Control module for small mobile robots

Abstract

The article describes a module serving as a complete control system for locomotory and sensory subsystems of small mobile service robots. This module is still in development on the Department of robotics at VŠB-TU Ostrava, now it is in the phase of practical testing on various wheeled mobile robots, which reveals new problems to be dealt with by modifying existing features or adding new ones. The control system consists of all necessary components; both the low level and higher level control systems and their mutual communication. The low level control system includes all hardware and a program in a microprocessor necessary for servos or electromotors control and data acquisition from sensors. Communication with the higher level control system is made via wireless RS232. The higher level control system is programmed in Visual Basic.NET and its function is to get control inputs from user, process it and send to the lower level system and also to provide the user with all necessary informations from the robot. In the future it can also do some artificial intelligence calculations.