Kettering University

The purpose of this thesis was to automate data entry procedures for both the data entry and purchasing departments for ADCO Circuits. In doing so, the goal of the project was to increase process efficiency. The goal was accomplished by creating two automation tools for both respective departments. One of the tools involved the bill of materials that is received from a customer and automating the process that is typically done manually by data entry operators. The second tool involves the purchasing department which adjusts the cost of each part that comes from the bill of material. Both tools were programmed in Epicor Service Connect, which uses the programming language of XML and XML schemas. The thesis covers the research, design, and implementation of the entire project and the final result that was achieved.

With Windows XP in its end of life stage, Kettering University needs to move foward to a new OS to better satisfy its ever changing business needs. Windows Vista presents itself as a more secure, fuller featured version of Windows to replace the aging XP OS. However, the deployment model for Vista nd completely different from XP�fs deployment model. It requires a much more intimate knowledge of the setup process. This thesis deals with the creation of a process to deploy Windows Vista computers to Kettering University in a timely and efficient manner, preserving as much commonality with the old process used to deploy Windows XP.

Most industrial networks are relatively simple, however Ethernet is extremely complex by comparison. Besides the routine difficulties of converting from another industrial network to Ethernet, there are added complexities due to the major differences between Ethernet and other industrial networks. This thesis addresses some of these issues by testing, documenting, and making recommendations for some notable issues that have been raised by customers. In addition, throughout the completion of this thesis, additional performance and safety concerns were raised due to unsatisfactory results in some of the tests. Some of the aforementioned issues relate to the unorthodox multicast implementation which has an unusually high cross-over rate compared to standard multicast implementations. This high cross-over causes some devices to drop off of the network due to the inability to process the packets as fast as they arrive (the real issue being that they should not have to process them at all since the cross-over packets are not wanted by the processor in question and are just discarded). The second major issue combated by this thesis is the extreme lack of detailed documentation regarding the Ethernet performance and behavior of the PanelView Plus line of Human Machine Interfaces. A number of different aspects of the Ethernet performance of the PanelView Plus was investigated including scalability and impact factors. Overall, this thesis should empower customers of McNaughton-McKay Electric Company to design and build systems which are more stable and more efficient, engineers at McNaughton-McKay to more effectively support customers who are experiencing issues related to the Ethernet performance of these devices, and Rockwell product engineers to create safer and more reliable devices for use by their distributors and customers. The guidelines and recommendations contained herein speak to the betterment of said products for the benefit of all parties involved: the manufacturer (Rockwell Automation), the distributor (McNaughton-McKay), and the various end users.

It is the company's wished to implement a server to improve security, performance, and networking capabilities. The company's current central unit lacks ability to secure shared server files from unauthorized users and allow more than ten concurrent connections to it at a time. This thesis explains the research and implementation of a server that is able to meet requirements of the company. The author has researched and implemented the server to improve security, performance and networking capabilities.

Measurement systems analysis is an important aspect of systems process control. Performing these measurements with a software based solution allows analysts to reliably and efficiently measure the properties of a measuring system. This thesis is intended to document and explore the development procedure of a new measurement systems analysis application based off previously developed software.

Omron Automotive Electronics is looking to expand its business offerings while filling a major request from its current customers. It plans to facilitate this by creating a bidirectional communication keyless entry system prototype that will allow the end user to confirm that his keyless entry actions have been received by the vehicle. The function of this thesis is to provide a proof of concept keyfob that can be used as a reference for future design work.

This Thesis addresses two major problems. First, the current IVR at Frankenmuth Insurance is reaching end-of-life status. This means the system will soon be unsupported. Also, the current IVR does not integrate well with the Cisco VoIP infrastructure at Frankenmuth Insurance. This limits the functionality available to be implemented in the IVR. The new IVR system must include at least the same functionality of the current IVR and must integrate well with the company?s VoIP network. In order to solve these problems, the author will research two different solutions, an Intervoice IVR solution and a Cisco Solution. Based on this initial research and input from stakeholders in the project, the author will choose the most promising solution and build a mock-up of the current IVR in order to give a demonstration of its functionality. Through research, the author determined that the Cisco solution looked more promising. The author built a mock-up of the Cisco solution for all of the applications in the current IVR (Billing, Claims switchboard, and outbound calling). The Cisco solution met the needs for the Billing application and even added extra functionality, such as the ability to pop information to an agents screen while the call is still ringing to their phone. With the Cisco solution, the author also easily implemented the claims switchboard. This switchboard could lookup claim numbers based on claim number or phone number. It also used caller ID to lookup the number a call was originated from. The Cisco solution fell short on the outbound calls. The current IVR is able to detect when an answering machine picks up a call, and can wait to play the recorded message. The Cisco solution is able to make outbound calls, but cannot detect answering machines. From this research, the author concludes that the Cisco solution is the best choice for Frankenmuth Insurance. It is able to replace the functionality of the Billing and Claims switchboard applications and add new useful functionality as well. For the outbound application, the author suggests that Frankenmuth Insurance lowers the maintenance for the current Edify system to two ports and uses that strictly for outbound needs.

