friendly, secure access management of vehicles;
lock/unlock by authorized users; self-diagnosis and defect/failure detection mechanisms; remote control and
supervision via Ethernet. The paper presents the structure, basic architecture and functionality of such a
docking station, based on a 16-bit ARM-core microcontroller.
Keywords: docking station, electric, vehicles, bike, control unit, Stellaris, Ethernet

1. Introduction
In the context of growing interest and
importance for the development of modern
and efficient solutions using electric vehicles,
the concept of bike and car sharing is getting
more and more interest.
The management of such a docking
station implies several functional aspects as:
user-friendly, safe and secure access
management of vehicles lock/unlock by
authorized
users;
self-diagnosis
and
defect/failure detection mechanisms; remote
control and supervision via Ethernet or
similar network communication channel.
The paper presents the structure, basic
architecture and functionality of such a
docking station, based on a 16-bit ARM-core
microcontroller. Both hardware and software
architectures are presented, and basic
system functionality and performance are
outlined.
The experimental control unit for the
docking station can control up to four
vehicles, and is easily expandable to higher
numbers.
The user interface was implemented
using a touch screen displayand an Ethernet

Bogdan NAUM. MSc., b_naum@technosoftmotion.com

and Iulian IACOB, MSc., I_iacob@technosoftmotion.com:
Technosoft International, str. Pdureu,nr. 50, Bucureti,
Romnia;
Liviu KREINDLER, Prof., l_kreindler@technosoftmotion.com
and Aurelian SARCA, Prof.: Universitatea Politehnica din
Bucureti, Splaiul Independenei, nr. 313, Bucureti,
Romnia & Technosoft International, str. Pdureu,nr. 50,
Bucureti, Romnia.

connection allows one to remotely get instant

information of station status, users/rented
vehicles, locked vehicles and general
diagnosis status.
2. Materials and Methods
1. Hardware
A) The docking station
The experimental docking station (see
Figure 1) has four docking places and will
allow a user to take away an available
vehicle, or to park a vehicle in an available
place.

Figure 1. The experimental docking station

For each docking place, the following

input and output signals are available:
Inputs
battery is charging,
battery is fully charged,
charger cable is connected,
bike is present,

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

32

Outputs
bike lock status,
2 leds to display status (green and
red).
The control unit is the heart of the system
as it controls all of the docking places. When
designing the control unit, one must consider
the high number of GPIOs needed (7 for
each docking place) and the available
communication interfaces.
The experimental control unit (see
Figure 2) is build around a Stellaris
LM3S9B96 microcontroller witch provides
enough GPIOs and an integrated Ethernet
module. To adapt the signals from/to the
docking places, an adaptation board was
designed and built.

Figure 2. The experimental control panel

B) The main board and the microcontroller

The main board of the experimental
control unit is the Stellaris LM3S9B96
Development Board (see Figure 3).

Figure 3 The Stelaris LM3S9B96 Development Board

Its key features are:

Stellaris LM3S9B96 microcontroller,
USB interface,
Color LCD graphics display with touch
interface,

1 Mb Serial Flash,
Ethernet Interface,
CAN interface,
MicroSD card slot,
access to all IO pins.
The development board based on the
Stellaris LM3S9B96 microcontroller is a 16bit ARM-core microcontroller, which offers a
variety of IO modules.
The key features of the microcontroller
are:
10/100 Ethernet MAC and PHY with
IEEE 1588 PTP hardware support,
two CAN 2.0 A/B controllers,
USB 2.0 OTG/Host/Device,
two 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converters
(ADC) with sixteen analog input
channels and sample rate of 1MSPS,
up to 65 GPIOs, depending on
configuration,
two Watchdog Timers,
Real-Time Clock.
Because of the high number of GPIOs
available, the microcontroller can control up
to 8 docking places without any use of
multiplexing techniques. If multiplexing
techniques are used, the control unit can
control a much bigger number of docking
places.

C) The touch screen display

The experimental control unit features a
TFT Liquid Crystal graphics display with
320 x 240 pixel resolution. The key features
of the LCD module include:
320 RGB 240 dots,
3.5 262 K colors,
wide temperature range,
white LED backlight,
integrated RAM,
resistive touch panel.
Using a LCD with a touch screen instead
of buttons, one makes any future
modifications to the design (like increasing
the number of docking places) very easy.
Essentially, very little modifications are
needed only to the interface board to allow
more docking places.
D) The interface board
An interface board is needed to adapt and
condition all sensor signals from the docking
station. As presented above, each docking
place needs 7 IOs on the microcontroller

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

(4 inputs, 3 outputs), so the experimental

control unit has 28 connections (7 for each of
the 4 docking places).

33

The main role of the interface board is to

filter and isolate the inputs from the
microcontroller pins (Figure 4).

