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The Five Senses - GPS
WHERE AM I?
For a machine to be able to know, precisely, where it is has become something we have begun to take for granted now that it can be done with a chip (like the one used in cell phones). Team Berlin's 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge vehicle, Spirit of Berlin, knows where it is and what direction it is headed by using comercially available Applanix LV220 GPS navigation system. An accuracy of 1 meter has been obtained using differential GPS and positioning accuracy better than 10 cm can be obtained when augmented with RTK inertial sensing. Two GPS antennas provid three coordinate position of the car and heading. The pitch, yaw, and roll of the car are provided by the Inertial Management Unit (IMU).
A Kalman filter integrates odometry and GPS to produce a correction signal for the inertial unit, eliminating drift. The Applanix system consists of a processing computer, GPS receivers, IMU based on ring laser gyro technology, and an odometer attached to the outside of a rear wheel. The GPS receiver can use free WAAS or NAVISTAR commercial differential correction services.
This system is very simmilar to the FIELDSTAR system used by tractors roaming the fields. With precise location information available it is now called precision farming. Many of the farming tasks are now self guided. Precision farming produces a map of crop yield that when colored looks like an abstract needle point design. The map tells other farm implements exactly where and how much chemical needs to be placed to maximize crop yield of that field.
GPS in its many forms is becomeing and indespensible part of Automtic Guided Vehicles of all types. Recent advances of getting this and other satellite systems to work reliably inside buildings is bringing this navigation tool indoors. Other nations, uneasy that the USA controls GPS, have or are creating simmilar duplicate systems to of their own. GPS receiver makers are taking advantage of this by producing recievers that make use of all the satellite based positioning signals available to create more precise position information.
WHAT TO DO WITH A CELL PHONE
I have heard that model airplane enthusiasts have been able to put cell a phone into a model airplane and use the phone's camera to send back aerial reconosance photos and use the phone's GPS to control the plane. I wish I had though that, I will have to try it and see how well it works.
PHOTO
The lead photo is number 174 of 2,500 taken by AIM Team members Linda and Tom Graham at the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, Victorville CA. Team Berlin's vehicle, Spirit of Berlin, being readied for pre-race elimination trials. The photo shows several GPS position sensing antennas on top of the vehicle.
The Five Senses - GPS
December 14, 2007
WHERE AM I?
For a machine to be able to know, precisely, where it is has become something we have begun to take for granted now that it can be done with a chip (like the one used in cell phones). Team Berlin's 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge vehicle, Spirit of Berlin, knows where it is and what direction it is headed by using comercially available Applanix LV220 GPS navigation system. An accuracy of 1 meter has been obtained using differential GPS and positioning accuracy better than 10 cm can be obtained when augmented with RTK inertial sensing. Two GPS antennas provid three coordinate position of the car and heading. The pitch, yaw, and roll of the car are provided by the Inertial Management Unit (IMU).
A Kalman filter integrates odometry and GPS to produce a correction signal for the inertial unit, eliminating drift. The Applanix system consists of a processing computer, GPS receivers, IMU based on ring laser gyro technology, and an odometer attached to the outside of a rear wheel. The GPS receiver can use free WAAS or NAVISTAR commercial differential correction services.
This system is very simmilar to the FIELDSTAR system used by tractors roaming the fields. With precise location information available it is now called precision farming. Many of the farming tasks are now self guided. Precision farming produces a map of crop yield that when colored looks like an abstract needle point design. The map tells other farm implements exactly where and how much chemical needs to be placed to maximize crop yield of that field.
GPS in its many forms is becomeing and indespensible part of Automtic Guided Vehicles of all types. Recent advances of getting this and other satellite systems to work reliably inside buildings is bringing this navigation tool indoors. Other nations, uneasy that the USA controls GPS, have or are creating simmilar duplicate systems to of their own. GPS receiver makers are taking advantage of this by producing recievers that make use of all the satellite based positioning signals available to create more precise position information.
WHAT TO DO WITH A CELL PHONE
I have heard that model airplane enthusiasts have been able to put cell a phone into a model airplane and use the phone's camera to send back aerial reconosance photos and use the phone's GPS to control the plane. I wish I had though that, I will have to try it and see how well it works.
PHOTO
The lead photo is number 174 of 2,500 taken by AIM Team members Linda and Tom Graham at the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, Victorville CA. Team Berlin's vehicle, Spirit of Berlin, being readied for pre-race elimination trials. The photo shows several GPS position sensing antennas on top of the vehicle.
GO ROBOTS !
Paul F. Grayson - Chief Engineer
AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, LLC
Racing to build technology that saves soldier's lives.
390 4-Mile Rd. S.
Traverse City, MI 49686-8411
(231) 946-0187, (231) 883-4463 Cell
pgrayson@aimagic.org
http://aimagic.org
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/robotcluboftraversecitymi/
http://www.controleng.com/index.asp?layout=blog&blog_id=1180000318
AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, LLC
Racing to build technology that saves soldier's lives.
390 4-Mile Rd. S.
Traverse City, MI 49686-8411
(231) 946-0187, (231) 883-4463 Cell
pgrayson@aimagic.org
http://aimagic.org
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/robotcluboftraversecitymi/
http://www.controleng.com/index.asp?layout=blog&blog_id=1180000318
Posted by Paul Grayson on December 14, 2007 | Comments (0)
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