The project chosen for this thesis was to develop and implement a database for organizing computer software license information. This is an important topic because of the potential financial and legal issues which could arise from not having a method for tracking this information. Since the software licenses are costly, and there was potential to save Behr money with this project, it was agreed that it was a viable thesis project. Research was done to find a system which would allow us to keep track of this information. The original plan was to design and implement a system, but due to time constraints the project was limited to implementation only. The thesis presents the methodology used in the implementation, as well as an explanation of how the system itself works.

To define requirements for, and simulate the performance of, a software application that automatically collects data from smart utility meters installed in multi-residential buildings. The application will use peer-to-peer data acquisition techniques in order to provide high reliability, scalability, availability, data throughput, and failover protection when collecting meter readings from smart utility meters. The system will leverage these benefits of peer-to-peer data acquisition in order to meet the smart meter reading requirements set by the province of Ontario's "smart metering initiative." By defining the requirements and simulating the performance of this system, the objective of proving whether peer-to-peer data acquisition techniques can be applied for use in automated smart utility meter reading, will be met.

This thesis examines the steps necessary to design and implement an data collection system in Microsoft Excel by implementing the Visual Basic code, which gathers and stores data from Allen Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers. This data gathering and transferring occurs over a corporately controlled Microsoft Network. This thesis deals with questions such as file architecture, scheduling frequency, scheduling methods, and overall design.

To date, transmission control devices have been directly coupled to specific supplier electronic control hardware and more specifically, to a given transmission electronic control unit (TCU). The performance of each type of electro-hydraulic devices (hardware) is dependent on the specific TCU. This dependence restricts or inhibits the ability to change or evaluate new control devices, because a new and different TCU is needed each time a different piece of hardware is to be examined. The goal of this thesis is to have one process (consisting of software and controllers) that can properly control various devices in a variety of ways, independent of supplier TCU software and calibrations.

The current procedure to test the redundancy feature in GE Fanuc Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) is unorganized, inefficient, and time consuming. The process requires a test engineer to manually apply the 77 different test conditions and verify proper functionality. The test is run at least twice a year for each new firmware release, and requires 24 work hours from a Product Acceptance engineer. In an effort to improve efficiency the Configurable Redundant IP test will be automated.

Kendall Electric relies on the data center for daily operations. If the data center were to be destroyed, Kendall would suffer serious business losses. Ultimately, if the IT infrastructure is not restored, or not restored soon enough, Kendall may take unrecoverable business losses. In order to help prevent this, Kendall should invest in the hardware required to recover critical systems in the event of a disaster, and use it to set up a warm site recovery center in Battle Creek.

Inaccurate timesheets have always been a troublesome issue plaguing Backbone. Many times, if an employee does not have the time or the means to fill out their time sheet as the work is completed, they attempt to complete the time sheet when time permits. This can result in errors and/or omissions in their time sheet entries. Because of this, there is a need to create a solution that would assist employees in quickly submitting their time sheet information regardless of location, as the work is completed. This would help eliminate possible errors and omissions from affecting Backbone and its customers. Second, it takes a large amount of time for Backbone to invoice their customers as all invoices must be sorted and calculated by hand. The ability to quickly and accurately create customer reports would create a more efficient system, and lowering business overhead.

An incremental message and task scheduling approach based on a time driven message schedule and priority driven task schedule is proposed. The message and task scheduling methodology meets realtime constraints. The message scheduler system is supported by FlexCAN and the task scheduler system is supported by the AUTOSAR OS. An example application is used to illustrate the methodology.

