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 Robotics / Handy Board / 5441
5440  |  5442
Subject: 
Re: Polaroid Sonar Questions
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics.handyboard
Date: 
Wed, 10 Feb 1999 21:57:55 GMT
Original-From: 
Will Bain <WILLBAIN@CS.saynotospamUMT.EDU>
Viewed: 
3049 times
  
Nick Taylor wrote:
> I'm looking for help/advice with my sonar setup. • <snip>
> 1. How to deal with "jitter" of about ±1 cm at all ranges.  My
>    tentative solution is to average 3 or 4 readings.
> 2. How to deal with the occasional (once out of 10 or 20 pings)
>    large error.  My tentative solution is to discard ranges that
>    have changed a "large" amount since the previous reading ...
>    faster than the 'bots max velocity ... but what about a
>    rapidly approaching predator such as my cat?

I found that returning the median (middle value) of three successive
readings filters out the noisy readings quite well--especially the
occasional large error.  Just a couple nested if-then statements are
needed.


> 3. How to determine when the minimum reliable range has been
>    reached.  Tentative: just discard anything less than 20 cm.

Sure, that sounds about right.


> 4a.Are my time of flight calculations correct?  Polaroid implies
>    that the speed of sound is about 1.1 feet/sec.  My reference
>    says 331.6 m/sec at 0°C and approx. 354 m/sec at 20°C (68°F).
>    If my grade school math is correct this works out to a sonar
>    inch (out and back time) equal to 143.5 usec (287 counts) and
>    a sonar centimeter of 56.5 usec (113 counts).
> 4b.Using Dr. Martin's sonar.c to test the 6500 the about figures
>    give reasonably accurate readings, but it is necessary to
>    subtract about 1000 counts (0.5 msec) from the returned result
>    prior to converting to inches or centimeters.

When I calibrated mine, the counts per cm ended up about 143 (maybe
because I live up in the thin air?)


> 5. How best to implement the software to take full advantage of
>    the 6500's capabilities?
> 
> I intend using Adam Cox's four transducer hookup at:
> http://el.www.media.mit.edu/groups/el/projects/handy-board/software/contrib/adam/mxducr1.gif

There's a lot to be said for simple solutions.  The Seattle Robotics
Society web site had a great page about sonar (I don't know if it's
still there).  It described overlapping the 10-degree fields of "view"
of a couple of sonar transducers by five degrees to provide a 15-degree
field with 5-degree effective resolution.  I plan to follow their lead.
I'll let you all know how it turns out.  Have a blast.

--Will
                                          , ,
        __@_/             \_@__           |/
          |                /__,           o             @_/
          )\              )              ( \            (\/\\,
~~~~~~~~~ ' ` ~~~~~~~~~~~ ` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendy Parson,            If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism;
Will Bain,                       if you steal from many, it's research.
& Tatoosh                                               --Wilson Mizner



Message is in Reply To:
  Polaroid Sonar Questions
 
I'm looking for help/advice with my sonar setup. At present I've got a single sonar connected to the new Expansion Board and have been doing a calibration. My goal is to use four transducers to cover a 45° arc. Here are my problems/questions: 1. How (...) (28 years ago, 9-Feb-99, to lugnet.robotics.handyboard)

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