Journal of Positive School Psychology http://journalppw.

com
2022, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2105 – 2113

Literature Survey on Autonomous Rover

L Hemanth1, P Srinivas2

1
Student, 2Associate Professor
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, India
1
hemanth.lingamaneni@gmail.com, 2parchuris12@gmail.com

Abstract —
In the present era of automation, the Autonomous Rovers have emerged as the prime technology for
implementing security and surveillance system which handle human lives. Its potential of being
navigated in the environment with no physical devices and human intervention has made it more
eminent and efficacious. With the progressive technology, the provision of autonomous vehicles has
enhanced their skill to assist and perform in exploration and rescue missions, etc. The survey determines
the interpretation of various sensors, actuators and their assimilation for navigation and estimation of
the autonomous rover.
Keywords — Autonomous, Skid steering, Sensors, Lidar and Radio telemetry

Introduction 1. Automatic: vehicle will be capable of

operating itself in the instructed path and also
Autonomous rover is a system that operates in deviates manual with operator control
an unpredicted and partially unknown instructions
environment. Self-operated vehicles have been 2. Automated: vehicle is limited with an
grown drastically in various applications in ability to function in the instructed path using
recent times. The smart vehicles that are capable automatic functionality system.
of functioning without human intervention are 3. Autonomous: self-governed vehicle that
known as Autonomous Rovers. These can be travelled without an operator with-in the
automated vehicles are designed or developed specified path and guides the vehicle unassisted
for various indoor and outdoor application to navigate around fixed and mobile
fields. Autonomous mobility for vehicles in an obstructions [1]
unstructured environment over long distances is
still a daunting challenge in security and The paper deals with the various autonomy
surveillance. There are many approaches to levels of the unmanned system with the different
developing path planning and obstacle sections and design approaches.
avoidance for rover movement.
I. DESIGN APPROACH OF AUTONOMOUS
The various parameters are observed by the ROVER
sensors mounted on the vehicle and the
necessary actions are implemented by the In the design approach of the autonomous rover,
controller. The whole system function is the foremost task is design or development of
generated with the coordination between the the Vehicle body, then the selection of the
hardware and software arrangement. The hardware components, that fulfils the
approach of configuring the system formation requirements of the vehicle in terms of sensing
with sensors and other components provides and movement in the environment.
momentous interaction with in the rover. With Figure 1 describes the block diagram of the
the ability of the rover, it is categorised as: autonomous rover; the division of hardware and
software section is shown.
L Hemanth et al. 2106

ROVER GROUND STATION

SENSORS
USER
INTERFACE

COMMUNICATION
CONTROLLER
LINK
REMOTE
CONTROLLER
ACTUATORS

Figure 1 General functioning block diagram of the autonomous rover

A. Locomotion the vehicle effectively, the various approaches
and methods are tabulated in table I, they are
The locomotion system is the most important compared based on various criteria as
feature in the mobility of the autonomous rover, manoeuvrability: mobility of vehicle,
here various factors that should be considered mechanical complexity: in designing, control
are manoeuvrability, mechanical complexity, complexity: in controlling the vehicle power: in
control complexity and power. The hardware terms of the vehicle movement with respect to
function mainly depends on the design of the the different steering modes of explicit,
vehicle body and its mechanism. For designing Ackerman, Skid and Axle articulated [2]
Table I COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT STEERING SYSTEMS
Type Explic Ski Coordina Axle
it d ted Articulat
ed
Ackerma
n
Manoeuvra High/ Hig Medium Medium
bility h
Mediu
m
Mechanical Mediu Lo Medium/ Low
m w
Complexity High
Control Low Lo Medium/ Medium/
w
Complexity Low High
Power Mediu Hig Medium/ Low
m h
Low

