GPS BASED AUTONOMOUS GROUND VEHICLE

S.N.Deshpande Sr.Lecturer, Electronics Dept. PVPPCOE, University of Mumbai, Mumbai-22. +91-9967650813 009bond009@gmail.com Venkatesh Moorthy Student(final yr.), Electronics Dept. University of Mumbai PVPPCOE, Mumbai-22. +91-2265067104. Venkatesh.moorthy1957@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Autonomous ground vehicle navigation requires integration of many technologies such as path planning, positioning, and orientation sensing along with vehicle control and obstacle avoidance. The work presented here focuses on the use of Global Positioning Satellites for a majority of these tasks. This paper describes the role of the Global Positioning Satellites in the motion of the autonomous vehicle from point A to Point B. The module provides reliable and accurate movement of the vehicle across multi-faceted terrain. The paper uses a concept put forth by Mr. T. Vincenty as a part of a survey review published by the geodesics department in 1975. The concept compensates for the ellipsoidal nature of the earth, in doing so it provides increasingly accurate data which is then used by the vehicle to calculate the distance between point A and point B that has to be traversed. The previously used techniques in GPS based tracking involve the satellite controlling the vehicle or human controlling the GPS enabled robot via the satellite. This paper demonstrates how the role of the satellite remains to merely relaying co-ordinates and not controlling the vehicle. Whilst doing all this there is also the extremely accurate and precise manoeuvring of the robot.

Categories and Subject Descriptors

Introduction, Vincentys Concept, Vehicles interpretation of data.

General Terms
Autonomous, Global Positioning System(GPS), Latitude, Longitude, environment, co-ordinates, ellipsoid,

Recently much research has been conducted on the path sensing and perception of the vehicle3,5. But the question yet remains as to how the vehicle will decide its source i.e. point of start of surveillance and its destination i.e. the point of stop. Previously the vehicle was human or computer guided into a particular environment. The predecessors of the Global Positioning System (GPS) based autonomous ground vehicles had satellites that controlled its path. The satellites were equipped with appropriate sources of programs for the navigation of the vehicle. Also the older versions had humans controlling the robot directly from a remote location using satellite communication. Constant monitoring via remote sensing devices meant human interface constantly existed. The work presented below demonstrates how the robot can be self equipped and self sufficient to a much greater extent than all other previous works. The role of satellites will reduce merely to relaying the co-ordinates to and fro to the vehicle. As many as 12 satellites will ensure the accuracy of co-ordinates. The vehicle will be equipped with a program that will convert the co-ordinates provided in terms of latitude and longitude into distance as well as direction on solid earth. The constant update of the co-ordinates will ensure that the vehicle sticks to its path. But the earths surface is not uniform. Due to the nonuniformity in the terrain the vehicle will be programmed using interrupts. As soon as the vehicle encounters a change in the terrain, the program of path that had been presided upon using the GPS co-ordinates will be interrupted. The sensors and the vehicle will use another program that will control its speed, orientation, and its movement in this mode. The GPS co-ordinates will be in terms of latitudes and longitudes. But due to the increasingly growing age of the earth (4 billion years approx.), the rotation of the earth along its axis is creating a centrifugal force. This centrifugal force is causing the earths shape to change from a sphere to an ellipsoid. The surface of the earth is flattening at the poles and bulging outwards towards the equator. To compensate for all of these, Vincenty1 carried out studies as a part of the survey on geodesics. Vincentys concept compensates for the ellipsoidal nature of the earth. The vehicle will use to concept to calculate the distance and hence decide the path that it has to trace.

1.INTRODUCTION
An autonomous vehicle is one that is capable of automatic navigation. It is self-acting and self regulating, therefore it is able to operate in, and react to its environment without any external control. The process of automating a vehicle can be broadly classified into 3 steps:(1) perceiving and modelling the environment,(2)localizing the vehicle within its environment,(3) planning deciding and executing the vehicles desired motion.

