Project Proposal - UCI-EECS113-Spring17/SPARK GitHub Wiki

                                             EECS 113 Project Proposal
                                                Spring Quarter 2017
                                                     Team: SPARK
                            Team member: Leyan Wang, Pablo Gutierrez Jr, Xiaoyan Yang, Jingwei Xu

Autonomous Car

Abstract:

In response to the new technology being developed in cars such as Tesla and Google initiative to make autonomous cars, we have tried to implement our own autonomous car. This project uses sensors such as ultrasound to detect the proximity of objects and be able to respond accordingly. Using an ultrasound detector provides an inexpensive, but relatively accurate technology to detect objects. Other options include LIDAR sensors which were being used by Google which instead of radio waves, it emits light and using a similar way to calculate distance.

Objective:

Our team is aiming at implement an autonomous car that is able to move around without hitting any obstacles. The car uses an H-Bridge to control the motor of each wheel to determine the direction and the speed of the car. It also includes multiple ultrasonic sensors that allow the car to check the distance away from all directions in order to avoid any obstacles. If there is sufficient time, the team is also going to implement an Android app that is able to track the location of the car through wireless connection.

Breakdown of Tasks per team member:

Ultrasonic Senser: Jingwei and Xiaoyan
H-Bridge: Pablo and Leyan
Android app: group collaboration

Sensors/Actuators:

HC-SR04, Ultrasonic Distance Sensor ($7.99):
This device helps the car detect the distance between it and an object. This will help us avoid objects and move accordingly.

TT gear motors ($5.99):
There will be four motors, one for each wheel, which will be controlled by the H-Bridge.

Dual H-Bridge Stepper Motor Driver ($11.02):
Since the plan of this project is to have the car avoid objects, which in turn requires a change in direction, the four wheels must be driven independently to be more dynamic to the environment. As a result this H-Bridge provides 2 channels for all of the wheels and more control over the speed and direction of the rotation.

Progress:

As of Week 5, we have acquired the ultrasound sensor and motors. Through our research it has become apparent that the drivers for the ultrasound and H-bridge currently do not exist, and will have to implement our own.

Timeline of Project:

Week 5: Finish Project Proposal
Week 6: Sonar Sensor is working Properly/H-Bridge Working Properly
Week 7: Sonar Sensor is working Properly/H-Bridge Working Properly
Week 8: Having Code run both Sonar and H-bridge
Week 9: Having Code run both Sonar and H-bridge
Week 10: Finish final attempts