1 / 35

Topics: Introduction to Robotics CS 491/691(X)

Topics: Introduction to Robotics CS 491/691(X). Lecture 5 Instructor: Monica Nicolescu. Review. Sensors Simple, complex Proprioceptive, exteroceptive Switches Light sensors Polarized light sensors Resistive position sensors Potentiometers Reflective optosensors. Reflective Optosensors.

rossa
Download Presentation

Topics: Introduction to Robotics CS 491/691(X)

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Topics: Introduction to RoboticsCS 491/691(X) Lecture 5 Instructor: Monica Nicolescu

  2. Review • Sensors • Simple, complex • Proprioceptive, exteroceptive • Switches • Light sensors • Polarized light sensors • Resistive position sensors • Potentiometers • Reflective optosensors CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  3. Reflective Optosensors • Include a source of light emitter (light emitting diodes LED) and a light detector (photodiode or phototransistor) • Two arrangements, depending on the positions of the emitter and detector • Reflectance sensors: Emitter and detector are side by side; Light reflects from the object back into the detector • Break-beam sensors: The emitter and detector face each other; Object is detected if light between them is interrupted CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  4. Calibration • Ambient / background light can interfere with the sensor measurement • The ambient light level should be subtracted to get only the emitter light level • Calibration: the process of adjusting a mechanism so as to maximize its performance • Ambient light can change  sensors need to be calibrated repeatedly • Detecting ambient light is difficult if the emitter has the same wavelength • Adjust the wavelength of the emitter CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  5. Infra Red (IR) Light • IR light works at a frequency different than ambient light • IR sensors are used in the same ways as the visible light sensors, but more robustly • Reflectance sensors, break beams • Sensor reports the amount of overall illumination, • ambient lighting and the light from light source • More powerful way to use infrared sensing • Modulation/demodulation: rapidly turn on and off the source of light CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  6. Modulation/Demodulation • Modulated IR is commonly used for communication • Modulation is done by flashing the light source at a particular frequency • This signal is detected by a demodulator tuned to that particular frequency • Offers great insensitivity to ambient light • Flashes of light can be detected even if weak CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  7. Infrared Communication • Bit frames • All bits take the same amount of time to transmit • Sample the signal in the middle of the bit frame • Used for standard computer/modem communication • Useful when the waveform can be reliably transmitted • Bit intervals • Sampled at the falling edge • Duration of interval between sampling determines whether it is a 0 or 1 • Common in commercial use • Useful when it is difficult to control the exact shape of the waveform CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  8. Proximity Sensing • Ideal application for modulated/demodulated IR light sensing • Light from the emitter is reflected back into detector by a nearby object, indicating whether an object is present • LED emitter and detector are pointed in the same direction • Modulated light is far less susceptible to environmental variables • amount of ambient light and the reflectivity of different objects CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  9. Break Beam Sensors • Any pair of compatible emitter-detector devices can be used to make a break-beam sensor • Examples: • Incadescent flashlight bulb and photocell • Red LEDs and visible-light-sensitive photo-transistors • IR emitters and detectors • Where have you seen these? • Break beams and clever burglars in movies • In robotics they are mostly used for keeping track of shaft rotation CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  10. Shaft Encoding • Shaft encoders • Measure the angular rotation of a shaft or an axle • Provide position and velocity information about the shaft • Speedometers: measure how fast the wheels are turning • Odometers: measure the number of rotations of the wheels CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  11. Measuring Rotation • A perforated disk is mounted on the shaft • An emitter–detector pair is placed on both sides of the disk • As the shaft rotates, the holes in the disk interrupt the light beam • These light pulses are counted thus monitoring the rotation of the shaft • The more notches, the higher the resolution of the encoder • One notch, only complete rotations can be counted CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  12. General Encoder Properties • Encoders are active sensors • Produce and measure a wave function of light intensity • The wave peaks are counted to compute the speed of the shaft • Encoders measure rotational velocity and position CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  13. Color-Based Encoders • Use a reflectance sensors to count the rotations • Paint the disk wedges in alternating contrasting colors • Black wedges absorb light, white reflect it and only reflections are counted CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  14. Uses of Encoders • Velocity can be measured • at a driven (active) wheel • at a passive wheel (e.g., dragged behind a legged robot) • By combining position and velocity information, one can: • move in a straight line • rotate by a fixed angle • Can be difficult due to wheel and gear slippage and to backlash in geartrains CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  15. Quadrature Shaft Encoding • How can we measure direction of rotation? • Idea: • Use two encoders instead of one • Align sensors to be 90 degrees out of phase • Compare the outputs of both sensors at each time step with the previous time step • Only one sensor changes state (on/off) at each time step, based on the direction of the shaft rotation  this determines the direction of rotation • A counter is incremented in the encoder that was on CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  16. Which Direction is the Shaft Moving? Encoder A = 1 and Encoder B = 0 • If moving to position AB=00, the position count is incremented • If moving to the position AB=11, the position count is decremented State transition table: • Previous state = current state  no change in position • Single-bit change  incrementing / decrementing the count • Double-bit change  illegal transition CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  17. Uses of QSE in Robotics • Robot arms with complex joints • e.g., rotary/ball joints like knees or shoulders • Cartesian robots, overhead cranes • The rotation of a long worm screw moves an arm/rack back and fort along an axis • Copy machines, printers • Elevators • Motion of robot wheels • Dead-reckoning positioning CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  18. Ultrasonic Distance Sensing • Sonars:so(und) na(vigation) r(anging) • Based on the time-of-flight principle • The emitter sends a “chirp” of sound • If the sound encounters a barrier it reflects back to the sensor • The reflection is detected by a receiver circuit, tuned to the frequency of the emitter • Distance to objects can be computed by measuring the elapsed time between the chirp and the echo • Sound travels about 0.89 milliseconds per foot CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  19. Sonar Sensors • Emitter is a membrane that transforms mechanical energy into a “ping” (inaudible sound wave) • The receiver is a microphone tuned to the frequency of the emitted sound • Polaroid Ultrasound Sensor • Used in a camera to measure the distance from the camera to the subject for auto-focus system • Emits in a 30 degree sound cone • Has a range of 32 feet • Operates at 50 KHz CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  20. Echolocation • Echolocation = finding location based on sonar • Numerous animals use echolocation • Bats use sound for: • finding pray, avoid obstacles, find mates, communication with other bats Dolphins/Whales: find small fish, swim through mazes • Natural sensors are much more complex than artificial ones CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  21. Specular Reflection • Sound does not reflect directly and come right back • Specular reflection • The sound wave bounces off multiple sources before returning to the detector • Smoothness • The smoother the surface the more likely is that the sound would bounce off • Incident angle • The smaller the incident angle of the sound wave the higher the probability that the sound will bounce off CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  22. Improving Accuracy • Use rough surfaces in lab environments • Multiple sensors covering the same area • Multiple readings over time to detect “discontinuities” • Active sensing • In spite of these problems sonars are used successfully in robotics applications • Navigation • Mapping CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  23. Laser Sensing • High accuracy sensor • Lasers use light time-of-flight • Light is emitted in a beam (3mm) rather than a cone • Provide higher resolution • For small distances light travels faster than it can be measured  use phase-shift measurement • SICK LMS200 • 360 readings over an 180-degrees, 10Hz • Disadvantages: • cost, weight, power, price • mostly 2D CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  24. Visual Sensing • Cameras try to model biological eyes • Machine vision is a highly difficult research area • Reconstruction • What is that? Who is that? Where is that? • Robotics requires answers related to achieving goals • Not usually necessary to reconstruct the entire world • Applications • Security, robotics (mapping, navigation) CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  25. Principles of Cameras • Cameras have many similarities with the human eye • The light goes through an opening (iris - lens) and hits the image plane (retina) • The retina is attached to light-sensitive elements (rods, cones – silicon circuits) • Only objects at a particular range are in focus (fovea) – depth of field • 512x512 pixels (cameras), 120x106 rods and 6x106 cones (eye) • The brightness is proportional to the amount of light reflected from the objects CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  26. Image Brightness • Brightness depends on • reflectance of the surface patch • position and distribution of the light sources in the environment • amount of light reflected from other objects in the scene onto the surface patch • Two types of reflection • Specular (smooth surfaces) • Diffuse (rough sourfaces) • Necessary to account for these properties for correct object reconstruction  complex computation CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  27. Early Vision • The retina is attached to numerous rods and cones which, in turn, are attached to nerve cells (neurons) • The nerves process the information; they perform "early vision", and pass information on throughout the brain to do "higher-level" vision processing • The typical first step ("early vision") is edge detection, i.e., find all the edges in the image • Suppose we have a b&w camera with a 512 x 512 pixel image • Each pixel has an intensity level between white and black • How do we find an object in the image? Do we know if there is one? CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  28. Edge Detection • Edge = a curve in the image across which there is a change in brightness • Finding edges • Differentiate the image and look for areas where the magnitude of the derivative is large • Difficulties • Not only edges produce changes in brightness: shadows, noise • Smoothing • Filter the image using convolution • Use filters of various orientations • Segmentation: get objects out of the lines CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  29. Model-Based Vision • Compare the current image with images of similar objects (models) stored in memory • Models provide prior information about the objects • Storing models • Line drawings • Several views of the same object • Repeatable features (two eyes, a nose, a mouth) • Difficulties • Translation, orientation and scale • Not known what is the object in the image • Occlusion CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  30. Vision from Motion • Take advantage of motion to facilitate vision • Static system can detect moving objects • Subtract two consecutive images from each other  the movement between frames • Moving system can detect static objects • At consecutive time steps continuous objects move as one • Exact movement of the camera should be known • Robots are typically moving themselves • Need to consider the movement of the robot CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  31. Stereo Vision • 3D information can be computed from two images • Compute relative positions of cameras • Compute disparity • displacement of a point in 3D between the two images • Disparity is inverse proportional with actual distance in 3D CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  32. Biological Vision • Similar visual strategies are used in nature • Model-based vision is essential for object/people recognition • Vestibular occular reflex • Eyes stay fixed while the head/body is moving to stabilize the image • Stereo vision • Typical in carnivores • Human vision is particularly good at recognizing shadows, textures, contours, other shapes CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  33. Vision for Robots • If complete scene reconstruction is not needed we can simplify the problem based on the task requirements • Use color • Use a combination of color and movement • Use small images • Combine other sensors with vision • Use knowledge about the environment CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  34. Examples of Vision-Based Navigation Running QRIO Sony Aibo – obstacle avoidance CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

  35. Readings • F. Martin: Chapter 6 • M. Matarić: 9 CS 491/691(X) - Lecture 5

More Related