GPS Navigation for Field Mobile...
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GPS Navigation for Field Mobile Robots
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GPS Navigation for Field Mobile RobotsProject Proposal
Chris FoleyKris Horn
Richard Neil PittmanMichael Willis
CPSC 483February 9, 2004
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Problem background 3
Needs statement 3
Goal and objectives 3
Method of Solution
Literature and technical survey 4
Design constraints and feasibility 5
Evaluation of alternative solutions 6
Statement of work
Proposed design 8
Research 8
Construction 8
Testing 9
Approach for design validation 10
Mark III Controller Board Kit 10
Garmin 15L Wired GPS 10
Stampede Monster Truck 11
TS-025 Electronic Compass 12
Economic analysis and budget 12
Schedule of tasks, Pert and Gantt charts 13
Project management and team work 16
Societal, safety and environmental analysis 16
Appendices 18
CV/qualifications of team members 19
Bibliography 23
Project Datasheets 24
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Problem Background
The purpose of this project is for the team of students to design and construct a
vehicle capable navigating to a sequence of wave points. This effect is to be
accomplished using a global positioning system to allow the vehicle to become
aware of its position on the earth and the positions of wave points relative to its
current location. This device must be a robust vehicle capable of traveling
outdoors on mostly flat ground and able to carry the load of what components are
necessary for it to accomplish its function.
Needs Statement
The project will provide the members of the team with experience in the design
process from conception to implementation. This experience will be necessary as
the members of the team go into their careers and seek to participate in projects
of similar and larger complexity.
Furthermore, the project when completed will produce a vehicle capable in part
of self-navigation with users providing the path. This can later be further
expanded to have an artificial intelligent planner decide on the path with users
only providing beginning and ending points. The platform can be used in many
ways depending on what additional hardware is added. Such applications include
information gathering, transportation of small materials, remote presence, and
environmental surveying.
Goals and Objectives
Obvious goals for this project are fulfill the requirements provided by the
professor and teaching assistant. The set goals drawn up between the student
team and the professor can be thought of a rubric with which our project will
judged. The project goals include but are not limited to the following:
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• Interface micro controller with global positioning system
• Interface micro controller with remote control vehicle
• Use micro controller to interconnect global positioning system and remote
control vehicle
• Vehicle will be sturdy enough to cover mostly flat terrain while carrying a
payload of electronic equipment including the global positioning system.
• Vehicle will be able to establish its own location on earth and use
information from the global positioning system to navigate to a user
defined point.
• Vehicle will be able to follow a path of points provided by a user.
Literature and Technical Survey
Our team has utilized several resources to familiarize ourselves with the
components that will make up our final project. We researched general GPS
related articles as well as specific data sheets of GPS units. In addition we have
learned about radio controlled cars, and how to modify them. The proposed
design for the GPS unit will incorporate a compass system that has already been
used by a CPSC 483 group from last semester. Our group will need to be familiar
with the literature provided by the compass group from last semester. Below is
the list of resources that we have used so far in researching our project.
www.navtechgps.com• This site allowed us to learn about several GPS units and compare prices
www.howstuffworks.com• Contains general information about how GPS units work.
www.junun.org/MarkIII• Contains documentation of the Mark III board that we are using.
www.qkits.com• Another site that sells electronic kits such as GPS kits.
www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/lcd1.pdf• An article titled “How to use Intelligent Lcds”
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www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ih/doc/lcd/operatio.html• Contains documentation on the HD44780 lcd standards.
http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~jreasor• This site is the homepage of a Tulane graduate student who is doing a
similar project.
www.oopic.com• Contains documentation of the OOPIC which is the microprocessor that
we are using.
http://www.superdroidrobots.com/sensors_compass.htm• Contains information about the electronic compass.
http://www.digitalnemesis.com/catalogue/RLC1/RLC1.htm• Contains information about an rs232 to TTL converter.
Design Constraints and Feasibility
Through the design process we will be limited by several different types of
constraints.
The first of these constraints is budget. We do not have a fixed limit on how much
we can spend for this project. However we must justify each purchase by making
sure that it is the most cost effective part and that it is necessary to reach the
final goal. We have been asked to keep the project to an approximate cost of five
hundred dollars.
Another constraint of this project is time. We only have one semester to complete
the final product. Therefore we have to be careful in how far we plan to take the
project. Our team must find a medium between a project that is feasible to
complete, and a project that is challenging. A major effect of our time constraint
is ordering parts. It will be imperative that parts are ordered as soon as possible
so that we are not waiting on parts to begin construction. It will also be important
that we hold the vendors responsible for shipping our ordered parts in a timely
manner.
