© Published at the Proceedings of the Electronics, Robotics and Automotive Mechanics Conference CERMA 2007. September
200 7. IEEE Computer Society.
A Robot-vision System for Autonomous Vehicle Navigation with Fuzzy-logic
Control using Lab-View
Juan Manuel Ramírez, IEEE Senior Member
Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica,
Óptica y Electrónica
Coordinación de Electrónica
Tonantzintla, Puebla. C.P. 72000
Pilar Gómez-Gil, IEEE Senior Member
Universidad Popular Autónoma del
Estado de Puebla
Centro Interdisciplinario de Postgrado
Puebla, México. C.P. 72160
Filiberto López Larios, M.Sc. student
Universidad de las Américas, Puebla
Departamento de Computación, Electrónica y Mecatrónica
Cholula, Puebla, México. C.P.72820
Abstract
This paper describes a navigation system for an
autonomous vehicle using machine vision techniques
applied to real-time captured images of the track, for
academic purposes. The experiment consists on the
automatic navigation of a control remote car through
a closed circuit. Computer vision techniques are used
for the sensing of the environment through a wireless
camera. The received images are captured into the
computer through the acquisition card NI USB-6009,
and processed in a system developed under the
LabView platform, taking advantage of the toolkit for
acquisition and image processing. Fuzzy logic control
techniques are incorporated for the intermediate
control decisions required during the car navigation.
An efficient approach based on logic machine-states is
used as an optimal method to implement the changes
required by the fuzzy logic control. Results and
concluding remarks are presented.
1. Introduction
An autonomous navigation system consists on a
self-piloted vehicle that does not require an operator to
navigate and accomplish its tasks. The aim of an
autonomous vehicle is to have self sufficiency and
decision making installed within it. Some of the areas
where autonomous vehicle are used are space rovers,
rice planting and agricultural vehicles [1,2],
autonomous driving for urban areas, security and
surveillance [3], and also exploration of any place
where human life may be at risk like a mine or a place
with fire hazard. There is a whole variety of
autonomous vehicles present, with an extensive
classification and categories depending on their
characteristics [4,5]. Some of those characteristics
described in the literature are: Autonomy level,
methods of data acquisition, methods of localizations,
goal tasks, displacement techniques, control methods,
and so on. The project presented in this paper is
restricted to the autonomous navigation of a small
control remote car through a closed circuit. Although it
is a very specific task in a controlled environment, it is
indented to provide a platform for academic purposes,
in which several approaches of navigation control can
be tried, and different schemes of pre-processing
image techniques can be used in educational
experiments. The software package Lab View and
their available toolboxes on image analysis acquisition
and fuzzy logic control [6,7], have been found to be an
excellent platform for experimentation purposes for a
quick design, implementation, and test of the
prototypes. It is expected to continue the
experimentation with this prototype in order to explore
further tasks, which would require the use of more
sophisticated control heuristics such us artificial
intelligence and neural networks techniques.
2. Hardware description
The implemented system aims to the wireless
control of a small remote control car from a laptop
computer. The vehicle is equipped with a wireless