The Environmental Data Exchange (enDx), a web application used by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), is used by the regulated community to submit permit applications and file inspection reports. In 2004, the contract with the Atlanta consulting firm that wrote enDx was allowed to expire. The expiration of the contract allowed the source code of enDx to be maintained by MDEQ. Recently, new functionality was requested in enDx to handle waste tire permitting. Before adding the new functionality, enDx had to be properly documented and brought up to internal code standards. This thesis details the steps of bringing enDx up to current code standards.

A prototype for an access control device which is capable of being implemented on current and future feeder systems was designed in order to prevent a floor operator from accidentally filling a feeder with the wrong type of fastener, which could lead to downtime. The prototype system meets all of the requirements outlined below: i. The system contains a feeder lock controller which governs access to a feeder door ii. The system contains a method for configuring the feeder lock device via PC software iii. The system contains a method for configuring the feeder lock device via barcode flashcards

Purpose The PROCON Engineering Department?s current process for handling R&D Lab Tests is as follows: ? Test Request Form is submitted ? Test is run ? Results are put in a spreadsheet and stored on a local server Everything is archived. However, the archiving is very loose, and a lot of potentially useful information is lost in the process. LabWorx is an effort to solidify this process into a more effective testing system. What is LabWorx? LabWorx is a software application designed to automate the R&D Lab testing process. It allows the user to create, track, and archive tests. The user inputs the proper test request information. This is sent to the R&D Lab, where the Lab Technician runs the test. Through LabWorx, the user can check on the test?s progress while it is being run. Once the test is done, the Lab Technician submits the application, his or her findings, and any additional notes or comments. LabWorx then archives the test, notifies the user of the test?s completion, and creates all necessary forms for properly documenting the test. Summary This software application is designed to automate the R&D Lab testing process. It allows the user to create, track, and archive tests. The purpose of this application is to solidify the R&D Lab testing process into a more effective testing system.

Wireless technology may provide viable solutions for error proofing applications for Superior Controls. This thesis first explains the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the research. It then goes over wireless communication protocols with respect to potential interference that could occur between wireless devices. Next, it lists potential applications and wireless products that may be useful for error proofing. A few sample products are then used to test the conclusions that are drawn about interference. Next, a few potential designs are discussed with estimates of power usage of these designs and the pros and cons associated with each. Finally, a proof of concept of the part pick design is implemented in order to verify the feasibility of all the designs in general.

This thesis discusses the implementation of the timer driver and CAN driver that the author created using Microchip Technology's dsPIC30F6014 microcontroller. Detailed descriptions of Microchip's timer and CAN hardware architecture is inclued. Driver descriptions and setup instructions are included for both drivers. Several test cases, including the Padova Lift Truck application, are executed and results of the functionality of the timer and CAN drivers are recorded.

The purpose of this thesis is to design and develop a system that enables project managers to publish pertinent information about their projects in a quick and easy way. Also, this system is to allow the access of that information in an easily navigable format, by any interested party, while at the same time providing the opportunity for collaboration on the presented information. The results of this thesis shall serve as a building block for future development and expansion in this area.

This thesis presents the results of adding a continuity test feature and an automatic park position feature to an existing end-of-line test stand. The continuity check involves sending four separate signals to a wire harness and then monitoring the return signals to ensure the devices being tested are properly connected. The automatic park feature is designed to raise the lift plate to the required park position after the window regulator test is complete. This function automates a previously user-operated procedure, making it faster and more reliable. The thesis describes the processes of designing, implementing, and testing these features. The selection and installation of additional hardware is explained. The main focus of the project, however, is on altering the LabVIEW software to perform the new features. The modifications and additions to the current state machine architecture are covered in detail.

Every year the Bahamas is faced with the threat of hurricanes. As a result of these hurricanes, Grand Bahama Power Co. has the huge job of damage recovery and assessment to deal with. GIS has emerged as a very useful tool during the reconstruction. However, due to the amount of external crews assisting sufficient updates were not being made to the GIS database. This thesis seeks to develop a GIS Data Verification Project, to bring back the level of accuracy that made the GIS so useful for hurricane recovery as well as day to day activities for planning and engineering staff.

The aim of this thesis is to design, develop, and implement an automated testing method for system generated reports presented in a PDF format, and present the results of these tests in an efficient manner to aid in problem resolution. The testing involves comparison against a stored baseline report to check for any changes occurring in content or format that occurred.

