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Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Static And Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance For Small Uav, Michael Farrell, Dr. Tim Mclain
Static And Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance For Small Uav, Michael Farrell, Dr. Tim Mclain
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are becoming increasingly prevalent in society today. One of the most important problems for such vehicles is obstacle avoidance. Common applications for small UAV require them to navigate through an environment containing many obstacles, both static and dynamic. As part of the 2017 SUAS-AUVSI undergraduate competition, this common problem was simulated with several virtual stationary and moving objects that were to be avoided during flight. The purpose of this research project was to develop a robust obstacle avoidance algorithm to be demonstrated during the mission demonstration of the 2017 SUAS-AUVSI competition.
An Obstacle Avoidance System For The Visually Impaired Using 3-D Point Cloud Processing, Evan Justin Taylor
An Obstacle Avoidance System For The Visually Impaired Using 3-D Point Cloud Processing, Evan Justin Taylor
Theses and Dissertations
The long white cane offers many benefits for the blind and visually impaired. Still, many report being injured both indoors and outdoors while using the long white cane. One frequent cause of injury is due to the fact that the long white cane cannot detect obstacles above the waist of the user. This thesis presents a system that attempts to augment the capabilities of the long white cane by sensing the environment around the user, creating a map of obstacles within the environment, and providing simple haptic feedback to the user. The proposed augmented cane system uses the Asus Xtion …
Cushioned Extended-Periphery Avoidance: A Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Plugin, Timothy Mclain, James Jackson, David Wheeler
Cushioned Extended-Periphery Avoidance: A Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Plugin, Timothy Mclain, James Jackson, David Wheeler
Faculty Publications
While collision avoidance and flight stability are generally a micro air vehicle’s (MAVs) highest priority, many map-based path planning algorithms focus on path optimality, often assuming a static, known environment. For many MAV applications a robust navigation solution requires responding quickly to obstacles in dynamic, tight environments with non- negligible disturbances. This article first outlines the Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Plugin framework as a method for leveraging map-based algorithms while providing low-latency, high-bandwidth response to obstacles. Further, we propose and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Cushioned Extended- Periphery Avoidance (CEPA) algorithm. By representing recent laser scans in the current body-fixed polar …
A Methodology For The Analysis Of In-Vehicle Operating Data And Design Of Intelligent Vehicle Systems For Improved Automotive Safety, Matthew Jensen
A Methodology For The Analysis Of In-Vehicle Operating Data And Design Of Intelligent Vehicle Systems For Improved Automotive Safety, Matthew Jensen
All Dissertations
Every year global motorization increases as more motor vehicles are manufactured, and the total number of vehicle miles traveled rises. These increased travel opportunities result in higher numbers of injuries, fatalities, and monetary losses associated with traffic-related crashes. In the last decade, hundreds of thousands of people were killed by vehicle collisions in the United States. The World Health Organization has labeled traffic crashes as the ninth leading cause of global disease; by the year 2020, traffic crashes are expected to rise to number three. An opportunity exists to improve global human safety through research and innovation in driver training …
Obstacle Avoidance Using Circular Paths, Timothy Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Jeffery Brian Saunders
Obstacle Avoidance Using Circular Paths, Timothy Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Jeffery Brian Saunders
Faculty Publications
This paper develops a method of obstacle avoidance for fixed-wing miniature air vehicles (MAV) using a series of circular oscillating paths and a single point laser ranger. The laser ranger is a low power, light-weight device used to report the distance to an object in a single direction of the body frame of a MAV. The oscillating paths allow the laser ranger to scan for obstacles and possible escape paths for the MAV in the case of obstacle detection. The circular paths are generated along waypoint paths and transition between waypoint paths without loss of scanning capabilities. Obstacle avoidance is …
Cooperative Uav Formation Flying With Obstacle/Collision Avoidance, Xiaohua Wang, Vivek Yadav, S. N. Balakrishnan
Cooperative Uav Formation Flying With Obstacle/Collision Avoidance, Xiaohua Wang, Vivek Yadav, S. N. Balakrishnan
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works
Navigation problems of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) flying in a formation in a free and an obstacle-laden environment are investigated in this brief. when static obstacles popup during the flight, the UAVs are required to steer around them and also avoid collisions between each other. In order to achieve these goals, a new dual-mode control strategy is proposed: a “safe mode” is defined as an operation in an obstacle-free environment and a “danger mode” is activated when there is a chance of collision or when there are obstacles in the path. Safe mode achieves global optimization because the dynamics of …
Obstacle And Terrain Avoidance For Miniature Aerial Vehicles, Timothy Mclain, Jeff Saunders, Blake Barber, Randall W. Beard, Stephen R. Griffiths
Obstacle And Terrain Avoidance For Miniature Aerial Vehicles, Timothy Mclain, Jeff Saunders, Blake Barber, Randall W. Beard, Stephen R. Griffiths
Faculty Publications
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are playing increasingly prominent roles in defense programs and strategy around the world. Technology advancements have enabled the development of large UAVs (e.g., Global Hawk, Predator) and the creation of smaller, increasingly capable UAVs. The focus of this Chapter is on smaller fixed-wing miniature aerial vehicles (MAVs), which range in size from % to 2 m in wingspan. As recent conflicts have demonstrated, there are numerous military applications for MAVs including reconnaissance, surveillance, battle damage assessment, and communications relays.
Maximizing Miniature Aerial Vehicles, Stephen Griffiths, Jeffery Brian Saunders, Andrew Curtis, Blake Barber, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard
Maximizing Miniature Aerial Vehicles, Stephen Griffiths, Jeffery Brian Saunders, Andrew Curtis, Blake Barber, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard
Faculty Publications
Despite the tremendous potential demonstrated by miniature aerial vehicles (MAV) in numerous applications, they are currently limited to operations in open air space, far away from obstacles and terrain. To broaden the range of applications for MAVs, methods to enable operation in environments of increased complexity must be developed. In this article, we presented two strategies for obstacle and terrain avoidance that provide a means for avoiding obstacles in the flight path and for staying centered in a winding corridor.
Static And Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance For Miniature Air Vehicles, Jeffery Brian Saunders, Brandon Call, Andrew Curtis, Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. Mclain
Static And Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance For Miniature Air Vehicles, Jeffery Brian Saunders, Brandon Call, Andrew Curtis, Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. Mclain
Faculty Publications
Small unmanned air vehicles are limited in sensor weight and power such that detection and avoidance of unknown obstacles during flight is difficult. This paper presents a low power low weight method of detection using a laser range finder. In addition, a rapidly-exploring random tree algorithm to generate waypoint paths around obstacles known a priori is presented, and a dynamic geometric algorithm to generate paths around detected obstacles is derived. The algorithms are demonstrated in simulation and in flight tests on a fixed-wing miniature air vehicle (MAV).