Graphical microcontroller programming

Graphical programming techniques developed in an academic setting enable engineers to quickly iterate their robotic algorithms. In a constrained undergraduate environment mechanical engineering students at West Point are not allotted sufficient time in their curriculum to master text-based programming languages. In studying mechatronics, it is desirable for them to program robots to demonstrate useful behavior, and a method that simplifies the programming is necessary. Graphical programming in lieu of text-based programming was used at the Academy and was shown to reduce the time for the students to learn to program without limiting the functional capability of the programming language. The method uses Simulink with a third-party chip-specific Simulink blockset that allow programmers to automatically generate executable code for inputs, outputs, and internal functions of the microcontroller chip. PIC32 microcontrollers were used. It is shown that it is easier to convey the algorithm in the Simulink implementation than it is to convey the traditional C-language implementation of the same algorithm. It is quicker to develop algorithms using the Simulink-based method. It is found that these benefits outweigh the disadvantages associate with the higher level of programming abstraction. The method is relevant as a software development tool in that it allows an engineer to move quickly from theory to proof-of-concept and into prototyping. The method is scalable to military and industrial applications outside of academia although it is not yet widely used there.