Datasheet

Automatic Mode - In this mode, after detecting that the robot has reached the docking station, the
system will start to charge the batteries. To reduce the spikes, a charger counter is used. Whenever it
reaches zero one battery is put on charge. It will take 8 charge counter cycles to put all the batteries
on charge. The automatic mode does not allow the motor batteries to switch back. To leave the
docking station the Navigation Computer must send a command to the Sensor&Management Board
to enter into the Manual Mode and enable the Motor Batteries.
If the robot was connected to the docking station and for some reason it is disconnected from it, the
system will automatically change the battery connections from charging to Enable/Disable.
5.1.2. Sensor&Management Interrupt Driven Events
When the Navigation Computer sends set or get commands to the Sensor&Management Board, a
serial communication interrupt event is initiated/triggered. The Sensor&Management Board
processing jumps from the Low-Level Control Loop to the Navigation Computer Interrupt Events.
All the data that was being used in the Low-Level Control Loop is saved and will be restored when the
processing of the interrupt event finished.
The Navigation Computer is able to force the following events:
• Set Events
• Set Enable/Disable sonars;
• Set Enable/Disable/Charge main batteries;
• Set Enable/Disable/Charge auxiliary batteries.
• Get Events
• Get main batteries and docking station power and system status;
• Get auxiliary batteries;
• Get sonar readings;
• Get Bumpers state;
• Get Temperature/Humidity/Rain sensor readings;
• Get communication status.
5.2. Motor Board Low-level Control Loops and Interrupt Driven
Events
The Motor Board runs the control loop displayed in Figure 27. To ensure the correct processing of
the loop, a watchdog timer is running and if the system blocks in some part, the system will force a
reset of the board.
The Motor Board uses two different methods to control the robot:
1. Low-level Control Loop - The loop will check for USART communication problems or
communication losses, manage the joystick actuations, check the motor board power supplies
and motor and drivers’ temperatures.
2. Interrupt Driven Events - there are 3 different events that can interrupt the microcontroller:
• Navigation Computer Serial Commands;
• Sensor&Management Serial Commands;
• Timer event commands.
FROG – FP7 STREP nr. 288235
Deliverable: D1.4 – Platform User and Developer Manual 32