Input Sources

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• Upward Pointing Camera
  • A Camera based near the top of the vehicle monitoring the ceiling for optical glyphs used to determine the current position relative to a map. This camera does not have the standard requirements of other systems. However, the Upward Pointing camera must have sufficient resolution to distinguish glyphs from background, as well as recognition.
• Stereo Forward Facing Cameras
  • Dual-Cameras used with image recognition and triangulation to determine possible obstacles in the vehicle's path. Stereo Cameras must have extremely accurate placing and rigid support. Resolution is not as much of an issue, but placing is key. Also considered is the Xbox Kinect Controller which automatically triangulates and produces a pixel heat-map of the view displaying relative object distances.
• Ultrasonic Range Finder
  • Detection of obstacles close to the robot (less than 2 meters) for backup and safety. The Ultrasonic sensor must be routed through a micro-controller, most likely the MCS (Motor Control System) for ease-of-use. Since the ultrasonic sensor reports a set range for objects in its field of view, the primary purpose of it is to check for objects close in front of the vehicle.