2.VINCENTYS CONCEPT
Vincentys formula a, b = major & minor semi-axes of the ellipsoid

f = flattening (ab)/a 1, 2 = geodetic latitude L = difference in longitude U1 = atan((1f).tan1) (U is reduced latitude) U2 = atan((1f).tan2) Let = L (first approximation) iterate until change in is negligible (e.g. 10-12 0.06mm) { sin=[ (cosU2.sin) + (cosU1.sinU2 sinU1.cosU2.cos) (14) cos (15) = sinU1.sinU2 +

1. Vincenty observes that eqn. (18) becomes indeterminate over equatorial lines (since cos 0); in this case, set cos2 m to 0 and the result is computed correctly. He also points out that the formula may have no solution between two nearly antipodal points; an iteration limit traps this case (Vincenty says this will occur when , as computed by eqn. (11), is greater than in absolute value, but this is not always a reliable test). 2.why a degree of latitude is longer at the pole than at the equator (111,694m vs. 110,574m), despite the radius being less? The answer is that (geodetic) latitude is determined by the angle between the normal of the spheroid and the plane of the equator, as you can see on this exaggerated ellipse figure 1. ] If the angles are taken from the centre of the Earth, the (geocentric) latitudes would get squashed up toward the poles try drawing a 45 angle from the centre of this ellipse.

cosU1.cosU2.cos (16)

= atan2(sin, cos)

sin = cosU1.cosU2.sin / sin (17) cos = 1 sin cos2m= cos 2.sinU1.sinU2/cos

(18)

C = f/16.cos.[4+f.(43.cos)(10) =L+ (1C).f.sin.{+C.sin. [cos2m+C.cos. (1+2.cos2m)]} (11)

\ }

u = cos.(ab)/b A= 1+u/16384.{4096+u.[768+u.(320175.u)]} B= u/1024.{256+u.[128+u.(7447.u)]}

3 4

Figure 1.Ellipsoid 3.Trig functions take arguments in radians, so latitude, longitude, and bearings in degrees (either decimal or degrees/minutes/seconds) need to be converted to radians, rad = .deg/180. When converting radians back to degrees (deg = 180.rad/), West is negative if using signed decimal degrees. For bearings, values in the range - to + [-180 to +180] need to be converted to 0 to +2 [0360]; this can be done by (brng+2.) %2. [brng+360)%360] where % is the modulo operator. The atan2() function used here takes two arguments, atan2(y, x), and computes the arc tangent of the ratio y/x. It is more flexible than atan(y/x), since it handles x=0, and it also returns values in all 4 quadrants - to + (the atan function returns values in the range -/2 to +/2). 4. All bearings are with respect to true north, 0=N, 90=E, etc; if you are working from a compass, magnetic north varies from true north in a complex way around the earth, and the difference has to be compensated for by variances indicated on local maps. 5. In his letter to Survey Review in 1976, Vincenty suggested replacing his series expressions for A

= B.sin.{cos2m+B/4.[cos.(1+2.cos2m) B/6.cos2m. (3+4.sin).(3+4.cos2m)]} 6 s = b.A.() (19)

1 = atan2(cosU2.sin, cosU1.sinU2 sinU1.cosU2.cos) (20) 2=atan2(cosU1.sinsinU1.cosU2+ (21) cosU1.sinU2.cos)

Where:

s is the distance (in the same units as a & b) 1 is the initial bearing, or forward azimuth 2 is the final bearing (in direction p1p2)

Notes:

and B with

where

vehicle has to finally arrive; either with the RS232 port available in the micro-controller or wirelessly. After it has its destination co-ordinates, it will run the algorithm for Vincenty formula with its current location as its source or starting point. Thus the vehicle will have a start point, its destination (which will be stored in its memory until reset) and the bearing angle. The micro-controller will direct the motors accordingly to move in this direction. Along with this the robot has ultrasonic sensors that will also be constantly tracking the path.

The most accurate and widely used globally-applicable model for the earth ellipsoid is WGS-84. Other ellipsoids offering a better fit to the local geoid include Airy (1830) in the UK, International 1924 in much of Europe, Clarke (1880) in Africa, GRS-67 in South America, and many others. America (NAD83) and Australia (GDA) use GRS-80, functionally equivalent to the WGS-84 ellipsoid.

