Beacon Finder Robot

[swifty666]

For my college project i am building a robot that will drive towards an IR beacon, avoiding objects along the way. i already have ideas of how to do the most of it, but there is just one thing i don't know what to do about.

How can i make my robot 'know' when it has found the beacon... i can imagine it getting to it, but then just pushing it around in a much like carrot hanging in front of a donkey situation!! I want it to stop when it gets to the beacon. This has got to be relatively simple and cheap.. Any ideas?? I'm stumped.

Thanks
Leigh

 

[Yevgenip]

What is an IR beacon? IR Meat?

 

[swifty666]

You are joking surely??

anyway.. what i mean by beacon is a device that will send out infra-red light, with a fixed position... like placeing a torch on the floor, and then my robot going towards the light... My robot wil look for IR light, and go towards it.. but i need it to know when it is there rather that it just keep pushing it around, and dnt know how..

thanks for the help..

 

[ante1]

Hi Leigh,

Welcome to this forum.

Why not add a reed switch to the robot and a small magnet to the IR beacon. Then when they meet you get a

 

[Yevgenip]

Sorry my English is not as good as yours... ;D

But as you say, Never Stop Learning!!!

What I really meant was: Do you have th option of actually Touching the Tourch with the robot?

 

[swifty666]

The reed switch is a good idea, but how close will they need to be for it to work? maybe i could get a powerful magnet, but will it only work from one side of the beacon?

and no i dnt have to option of the bot making contact with the beacon, the object avoiding system will not allow the bot to hit anything (hopefully!)

thanks

 

[ante1]

Hi Leigh,

The reed switches are available in many sizes and with various sensitivity this calls for some experimentation. If the reed switch is placed in an extension from the robot body in the direction of travel and you are using a powerful magnet it might work. I don

 

[trigger]

try to build an array of IR receivers to check the IR strength from the beacon.

 

[Yevgenip]

Yeah, you can use the already existing system of IR tracking in you robot (I hope you have it) to measure the strength of the IR signal so when it reaches a certain high level, it will know that it reached its target.

 

[ante1]

I don

 

[Yevgenip]

I think an expirement is in place here.

 

[Guest]

Check this circuit here:-

It should help you easily.

http://www.electronics-lab.com/projects/sensors/016/index.html

 

[MP1]

How can i make my robot 'know' when it has found the beacon... i can imagine it getting to it, but then just pushing it around in a much like carrot hanging in front of a donkey situation!! I want it to stop when it gets to the beacon. This has got to be relatively simple and cheap.. Any ideas?? I'm stumped.

One method commonly used is with an ultra sonic transducer which is used as a proximity detector. For a completely simple device, you can use a switch used the same as CNC equipment limit switches that detect when the table has reached the home position. Ther are lots of levels in between these two suggestions.

MP