Wireless Communications andControl ModuleofaWeb-Enabled Robotfor Distributed Sensing Applications
Gourab Sen Gupta, Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay, J. R. French · 2008
Inthis paperwepresent thedesign ofalow-cost Wireless Communications andControl system fora web-enabled mobile robot fordistributed sensing applications. Thesystem consists of several interdependent processing modules toprovide thevarious required functionalities. Thedevice makesuseofthealready widespread WiFitechnology as itswireless communications medium.Thisallowsuseofexisting wireless networking infrastructure tocommunicate withthedevice. TheWireless Communications andControl Module (WCCM)currently consists of thefollowing components: a control moduleutilizing a SiLabs microcontroller, awireless module implemented using aLantronix Matchport BIG,andanI/OPowerSupply module. Aninternet usercanremotely logintoawebpagestored inthe WCCM itself andcontrol thedevice remotely aswellasaccessing its sensory inputs. Thedesign hasbeenimplemented using lowcost andsmall formfactor embedded devices toallow flexibility inits application. Thetest-bedfor this device isasmall mobile Soccer Robot chassis that provides aconvenient waytotest thevarious aspects ofthedevice. TheWCCM hasbeendesigned with project portability inmind,andconsequently willrequire minimal modificationfor other applications. Thesystem hasproven powerful andeasy touseinpreliminary tests.