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The technical scope of our project is yet another possible constraint. This is
partially related to the time constraint. Since we are on a limited schedule, a
project that is too difficult and too technically challenging may not be possible
given the teams experience with this subject. However, our project needs to be
challenging enough so that we are generating the best possible product within
the given time period.
Evaluation of Alternative Solutions
Throughout the initial design process we have come up with several alternative
solutions to various aspects of our project. One solution that we have considered
is not using a compass for the navigation of the RC car. We have considered
using a navigation algorithm that would not require the use of a compass. This
navigation algorithm is based on comparing the RC car’s current location with it’s
previous location. From that data we can determine which direction the car needs
to turn in order to get closer to it’s destination. This process would be repeated
every second or so until the destination is reached. Although this solution may
require less hardware, it may not be as accurate as using a compass to
determine which direction the car should turn. In addition, compass navigation
has already been used in a previous project. So, it would be relatively simple to
implement the compass into our system. The compass hardware is already built
and we have access to the software and the documentation of the compass
design as well.
Each time the RC car goes to a desired set of GPS coordinates, those
coordinates must be programmed into the system. One possible method of doing
this is having everything needed to program a new coordinate set located on the
car. This would require an LCD screen to ask the user what coordinates to enter,
as well as a keypad of that would allow the user to input the coordinates.
However this solution may be too difficult to implement given our time
constraints. An alternative solution to programming the new coordinates would
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be the use of a PDA or a laptop. For example, whenever a new coordinate set is
desired the laptop or PDA could be hooked up to the system and reprogrammed
via a serial link. Although this solution is not as desirable, it is more feasible given
the scope of this project.
Perhaps one of our primary concerns at this point in the project is being able to
control the RC car. It is difficult to know how we will o about controlling the RC
car since there is not a large amount of documentation publicly available for RC
cars. One possible solution would be to directly tap into the servos of the steering
and the drive motors of the car and completely bypassing the RC car’s controls.
This may be the simplest solution since most servo motors are very similar to
each other, so it would not be very difficult to learn how to control them. However
another proposed solution is to use the remote control of the RC car to move the
car in the desired direction. This would require us to have extensive knowledge
of how the remote control circuit works and may be too difficult. Although, we
may be able to contact the manufacturer of the RC car and get a copy of the
technical documentation which would help us to know how the remote control
functions. Having the documentation would allow us to make a more informed
decision regarding which method of controlling the car would be best.
Throughout the design process we will be faced with possible alternative
solutions to various problems. With each new alternative solution it is imperative
that we evaluate each proposed solution based on budget, time constraints, and
feasibility.
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Proposed Design
Our project development will involve three stages for completion. The stages in
order are research, construct, and test. These three stages are needed for every
engineering development team. Below is a more detailed description of what
goes on in each stage.
Research
Before any kind of action is done in a project, extensive information gathering
should be performed. Learning more about the product you buy can really save
your budget. Every Monday and Wednesday our group would meet in the lab for
a few hours and research on what major parts were needed for the project. We
wanted only what we needed. Our engineering team decided to save money and
purchase a GPS module rather than a GPS handheld because we did not need
the LCD on the GPS handheld.
Construction
After doing some extensive research we should have a detailed schematic of our
design. Below is a very high level design schematic. As the research
progresses this schematic will get considerably more detailed.
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Testing
This will be the final stage of our project development. After constructing the car
we will need to run a series of tests. The testing will be done out on the Polo
Fields at Texas A&M University. Our team decided to use these fields because it
was the largest open space that is close to campus. Since GPS modules are
accurate within fifteen meters a large open space is a necessity. Testing the
completed project can be the most stressful.
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Approach for Design Validation
Mark III controller board kit (OOPic Version)
The microcontroller will be the heart and brains of our project. We decided to
use a the OOPic on the Mark III board. This board is very user friendly and
capable of controlling just about anything. The Mark III board can also be
programmed in Java or C. All of our team members are familiar with the
programming language C. This will greatly help us create an effective algorithm
to navigate the RC truck.
Garmin 15L Wired GPS + Remote Antenna
The GPS concept is what makes this project unique. We decided to use the
Garmin 15L wired GPS module for a number of reasons. Since the module had
only what we needed we were able to save money. With the antenna the GPS
module was less than $200.
The GPS module was also compact. The Garmin 15L wired GPS unit is barely
larger than an American quarter. The small size makes construction easier since
we could basically place the module anywhere on the car.
