NAMT team car robot at Robokross 2012
Hello. My name is Vladimir and I want to tell you a little about the car-robot of the team from Nizhny Novgorod NAMT, which won at the 3rd All-Russian car robot competition ROBOKROSS-2012, held in Volokolamsk. Here the report of the MobRob team from Saratov was already published, now I want to tell you about our ordeals.
The competition consisted of the following: it was necessary in automatic or remote-controlled mode to drive across the field from the starting point, get in the gate and transfer the image of three control points to the operator, and then enter the finish gate and stop there. GPS / GLONASS coordinates of the gate and control points were known in advance to the teams. Points were awarded for the speed of the route (but the rules of the competition prohibited the speed of more than 10 km / h) and the transmitted images of control points.
It so happened that we almost missed these competitions - the National Instruments Single-Board RIO controller, provided by the organizers, burned down until we agreed to purchase a new, NI cRIO-9075, while it arrived - the competitions began. As a result, many ideas had to be abandoned. For example, they did not have time to adjust the autopilot algorithm to follow the route, we had to use the simplest direct guidance to the control points. There was also no talk of recognizing obstacles.
The autopilot is built on a National Instruments cRIO-9075 controller and a laptop with an SSD for working with USB cameras.
The controller receives a signal from a potentiometric wheel position sensor, a signal from the engine speed sensor and, via RS-232, information from a GPS / GLONASS receiver. The control goes to the servo-driver connected to the input of the hydraulic booster of the steering wheel instead of the steering column and the engine start / stop system.
Since the competition regulations limit the maximum vehicle speed to 10 km / h, there was no need for a gear shift system, the car starts in first gear by starting the engine and stops when it is turned off.
Two USB cameras are connected to the laptop with SSD (our roads are not sugar), providing visibility from the cab.
All of this equipment is connected via ASUS RT-N16 router to a single-watt Wi-Fi secured Bullet access point with an omnidirectional antenna tuned in bridge mode with an access point connected to the workplace of our UAV operator.
The software of the car is divided into two independent parts - driving and collecting and transmitting video. Everything is written in the LabVIEW visual programming language.
Due to the technical problems described above, the management is extremely simplified, but working.
Implemented contour steering wheel and contour navigation signal GPS / GLONASS. A direct targeting algorithm is used with a negligible coefficient of proportionality. The current coordinates of the car, the direction and speed are taken from the satellites, the error of the direction to the next point of the route is calculated and the required position of the wheels of the car is generated. In order not to fail the servo drive, added to check the engine (without it, the power steering does not work, you can try to turn the wheels before smoke).
The laptop collects a picture from USB cameras, converts it into a single frame and, having shook it, sends it to the operator.
In addition to the automatic mode, the telecontrol mode is also implemented; something like the game “Truckers” has turned out.
In the process of preparation, time and weather were pressing us (on the first day allotted for the assembly, there was a downpour, then the weather changed very abruptly, from hot sun to rainy damp). As a result (as it turned out later) the wheel position sensor was incorrectly calibrated and the car picked up a little to the left, which had a bad effect on navigation accuracy. Nevertheless, all the electronic-mechanical economy worked.
On the day of arrival, the sun was mostly shining, but the wind was blowing in earnest. There were several correspondents and even guests.
The arrival itself was expected: the navigation algorithm was losing time, aiming at each waypoint, but it worked, the image was transmitted regularly and in the required quality, the finish slowly approached as the control points passed. And approached.
The second-place team MobRob implemented a better navigation algorithm, they won in time, but the failure did not allow to transfer the image to one of the control points.
Despite the maximum, even extreme simplicity, the system performed well both in automatic mode and in telecontrol mode. The connection was stable, so that the resulting little car really can be used for reconnaissance of not too rough open country.
But seriously, this is a good practical task, allowing you to test yourself in difficult conditions. Not everything turned out as planned, but this leaves room for growth.
Future plans are to develop a system for avoiding obstacles according to data from cameras or (but this is already a dream) to get a lidar. Well and, of course, to break in the same algorithm for following the trajectory.
')
The most enchanting result was summed up by nature, with a gust of wind that brought down the starting gates immediately after the finish of the final team. Fortunately, there was no one there.
Many thanks to the teams that took part in the competitions, because, in spite of the bad weather, various problems with iron, lack of sleep and good luck, everyone came to the races! As well as GAZ and all those who have done something good for these competitions.
