Auto Pilot mode Technology in vehicles ( Autonomous system )

INTRODUCTION

             
                   This Auto pilot mode Technology is a research project. By implementing this technology in vehicles enables it to self-drive in the highway roads without the control of the   humans. This  technology creates a new revolution in the Automobile and transport field. It helps the user to save    their valuable time which is wasted while driving and it is not necessary for the drivers to be always seated in the driver seat except the places, where the signals and road counters present. Many accidents are occurred due to the carelessness of the drivers. This can be avoided by implementing this Autopilot mode technology. In this technology many advanced equipment’s are going to be used to make a safe journey. This Autopilot mode technology is going to be created by the combination of various departments in Engineering. But among these departments of Engineering four departments are going to play a major role.

       

                                                   
                                                       AUTONOMOUS CAR
         
                They are Mechanical, Electronics, Information Technology and Computer science departments. Mechanical department is going to take care of all the mechanical movements of the vehicle. Electronics department take care of the fetching of programs made by the programmers in the controlling unit and for its proper functioning. Information technology and computer science departments are going to be the back bone of this technology. Programs made by the programmers are going to be responsible for the working conditions of the control unit. Let us see the components and working of this technology in following paragraphs. A discussion about this technology is already made by HONDA UK in 2006 but it has many draw backs and they don’t explain about the working of this technology. I had created a new way to overcome from this draw backs and I had explained about this process in detail in the following paragraphs in my own creation.

COMPONENTS

      This technology contains four major components. They are,

      1. RADARS

      2. SENSORS

      3. ADVANCED GPS MAPPING SYSTEMS

      4. DISPLAY UNIT

HOW IT WORKS ?

                  This technology depends up on the components which are represented above. First the compact map path to the place where the user wants to go is selected on the GPS maps in the display unit. When the user starts the engine all the equipment’s will take positioning. The readings are obtained from the radar every second. It detects the objects at the limit of 180’ angle and continuously feed the control unit there by moving the vehicle in safe and proper directions. Control unit is built with a lot of conditions that makes the vehicle to move in the possible safe directions according to the readings from the radar, sensor and GPS maps.

                 

                    Here 50% of the job is done by the radar equipment’s and rest of the job is done by the advanced GPS mapping to make a safe journey. Separate signals are obtained from the sensors which are kept at the bottom of the car straight to the wheel to detect the speed breakers and road damages which help the vehicle to de-accelerate in the speed breaker and damaged road areas. Advanced GPS mapping technology makes the car to remain in the Indian rule of “keep left”. It synchronizes the vehicle and the road. This only helps the vehicle to turn properly during the curves. Same set of the equipment’s is fixed on the rear side of the vehicle to avoid other vehicles to hit the user’s vehicle during de-acceleration, curves and overtaking.

RADARS

                 Radar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR is defined as radio detection and ranging. A radar system has a transmitter that emits radio waves. When they come into contact with an object they are scattered in all directions. The signal is thus partly reflected back and it has a slight change of wavelength (and thus frequency) if the target is moving. The optimal range can be fixed as 50m.The receiver is usually, in the same location as the transmitter. Although the signal returned is usually very weak, the signal can be amplified through use of electronic techniques in the receiver and in the antenna configuration. This enables radar to detect objects at ranges where other emissions from the target object, such as sound or visible light, would be too weak to detect.

                                 
                                                   RADAR OF AUTONOMOUS CAR

               
                     From the above picture it has been observed that the radar signals are transmitted and readings of the detected object is received by the reflected signals from it in front of the car. By the radar readings the control unit automatically accelerates and de-accelerates the car. In case object in front of the car moving slowly means then the control unit will go for the “overtaking” mode.

Before overtaking it is necessary to analyses what might go wrong while overtaking. This mode will find the possible direction and space to overtake the object in the front to move ahead. How this process works means; at first the signal from the front radar is obtained that, object is present in the front of the car. Now the radar will analyze whether it is possible to overtake. If it is possible means the vehicle will try to overtake.

             There is a possibility for the vehicle to hit the object while steering left during overtakes. A constant signal of 90 degree is obtained from the front radar detecting that an object is present in left.

After the front radar crossed the vehicle, readings will start to come from the rear radar. This will indicate that the object is still present and now cannot steer left. A constant reading will be taken from the rear radar as 90 degree. This will not change until the rear radar crosses the object.

When the back radar crossed the object the angle 90 degree will start to increase. This detects that the car had crossed the object. A particular degree is denoted in the program, when the vehicle has to steer. 110 degree is enough to steer the vehicle safely.

            Thus the overtake mode is achieved successfully. This is how the process is going to work. Radars cannot detect the road condition as it is kept at the bumper of the car. So, separate sensors are kept near the wheel to detect the road conditions

SENSORS:

             A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. Here sensors are kept near the front wheel there by focusing the road as shown at an angle of 160 degree.