3.2 Autonomous Navigation Through Rough Terrain

The vehicle will constantly use the ultrasonic sensors to track the presence of any obstacle in its path. Whenever the sensors detect the presence of any obstacle in its path, firstly the microcontroller is programmed to try and overcome the obstacle without actually changing its path. But sometimes it may so happen that the sensors show the presence of obstacles that cannot be tackled just with a little flexibility in the chassis. When this situation arises, the ground vehicle interrupts the GPS path and runs an algorithm that will focus on the conquering the rugged terrain change. The robot will constantly move until the obstacle has been avoided. Also whenever there is a presence of trough or a crest in the surface of the terrain i.e. a pothole etc., the robot is equipped with infrared sensors at the base of its chassis that will detect any abnormality in the surface, the microcontroller automatically avoids or tackles this terrain.

Table 1. Different researched values of semi-axes of earth b a = 6 378 1376 356 752.314245 f 1 / WGS-84 m (2 m) m 298.257223563 b a = 6 378 1376 356 752.314140 f = 1 / GRS-80 m m 298.257222101 a = 6 377 563.396 b = 6 356 256.910f 1 / Airy 1830 m m 299.3249646 International a = 6 378 388b 6 356 911.946 1924 m m f = 1 / 297 a =b Clarke 6 378 249.145 6 356 514.86955 mod.1880 m m f = 1 / 293.465 a = 6 378 160b 6 356 774.719f = 1 / GRS-67 m m 298.247167

3.3 Re-tracing the Path

The robot has now avoided the obstacle and conquered surface abnormalities the vehicle has interrupted or in other words aborted the GPS path tracking algorithm. But to regain its path and reach the user programmed destination, the robot again establishes contact with the GPS satellites; it acquires its current latitudinal and longitudinal co-ordinates. After this it recalls the destination co-ordinates from its micro-controllers memory. It reruns the entire algorithm that is based on the Vincenty formula. The robot now has new distance and a new bearing angle. It again uses this data to trace its path to reach the destination.

3.VEHICLES INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This data simply provides the distance to the accuracy of within 0.5mm and 0.000015 in terms of bearing angle. This data is now being applies for the usage in the local environment of the vehicle as follows. The implementation of distance and the bearing can be summarized into 3 steps.

3.1 The Determination of Path

Our vehicle will be equipped with its own GPS receiver; this will be interfaced with a Microcontroller (ATMega128). Therefore at each instant it will check its location co-ordinates and constantly save the data. The robot is dependent on humans to input the destination i.e. the latitudes and longitudes of the location that the

4.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We express our heartfelt thanks to our team members, Harshil Lukha, Nikhil Trivedi, Kaushal Panchal. Their encouragement and support has been immense. Also we would like to acknowledge our HOD Prof.(Mrs.) Priti Tyag. Also Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil College of Engineering the institution which provided immense support as well as all the necessary facilities for the development of this work. A special thanks to Mrs.Savithri Moorthy for her support and encouragement. We would also like to thank the entire staff of the electronics department for having faith in us.

[2] S. Kim, W. Lee, and J. Kim, Research of the unmanned vehicle control and modeling for lane tracking and obstacle avoidance, in Proc of the Int Conf on Control, Automation, and Systems (ICCAS), Gyeongju, Korea, October 2003. [3] K. Murphey and S. Legowik, GPS aided retrotraverse for unmanned ground vehicles, SPIE 10th Annual AeroSense Symposium, Orlando, FL, April 1996. [4] F. Lizarralde, E. Nunes, L. Hsu, and J. Wen, Mobile robot navigation using sensor fusion, in Proc of the 2003 IEEE Int Conf on Robotics and Automation, Taipei, September 2003. [5] Shanti Narayan, Vector Calculus,1983

5.REFERENCES
[1] T.Vincenty- Survey review, Survey of Geodesics.