Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Then you have to constantly move it around until it locks on and this is pretty hard manually and very time consuming.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

it's good to hear that so many teams are planning to use the camera this year. last year, a lot of people said that they we're not using it about a week in, and never touched it again. Now we just have to see who follows through. Look for an exciting auto mode this year!

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

The camera doesn't just have to be used to find the center goal, by finding the center goal you can dead reckon your robot to a corner goal. ;)

Also note: no robot camera will be able to see the white light inside the corner goals unless they get inside the goal. But then they get DQ. :ahh:

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Well, that's what the acceleration and yaw rate sensors are for...

Good luck, start on that code as soon as you can 'cause 6 weeks comes up pretty quick.

Don

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Exactly, it won't take much time to re-align the robot either. the CMUCam has quite a large viewing angle, 98% of the time, the camera will hardly need to move to re-acquire the target. The code plan I currently have in my head is to have a "shooting mode" if you will, and in this mode, any external change to the feedback sensors will call for a restart of the shooting mode. Any bump will have the cannon stop firing and wait until the camera re-tracks and configures the shooting device. The worry I have is if another robot it very tall and comes in front of the cannon while shooting, without touching our robot.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Now here's an interesting theory... using encoders, a gyro, and the camera (or other sensors), find your velocity, robot current facing, current distance from the center goal, and find a way to compensate for your movements so that you can hit the goal while moving at almost any speed. Any programming team out there feel up to the challenege?

I hope teams are remembering that there is a defensive aspect to this year's game as well. It seems everyone is ready to sit there and shoot at the goal, but that doesn't work so well when someone pushes you out of range.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

i am no programmer, but i have talked to the programmers on my team, and it seems almost an impossible task to shoot while moving at a fast speed. One's camara would have to have the capability to move very fast with the cannon... but then one is sacrificing accuracy if one had to manually take the controls.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Our team has started looking at this, and we realized that all these new sensors are in the kit for a reason, and if you use them right, and if you have the range, you could nail the center goal going at about any speed, but impacts are a different issue. We are looking at ways to isolate our cannon from impact so it can stay steady while our bumpers take the jolts. All in all, it looks like a ton of fun! Lets get to it.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

The great thing about defending first is that you can prepare for your attack and get a "fast break" with your back bot.

However, this is offset by the fact that the other team can prepare for the free period.

However (again), this is offset by the fact that in the free period most people will probably be trying to score, and you will be open anyway. Also (more importantly) you will already be down at your end of the field and won't have to waste :05 getting back.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Not only is it a programming nightmare (I say this in a good and bad way) it physically makes you much more likely to miss.

It seems to me that the most practical "moving while shooting" would be if you were already ligned up with the goal and going towards it. You could adjust the angle of your cannon at a more or less constant rate. As you move parallel to the midline, however, you have to adjust cannon angle *AND* cannon direction.

KISS

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

I'll take that challenge.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

i don't know, but we might do it. it could definitely be an advantage.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

We are going to try and keep constant track of the goal with the camera and then using its relative positon on the robot,the data it relays back, a couple of trig functions and projectile motion equation, to try to adjust the angle and direction of the cannon constantly.
I think the camera can do like 25 frames per second, right?
What worries me is how to compensate when being hit by other robots?

When your robot is just about to fire and another robot hits yours, there is no way to adjust the cannon fast enough to compensate that I can think of.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

Hmm I'd like to point out a rule that may burst your bubble...

<S02> Muzzle Velocity - No ROBOT may throw a ball with an exit velocity of greater than 12 m/s (26.8 mph).
As a reference, a ball traveling at this velocity when leaving the ROBOT at an angle of 30º from
horizontal with no spin will travel approximately 35 feet. A robot that violates this rule will be
considered unsafe per <S01>.


Planning on shooting automated from your starting location may not fall within that guideline. The true center of the arena is 27 feet from the target and 13 feet from the wall. Shooting from the wall would then be a horizontal distance of approx. 30 feet. If the ball is launched at 30º with and exit velocity of 12m/s, it would peak at a horizontal distance of 17.5 feet away. Using 45º at 12m/s, it would peak at a horizontal distance of (around) 22 feet away, with a height of about 12 feet. This would give it a rough range of 44 ft horizontal. Which means it could very well be possible to get the ball through a 8.5', 30" goal with 12m/s. Of course my calculations are just using simple trajectory with no regards to drag.

Hmm. As I sought to prove that you cannot make the target from your starting position, I proved the opposite, not only can it be done, it's very possible. Well then, no bubble bursting for me. :ahh: Let the fun begin!!


With regard to the positioning of the robot, because you cant measure or anything, would it not be possible to just point it towards the center, tell it to turn Left and have the camera start searching in the general area of the light?

Simple solution no?



And forgive me for my completely inane post.

Re: autonmous corner or center
 

unless it sees the opponent's light first and fires there...