Design and Development of an Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Project Title

Design and Development of an Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Project Area of Specialization RoboticsProject Summary

An Autonomous UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) is essentially a Robot that operates without the need of human control. The vehicle uses its sensors to develop some limited understanding of the environment, which is used by the control algorithms to determine the next action to take in the context of a human provided mission.

• Autonomous Robot may have the ability to:
  • Travel  from point to point without  human  assistance.
  • Avoid obstacles in its path.

We will use 6 wheel Unmanned Ground Vehicle  (Rocker Bogie Mechanism). Rocker bogie mechanism is a mechanism primarily used in the mars rovers to overcome the rough terrains while maintaining stability. A primary purpose of UGV sensors is navigation, another is environment detection. Sensors can include IR Sharp sensor to avoid obstacle , Digital Compass to attract final point , Accelero-Gyro sensor for Stability and Gps Module for Navigation.

Project Objectives

• Design of UGV using CAD software.
• Fabrication of UGV
• To Design Electronics Circuitry
• Development of an Autonomous Control
• Testing on various surface
• Navigation for travel point to point

Project Implementation Method

• First of all We Design a Unmanned Ground Vehicle using CAD Software (Solid works, Pro-e). After that complete design we Fabricate the  Chassis by using Acrylic material. Acrylic is a plastic material without standing strength stiffness and optical clarity. Acrylic sheet is easy to fabricate. With the help of Laser cutting we get the different parts of Acrylic Material for assembling the UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle)
• We assemble the 6 wheel UGV( Unmanned Ground Vehicle) with the help of cutting parts of Acrylic Material.
• After finalizing the Hardware we select the Electronics Components
• Now we Design PCB for Controller. We will use ARM Cortex M3(Controller) for control the Robot and perform different tasks.
• With the help of GPS (NEO M6) give the best possible position information. Using GPS we give the coordinates of final point so robot can move from its initial position to final position. With the help of GPS data Robot can move toward its Goal point.
• Interface Distance Sensor, IR sharp Sensor used to measure the distance and avoid obstacle which are present in way of UGV( Unmanned Ground Vehicle).
• With the help of IMU(Inertial Measurement Unit) to check the stability of robot. MPU6050 used for balanced the robot in uneven surface. If the robot goes unbalanced surface they move back and create a new path to go to its final position with the help of algorithm.
• H-Bridge use for controlling DC Gear motors. With the help of L298 control the direction of Dc Gear motors. We will High torque Gear Motors to climb the small objects which are present in way of UGV( Unmanned Ground Vehicle).

Benefits of the Project

Autonomous Robot has its applications in:

• UGV can be used to traverse map mine tunnel
• Perform operations in remote locations
• Mapping a specific area for defence related applications
• They can move in uneven surface.
•  UGVs are also used for spraying and thinning in Agriculture Field.
• UGVs are used for transporting materials
• UGVs are used in many emergency situations including Urban search and rescue, fire fighting, and nuclear response.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• Micro-Controller (ARM Cortex M3):

72 MHz Maximum frequency

15 (PWM Channels)

2 (I2C)

2 (SPI)

3 (UART)

32 (No. of I/O's)

• GPS (NEO M6):

• Wide supply voltage: 3.3 to 5V
•   UART interface
•  Position accuracy: 2.5m
•   Velocity accuracy: 0.1 m/s
•   Heading accuracy: 0.5 degree

• H-Bridge (L298):

• Operating Voltage: 12 to 46V
• Total Dc Current: 4A
• Minimum logic voltage: 4.5V
• Maximum logic voltage: 7V

• Distance Sensor (IR Sharp Sensor)

• Operating Voltage: 4.5 to 5.5V
• Average Current Consumption: 30mA
• Distance Measuring Range: 10 to 80cm
• Output Type: Analog Voltage

• Inertial Measurement Unit (MPU-6050)

• Six axis module: Three-axis gyro + Three-axis acceleration
• Power Supply: 3 to 5V
• Communication Mode: I2C and SPI communication protocol

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemType of Industry Education , Manufacturing , Security Technologies RoboticsSustainable Development Goals Quality EducationRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	41755
ARM Cortex M3	Equipment	1	700	700
debugger Controller	Equipment	1	300	300
IR Sharp Sensor	Equipment	7	1500	10500
GPS NEO M6	Equipment	1	2400	2400
IMU 6050	Equipment	1	350	350
H Bridge L298	Equipment	3	300	900
18 V 3 cell lipo with charger	Equipment	1	8000	8000
Gear Motors	Equipment	6	1200	7200
Laser Cutting	Equipment	1	2000	2000
Acrylic Material Sheet	Equipment	3	1400	4200
Nuts and bolts	Miscellaneous	45	5	225
Connecting Wires	Miscellaneous	18	10	180
Wheel	Equipment	6	800	4800