RCMeetingMinutes

This document represents the results of a meeting held 8/29/08 where the core members discussed plans for the 2009 system. All teams will have clearly defined goals and plan to complete said goals

Team Roadmap

• Document our system
  • Testing
  • Design document
• Refurbish 2008 robots so software can develop
  • Reduce wheel play
  • Investigate ball sensors?
• Full size field
  • Goals - with net on top
  • Walls
• "Status Quo" Robots
  • Performance Numbers
    • Theirs
    • Ours
  • Complete team by Jan 2009
• RefBox
• "Fall Classic" with MIT and CMU? - possibly in the Spring?
• RoboCup 2009 in Austria

Status Quo Features

The features described below for the most part represent features which must be added to the current system to make them "status quo" robots.

General Electrical Features

• LiPo Batteries
• Battery Maintenance/Charging circuitry
  • Battery lifetime, charge/discharge estimates, "fuel gauge"
• User interface daughter card - serially linked to FPGA
  • Debug LEDs visible outside shell
  • Better access to on switch
  • Serial debug port
  • Debug switches

Control Board Features

• Bugfix and remake of 2008 boards (see 2.0 Board Errata)
  • Will keep motor driver circuitry
  • New ARM
  • Possible serial interface between FPGA and ARM
  • Encoder interface circuitry
• New radios
  • Smaller, cheaper, in an emptier area of the spectrum

Ball Control (mechanical and electrical) Features

• Exceed regulation kicking speed - then dial it back
• Chipper
• Refresh kicker circuitry
  • Use same charge controller
  • Measure charge voltage
  • Add support for chipping
  • (Probably) add capacitance
  • Meet status quo charging time - present circuitry will probably be able to do it, LiPos will help
  • Investigate alternate trigger silicon
• Reliable and robust Ball sensor
• Custom chipping and kicking solenoids
• Powerful, reliable dribbler

Drivetrain

• Feedback with encoders
  • Tweaked out control - see software section
• Lower CG
  • Being able to reliably stop from max speed without flipping - may be impossible
• Competitive acceleration and deceleration - investigate more powerful motors
• Smaller drive modules - driven by desire for lower CG and enhanced ball control
• Less maintenance of drive module and rollers
• Increased ground clearance

Software

• Performance parameter extraction and estimation
• Conformance to all published rules
  • Ability to switch which side of field
• Burin / stress testing
• World model / data filtering / prediction
  • Probabilistic sensing
• Integration/communication
• Timing/Profiling of how our system works
• Motion control
  • Calibration
• SW test for hardware performance
• Use tech challenges as a springboard
• Improved path planner

RoboCup