Teaching Digital Designs by Building Small Autonomous Robotic Vehicles Using an FPGA Platform

摘要

This article discusses the experiences of implementing a new model in teaching and learning digital designs using Verilog in an embedded systems design course. This paper discusses the course structure, laboratory exercises, student projects and project evaluation process, and finally the student evaluation outcomes. Students' course assessment and student learning outcomes were very positive. In many existing digital designs curriculum, students learn how to create structural and behavioral models in Verilog Hardware Description Language (HDL) to design simple combinational and sequential logic, and then use the computer architecture theories as the guidance of system design and development for student projects using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Several textbooks [1] -[4] and papers [8] -[12] discuss those techniques in detail. Different from many existing approaches, our embedded systems course focuses on digital designs of FPGA-based systems with an emphasis on small-scale autonomous vehicles. To facilitate student robotics projects, the course was restructured with a series of FPGA-based laboratory exercises before the students began to build their autonomous vehicles. The goal is to allow the students to learn mechatronics and apply knowledge of FPGAs as they construct autonomous vehicles to sense and react to their surroundings. Artificial intelligence such as leftturn and right-turn algorithms has been implemented by the students to allow their robots to follow a line made of black electrical tape and solve line maze problems. Throughout the semester, students participate in lab exercises and a final project, and must provide documentation of their designs with lab reports. The low cost robot allows each student to have their own robot for a semester, so they can work on assignments, labs, and projects outside the classroom. In addition, the FPGA robot has the capability of adding any sensors and communication system modules that support problem-based learning curriculum. In particular, the FPGA robot can support advanced topics in system-on-chip (SoC), networks-on-the-chip, real-time Bluetooth communication, and Android OS curricula, which encourage students' exploration into FPGAs and robotics in new ways. Finally, the student project reports indicated a great interest in FPGA robots which helped them learn FPGAs and Verilog HDL.