1. Analog to Digital Converter
Senior Project – Electrical and Computer Engineering – 2006 Autonomous Navigation of an Indoor Blimp Stuart Wehrly Advisor – Prof. Spinelli
Abstract:
An autonomous navigation system was designed to allow an indoor Blimp to follow a predetermined flight
path. Such Blimps are normally controlled remotely by a human operator. Designing an autonomous
control system was challenging due to the extreme weight restrictions imposed by the small size of the helium
bag. The merits of computer processing using a nearby wireless computer were compared to having all
decision making on the Blimp itself. An accelerometer and a rangefinder were used to keep track of the
position of the Blimp and to detect if it nears or contacts any obstacles.
Goals:
Maintain constant height from floor
Move from point A to point B
Achievements:
Maintain constant height from floor by constantly polling
rangefinder and calculating distance from floor.
Move from point A to point B by calculating position by
integrating acceleration twice. Then power motors until
current position equals destination
Components:
Parallax Basic Stamp II
Analog 3-Axis Accelerometer
5-Volt Regulator
LM317 Variable Voltage Regulator
Analog to Digital Converter with 8 to 1 Multiplexer
LM555 Adjustable Clock
Design Constraints:
Total weight of components must weigh less than 7 ounces
Autonomous navigation
Detect obstacles in path
Calculate position in real time from acceleration
Control System
3-Axis Accelerometer
Blimp Motors
Rangefinder
Basic Stamp II
Clock
Analog to Digital Converter