SELF NAVIGATING INTELLIGENT VEHICLE SYSTEM (SNIVS)

Abstract

Project SNIVS is a downscaled autonomous vehicle that aims to implement different systems required for autonomous navigation of a vehicle. The vehicle is given GPS waypoints, it then uses GPS receiver for global navigation. An assortment of sensors is used to generate a local map that is then used for obstacle avoidance and path planning. The vehicle uses vision, laser scanner and SONAR scanner to analyze the vehicle‘s surrounding. Vehicle‘s pose is estimated using accelerometers, magnetometers and wheel encoders. Processing-wise, it‘s a distributed system using PIC microcontroller and Blackfin BF537 DSP processor. The processing units and sensors communicate through an I2C bus that runs through the vehicle. The project aims to develop systems that can be implemented on life size vehicles. The approach to this project is research oriented. The modularity of this project makes its research value multifaceted because research done on each module is useful for many other applications related to the module‘s domain.