I’m building a robot , one of its main function is to do the following :
Go to a predefined destinations.I don’t want to Use path-follower because it clashes with another main function( avoiding obstacles ) . So i figured , one way to do this , is to get several (Transmitter\Receiver) pairs with different frequency for each pair.I’ll place Transmitter1 in destination1 , Tarnsmitter2 in destination2 etc. and place all the receivers in the robot.So when Receiver1 is activated the robot will go toward Transmitter1 (destination1) and so on .
My questions :
does it make sense - is it possible ? if no what is the alternative ?
if Yes
which Transmitter/Receiver pair should i use ( long rang , reliable … etc )? , can i get one with built-in circuit ?
can i get different pairs working together (different frequencies) ?
That type of thing should be doable, but you should keep in mind that IR can reflect a lot and get detected from various directions that are not toward the transmitter. If you’re in a relatively open space; you should be okay. Otherwise, if your robot can mostly find its way on its own, you could make the beacons relatively dim so that the robot won’t see them until its within a few feet of them.
I think you should definitely go with the IR receiver modules since they’re mass produced, cheap, and likely to work better than anything you can easily make. Lots of manufacturers make them, and they have different sensitivities and noise rejection characteristics. Digi-Key has Panasonic’s versions, and Mouser has a lot of Vishay units, so you can easily get small quantities and try them out.
If you’re happy programming the PIC16F630, you could consider our IR beacon dev board for your transmit side. The board has LEDs arranged to allow full 360-degree transmission.
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