Figure 4. The interface board connections

The LEDs outputs have current limited

resistors already installed and the lock
outputs are controlled by 10A relays for
galvanic isolation from the rest of the circuits.
2. Software
One of the most important tasks for the
control unit is to keep track of time. In the
experimental control unit, this is done by
using a special timer available in the Stellaris
microcontrollers: Systick. This is a simple,
24-bit, decrementing, wrap-on-zero counter
with a flexible control mechanism. By
configuring the Systick to give a 1ms
interrupt, a RTC was simulated. The info
provided by the RTC will allow one to keep
track of the current time and also to
temporize different tasks like Ethernet
timeouts or the blinking of the leds.
A) Internal registers
The status of the docking station is
available in a set of 5 internal registers. Each
docking place is represented by a bit in the
following registers:
1. BTS bike technical status
BTS saves the vehicle technical status of
the vehicles in the docking station. If the

vehicle is bad and can not be used, the

corresponding bit is set and the vehicle will
not be available to users.
2. BCS bike charging status
BCS saves the charging status of the
vehicles in the docking station. A vehicle is
available to users only when fully charged
(the corresponding bit is set).
3. DPS docking place status
DPS saves the docking place status for all
the docking places in the docking station. A
docking place can be used for operations
(give/take a vehicle) only if the docking place
status is OK (the corresponding bit is set).
4. BPS bike is present
BPS saves the vehicle presence status
for all the vehicles in the docking station. The
corresponding bit is set if a vehicle is present
in the docking place.
5. SIN socket is in
SIN saves the status of the charger cable
for each vehicle in the docking station. If he
charger
cable
is
connected,
the
corresponding bit is set.

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

34
B) User interface

The user interface was designed

(Figure 5) around the LCD touch screen,

which is used to display messages and take

user commands by the use of virtual buttons.

Figure 5. Menu Flowchart

As the system starts, the user is

welcomed with a login screen that invites
him to touch the screen (Figure 6).

If a valid username/PIN combination is

inserted, the selection screen is displayed
(Figure 8).

Figure 6. Welcome screen

Once the user does that, the login screen

appears and the user has to input a valid
username and PIN to access the docking
station, through the virtual keyboard of the
unit (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Login screen

Figure 8. Operation selection screen

Here the user can select the desired

operation:
to take a vehicle
to give back a vehicle
to cancel the operation
If the user wants to take a vehicle, he will
be asked to select one (if more than one is
available). This is a step-by-step guided
operation and a few questions will be asked
to complete the operation. If a problem
appears, a warning will appear on the
display (Figure 9).

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

35

This information is also available through

the Ethernet interface, but only for a central
server.
C) The Ethernet connection

Figure 9. Steps/warnings if missing vehicle

If the user wants to return a vehicle, he

will be directed to put it in the first available
docking place. This is also a step-by-step
guided operation and a few qestions and
messages will appear on the display
(Figure 10).

Figure 10. Steps/warnings if unlocked vehicle

For the spot status and diagnosis, a

special screen is available (only for one
super-user account). On this screen, the
following information is available (Fig.11):
date and time,
all inputs and outputs status (the
output status can be changed
manually here),
the Ethernet status link,
the internal registers.

For the remote access, command and

diagnosis, the Ethernet communication was
implemented.
The
Ethernet
interface
supports a minimum implementation of the
ARP, ICMP, DHCP, IP, UDP and TCP
protocols.
The communication with the experimental
control unit is done by using the UDP
protocol. It is important that only messages
from a central server are to be accepted (the
rest of the messages will be ignored).
UDP is a connection-less minimal
message-oriented Transport Layer protocol
that provides no guarantees for message
delivery and retains no state of messages
once sent. To guarantee message delivery,
each sent message will have the last byte
set to 0 and will be acknowledged by
sending the message back with the last byte
set to 1. Sending a whole message back
might be a problem on networks where
bandwidth is limited, but the Ethernet
interface is providing a 100 Mb/s link witch is
more than capable to handle the traffic
generated by the control unit.
There are two types of messages:
commands or status messages.
The status messages are sent by the
control unit to a central server for logging.
Examples of status messages are:
vehicle released,
vehicle received,
operation canceled.
The command messages are sent by a
central server and they are used to set the
internal parameters of the docking station.
Examples of command messages are:
get/set one of the internal registers
(DPS, BTS, BPS, BCS or SIN),
get/set date and time.
change the IP address.
3. Conclusions

Figure 11. The service screen

By
using
a
Stellaris
LM3S9B96
microcontroller and a simple interface board,
an experimental unit was build, dedicated to
the control of a light vehicle docking station.
The unit can control up to 4 docking
places and has a user interface implemented

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

36

with a touch screen LCD.