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Stampede Monster Truck
We decided to use a pre-assemble remote control truck to navigate globally. The
Stampede Monster Truck was ideal for our situation. Not only was the truck
affordable but it was also large enough to conquer the grass out on the Polo
Fields. The remote controlled truck has a ground clearance of about four inches.
The only obstacle stopping this truck is a tree.
The Stampede Monster Truck also has a large pay load capacity. The truck is
roughly 12x16 inches in area. This will provide adequate space for the electronic
parts and components needed to navigate this truck by GPS.
TS-025 Electronic Compass
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We decided to use an electronic compass to tell the microcontroller the direction
the truck is facing. A friend of one of the group members refered the TS-025
Electronic Compass. This compass is affordable, easy to use, and extremely
accurate (within a tenth of a degree).
Economic Analysis and Budget
Below is a rough estimate of our budget to complete the project. As with all
projects, problems can and will arise, causing the need for additional funding.
However, here is a list of the major parts that will be needed. The other parts like
resistors, capacitors and amps should not drastically raise our budget.
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Stampede Monster Truck 154.99
TS-025 Electronic Compass 45.00
Mark III Electronic Board Kit 49.00
GPS Module + Antenna 99.95 + 69.95
Subtotal ≈ $420.00
Schedule of Tasks, Pert and Gantt Charts
Monday – 4:40 pm (15 minute meeting with faculty)
Monday – 6:00 pm (meeting with TA)
Wednesday – 4:10 (engineering group meeting)
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Project Management and Team Work
We have decided to generally divide the work as follows:
Kris Horn: GPS hardware integration.
Chris Foley: Software design, budget, procurement of parts.
Neil Pittman: PIC Microcontroller specialist and hardware design.
Mike Willis: Software and board design.
Societal, Safety, and Environmental Analysis
A GPS guided mobile robot presents many benefits and changes to society. One
of the largest impacts may be in warfare. A GPS guided robot will have the
ability to travel to places where it may be dangerous for humans to travel. While
traveling, features and sensors could be added to the robot to detect various
things. For example, a GPS guided robot could be sent into a mine field to try
and find the locations of mines. If a mine triggers during the process, it is far
better to loose the robot than a human life. This robot’s application could be
extended to various other situations in warfare and in everyday life. The main
idea behind it is that we can send a robot to places that are unsafe for humans or
that humans would have difficulty getting to. This could definitely change warfare
and scientific research at the least.
The safety concerns associated with this robot are minimal. Normal care should
be taken when operating electrical equipment and caution should be placed
when setting the coordinates for the robot’s path. It will be important to make
sure that the robot will not take a path that could lead to undesirable damage.
Finally, the GPS guided mobile robot should not have too much of an effect on
the environment. If the batteries ever need replacing, it is necessary to properly
dispose of the used batteries. Also, it will be important to make sure that the
robot does not traverse any ground on which it may have a negative effect on the
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surroundings. Unless it is intentional, coordinates should be plotted to avoid
sensitive areas.
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Appendices
• CV/qualifications of team members
• Bibliography
• Product datasheets
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Resume for CPSC 483 – Computer System Design
Section 502
Christopher [email protected]
GPA: 3.704
Project:
1) Integrating GPS and Robots
Courses/Electives:
Microcomputer Systems, Networking, Databases, E-Commerce
Interests/Skills:
I am very interested in learning and working with GPS systems and how tointegrate GPS with other systems. I feel that my skills are about equivalent whenit comes to hardware and software. I honestly do not have a lot of experiencewith either one but I would like to gain and a fairly good understanding of both. Ihave less exposure to hardware design than software design so I would like touse this course to help me gain more experience with some hardware design. Itook microcomputer systems last semester and I enjoyed trying to learn how todesign hardware systems although I still have a lot to learn. On the other hand,my electrical engineering background is not too strong so I’m sure I will have todo some research to get a good understanding of things.
