8-1-2000 rev 1a by: Doug Bertain Week 1

Robotics Sensors & Controllers

Sensors collect all the information a robot needs to operate and interact with its environment.

What are sensors?

What are Controllers?Controllers interpret all the input from the sensors and decide how to act in response.

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 2Week 1

Robotics Sensors & Controllers

What are sensors for?

The control of a manipulator or industrial robot is based on the correct interpretation of sensory information. This information can be obtained either internally to the robot (for example, joint positions and motor torque) or externally using a wide range of sensors.

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 3Week 1

Robotics Sensors & Controllers

Since sensors are any device that provide input of data to the robot controller a wide verity of sensors exist. Some basic types of sensors are shown including:

Light sensors which measure light intensity. Heat Sensors which measure temperature. Touch sensors which tell the robot when it

bumps into something. Ultra Sonic Rangers which tell the robot how

far away objects are. And gyroscopes which tell the robot which

direction is up.

Types of Sensors

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 4Week 1

Robotics Sensors & controllers

The bumper skirt on this robot is an example of a touch sensor. When the robot runs into a wall the bumper skirt hits a micro switch which lets the robot controller know that the robot is up against a wall. Other types of touch sensors are used internally to let the robot know when an arm is extended to far and it should be retracted or when the robots other physical limits are reached.

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 5Week 1

Light sensors are used to detect the presence and Intensity of light. These can be used to make a light seeking robot and are often used to simulate insect intelligence in robots.

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 6Week 1

Heat sensors help robots determine if they are in danger of overheating. These sensors are often used internally to make sure that the robot’s electronics do not breakdown.

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 7Week 1

Ultra Sonic Rangers are used to determine how far a robot is away from an object. They are often used by robots that need to navigate complicated terrain and cannot risk bumping into anything.

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 8Week 1

Gyroscopes are used in robots that need to maintain balance or are not inherently stable. Gyroscopes are often coupled with powerful robot controllers that have the processing power necessary calculate thousands of physical simulations per second.

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 9Week 1

Use transistors as a switch to control power to motors, relays and lamps. Current and power handling capability is pretty much dictated by package size. The bigger the package, the more power.

•Transistors

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 10Week 1

Basic Stamp IIThe Basic Stamp II is a small, self-contained computer controller manufactured by Parallax Inc. This easy-to-use system is programmed using a Basic-like language called PBasic. Programs are written on an IBM-style PC then downloaded to the Basic Stamp II for execution. Large libraries of programs can be created and saved.

Controllers

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 11Week 1

Tiny custom microchips like these give "vision" to a toy car by processing images and telling the vehicle how to respond.

Controls

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 12Week 1

Motion control is the process of computer controlled kinetics--

the foundation of robotics. CNC (computer numeric control) is

an antiquated term for this process, recalling an era when

programmers entered the numeric commands and

coordinates for each machine move.

Motion Control

Robotics Sensors & controllers

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 13Week 1

8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 14Week 1

Robotics GlossaryAu-ton-o-mous adj.

1. Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate.

2. Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.

a. Independent of the laws of another state or government; self-governing.

1. Of or relating to a self-governing entity: an autonomous legislature.

2. Self-governing with respect to local or internal affairs: an autonomous region of a country.

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8-1-2000 Rev 1a By: Doug Bertain 15Week 1

android \An"droid\ ([a^]n"droid), A machine or automaton in the form of a

human being.

Possessing human features. n.

An automaton that is created from biological materials and resembles a human being. Also called humanoid.

Robotics Glossary

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