Colony Scout IR Sensor Implementation¶

The sensor implementation extends the current set of (5) long range (10-80cm) IR sensors with a pair of short range IR (analog) sensors and a short range IR (digital) sensor.

The arrangement is as follows --

Long Range (LR)/Short Range (SR)

• 1 LR sensor in the front pointing forward
• 1 SR sensor in front pointing forward
• 2 LR sensors in front pointing @ 45deg +/- central axis (left&right, forming 90deg separation)
• 1 SR sensor in front pointing straight down at floor (cliff detection)
• 1 SR sensor in rear pointing rearward (backup sensor)

Suggested Features:

• Front long range IR w/ tilt mechanism - use for cliff detection, front obstacle detection, and mapping
• Move to sonar (more expensive but more accurate) sensors
• Longer range (20-150cm) sensors in front
• Mirror the front (3) sensor array in the rear
• Single short range panning sensor in the rear
• Gimbal mounted IR array for "level" sensing over rough terrain (requires accelerometer)
• 360deg Scanning IR sensor (need low cost encoder & motor setup, < cost 5 IR sensors)

Additional Comments: (add any other suggestions to this section)

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Additional Colony Scout Materials¶

Colony Scout Homepage¶

Bill of Materials¶

Mechanical Platform¶

IR Sensor Array¶

Colony Scout Localization and Orientation¶

Design Validation & Course Testing¶

Efficient Communication over Mesh Network¶

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