A custom Generic Reusable Core (GRC) hardware platform has been created for use in multiple embedded system projects. This platform contains the Atmel AT91RM9200 microprocessor, SDRAM and FLASH memories, and numerous communication interface devices. Applications built on the open-source eCos Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) must be able to run on the new hardware. A similar commercially available development system exists for which an eCos port is available. This thesis describes the process of porting the eCos RTOS from the commercially available development system to the new one by briefly introducing eCos, describing the porting procedures, and explaining how to use eCos' toolset to test the new port of the RTOS.

This thesis describes the automation of the ASM website hosted at the University of Michigan. Automation consisted of updating the site structure and creating tools for adding new paper summaries and subjects to the site. These tools allow the maintainer to supply all relevant information regarding an update on a single web form instead of manually updating multiple index files for each new paper added to the site. The thesis also includes all fully-documented source code used to create the updaters along with miscellaneous scripts used during the development of the updater. Additionally, a user's manual is included.

Mobile robotics is a relatively new and fast growing field of research. This is largely because mobile robots can perform jobs that are just too dangerous or unpleasant for humans to do. From scouting enemy positions during combat, to researching life on the ocean floor, there are vast possibilities for this specialized domain. Map building and navigation are two of the most important topics in mobile robotics research. This thesis is centered on mapping and motion planning with a Pioneer 2DX8 mobile robot. The purpose of this project is not to necessarily further the field of robotics as a whole, but to duplicate and enhance what others have done in the fields of mapping and navigation. This will be achieved by utilizing established algorithms and techniques.

This document serves as a record of the thought process and actions taken to improve the photometric testing procedure at SoundOff Signal. The test procedure is thoroughly explained and relevant information leading to the resolution is subquent.

The current PIM3 system is lagging behind the customer's needs. Past successes have increased the use and requirements placed on the system by the customer. Designing a next-generation PIM architecture can mitigate the PIM3's deficiencies and give the end-user greatly enhanced computational ability. Specifically, a latch-based, 3R/4W register file would allow additional PEs to be placed on a single die thus increasing computational density and satisfying the customer's computing requirements.

Department 1726 of Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) conducts failure analysis of semiconductor devices and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) parts in various electronic devices. Device dimensions are often in millimeters, while device features are in microns. Since the microscope must operate at a high resolution in order to capture the device features, it can only capture a small portion of the device. In order to image the entire device multiple pictures must be taken and stitched together. Currently, operators perform this function manually. This procedure is time consuming and manpower intensive which reduces the time available to conduct high level failure analysis. This thesis investigated solutions to this problem. The result was a custom system developed for image capture automation and a commercial solution, ImageAssembler 3, deployed for stitching the captured images together.

Magnetic anomalies caused by buildings, bridges, or vehicles can jeopardize compass accuracy on Magna Donnelly rearview mirrors. To ensure compass accuracy, these anomalies need to be recorded and subsequently studied on a three-axis Helmholtz. A software application in conjunction with a magnetometer is required to record these anomalies. Once these anomalies are properly recorded and studied, further compass algorithm can be developed to ensuring accurate compass headings.

There is a need for JPS to provide its own facility for customer monetary transactions that is accessible at any point in time. The proposed online payment system provides a secure, web-service based, in-house developed payment system that realizes real-time recording of transacitons and is accessible interminably to JPS clients. If implemented, it creates a channel through which JPS can more effectively conduct payment transactions with its customers.

This thesis details the creation and deployment of a configurable software library and an application that makes use of the library. The library breaks the process of transmitting data, for the purpose of centralizing it, into four distinct steps. The data is selected for transport, compressed, encrypted, and transported. The software library allows programmers great flexability in using the current functionality and in adding their own improvements in the future. Each phase of processing is modular and through the use of interfaces and abstract constructors, new modules can be used from old software using the library. This system is used by UPS to centralize the dimensional information of roughly 12 million packages per day spread over 57 sites nationally.

The Thesis Differential Global Positioning System brings an understanding of the Omnistar/Novatel DGPS package. A full understanding of the system was aquired by communicating with representatives from both companies and research on other existing DGPS pacakages. Testing was done to test the reliability and accuracy of the system. The data collected from testing was processed and checked on these two conditions: reliability and accuracy. The System proved to not be useful enough for the company to use and futher testing was terminated.