           
                                           SENSOR OF AUTONOMOUS CAR

         
              The sensor will always focus the road like a stick from the car. A constant reading will be provided from the sensor to the control unit. When the angle changes due to any speed breaker or road damage, the sensor will automatically makes the control unit to slow down the car. If the value crosses the critical value the car will be stopped immediately because, there may be any huge damage.

  

Advance GPS mapping system
 

           An autonomous vehicle, also known as a driverless vehicle, self-driving vehicle is an vehicle capable of fulfilling the human transportation capabilities of a traditional vehicle. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input.

         

         Autonomous vehicles sense their surroundings with such techniques as radar, lidar, GPS, and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. Some autonomous vehicles update their maps based on sensory input, allowing the vehicles to keep track of their position even when conditions change or when they enter uncharted environments. For any mobile robot, the ability to. Navigate in its environment is one of the most important capabilities. In general, the navigation task can be defined as the combination of three basic competences: localization, path planning and vehicle control.

          

     
                                                             GPS MAPPING SYSTEM

        Localization denotes the robot‟s ability to determine its own position and orientation (pose) within a global reference frame. Path planning defines the computation of an adequate sequence of motion commands to reach the desired destination from the current robot position. Due to its planning component, path planning is typically done before motion. The planned path is followed by the robot using feedback control. This controller includes reactive obstacle avoidance as well as global path preplanning.

      

        The potential application areas of the autonomous navigation of mobile robots include automatic driving, guidance for the blind and disabled, exploration of Dangerous regions, transporting objects in factory or office environments, collecting geographical information in unknown terrains like unmanned exploration of a new planetary surface, etc.

             This system takes the current position as source and gets the destination point from user. User has to specify the destination in the map. System finds the shortest path to the destination and extracts the lat, long coordinates from the graph & sends to the vehicle. Vehicle follows the coordinate using GPS and compass. If GPS signal not received, inertial navigation system is used to obtain current coordinate.

           

                                          
                                                   BLOCK DIAGRAM
          
              Obstacles around the vehicle are sensed by laser range finder. Current location of the vehicle is uploaded to the server through GPRS. At the server, coordinates are obtained and displayed in the Google map for monitoring purpose. So the vehicle can be monitored from anywhere in the world. Block diagram of the vehicle is show in figure.

Advantages of Auto pilot  Vehicles

    1. Travelers would be able to journey overnight and sleep for the duration.

    2. Traffic could be coordinated more easily in urban areas to prevent long tailbacks at busy times.            Commute times could be reduced drastically.

    3. Reduced or non-existent fatigue from driving, plus arguments over directions and navigation               would be a thing of the past.

    4. Sensory technology could potentially perceive the environment better than human senses,                   seeing farther ahead, better in poor visibility, detecting smaller and more subtle obstacles, more            reasons   for less traffic accidents.

    5. Without the need for a driver, cars could become mini-leisure rooms. There would be more                   space  and no need for everyone to face forwards. Entertainment technology, such as video                   screens, could be used to lighten long journeys without the concern of distracting the driver.

    6. Over 80% of car crashes in the USA are caused by driver error. There would be no bad drivers            and less mistakes on the roads, if all vehicles became driverless. Drunk and drugged drivers                 would also be a thing of the past.

    7. Speed limits could be increased to reflect the safer driving, shortening journey times.

    8. Parking the vehicle and difficult maneuvering would be less stressful and require no special                 skills. The car could even just drop you off and then go and park itself.

    9. People who historically have difficulties with driving, such as disabled people and older                      citizens,  as well as the very young, would be able to experience the freedom of car travel.                    There  would be no need for drivers' licenses or driving tests.

    10. Autonomous vehicles could bring about a massive reduction in insurance premiums for car                  owners.

    11. Efficient travel also means fuel savings, cutting costs.

    12. Passengers should experience a smoother riding experience.

    13. Self-aware cars would lead to a reduction in car theft.

Disadvantages of Auto pilots  vehicles

      1. A computer malfunction, even just a minor glitch, could cause worse crashes than anything                   that  human error might bring about.

      2. If the car crashes, without a driver, who's fault is it: Google/the software designer, or the owner            of the vehicle?

     3. The cars would rely on the collection of location and user information, creating major privacy              concerns.

     4. Hackers getting into the vehicle's software and controlling or affecting its operation would be a           major security worry.

     5. Driverless cars would likely be out of the price range of most ordinary people when generally             introduced, likely costing over $100,000.

     6. Truck drivers and taxi drivers will lose their jobs, as autonomous vehicles take over.

     7. As drivers become more and more used to not driving, their proficiency and experience will                 diminish. Should they then need to drive under certain circumstances, there may be problems.

    8. The road system and infrastructure would likely need major upgrades for driverless vehicles to            operate on them. Traffic and street lights, for instance, would likely all need altering.

    9. Self-driving cars would be great news for terrorists, as they could be loaded with explosives and          used as moving bombs.

   10. There are problems currently with autonomous vehicles operating in certain types of weather.       11. Heavy rain interferes with roof-mounted laser sensors, and snow can interfere with its cameras.

   12. Reading human road signs is challenging for a robot.