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Robot finding of a charging base — Parallax Forums

Robot finding of a charging base

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2001-02-27 19:49 in General Discussion
hello everyone: I want my robot to monitor battery status, and when low,
find a charging station and recharge. I know this has been down hundreds of
times by others, but I can not ever find complete details [noparse]:([/noparse] I use the
basic stamp II, I know Mux in Europe has done it on the remote lawn mower,
but the english language pages are here, or not translated.
Could somebody point me to complete details on how this is done?
Currently my robot has IR sensors to detect walls on left and right. DO I
detect and follow an IR source somehow?
a dependable battery low monitor is also needed as well.
Sincerely
Kerry
Admin@M...
WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
Kerry Barlow
p.o. box 21
kirkwood ny
13795

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-24 23:48
    Since treshold limit of pin state is about 1.4V a simple low battery
    monitor could be done with a resistor divider network. And sensing
    periodically the state of the pin.
    ACJacques

    Kerry Barlow wrote:
    >
    > hello everyone: I want my robot to monitor battery status, and when low,
    > find a charging station and recharge. I know this has been down hundreds of
    > times by others, but I can not ever find complete details [noparse]:([/noparse] I use the
    > basic stamp II, I know Mux in Europe has done it on the remote lawn mower,
    > but the english language pages are here, or not translated.
    > Could somebody point me to complete details on how this is done?
    > Currently my robot has IR sensors to detect walls on left and right. DO I
    > detect and follow an IR source somehow?
    > a dependable battery low monitor is also needed as well.
    > Sincerely
    > Kerry
    > Admin@M...
    > WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    > Kerry Barlow
    > p.o. box 21
    > kirkwood ny
    > 13795
    >
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-26 17:00
    Doesn't anyone have any ideas on how to attract a robot to a charging station?
    Thankyou.

    At 05:50 PM 2/24/2001 -0500, you wrote:
    >hello everyone: I want my robot to monitor battery status, and when low,
    >find a charging station and recharge. I know this has been down hundreds of
    >times by others, but I can not ever find complete details [noparse]:([/noparse] I use the
    >basic stamp II, I know Mux in Europe has done it on the remote lawn mower,
    >but the english language pages are here, or not translated.
    >Could somebody point me to complete details on how this is done?
    > Currently my robot has IR sensors to detect walls on left and right. DO I
    >detect and follow an IR source somehow?
    >a dependable battery low monitor is also needed as well.
    >Sincerely
    >Kerry
    >Admin@M...
    >WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    >Kerry Barlow
    >p.o. box 21
    >kirkwood ny
    >13795
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
    Sincerely
    Kerry
    Admin@M...
    WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    Kerry Barlow
    p.o. box 21
    kirkwood ny
    13795
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-26 17:08
    On Mon, 26 Feb 2001, Kerry Barlow wrote:

    > Doesn't anyone have any ideas on how to attract a robot to a charging station?
    > Thankyou.
    >
    > At 05:50 PM 2/24/2001 -0500, you wrote:
    > >hello everyone: I want my robot to monitor battery status, and when low,
    > >find a charging station and recharge. I know this has been down hundreds of
    > >times by others, but I can not ever find complete details [noparse]:([/noparse] I use the
    > >basic stamp II, I know Mux in Europe has done it on the remote lawn mower,
    > >but the english language pages are here, or not translated.
    > >Could somebody point me to complete details on how this is done?
    > > Currently my robot has IR sensors to detect walls on left and right. DO I
    > >detect and follow an IR source somehow?
    > >a dependable battery low monitor is also needed as well.

    the only ideas I have are naive about using ir emitters/detectors
    seems a sound would get annoying, and burying cable would be burdensome

    what about a base that scans an area for an ir signal, when the bot is hungry
    it turns on its ir emitter, when the base sees the ir signature it does
    something at that time, turn on a bright light (visible or i/r), makes a low
    sound
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-26 21:26
    Could you have an IR emitter at the power source, (always on), and have the
    robot do a 360 deg scan when batteries are low?

    Ray McArthur

    > On Mon, 26 Feb 2001, Kerry Barlow wrote:
    >
    > > Doesn't anyone have any ideas on how to attract a robot to a charging
    station?
    > > Thankyou.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-26 21:48
    Is it that simple? Just have my robot drive to an IR emitting source? it
    sure sounds simple when you say it. I will try that. I presume I still need
    my code that checks for object detection in the way. This also uses IR
    however. DOH
    I know this has been done many times. I read books and articles where
    colleges and such do it. BUT.........


    At 04:26 PM 2/26/2001 -0500, you wrote:
    >Could you have an IR emitter at the power source, (always on), and have the
    >robot do a 360 deg scan when batteries are low?
    >
    >Ray McArthur
    >
    >> On Mon, 26 Feb 2001, Kerry Barlow wrote:
    >>
    >> > Doesn't anyone have any ideas on how to attract a robot to a charging
    >station?
    >> > Thankyou.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
    Sincerely
    Kerry
    Admin@M...
    WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    Kerry Barlow
    p.o. box 21
    kirkwood ny
    13795
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-26 23:49
    You could try an "old" book that details such a "nest":

    Build your own Working Robot, David L. Heiserman, Tab Books #841, copyright
    1976.

    It should be available via inter-library loan in the US. Give me a shout is
    you have difficulty locating it.

    Regards,
    Daniel McGlothin
    Original Message
    From: Kerry Barlow [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=y3ZmoxiFHDPw-y6_wqGPLQd54lVZmND030gMUfB77NaGEG8HQYm_uOaITSKh8NFm8Wdrurl3P2c]admin@m...[/url
    Sent: Monday, February 26, 2001 12:01 PM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Robot finding of a charging base


    Doesn't anyone have any ideas on how to attract a robot to a charging
    station?
    Thankyou.

    At 05:50 PM 2/24/2001 -0500, you wrote:
    >hello everyone: I want my robot to monitor battery status, and when low,
    >find a charging station and recharge. I know this has been down hundreds of
    >times by others, but I can not ever find complete details [noparse]:([/noparse] I use the
    >basic stamp II, I know Mux in Europe has done it on the remote lawn mower,
    >but the english language pages are here, or not translated.
    >Could somebody point me to complete details on how this is done?
    > Currently my robot has IR sensors to detect walls on left and right. DO I
    >detect and follow an IR source somehow?
    >a dependable battery low monitor is also needed as well.
    >Sincerely
    >Kerry
    >Admin@M...
    >WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    >Kerry Barlow
    >p.o. box 21
    >kirkwood ny
    >13795
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
    Sincerely
    Kerry
    Admin@M...
    WWW server hosting [url=Http://mntnweb.com]Http://mntnweb.com[/url]
    Kerry Barlow
    p.o. box 21
    kirkwood ny
    13795






    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-02-27 19:49
    well, if you wanted to make sure your bot doesn't get confused, have it
    home in on a tv remote signal. Just short out one of the buttons. You can
    have the Bot home in on different beacons depending on need, say to follow a
    specific course.

    In a message dated 02/26/2001 2:48:52 PM, admin@m... writes:

    >Is it that simple? Just have my robot drive to an IR emitting source? It
    >sure sounds simple when you say it. I will try that. I presume I still
    >need
    >my code that checks for object detection in the way. This also uses IR
    >however. DOH
    >I know this has been done many times. I read books and articles where
    >colleges and such do it. BUT.........
    >


    ===========
    Larry Geib
    ljgeib@a...
    ===========
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