Open source components and some custom code come together to create an instant message solution for Kettering University that avoids these proprietary networks. This same solution places the university on the global, standards-based jabber (XMPP) network, and provides for the security and features needed by an academic institution or an enterprise environment. GNU Free Documentation License

Rosemount Nuclear Instruments, Inc. (RNII) is a division of Emerson Electric. The company manufactures safety related pressure transmitters and control systems for use in nuclear facilities. The pressure transmitters are assembled through a lengthy manual process. Current methods of assembly depend heavily on human understanding of procedures and manual selection of materials for use in the final assembly of transmitters. This method of assembly requires significant overhead and maintenance to maintain and the procedures were not typically understood by the instrument builders. There is also an increased potential for incorrect material selection due to the complexity of the procedures. This thesis outlines the process of automating the manufacturing process using software designed and testing on similar production lines in the Rosemount Measurement Division (RMD) of Emerson Process Management.

The goal of the thesis was to design and put into production a custom asset management system. The system would handle requests for computers, track all computers, track service history of computers, and generate useful reports to management.

Mobile employees that use several phone systems and move in and out of the office several times a day often have trouble keeping up with the different avenues of communication. Chasing down voicemail messages and missing calls can cause a breakdown in communication and a loss of productivity. This thesis evaluated several possible solutions to this problem. To implement a unified contact system, a hardware upgrade to the existing PBX, a hosted PBX, and an Asterisk-based server were considered. The Asterisk-based server solution seemed to be the optimal solution, providing seamless integration with the current phone system. This solution was also scaleable, and cost effective. The find-me / follow-me feature, which forwards calls to multiple phones, will improve communication, productivity, and allow for future expansion with the possibility of using voice over IP (VoIP).

The creation of a combined diagnostic interface through dialog with CTC's flash programmers and Chrysler's release engineers resulted in the creation of flashing programs that work successfully with the 2006 Jeep Liberty production vehicles.

Kettering University's distance learning program distributes classes over the Internet, on CD-ROMs and on DVDs. To make viewing videos easier for students, this thesis looks at encoding videos in MPEG-1 format for distribution over the Internet and CD-ROM. In addition, improvements to the tools video technicians use to create these videos are explored. Finally, future improvements, such as distribution using Adobe Flash, are discussed.

This thesis presents a robot motion planning algorithm which can navigate a Crawler robot to conduct aircraft rivet inspection. This algorithm successfully navigates the robot to all rivets while satisfying the navigation requirements of the robot.

Shift control is difficult to regulate due to variability in the timing of control elements. This thesis was written to reslove this issue by simplifying the control method to a couple of metrics that will be altered in a Design of Engineering test. The metrics will be plotted out in a grid that will theoretically allow for good shift quadrants given various conditions. The results will either prove or disprove the theoretical method of optimizing shift quality by changing the clutch capacities (force applied to the clutches) of just the intermediate and overdrive clutches.

A previous Kettering thesis project created a simple software component verification utility modeled after Microsoft's MDAC Component Checker. This thesis takes the original utility and identifies and implements a number of improvements with the aim of releasing the upgraded utility as a technical support tool. Enhancements include multiple product support and product auto-detection, evaluation saving and loading, and an additional utility for creating the component databases.

The Genesee County Road Commission has been doing Purchase Requisition in paper and pen format to do the necessary purchases for some time. For the agency, this method of purchasing process is very inefficient in terms of time and cost due to physical paper transfer, and there is always a possibility for a person to make a mistake due to bad handwriting or incomplete information. The old method of purchasing also has problems with redundant data entry during a purchasing process. A new Intranet based GCRC Purchase Requisition System was developed and brought online and is under testing phase. This new Purchase Requisition System is proving to be a beneficial to the agency because access link to forms can now be transferred between employees in an instant with the GCRC email system. Also old purchase forms can be stored in an organized manner in electronic form in the central database and can easily be searched and extracted using system features. The system is performing well and as expected and some of the employee who does purchasing has seen the prototype system and were satisfied. After the Purchase Requisition process is complete, there is a Purchase Order process that comes afterwards and the electronic module for this phase is currently under development by Precision Computer Solutions, Inc. In the future, the developer recommends connecting the GCRC Requisition database and the Purchasing Purchase Order database or at least find a way to transfer data to the Purchase Order database from the Purchase Requisition database.