International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

Design and Implementation of Autonomous Line

Follower Robot Using Microcontroller
Sk Ebadattulla1, Anwesha Kar2, Tuhina Alam3, Nisha Sarkar4
1
Department-Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Management, Kolaghat, West Bengal, India
2,3,4
Department - Computer Science Engineering, College of Engineering and Management, Kolaghat, West Bengal, India

Abstract—This paper report to describes the technique for

designing, controlling and improving our daily lives with the help
of line follower (autonomous) robots.
In today’s busy world , these autonomous bots can save both
time and energy by helping in industries where instead of
employing a human operator we can set our desired tasks to the
robot which can easily follow the repetitive path from source to
destination and vice versa.
It also finds in application in everyday household work such as
floor cleaning and painting the walls.
So here is a brief idea about what a line follower (autonomous)
robot is: Fig: Properly Functioning Line Follower Robot

It is microcontroller based autonomous robot which detects and II. OBJECTIVE

follows a path that can be invisible magnetic field or a visible
To design an automated line follower robot.
path indicated by black line on a white surface(or vice versa).
The system senses the line. This work is done by sensors – IR IR SENSOR
sensors. The IR sensors are mounted at the front end of the
robot. The data from these sensors will be given to the
microcontroller (Arduino board) which in turn sends the signal
to the motor driver that in turn drives the motor of the robot ARDUINO MICROCONTROLLER POWER
based upon the information of IR sensors. (UNO) SUPPLY
This system hence can be used in a safe, efficient, time-saving
way in industries as well as for daily purposes.
Keywords—Microcontroller (Arduino UNO),Motor Driver UPLOADING THE PROGRAM
(L293D),IR Sensors (3),DC Motors (2),Caster Wheel,Power
Supply(9 volt).

I. INTRODUCTION
MOTOR DRIVER MOTOR DRIVER
L ine follower is a machine that follows a path. The path
can be a black line on a white surface (or vice versa) or it
can be invisible like magnetic field. In order to detect specific
marks or lines, various schemes for sensing it are applied. The
choice of the schemes depends upon sensing accuracy and
flexibility. In industrial point of view lone following bots are ROBOT RUN PROPERLY
used in semi to fully autonomous plants. The sensing of the
Fig: Block Diagram ofthe Overall Model
line which it is following is to be done carefully so that the
robot stays on course while constantly correcting its path III. CONSTRUCTION
using feedback mechanism there is a formation of closed loop
system. Apart from following its line and path these robots Building a basic line follower robot involves following steps:
should navigate junctions that is to decide which junction to Designing the Hardware Part of Robot
follow and which it should not. This would require the robot
Implementing the Control of Robot.
to have 90 degrees turn. Sensor positioning also plays an
important role optimizing the robots performance for the tasks
mentioned before.

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

IV. EQUIPMENT’S DETAILS If any of the pins INPUT 1, INPUT 2, INPUT 3, INPUT 4 is
high then flow of current will be HIGH in OUTPUT 1,
1. Microcontroller (Arduino UNO) OUTPUT 2, OUTPUT 3, and OUTPUT 4 respectively.
2. Motor Driver (L293D)
3. IR Sensors (3)
4. DC Motors (2)
5. Chassis
6. Wheels (2)
7. Caster Wheel
8. Male and Female Jumper Wires
9. Power Supply (9 volt)
10. Bread Board

V. ABOUT EQUIPMENTS
1. CHASSIS AND BODY—
Fig: Pin Configuration of L293D IC
We can use materials like wood, plastic, aluminium
4. MICROCONTROLLER-ARDUINO UNO—
giving care to the mechanical ability, flexibility and weight .In
our designed robot we have used a plastic chassis since it is Arduino UNO is a microcontroller which receives
light weight, strong and the components can be easily attached the signal from the sensors and gives corresponding signal to
like the wheels and motor. motor driver IC .It continuously monitors data from the
sensors and turns the robot as per the line detected by them
2. MOTOR AND WHEELS—
with the help of motor drive that in turn controls the motor
We have used DC motors which provides a high and wheels.
torque and efficiency. DC motors are simple and easy to
install onto the chassis. The motors rotate the robot clockwise
or anticlockwise depending upon the program. The electrical
energy is converted into mechanical energy by the motors
which is used to drive the wheels. We have used two medium
sized wheels and a caster wheel attached at the front for easier
and smooth movement .This is the most common combination
for wheeled robots.
Fig. Arduino

