Traction Control Algorithm

[Mr. Lim]

Looking for some advice.

This may not be so applicable to FIRST since most robots are a little "underpowered," and have their weight bias and drivetrain layouts set-up to prevent wheel-spin.

but,

Would the current sensors be a good indicator for loss of traction? I have heard that the outputs are a little bit noisy, and noticed in the default IR navigation code, an average of the last 10 readings as actually being used to resolve the current current. Is this still fast enough? Would a simple RC circuit smooth things out?

If they are a good indicator of wheel-spin, how do most traction control algorithms react when wheel spin is detected? Would you drop your motor output by a fixed value? to a fixed value? by a fixed percentage? kill the output all together for one cycle?

Then, there's detecting wheelspin in the first place. You could create a look-up table of expected current values for a motor speed, and if it's significantly lower, then, you've got wheelspin.

I'm sure someone has, or is thinking this through too. Post your ideas!