Low-Cost Autonomous Navigation Method for Moderate-g Missions

1980 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 405-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shmuel J. Merhav
Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 5357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haseeb Ahmed ◽  
Ihsan Ullah ◽  
Uzair Khan ◽  
Muhammad Bilal Qureshi ◽  
Sajjad Manzoor ◽  
...  

Fusion of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) for navigation of ground vehicles is an extensively researched topic for military and civilian applications. Micro-electro-mechanical-systems-based inertial measurement units (MEMS-IMU) are being widely used in numerous commercial applications due to their low cost; however, they are characterized by relatively poor accuracy when compared with more expensive counterparts. With a sudden boom in research and development of autonomous navigation technology for consumer vehicles, the need to enhance estimation accuracy and reliability has become critical, while aiming to deliver a cost-effective solution. Optimal fusion of commercially available, low-cost MEMS-IMU and the GPS may provide one such solution. Different variants of the Kalman filter have been proposed and implemented for integration of the GPS and the INS. This paper proposes a framework for the fusion of adaptive Kalman filters, based on Sage-Husa and strong tracking filtering algorithms, implemented on MEMS-IMU and the GPS for the case of a ground vehicle. The error models of the inertial sensors have also been implemented to achieve reliable and accurate estimations. Simulations have been carried out on actual navigation data from a test vehicle. Measurements were obtained using commercially available GPS receiver and MEMS-IMU. The solution was shown to enhance navigation accuracy when compared to conventional Kalman filter.


2018 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 267-275
Author(s):  
Ajay Shankar ◽  
Mayank Vatsa ◽  
P. B. Sujit

Development of low-cost robots with the capability to detect and avoid obstacles along their path is essential for autonomous navigation. These robots have limited computational resources and payload capacity. Further, existing direct range-finding methods have the trade-off of complexity against range. In this paper, we propose a vision-based system for obstacle detection which is lightweight and useful for low-cost robots. Currently, monocular vision approaches used in the literature suffer from various environmental constraints such as texture and color. To mitigate these limitations, a novel algorithm is proposed, termed as Pyramid Histogram of Oriented Optical Flow ([Formula: see text]-HOOF), which distinctly captures motion vectors from local image patches and provides a robust descriptor capable of discriminating obstacles from nonobstacles. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier that uses [Formula: see text]-HOOF for real-time obstacle classification is utilized. To avoid obstacles, a behavior-based collision avoidance mechanism is designed that updates the probability of encountering an obstacle while navigating. The proposed approach depends only on the relative motion of the robot with respect to its surroundings, and therefore is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications and has been validated through simulated and hardware experiments.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Florin Covaciu ◽  
Persida Bec ◽  
Doru-Laurean Băldean

This scientific article highlights the development of an all-terrain intelligent robotic vehicle (ATIRV) platform, its overall structure, virtual modeling and simulation programs (such as Unity 5), electronic controls, and corresponding modules. This paper also shows the physical structure developed for the all-terrain intelligent vehicle and some of its components, which allow other modern robotic vehicles to operate autonomously and automatically in uncharted and dangerous environments. The practical part of the project has been developed by using state-of-the-art features like tele-metrics, tele-operation, drive assist modules, and autonomous navigation using the physical model of the all-terrain intelligent vehicle as structural model in the research experiment and for validating the initial hypothesis (of automatic ATIRV). Other scientific contributions consist in the determination of operational (kinematic and dynamic) parameters. Their comparison with reference values guides the paper’s discussions and conclusions.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 4412
Author(s):  
Kadeghe Fue ◽  
Wesley Porter ◽  
Edward Barnes ◽  
Changying Li ◽  
Glen Rains

This study proposes an algorithm that controls an autonomous, multi-purpose, center-articulated hydrostatic transmission rover to navigate along crop rows. This multi-purpose rover (MPR) is being developed to harvest undefoliated cotton to expand the harvest window to up to 50 days. The rover would harvest cotton in teams by performing several passes as the bolls become ready to harvest. We propose that a small robot could make cotton production more profitable for farmers and more accessible to owners of smaller plots of land who cannot afford large tractors and harvesting equipment. The rover was localized with a low-cost Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS), encoders, and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)s for heading. Robot Operating System (ROS)-based software was developed to harness the sensor information, localize the rover, and execute path following controls. To test the localization and modified pure-pursuit path-following controls, first, GNSS waypoints were obtained by manually steering the rover over the rows followed by the rover autonomously driving over the rows. The results showed that the robot achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.04 m, 0.06 m, and 0.09 m for the first, second and third passes of the experiment, respectively. The robot achieved an MAE of 0.06 m. When turning at the end of the row, the MAE from the RTK-GNSS-generated path was 0.24 m. The turning errors were acceptable for the open field at the end of the row. Errors while driving down the row did damage the plants by moving close to the plants’ stems, and these errors likely would not impede operations designed for the MPR. Therefore, the designed rover and control algorithms are good and can be used for cotton harvesting operations.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 6064
Author(s):  
Daniel Babatunde ◽  
Simon Pomeroy ◽  
Paul Lepper ◽  
Ben Clark ◽  
Rebecca Walker

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are increasingly becoming a popular tool in the observation and study of marine mammals. However, the potential capabilities of these vehicles regarding autonomous operations are not being fully exploited for passive underwater acoustic monitoring in marine mammal research. This article presents results from the development of a UAV system equipped with an underwater acoustic recorder aimed at assisting with the monitoring of harbour porpoises in Special Areas of Conservation in the United Kingdom. The UAV is capable of autonomous navigation, persistent landing, take-off and automatic data acquisition at specified waypoints. The system architecture that enables autonomous UAV flight including waypoint planning and control is described. A bespoke lightweight underwater acoustic recorder (named the PorpDAQ) capable of transmitting the results of fast Fourier transforms (FFT) applied to incoming signals from a hydrophone was also designed. The system’s operation is successfully validated with a combination of outdoor experiments and indoor simulations demonstrating different UAVs capable of autonomously navigating and landing at specific waypoints while recording data in an indoor tank. Results from the recorder suggest that lightweight, relatively low-cost systems can be used in place of heavier more expensive alternatives.


Author(s):  
Wonkeun Youn ◽  
Hayoon Ko ◽  
Hyungsik Choi ◽  
Inho Choi ◽  
Joong-Hwan Baek ◽  
...  

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