5. IR SENSORS—
Infrared Sensors are used to find the path and
direction. IR sensors contains a transmitter and receiver pair.
We know white surfaces are good reflectors and black
surfaces are poor reflectors .So if the receiver receives the
reflection ray it means the robot is on white else if it doesn’t
receives it means the robot is on black. Thus the device works
by measuring the amount of light that is reflected into the
receiver.IR sensors works best when it is shielded from
Fig. motor and wheel
ambient light and the distance between the sensors and the
3. L293D MOTOR DRIVER— surface is small(less than 10mm).
It is a typical motor driver which controls the
working speed and direction of the motor simultaneously.
This driver consists of 16 pins which controls two DC motors.
It works on the principle of H-bridge .This motor control
circuit allows the voltage to flow in any direction.
When Enable 1 is HIGH, then left part of IC will work,
otherwise it won’t work.
When Enable 2 is HIGH, then right part of IC will work,
otherwise it won’t work.

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

else if(l==0 && m==0 && r==1) // do delay() only

======>
{
// i m tryint to ignor it
delay(400);
}
else if(l==0 && m==1 && r==1) // done ======> left turn
{
Fig: Reflection by black and white surfaces left();
VI. IMPLEMENTING THE SOFTWARE }

By adding logic to our controller we will be able to tackle all else if(l==0 && m==0 && r==0) //do right turn
kinds of bends and turns in linear track. Here is a sample {
demo code:
right();
#define LM1 2 }
#define LM2 3 else if(l==1 && m==1 && r==1) // do return with left turn()
#define RM1 5 ========>
#define RM2 6 {
#define L 8 rev();
#define M 9 }
#define R 10 else
#define LL 11 {
#define RR 12 left();
int l,m,r; delay(10);
void setup() fro();
{ delay(100);
Serial.begin(9600); right();
pinMode(LM1,OUTPUT); //left forward }
pinMode(LM2,OUTPUT); // left back }
pinMode(RM1,OUTPUT); //right forward //-----------------------------------------------
pinMode(RM2,OUTPUT); //right back void fro()
{
pinMode(L,INPUT); digitalWrite(LM1,HIGH);
pinMode(M,INPUT); digitalWrite(LM2,LOW);
pinMode(R,INPUT); digitalWrite(RM1,HIGH);
delay(3000); digitalWrite(RM2,LOW);
} }
void loop() void right()
{ {
l=digitalRead(L); digitalWrite(LM1,HIGH);
m=digitalRead(M); digitalWrite(LM2,LOW);
r=digitalRead(R); digitalWrite(RM1,LOW);
ll=digitalRead(LL); digitalWrite(RM2,LOW);
rr=digitalRead(RR); }
if(l==1 && m==0 && r==1) // done =====> forward() void left()
{ {
fro(); digitalWrite(LM1,LOW);
} digitalWrite(LM2,LOW);
else if(l==1 && m==0 && r==0) // do right turn ======> digitalWrite(RM1,HIGH);
{ digitalWrite(RM2,LOW);
right(); }
} void rev()
{

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

do{ 5. Automated cars.

//left turn()
digitalWrite(LM1,LOW); IX. CONCLUTION
digitalWrite(LM2,HIGH); Our Line Follower robot has the capability to follow any
digitalWrite(RM1,HIGH); curve or cycles. We have built a robot that is light weight with
digitalWrite(RM2,LOW); high speed motors and high sensibility sensor circuit. The
} weight of the designed robot is about 300grams. The robot
while(l==1 && m==0 && r==1); makes use of two wheel in rear and a free wheel (caster
wheel) on the front so that the robot can move with ease. The
VII. METHODOLOGY power supply is 9V. It has three IR sensors to detect the track.
Microcontroller Arduino UNO and Motor Driver L293D is
At first gather all equipments and materials, then attach the used to control direction and speed of the motors. The robot is
two motors on either side (left and right) on the chassis of the self-operating and micro controlled.
robot containing wheels. The wires of both the motors are
connected to the motor driver.Then place the Arduino on the X. FUTURE SCOPE
surface of chassis and make a proper connection and on the
front side of the robot attach the IR sensor taking care of the This paper is all about line follower autonomous robot using
distance between the ground and sensor using jumper wires. Arduino microcontroller which follow a specific path. In
The power source (9 volt battery) that is used to drive the future this project can be modified by connecting ultrasonic
robot. sensor which can be used in avoid obstacles. Adding a
Bluetooth module and Camera module will enhance its
Check if all the equipments are working properly. Finally efficiency and working by detecting obstacles that can be seen
upload the program which varies depending on the track. Now on thescreen. Now the user can control the robot via a
the autonomous line follower bot is ready to run. smartphone application.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author acknowledges technical and financial guidance for
this research from The College of Engineering And
Management, Kolaghat.

REFERENCES
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