Milestone 4
Milestone 4: Optimization, Delivery, Management
4.1: Optimization
Hardware/Linux
The hardware is updated to fit the mailbox interior. This involves using sticky tac to position the LED light and motion sensor that is connected to the Raspberry Pi. The mount is also stickied to the top of the mailbox via the mounting. The code is able to now take the Label and Text Detection JSON files to send to a phone via SMS. The photo capture and analysis takes about 50 seconds and the delivery of the SMS message to the phone number provided in the code can last 1-2 minutes before delivery.
Fig 1. SMS Message Code
Fig. 2: SMS Function in camera.py code
Enclosure/Environment
Our new testing / demonstration environment is a black plastic mailbox, which has been modified to support our current prototype. A hole has been drilled into the back to allow for power and cables to connect to AutoBox. While our final product would have its own battery pack, requiring no holes to be drilled into our customers' mailboxes, this iteration acts as a proof of concept for such a product
Finally, our enclosure now has an adhesive Velcro strip. This allows it to attach to the top of the mailbox's interior, angling it to view whatever is placed inside. While a label to guide delivery people was considered, we could not find a proper place to put it for this iteration. This is primarily due to the placement of the device, which is near the back of the mailbox due to our drilling position.
4.2: Delivery
The mailbox door does not affect the capture. The mailbox will have a light that is triggered when necessary to assist capture in low light scenarios.
4.3: Management
The project was on budget and on schedule. There were moments during the week where the team would hit a roadblock. The team would do the best to research and debug ways around the roadblock. Sometimes, if the team was unable to complete the roadblock that day, trying again the next day with a fresh mind ended up resolving the hurdle. Most of the setbacks the team experienced were minor and were not conducive to a delay in product delivery.
Each task was properly completed in effort and in time. Any requirements that had to be changed due to workarounds were integrated into the Gantt Chart. With these changes, the project still remained on schedule. There were no team conflicts during the design, build, and testing phase.