Senior Design Project
Sonoma State University Department of Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Mohamed Salem
Client: George Ellison of Sonoma County BeekeepersAssociation
5/3/2024
• Problem Statement, Value Proposition, Existing and Proposed Solution
• System Overview
• Marketing Requirements
• Challenges
• Tests and Results
• Future works
• Supporting courses
The problem we are exploring pertains to hobbyist beekeepers who want to raise healthy and productive colonies.They want to stay informed on the conditions inside their hives without disrupting them.They feel frustrated by the loss of bees and damage due to opening and inspecting the hive.
OurApiaryAssistant helps hobbyist beekeepers who want to stay informed on the internal condition of their hives while reducing bee loss and damage to the hive, enabling beekeepers to perform inspections less frequently.
[ + ] Minimal interaction with bees
[ - ] Difficult to inspect and maintain
[ + ] Non Invasive
[ - ] Semi-permanent
[ - ] Unintuitive data display
[ + ] Solar Power
[ + ] Counts bees in/out
[ - ] Limited to hives with one super
[ - ] Only monitors external temp and humidity
1. System will measure the internal temp, humidity, and audio of the hive
System will wirelessly transmit from the user’s backyard to their home
Compatible with medium as well as deep bee box hives
System will include relay node for transmitting beyond maximum range (50 m)
Data will be accessible from computers and mobile devices
System will be non invasive to the beehive 8. Database will have adequate storage for a year’s worth of data
1. Temperature sensors shall have an accuracy within ± 3℉ when measuring from 55 to 102℉ (measured 24 times per day) [MR1]
2. Audio shall be recorded at 12-bits with 1735 samples per second, to produce a spectrum with a bandwidth of 867 Hz with a resolution of 0.17 Hz (measured 6 times per day) [MR1]
3. The system shall have a transmission range of 50 m without relay [MR2]
4. Hive node average current-draw shall not exceed 50 mAduring a 4 hour cycle [MR3]
5. Device shall be modularly compatible with both medium and deep boxes (supers) of dimensions 19 3/16in (L) x 1in (W) x 6 1/4in (H). [MR 4]
6. Relay Node shall provide an additional 50 m of transmission range for a total range of 100 m[MR 5]
7. User interface shall be a webpage to visualize and query data [MR 5, 6]
8. Battery and transceiver enclosure on hive node shall be IP55 compliant [MR 7]
9. Database must have at least 100 MB of storage to accommodate a year’s worth of data [MR 8]
● Losing our test hive.
● Implementing sensors such that propolis and comb won’t interfere with operation and accuracy.
● Interfacing transceiver and Raspberry Pi.
Objective: Verify that the hive node draws less than 50 mA per 4 hr cycle.
Setup:
Procedure: Current draw was measured using a USB power meter while the module ran through all sample counters.
(1: T/H/A 2: T/H 3: T/H 4: T/H)
Results: Average current over 4hr cycle: Between 13.6 mA and 13.8 mA + 2 µA
Objective: Validate thatTMP35 accuracy is within ± 3℉ of the actual temperature when measuring from 55 to 102℉
Setup:
Sensor tolerance :
± (0.007*rdg+0.003) V
Reference tolerance :
± (0.0005*rdg+0.3) °C
℉ = 184(V) + 30.206
Procedure: Record the voltage output of the sensor in respect to temperature
Results: The accuracy analysis showed that the measured temperature is within ±3 °F of the actual PASS
Objective: Compare FFTs. Ensure that audio is reconstructed properly after transmission.
Setup:
Results: 5% RMSE. PASS
System Test 3 – 1/2
Objective: Verify that metal mesh can protect components from wax and propolis build-up.
Setup:
Procedure: Placed mesh frame in one of our clients very active hive for 8 weeks.
Result: Frame remained uncompromised after being placed in a very active hive for 2 months.
2 months time
Normal frame (1 - 2 months within hive)
Wire mesh frame (2 months within hive)
● Solar charging
Alternative transmission protocol
Wireless pairing
Scalability
Push notifications
● Introduction to Networking (EE 465)
○ Raspberry Pi / Linux
● Internet of Things (EE 470)
● Microprocessors & System Design & Embedded Systems (EE 310)
○ Microcontrollers / IDEs
● Microelectronic Circuits (EE 334)
● Electronics I (EE 230)
● Linear Systems Theory (EE 400)
○ Fast Fourier Transform