About the rules
The competition consisted of the following: it was necessary in automatic or remote-controlled mode to drive across the field from the starting point, get in the gate and transfer the image of three control points to the operator, and then enter the finish gate and stop there. GPS / GLONASS coordinates of the gate and control points were known in advance to the teams. Points were awarded for the speed of the route (but the rules of the competition prohibited the speed of more than 10 km / h) and the transmitted images of control points.
About sad
It so happened that we almost missed these competitions - the National Instruments Single-Board RIO controller, provided by the organizers, burned down until we agreed to purchase a new, NI cRIO-9075, while it arrived - the competitions began. As a result, many ideas had to be abandoned. For example, they did not have time to adjust the autopilot algorithm to follow the route, we had to use the simplest direct guidance to the control points. There was also no talk of recognizing obstacles.
- NI cRIO-9075 controller
About iron
The autopilot is built on a National Instruments cRIO-9075 controller and a laptop with an SSD for working with USB cameras.
The controller receives a signal from a potentiometric wheel position sensor, a signal from the engine speed sensor and, via RS-232, information from a GPS / GLONASS receiver. The control goes to the servo-driver connected to the input of the hydraulic booster of the steering wheel instead of the steering column and the engine start / stop system.
Since the competition regulations limit the maximum vehicle speed to 10 km / h, there was no need for a gear shift system, the car starts in first gear by starting the engine and stops when it is turned off.
- Robotics are easy!
Two USB cameras are connected to the laptop with SSD (our roads are not sugar), providing visibility from the cab.
- The eyes are the mirror of the soul
All of this equipment is connected via ASUS RT-N16 router to a single-watt Wi-Fi secured Bullet access point with an omnidirectional antenna tuned in bridge mode with an access point connected to the workplace of our UAV operator.
- Reliable communication is our everything!
About software
The software of the car is divided into two independent parts - driving and collecting and transmitting video. Everything is written in the LabVIEW visual programming language.
Due to the technical problems described above, the management is extremely simplified, but working.
Implemented contour steering wheel and contour navigation signal GPS / GLONASS. A direct targeting algorithm is used with a negligible coefficient of proportionality. The current coordinates of the car, the direction and speed are taken from the satellites, the error of the direction to the next point of the route is calculated and the required position of the wheels of the car is generated. In order not to fail the servo drive, added to check the engine (without it, the power steering does not work, you can try to turn the wheels before smoke).
The laptop collects a picture from USB cameras, converts it into a single frame and, having shook it, sends it to the operator.
In addition to the automatic mode, the telecontrol mode is also implemented; something like the game “Truckers” has turned out.
- Who has not dreamed of a small radio-controlled typewriter?
About competitions
In the process of preparation, time and weather were pressing us (on the first day allotted for the assembly, there was a downpour, then the weather changed very abruptly, from hot sun to rainy damp). As a result (as it turned out later) the wheel position sensor was incorrectly calibrated and the car picked up a little to the left, which had a bad effect on navigation accuracy. Nevertheless, all the electronic-mechanical economy worked.
On the day of arrival, the sun was mostly shining, but the wind was blowing in earnest. There were several correspondents and even guests.
- The shift is growing
The arrival itself was expected: the navigation algorithm was losing time, aiming at each waypoint, but it worked, the image was transmitted regularly and in the required quality, the finish slowly approached as the control points passed. And approached.
- Autopilot in action
The second-place team MobRob implemented a better navigation algorithm, they won in time, but the failure did not allow to transfer the image to one of the control points.
Results
Despite the maximum, even extreme simplicity, the system performed well both in automatic mode and in telecontrol mode. The connection was stable, so that the resulting little car really can be used for reconnaissance of not too rough open country.
But seriously, this is a good practical task, allowing you to test yourself in difficult conditions. Not everything turned out as planned, but this leaves room for growth.
Future plans are to develop a system for avoiding obstacles according to data from cameras or (but this is already a dream) to get a lidar. Well and, of course, to break in the same algorithm for following the trajectory.
')
The most enchanting result was summed up by nature, with a gust of wind that brought down the starting gates immediately after the finish of the final team. Fortunately, there was no one there.
Many thanks to the teams that took part in the competitions, because, in spite of the bad weather, various problems with iron, lack of sleep and good luck, everyone came to the races! As well as GAZ and all those who have done something good for these competitions.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/154017/
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