MEC8063 Introduction to Mechatronics, Assignment Brief| Newcastle University

Introduction

You are to develop a scale model version of an autonomous rally car. The rally stage consists of a well-defined dirty road lined on either side by a dense forest. The car is driven by a single motor and steered using a servo motor. The car should be able to self-navigate whilst avoiding objects. The car needs to relay all sensor information back to a Labview based interface and this Labview interface will also send signals to the car for steering and speed control. The car should be full autonomous but with the option of manual override in case of any unforeseen problems. You do not need to complete the mechanical design of the car (a basic schematic will suffice) but you will need to develop any electrical circuitry and any program coding to complete the task.

Specifications Drive The vehicle is battery powered and has one dc motor for drive (run in open loop). The motor is driven at variable speeds via a L293D chip. A servo motor controls the steering. A Labview program will issue speed and steering values to be used by the car’s Arduino control program appropriately. Under certain readings from the sensor, the car’s Arduino program can override these speed and steering values if appropriate.

Sensors You must include the following sensors on your car:

• a temperature sensor to monitor the state of the motor, appropriate action should be taken if the motor starts to overheat.
• 1 ultrasonic sensor placed at the front of the car (the car should reverse if something is in front of it) and 2 ultrasonic sensors pointing towards either side of the car as a warning of any side impacts. 
•  a bumper (microswitch or similar) to immediately stop the motor if a collision is detected (ideally the Labview interface gives you the option of what to do next following such an event).
• a light sensor used to control the headlights, ideally hysteresis and debounce should be added to its operation. (Note: Although this autonomous car does not need headlights to drive, they are a legal requirement in dark conditions to warn other road users). Labview interface / control 
•  The interface needs to clearly display all sensor information. A manual control mode should be available on the Labview interface to override the automatic mode if desired. 
•  A fuzzy logic controller should be used to control the speed and direction of the vehicle when it is in automatic mode (using ultrasonic readings and any of the other sensor readings you think appropriate). 
•  Communication between the Arduino and Labview interface should be done by displaying an appropriate set of characters and then manually entering these into the serial monitor/text input. You should try to include (and demonstrate) transmission error checking and encryption in this process. Aesthetics 
•  Your Labview interface needs to clearly display all relevant information and have user functionality (the user can use the interface to enter data/commands for any manual modes). The interface should be self-explanatory – someone not familiar with your project should be able understand the interface from the information/instructions given on it. 
•  The wiring of your Tinkercad circuit needs to be tidy with sensors/motors/etc placed roughly where they are shown on the schematic. 
•  You Arduino program needs to be well structured with comments to indicate what sections of program code are for. Someone not familiar with your program (although they can program themselves) should be able to easily understand your program from the comments given in the code. Additional – lab work demonstrations (worth 32% of the assignment mark) Use the screenshots taken during the lab practicals to demonstrate the following.

For each one, show the screenshot taken and given a verbal description to explain the following: 

•  Show tutorial 3, section 3.3.1 – explain the meaning of the gradient of the fitted line.
• Show tutorial 4, section 5.2b – estimate the settling time of the transition. 
•  Show tutorial 6, section 6.2 – explain what the PicoScope trace is showing you about the transmitted message.
•  Show tutorial 7, section 3.2 (first part) – estimate how quickly your motor reaches a desired speed and describe how you decided on the PID controller values.