A 296 MicroMouse project By Brian Kuriyama

Profit!

Overview Design goals Structure End-Goals

Started with Parallax’s BOE-bot kit

Designed 2 nd Generation uMouse Chassis and board by 12/02 All Major Hardware updates completed by 12/10

Picture as of 12/10: Final Design:

Original Promised goals: General movement algorithm Result: Smart intersection and corner handling algorithms implemented Wall tracking algorithm Result: Follows walls according to the right hand rule, can accurately map out distances, but the two programs have not been merged yet Backtracking algorithm Result: Has not been implemented due to change in chassis design. But robot will return to last intersection and continue following the right hand rule.

Updated goals: Distance Tracking algorithm Result: Pulse/Distance curve has been obtained for one particular program, a crude “best-fit” algorithm provides adequate and accurate distance measuring. Wander throughout the maze following Right hand Rule Result: As of 12/11 the bot will navigate relatively reliably and can count the number of turns it has made. Solve the maze Result: Distance tracking and Movement algorithms have not been combined due to space and time constraints.

Smart turning algorithm As of 12/09

To be honest, my uMouse had no mapping algorithm implemented at the time of filming Followed 18 turns and then stopped Maze had to be RHR solvable Maze had to have no dead ends when following the RHR (as of 12/11 that problem has been fixed) Bot was in “debug mode” therefore was stopping at every intersection to announce it’s next decision audibly

Includes Dead end management As of 12/11

To be honest, my uMouse still had no mapping algorithm implemented at the time of filming Stopped filming when the bot found the center Maze had to be RHR solvable Bot was in “Regular mode” and therefore moved faster and did not announce it’s decisions.

It can navigate a maze relatively reliably following the RHR. Occasionally it does slip up due to semi known bugs in implemented algorithm. It can measure any distance traveled in a straight line and report how many blocks it has moved audibly. It can also enter a debug mode based on the current algorithm

Boebot was too big to make 90 Degree turns Code for turning was predicted to be too big Navigating out of dead ends would be difficult No good place to mount sensors For testing, sensors were friction fitted to the sides Sensor placement would require unwanted extensive permanent modification to the BOE-bot

Distance measuring was not linear Solution: Create a best fit algorithm to compensate under the conditions of the maze Allocated battery space was too small Solution: Cut off protrusions “Canned” moves were not reliable during complicated sections of the maze Solution: Designed and implemented a “smart turning” algorithm that it allowed it to correct it’s alignment when possible Voltage regulator too hot, cutting power in the middle of a program Solution: Use a larger heat sink ADC suddenly stopped reporting values from left hand side Analysis of problem: Port on ADC died. Will only report a value of 255 when queried Sharp Distance sensor also died. Will only report a voltage value of 1.85v to 1.90v Solution: Rewire spare ADC port to spare Sharp distance sensor.

Power appears to cut out randomly while in the middle of execution Solution: NOT SOLVED YET Partial solution: Smart Turning has been implemented so the robot does not crash if the robot experiences a power loss. Mapping data is still lost Possible causes: Damaged Voltage regulator Insufficient regulator cooling Errant subroutine “Return” command Insufficient program space to combine mapping with navigation Solution: NOT SOLVED YET Proposed Solution: Optimize Navigation and Mapping programs to reduce space consumption “Return to start” program has not been implemented Solution: NOT SOLVED YET Proposed Solution: Once mapping and navigation can be combined in one program, create a list of intersections in scratchpad ram to be passed onto a secondary “return to start” program “Fastest route to center” program has not been implemented Solution: NOT SOLVED YET Proposed Solution: If all the above problems are cleared, Read back scratchpad ram (supposedly a correct maze) to get to the center “Even faster method of getting to the center” program has not been implemented Solution: NOT SOLVED YET Proposed solution: If all the above problems are cleared, Implement creative, but smart methods of navigating particular turns with S- turns and similar motor controlling techniques