FPGA based embedded support for mobile robot sonar based navigation

In the paper the application of Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) systems for a mobile robot's interfacing is presented. For the robot's interfacing an embedded architecture is presented with a number of defined peripheral units with the possibility of simple extension with other modules. The mobile robot's sensorial signals can be remotely acquisitioned and monitored by using a pair of AT86RF212 single-chip RF transceiver. A designed ultrasonic distance measurement unit and its integration in the system are detailed. The ultrasound measurement module was interfaced from Simulink using the System Generator module of the XILINX ISE Design software. For the implementation of the system's model different techniques with corresponding design tools are discussed. The robot is considered to be used for testing different navigation algorithms specially used in visually impaired people's navigation. The robot localization with a Radial Basis Function based artificial neural network is also discussed.