Black-i Robotics

LandShark UGV

BLACK-I ROBOTICS LANDSHARK UGV

The LandShark is an fully electric UGV. It is an IP based system which allows for maximum scalability of external payloads, sensors, and computing power. It uses the JAUS Protocol (OpenJAUS V3.3.0b) for communications. The LandShark has run time of 2 - 60 hrs depending on use, terrain, and attached payloads. The LandShark is generally tele-operated by an operator from by a remote location. It may also have various on-board third party payloads that provide full or semi-autonomous command behaviors.

Mechanical:
    – Dimensions: 44.75” x 28.5” x 21.5” (LxWxH)
    – Weight: 513 lb
    – Welded Tubular Steel Frame with Lexan Polycarbonate Skin
    – Tank Steer drive system
         - 12 inch tires ( 3 per side)
         - 1 motor per side
         - All wheels on a side are connected to drive motor
           with a chain/sprocket system
         - Front axle raised for climbing
         - Wheels are encoded to .05” accuracy
    – max speed 10 mph
    – Payload >200 lbs

Electrical:
    – 36 V electrical system
          - 3 COTS Sealed Lead-Acid 12v 75 AH batteries
    – Off-board 10-amp charger
    – Battery Voltage Display
    – Drive Train
          - Two Electric PERM motors
          - Controllers fused at 250 amps
    – external power supplies available to user
         5v @100W
         12v @100W
         24v @ 100W
         (200W available upon request)

On Board Computer:
    – Winsystems PPM-LX800-G
         - AMD 500 MHz Geode LX800
         - PC/104-Plus module
    – 1 GB of system DDR SDRAM
    – 8 GB Compact Flash (CF) card for OS and storage
       (Solid state-no-moving parts)
    – Ethernet, Serial, Parallel, USB 2.0
    – Operating System: Fedora 11

Video Server:
    – 4 port H.264 video server.
    – 4 channels video inputs and 4 channels audio inputs.
    – All channels can support CIF resolution real time
    – bi-directional voice communication
    – supports variable bit rate and variable frame rate
    – one RS-485 interface for PTZ control
    – web interface for camera viewing and setup
Radio:
    – On board 802.11g WiFi router with hi-gain 5dB
        omnidirectional antenna
   – Optional IP radio configurations available to increase range

OCU

Computer:
    Amrel Rocky-DK8-I Fully Rugged Touchscreen Tablet
         - 12.1-inch Sunlight readable screen
         - Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
         - Intel® Core 2 Duo™ T5500 1.66 GHz Processor
         - 2GB DDR2 667MHz
         - 250GB (5400 RPM) shock-resistant SATA HDD
         - Gigabit LAN,USB 2.0 x 2,serial
         - Resistive Touchscreen with anti-reflective treatment

Controller:
    XBox 360 wired controller
    (XBox 360 wireless controller available upon request)

Radio:
    Default system uses 802.11g WiFi .
    Other IP radio options are available to increase range.

SOFTWARE

The LandShark system uses the JAUS protocol for all communications. OpenJaus v3.3.0b is the current implementation of the protocol in use. The whole system is IP based. This allows for easy expansion of the system when adding devices or services. For example, if a vision processing module was needed, another computer can be added to the on-board network by strapping it to the hood of the LandShark and plugging it’s Ethernet into the on-board network. That computer can handle the heavy processing load of processing images directly from cameras and talk to the rest on the JAUS nodes on the network to share it’s information.

The on-board LandShark computer is a low power Linux system running a non-GUI full version of Fedora 11. The LandShark computer performs all of the on-board task such as PID control of the motors, monitoring battery voltage, and running the JAUS node manager and appropriate JAUS nodes to run the robot. It also collects sensor data from the sonar, IR, LIDAR, GPS, IMU, and encoders and makes them available through the JAUS system for other nodes to use.

The OCU runs Windows 7 but is backwards compatible with Vista and XP. The OCU software talks directly to the on-board video server to get camera video and perform 2 way communications when necessary. It is also the subsystem commander in the JAUS system and has the final word in control over the system. It can also pass off control to other nodes, if they would like to take control of the system to perform certain tasks. The joystick and other commands gathered by the OCU and sent to their corresponding nodes on the LandShark for processing. The OCU also gathers data from JAUS nodes on the robot and displays the data to the user. Examples of this would be displaying IMU data, arm positional data, GPS data, and sonar,IR, and LIDAR ranging data.

By having an IP based system, any IP device that is on the LandShark network can be accessed from the OCU network without any intervention from the robot and vice versa. The only thing to consider is the bandwidth consumption on the radio link.

For a more detailed description of the overall LandShark system architecture please go to this linked document.

Some Available Options

Radio	Ibis Tek iWDL 4860 Wireless Data Link Operates from 4.8 to 6.0 GHz covering military, public safety and unlicensed bands Superior Line of Sight (LOS) performance supporting two-way wireless communications (audio, data and video) at distances greater than 4km High performance wireless communications for Non-line of Sight (NLOS) environments
PTZ	Moog Quickset PT11 GeminEye Visible Spectrum Cameras Thermal Imagers Choice of 360º Pan rotation Mobile or inverted operation 100x zoom
Lidar	Hokuyo UTM-30LX-EW Multi-Echo Detection ideal for outdoor applications Performs well in rain, snow, mist, and dust Detects objects with normal reflectivity at 50m & above Objects with 10% reflectivity "seen" at 30m 30 meter range/270° scan window Weight: Approx. 370g (not including the cable weight) Ethernet Interface Interface USB 2.0
IMU	AGNC-coremicro-UNCUN1 Position Accuracy:— About 3 meters (within the coverage of WAAS service) Velocity Accuracy:— About 0.2 meter/second Output Data Stream: 3 angular rate and 3 acceleration (specific force) 3 position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) 3 velocity components (north, east, and down) 3 attitudes (pitch, roll, and heading)
Marsupial	MacroUSA Armadillo (micro unmanned Ground vehicle) Man-Packable, light weight (2.5 Kg/5.50 lb) and rugged 200 to 250 meters non-line of sight operation Open architecture design Capable of handling multiple payloads
Sensor Pod	Sonar-Ir ranging module 3 Sonar rangers spaced at 45 degree increments range 12 in to 20 ft (1 inch resolution) 3 Ir rangers spaced at 45 degree increments range 9in to 41in (.5 inch resolution) usb interface ( ethernet available upon request)