Mobile Robotics and Sensing

Flashcards about mobile robotics, sensing, and commonly used sensors. Terms include: Transducer, Accuracy, Repeatability, Resolution, Linearity, Sensitivity.

Transducer

Converts a physical or chemical quantity into an electric signal.

Accuracy

Difference between the actual and estimated output.

Repeatability

Difference between successive measurements of an unchanging parameter.

Resolution

Smallest observable increment.

Linearity

Variation of output signal as a function of input signal.

Sensitivity

How much the target input signal changes the output signal.

Proprioceptive Sensor

Measures values internal to the robot, such as motor speed, wheel load, heading, and power consumption.

Exteroceptive Sensor

Gathers information from the robot's environment, such as distances to objects and intensity of ambient light.

Precision

Related to reproducibility of results; if the same environmental state were measured multiple times, an ideal sensor would output the same value every time.

Wheel/Motor Encoders

Mechanical light choppers that produce sine or square wave pulses for each shaft revolution, used to measure position or speed of wheels or steering.

Heading Sensors

Sensors that determine the robot's orientation and inclination with respect to a given reference.

Gyroscopes

Heading sensors that preserve their orientation in relation to a fixed reference frame, providing an absolute measure for the heading of a mobile system.

Accelerometers

Measure all external forces acting upon them, including gravity, using the principle of a mass on a spring.