Schedule:
Monday: Class/Work from 10:00 to 7:00 (Including this class and lab)Tuesday: Class/Work from 9:00 to 5:15Wednesday: Class/Work from 10:00 to 7:00 (Including this class and lab)Thursday: Class/Work from 9:00 to 5:15Friday: Class from 10:20 to 11:10
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M I C H A E L W I L L I S
1114 S. Dexter [email protected]
College Station, TX 77840 979-574-7169
EDUCATION1999-Present Texas A&M University College Station, TX1 Pursuing B.S. in Computer Engineering2 G.P.R. 3.1363 Texas A&M Men’s Lacrosse Team: 4 years
WORK EXPERIENCE
2002-Present Texas A&M University College Station, TX1 Help Desk Central Computing and Information Services
- phone/walk-up computer support for Texas A&M students and staff - dealt with the campus network, virus traffic, email and much more
2002-Spring Texas A&M University College Station, TX2 Intramural Soccer Official Summer 2001 Kohutek Engineering Austin, TX3 Engineering Technician for a Civil Engineer
-field/lab testing for construction sites -Concrete testing, soil analysis, soil sample drilling
ELECTIVES
CPSC 436 Computer Human InteractionCPSC 463 Networks (current semester)CPSC 310 Databases (current semester)SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202 - SpanishPSYC 315 Social PsychologySCOM 203 Public Speaking
PROJECT CHOICES1) Sonar Fusion on PDA2) Hack Furby3) Wearable Sensors4) Integrating GPS and Robots
INTERESTS My interests lie more in hardware than programming.Other than that I don't really know yet what I am interested in.I can only attend the section 502 lab time.
Richard Neil Pittman
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P.O. Box 14416College Station, TX, 77841(979) [email protected]
Academics Senior Computer Engineering Major, Computer Science Track.Minor in Mathematics.Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.Current Cumulative GPR 3.57.
Elective Classes CPSC 625, Artificial Intelligence.MATH 470, Cryptography & Communications.CPSC 310, Databases.
Interest Artificial Intelligence & Robotics. - In the past year Ihave discovered a great interest in robotics and AI. Thishas lead me to seek information about the subject andwould like an oppurtunity to apply what I have learned andto learn more.Networks & Distributed Systems. - My interest in networksinvolves it use as a method of gathering and distributingdata in an intelligent manner in order to provide services.Web applications could also be added to some projects toexpand their utility.Cryptography. - While this may not be used directly for anyproject, this background gives me unique perspective whichmay be useful for finding patterns in data.
Class Schedule CPSC 463-500, Networks TR 3:55-5:10CPSC 483-502, Computer Sys Design MW 4:10-7:00KINE 199-287, Strength Train-Beginning TR 8:00-10:50KINE 199-039, Archery-Beginning TR 9:35-10:50
Project Preference 1. Integrating GPS & Robot2. Robot Learning & Whiskers3. Facial Tracking4. Navigate Maze5. Hack Furby6. Wearable Sensors7. Sonar Fusion of PDA8. Coff-e-mail9. Circadian Circuits
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KRISTOPHER J. HORN
Permanent Address Campus Address 2910 Rolling Hills Dr. 117 Holleman Dr. W. #3308 Carrollton, TX 75007 College Station, TX 77840 (214) 906 -0844 k j h o r n @ t a m u . e d u OBJECTIVE To obtain a summer and fall 2005 coop. EDUCATION Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Dwight Look College of Engineering Bachelor o f Science in Computer Engineering Minor in Mathematics Overall GPA 3.36 September 2000 - May 2004 SKILLS Languages: Java, some C, MIPS, Verilog, Ada, and HTML Platforms: Windows and some UNIX EMPLOYMENT Winter 2002 Netco Title Solutions, Fil er Arlington, Texas
? Organized policy files. Summer 2002 Papa Johns, Delivery Driver Dallas, Texas
? Delivered food orders to customers. AFFILIATIONS Summer 2003 Undergraduate Math Research
? Research Program in Combinatorial Theory 2002-Present Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, (IEEE). 2002-2003 Recreational Sports Intramural
? Competed in soccer, El Guapo, Forward QUALLIFICATIONS
? Familiar with PIC Microcontrollers ? Knowledge of using DC motors and servos
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Bibliography
www.navtechgps.com• This site allowed us to learn about several GPS units and compare prices
www.howstuffworks.com• Contains general information about how GPS units work.
www.junun.org/MarkIII• Contains documentation of the Mark III board that we are using.
www.qkits.com• Another site that sells electronic kits such as GPS kits.
www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/lcd1.pdf• An article titled “How to use Intelligent Lcds”
www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~ih/doc/lcd/operatio.html• Contains documentation on the HD44780 lcd standards.
http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~jreasor• This site is the homepage of a Tulane graduate student who is doing a
similar project.
www.oopic.com• Contains documentation of the OOPIC which is the microprocessor that
we are using.
http://www.superdroidrobots.com/sensors_compass.htm• Contains information about the electronic compass.
http://www.digitalnemesis.com/catalogue/RLC1/RLC1.htm• Contains information about an rs232 to TTL converter.