The configuration, the testing and the
monitoring of the experimental control panel
can be done by using the local LCD via a
special account, or through the Ethernet
interface from a central server.
The unit is a very compact, cost-effective
and flexible solution, open to further
improvements and extended functionalities
of the docking station.
4. Acknowledgment
The unit was produced and financed in
the frame of the project Electrocampus Sistem ecologic de transport individual cu
vehicule electrice usoare, adecvat dezvoltarii
durabile
a
campusului
Universitii
Politehnica din Bucureti.
5. References
[1] Danciu G., V.Racicovschi, L.Kreindler,
Ecological Transportation System Based on
Light
Electric
Vehicles,
ATEE2011,
Bucharest, Romania
[2] Kreindler L., A. Sarca, R.Giuclea, Drive
Systems for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles,
EEA, vol. 58, nr.,3, 2010, pp.43-49.
[3] Iacob I., A.Ignat, L.Kreindler, Improved
Performance Control Schemes for Electric
Vehicles, ATEE 2011, Bucharest, Romania
[4] Proiect Electrocampus Raport stiintific si
tehnic, Proiectare sistem de control panou
si management statie parcare, nov.2011
[5] Stellaris Peripherial Driver Library; retrieved:
Nov. 2011, from http://www.ti.com/tool/swlm3s
[6] Stellaris Graphics Library; retrieved: Nov.
2011, from http://www.ti.com/tool/sw-lm3s
[7] Stellaris Code examples; retrieved: Nov.
2011, from http://www.ti.com/tool/sw-lm3s
[8] Yiu J., The Definitive Guide to the ARM
Cortex-M0, Newnes; March 2011
[9] Hohl W., ARM Assembly Language:
Fundamentals and Techniques. CRC Press;
March 2009
[10] Yiu J., The Definitive Guide to the ARM
Cortex-M3. Newnes; December 2009
[11] Sloss A., D. Symes, C. Wright, ARM System
Developer's Guide. Morgan Kaufmann; 2004
[12] Stellaris LM3S9B96 Microcontroller Data
Sheet (Rev. M); retrieved: January 2012;
from http://www.ti.com/tool/dk-lm3s9b96
[13] Stellaris LM3S9B96 Development Kit User
Manual (Rev. G); retrieved: October 2011;
from http://www.ti.com/tool/dk-lm3s9b96
[14] Stellaris LM3S9B96 Microcontroller Data
Sheet (Rev. M); retrieved: January 2012;

from http://www.ti.com/tool/dk-lm3s9b96
[15] Kitronix LCD Data Sheet; retrieved: October
2011;
from
http://www.ti.com/tool/dklm3s9b96
[16] Stellaris
Code
Examples;
retrieved:
November 2011, from http://www.ti.com/tool
/sw-lm3s
[17] Stellaris Development Board User's Manual
and Schematics; retrieved: January 2012;
from http://www.ti.com/tool/dk-lm3s9b96
[18] Stellaris
LM3S6432
Serial-to-Ethernet
Reference Design Kit User's Manual (Rev.
A);
retrieved:
October
2011;
from
http://www.ti.com/tool/rdk-s2e
[19] Stellaris Flash Programmer, GUI and
command line; retrieved: October 2011; from
http://www.ti.com/tool/dk-lm3s9b96
[20] Ethernet Selection Guide; retrieved: October
2011;
from
http://www.ti.com/tool/dklm3s9b96

6. Biography
Bogdan NAUM was born in Trgu
Crbuneti
(Romania),
on
November 28, 1986.
He graduated the University
Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty
of Electric Engineering in
Bucharest (Romania), in 2009. He received the
Masters degree in electric engineering from the
University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania),
in 2011.
He is working at Technosoft international since
2010. His research interests concern: electric
drives, motion control algorithms and power
electronics.
Iulian IACOB was born in
Bucharest (Romania), on June 20,
1977.
He graduated the University
POLITEHNICA
of
Bucharest,
Faculty of Electrotechnics in
Bucharest (Romania), in 2000.He received the
Masters degree in electric engineering from the
University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania),
in 2001.
He is working at Technosoft International since
2000. His research interests concern: electric
drives, motion control algorithms and power
electronics.
Liviu KREINDLER graduated
from Polytechnic Institute of
Bucharest in 1979, and received a
Ph.D.
degree
in
Electric
Engineering from the same
university in 1986.
He is a full professor at the same university
since 1998, and also director at Technosoft

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

since 1994.Prof. Kreindler is involved in

research and development activities in the field
of digital motor and motion control, mainly using
DSP controllers. His main research areas cover
digital motion control, electric drives, with
special emphasis on advanced control
algorithms, sensorless control and DSP realtime control implementation.
Aurelian SARCA was born in
Bucharest (Romania), on March 6,
1963.
He graduated the University
Politehnica, Faculty of Electric
Engineering in Bucharest
(Romania), in 1987.He received the PhD
degree in electric engineering from the

37

University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania),

in 1998.
He is Associate Professor at the University
Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania) and R & D
Manager at company Technosoft.
His research interests concern: electric drives
and motion control.