U20ECST10

ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION

UNIT II BUILDING BLOCKS OF A ROBOT
Types of electric motors - DC, Servo,
Stepper; specification, drives for motors - speed
& direction control and circuitry, Selection
criterion for actuators, direct drives, non-
traditional actuators; Sensors for localization,
navigation, obstacle avoidance and path planning
in known and unknown environments – optical,
inertial, thermal, chemical, biosensor, other
common sensors; Case study on choice of sensors
and actuators for maze solving robot and self
driving cars.
 TYPES OF ELECTRIC MOTORS
1.DC Motor
A direct current (DC) motor is a type of electric
machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical
energy.
2.Servo Motor
A servomotor is a rotary or linear actuator that
allows for precise control of angular or linear position.
3.Stepper Motor
A stepper motor, also known as step motor or
stepping motor, is an electrical motor that rotates in a
series of small angular steps, instead of continuously.
 SPECIFICATIONS OF A MOTOR

• No load current
• Speed
• Torque • Stall current
• Current • Stall torque
• Power • Rated Current
• Voltage • Rated Power
• No load speed • Starting Current
 DRIVES OF A MOTOR
A drive is the electronic device that controls the
electrical energy sent to the motor. The drive feeds electricity
into the motor in varying amounts and at varying frequencies,
thereby indirectly controlling the motor’s speed and torque.
AC Drives:
They control the speed of an AC induction motor by
adjusting the motor’s input frequency and voltage.
DC Drives:
DC drives control the speed of DC motors, by varying the
input voltage or through pulse width modulation (PWM).
Servo Drives:
Servo drives control the operation of servo motors,
which are high-performance devices often used in applications
needing precision control, such as robotics and CNC machinery.
 SPEED AND DIRECTION CONTROL OF A MOTOR

• To achieve the speed control an electronic technique

called Pulse Width Modulation is used which generates
High and Low pulses. These pulses vary the speed in the
motor.

• For the generation of these pulses a microcontroller is

used to set the speed ranges as per the requirement.

•We can easily apply this technique in Microcontroller

using Aurdino.
SPEED AND DIRECTION CONTROL OF A MOTOR
 SELECTION CRITERION FOR ACTUATORS
• Actuators are mechanical or electromechanical devices that
turn energy into motion.
• They combine electrical signals with energy sources,
ultimately manipulating the physical world around them.
• Actuators can open doors, close windows, raise blinds, or
move objects to their intended positions.
•The following factors to be considered while selecting an
actuator.
Operating conditions and compliance: Define the conditions of
use, safety requirements, and regulatory standards applicable
to the actuator. Adhere to specific regulations based on the
device’s environment, such as food industry compliance or
outdoor usage specifications.
 SELECTION CRITERION FOR ACTUATORS
Functional requirements: Analyze the working mechanism
required for the device to perform its functions with the
desired accuracy.
Powering methods and integration : Evaluate the available
and suitable power sources for the actuator. Choose
options that seamlessly integrate with the device’s power
supply without the need for separate power units.
Spatial considerations : Consider the actuator’s physical
dimensions to ensure a proper fit within the complete
device.
Control interface: Evaluate the control interface required
for effective interaction with the PLC or management
system.
 ACTUATOR TYPES
Traditional Actuators:
Traditional actuators consist of a screw driven by an
external motor attached by a coupler, belt, or gearbox to
an actuator. The screw is supported by an angular contact
ball bearing set. A nut assembly coupled to the thrust rod
provides anti-rotation (typically internal), creating linear
motion.
Integrated Actuators:
Integrated actuators have a screw rigidly coupled to
and driven by an internal hollow-core servo motor. The
screw and a nut travel within the hollow-core rotor of the
internal servo motor. A set of angular contact ball bearings
supports the screw and servo motor rotor.
 LOCALIZATION SENSOR

• Localization is the process to compute the locations of wireless

devices in a network.
• The main idea in most localization methods is that some
deployed nodes with known coordinates transmit beacons with
their coordinates in order to help other nodes localize themselves.
• It has two types
• Beacon Node(ANCHOR) : It’s a node that’s aware of it’s location.
• Unknown Nodes: Nodes whose location to be determined with the help of
known nodes.
 LOCALIZATION & NAVIGATIONAL SENSORS

Used To understand how robots know where they

are and how they get to new locations

Self-Localisation: Navigation:
• Global Sensors • Classical Feature Based
• Odometry • Potential Fields
• Markers • Behaviour-Based
 GLOBAL SENSORS

Satellite Global Position Sensors (GPS)

• Outdoor ok – c. 10m accuracy
• Military differential GPS < 1m accuracy
• Near buildings – too many reflections
• Indoors:
• Satellite signal not received
• Local transmitters usable
 ODOMETRY

Odometry:
Position measurement by distance travelled
• Know current position ( x, y, )
• Know how much wheels rotate
(e.g. current * time)
• New position = old position + commanded
motion
But:
• motors inaccurate -> use shaft encoders
• wheels slip on surface -> also need some feature tracking
OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE AND PATH PLANNING
 OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE AND PATH PLANNING

• The robot is designed to sense any obstacle in its path,

avoids and resumes its running.
• IR Sensors are used measure the distances with less
response times.
• Along with IR sensors, reflective sensors may be used
for the same purpose.
• Microcontroller or Arduino may be used for decision
making purpose.
• By proper decision making , guiding wheels may be
operated to move the robot.
 OPTICAL SENSORS
Advantages:
• Electromagnetic Immunity
• Electrical Isolation
• Compact and light
• Wide dynamic range
• Amenable to multiplexing.
• They can be used to measure Temperature , Pressure,
Flow , Liquid Level , Displacement ,Vibration, Rotation,
Magnetic field, Acceleration, Force , Velocity , strain ……
OPTICAL SENSORS
 INERTIAL SENSORS

• An inertial sensor measures the acceleration and angular

velocity of an object along three mutually perpendicular
axes.
• Example: accelerometer, gyroscope, compass
• Inertial sensors based on micro-electromechanical
(MEMS) technology have improved its performance over
the last decades. However, using MEMS-based inertial
sensors the resulting positioning is less accurate than using
other technologies like solid state accelerometers or
optical gyroscopes.
 THERMAL SENSOR
• Temperature sensors work by measuring the
voltage across the diode terminals. As the voltage
rises, so does the temperature, and then a voltage
drop occurs between the transistor terminals and
the emitter (in the diode). There are different types
of sensors, which are classified according to their
connections.

•EXAMPLES: THERMOCOUPLE, THERMISTOR

 CHEMICAL SENSOR
• Chemical sensors are those devices that detect
and convert chemical information (such as
concentration, pressure, activity of particles) into
an electrical signal to obtain qualitative or
quantitative time- and spatial-resolved information
about specific chemical components.
• Chemical sensors are also efficient in detecting single
molecules. Examples include a breathalyzer, carbon
monoxide sensor, and electrochemical gas sensor.
 BIO SENSOR
• A biosensor is a device that measures biological
or chemical reactions by generating signals
proportional to the concentration of an analyte in
the reaction.

•A biosensor typically consists of a bio-receptor (enzyme/

antibody / cell / nucleic acid), transducer component
(semi-conducting material / nanomaterial), and electronic
system which includes a signal amplifier, processor &
display. Transducers and electronics can be combined.