pic: Game hint

[Turtlecoach]

Originally Posted by ydnar90

Problems I can see:

If the sensor is on the robot:
field has transmitter
-can't have IR reflective material for the walls (multiple interfering signals)
-fairly expensive if its on game pieces that get destroyed
player has transmitter
-players transmitting at the same time interfere with each other
-2 teams with the same signal for different things can mess with each other

If the sensor is on the field:
Robot has transmitter
-need to be fairly accurate with the transmitter
-2 robots transmitting at the same time = nothing happens (interfere)
player has transmitter
-isn't there an easier way than IR, like just 4 buttons?

If the sensor is at the player station:
field has transmitter
-why use IR for this?
robot has transmitter
-robot can transmit data through the radio, why use IR?

This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands and you get hints like this. Here is what I've come up with...sorry about the length.

If: IR receiver is a Field Piece:

1) Robots will have emitters.
2) Robots will be activating something on the field (up to 4 events or 16 if matrixed)
a. FIRST will have to define what each output will do in game instructions.
b. Robot will need to be close-coupled (think right next to each other) with Field element to prevent other robots from interfering with task
c. Robots might be toggling goals on & off or changing goal colors (red or blue alliance). 1st robot turns goal on, 2nd robot scores ball, block, ring, etc… Goal then shuts down. This would require coordination between alliance members to enable, score and shut down goals. Only requires on/off output from IR receiver.
d. Goals may have combination locks on them that need to be decoded to open goal for scoring. Four bits is 16 combinations.
3) Why would FIRST bother with instructions on how to program a Field Element and send a bunch of them out to teams? If it is a field element, they will do the programming of the receiver not the teams

If: IR receiver is Robot Element:

1) Field will be controlling robot(s) in some way.
a. If Field is working with only one robot at a time in one area, robot will have to be close coupled with Field element to prevent instructions going to wrong robot. .
b. If Field is working globally, (simultaneous instructions to all), emitters will need to cover all areas of field completely. This would, and is done more easily and securely with RF.
c. Field may be enabling or disabling some function in robots at different times in match. Again more easily done with RF.
d. IR receiver might be “listening” to the goal to determine where a scoring element (ball, block, hoop, etc…) needs to be deposited. Individual goals might have four bins, the IR transmitter at the gate would instruct the robot which of the four bins the element needs to be dropped into. How well the robot fulfills the instruction will determine how many points you score.
2) Robots will be interfacing with each other.
a. Robots will have emitters.
b. FIRST would need to define what each output will do in game instructions to insure compatibility issues, otherwise you would need to put the outputs in a matrix to route the individual outputs to the desired function
c. IR receiver module will be reprogrammed at regionals to make them all compatible with other robots or field emitters. Need to overwrite the TV remote programming.
d. Programming instructions for tv remote controls is to check operation on the robot before regionals.

Conclusions – Educated guesses

1) Robots will more then likely have IR emitters. If the receiver is a Field Element then the robots would need to have emitters. If the robots are going to need to collaborate with each other via IR, they will also need to have emitters. If the Field is going to control the robots via IR, then and only then will the robots not need emitters. And since it would be much easier to control all robots via RF instead of IR, I don’t think that is the case. Therefore, I believe that the robots will all have IR emitters.
2) If FIRST is putting out formal instructions on how to program the IR receiver with your TV remote, this part is going to wind up on the robot. If it is a field device, again why would they go through the effort to write these instructions?
3) Robots will be working together to perform a task
4) Robots will be interfacing with the Field in some way more closely then ever in the past



Then again……………..It’s most likely something else