Autonomous Drones

1. Autonomous Drones Group C Dominique Ross Chris Brunson James Sexton Ceceile Vernon- Senior

2. Administrative Introduction • Our goals for this project are for the three robots to work together intelligently to complete a maze faster than an individual robot would be able to. • Not only did we want a cost effective robot we wanted to make the whole process of an autonomous robot solving a maze more efficient and faster.

3. Project Goals • To build 3 robots that work together to navigate a maze • The robots must communicate wirelessly and analyze information intelligently • The robots must use each other’s information to gain information on how to solve the maze • The robots should be able to figure out where and how far the walls are from them and record which routes have been taken to learn the maze • We want it to seem as if each robot can see through the other two robots eyes and as if they were working with one mind

4. Specifications and Requirements • 3 robots that communicate through a wireless connection • The base of the vehicle should be able to rotate 360° • The code should execute immediately and the robots should not pause longer than 10s • Robots should be able to measure their distance from the wall to a degree of error not greater than 4 cm • Robots should be able to store maze information and send it • The robot should be able to identify dead ends in no more than 5s • Each robot should cost less than $150 to construct

5. System Design Diagram

6. Microcontroller Choices

7. Microcontroller – Arduino Duemilnaove • ATMEGA328 • USB Interface • Cross-platform • Open source • 32 KB Flash Memory • Well documented

8. Printed Circuit Board • PCB123 software • $100 student credit from sunstone • Prototyped on the Arduino board • 2 layer design • Using through hole and surface mount techniques

9. Batteries

10. Power Needs

11. Voltage Regulation • All parts can run off of 5 volts DC •  Stepping Down 7.4 volt battery • LM317 regulator-adjustable output with two external resistors

12. H-Bridge • The SN754410 Quad Half H-Bridge • Capable of driving high voltage motors using TTL 5V logic levels • Can drive 4.5V up to 36V at 1A continuous output current

13. Texas Instruments Voltage Regulator Advantages • 3 Terminal Regulator • High Power Dissipation Capability • Output Current up to 1.5 Amps • Internal Short Circuit Current Limiting • Input Voltages up to 40 V

14. Testing • DC Motor/H-Bridge wheels test • Chassis/Locomotion test with wheels turning on axis • Rangefinder test • Bluetooth test

15. Base Vehicle • In deciding the body of the autonomous robot a number of concerns came into play. • The robot needs to be sturdy yet lightweight in order to mount all the additional parts • The robot must be able to turn on a dime and navigate corners in order to travel the maze effectively • The platform of the robot should be a disc like shape

16. Base Vehicle • Frame of vehicle • Motor • Navigational system

17. Frame of Vehicle • The considered materials for this robot was polycarbonate plastic and aluminum • The final choice was the plastic • light weight • Easy to use • Cost effective

18. Servos • DC Motors • RC Motors • Stepper Motors • For our robot a dc motor was chosen

19. Navigational system • The navigational system we look at was • Two wheel • Three wheel • Four wheel

20. Four Wheel System Pros: Better stability because its center of gravity is in a rectangular form The four wheel provides extra balance Its turning ability is just like a car Cons: Its much harder to build and much more costly

21. Three Wheel System Pros: Greater accuracy when fast turns are required Cons: Center of gravity is in a triangular shape which makes it very easy to fall Does not perform well on any form of rough terrain Not as efficient or cost effective

22. Two Wheel system The two wheel system is what was chosen for our design in the autonomous robot mainly: It meet our desire specification Its will be light weight Able to turn on a dim More effective in maneuvering the maze Cost effective

23. Labyrinth

24. Simply Connected Maze

25. Disjoint Maze

26. If you encounter a new junction: Pick a direction at random If you are traversing a new path and you encounter an old junction: Turn back If you are traversing an old path and you encounter a old junction: Take a new path if available, otherwise take an old path If you encounter a dead end: Turn back Tremaux's Algorithm

27. Graphs

28. Mazes as Graphs

29. Mazes as Graphs

30. Search (Vertex startV) List vertices = empty List Set visited = empty Set Add startV to vertices while (vertices is not empty) { Vertex V = remove element from vertices if (visited does not contain V) { // Handle V here // (e.g. check if destination Vertex) Add V to visited for every Vertex X connected to V if (visited does not contain X) Add X to vertices } } } Graph Traversal

31. Constructing the Maze

32. Bluetooth Successes and Difficulties • Successes • Maximum distance is up to 100m • Has an indicator LED • Supports Windows Bluetooth stack • Windows automatically links with Bluetooth • Difficulties • None to date

33. SeedStudio Ultrasonic Range Finder Successes • Successes • Breadboard friendly • Arduino library ready • The size is light weight • Wide range from 3 cm – 400 cm

34. SeedStudio Ultrasonic Range Finder Difficulties • Difficulties • Efficient communication between the micro-controller • Best if used in a 30° Practical test of performance, Best in 30 degree angle

35. Project Budget and Financing • The Budget to Date

36. Project Budget and Financing • The Budget to the End of the Project

37. Current Progress • Research • 100% done • Design • 95% of the design is done • Parts Acquisition • 80% complete • Prototyping • 20% complete • Testing • 10% complete • Overall • 25% complete

38. Questions?