Figure 2 represents the compassion of different The concentrated drive can pass the torque
steering mechanism. The skid steering type instantaneously to each wheel. The major issue
mechanism is considered as the efficient in the skid steering is the consumption of power,
mechanical function for vehicle movement [3]. as all the driving wheels are coupled with
The noteworthy difference between the explicit separate motors independently so, the relevant
and skid steering is the carry of torque, in case power loss with dynamic friction is increased.
of skid steering the motion is derived by
applying different velocities to independent
wheels, which limits rotation with in one axis.
2107 Journal of Positive School Psychology

Figure 2 Different steering mechanism

B. Strategy they are categorized based on the distance and
scale of the environment. For local navigation,
The plan of action in rover is achieved by the grip of map is used to determine the navigation
various methods of implementation like Image of the rover and for global navigation the
processing, GPS navigation, Simultaneous coordinates connected with satellites are
Localization and Mapping (SLAM) [4]-[7]. referred as position.
Each of these strategies are utilized according to
the application required. In case of the outdoor C. Sensors
rover the image processing may not be
applicable for large area surveillance i.e., it is The sensing function refers to the ability of the
difficult procedure for rover movement and path system to provide the position and reliable
planning. So, we use the GPS navigation for the information regarding the vehicle surrounding.
vehicle movement. In case of indoor For coordinates, direction, orientation and speed
applications, the image processing can be used we use global positioning system (GPS),
where the total room will be simulated in terms magnetic compass, gyroscope and
of map and movement is generated accordingly accelerometer are used respectively.
with the help of Robot Operating System (ROS). From table II required parameters and their
In Autonomous Rover we use the GPS corresponding sensors are tabulated. The exact
navigation for path planning so that the vehicle location of the vehicle is crucial in autonomous
moves in coordination with the GPS coordinates rover. So, the GPS is used to locate the vehicle.
provided. The direction and orientation are calibrated
The navigation Strategy is majorly categorized using the magnetic compass and gyroscope.
into two ways as local and global navigation,
TABLE II SENSOR’S REQUIREMENT
Sensor Parameter
Accelerometer Speed
Gyroscope Orientation
Compass Direction
GPS Coordinates
Ultrasonic/ Range Distance
finder/ LiDAR measurement

D. Obstacle avoidance sensor identification and avoidance, by getting the

distance between the obstacle and the vehicle,
The significant feature that an autonomous rover avoidance can be obtained. There are numerous
should posses is sensing objects around itself sensors in identifying the distance and they are
from its environment. The distance tabulated in the table III [8]-[11]
measurement sensors are used for obstacle
L Hemanth et al. 2108

TABLE III OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE SENSORS COMPARISON

Specifications Range Ultra-Sonic Lidar
finder Sensor
Range(m) 0.01-0.10 0.02-4.00 0.30-12
Minimum 25 15 2
Field of View
(deg)
Beam Pattern Narrow Conical Conical
(line)
Technology VCSEL Ultrasonic LED

The efficient Lidar technology is used in of 0.3-12 meters and acceptable angle of 2.3
detecting objects, with greater operating range degrees. The working is shown in figure 3

Figure 3 Working of Lidar

E. Communication link operated vehicles and in time of manual
operation, the human intervention is necessary
With respect to figure 1 the link between the during its operation. In the view of the
Rover and the ground station is achieved application the range of the communication
through the communication link. module is selected. Various communication
Communication is the essential part in remote modules are tabulated in the table IV [12]-[16]
TABLE IV COMPARISON OF THE COMMUNICATION MODULES
Specifications Bluetooth Wi-Fi Radio
Range(m) 50 400 2500
Frequency 2.4Ghz 80Mhz 433Mhz
Module HC-05 ESP8266 3DR

From table IV analysis the radio connection The robustness of autonomous vehicle wholly
called as telemetry is used for communication depends on the controller. With the wide
between rover and the ground station. All the specifications of the controllers, diminishing the
values from the sensor are seen in the ground error and managing the vehicle in the correct
station through these communication link, the position sets the vehicle self-reliant and
parameters like acceleration, orientation, adaptive. In this autonomous rover the sensors
direction and position can be viewed in the user are crucial. In comparison of the table V, for
interface in ground station. The sonar contacts each and every controller the corresponding
i.e., Lidar readings are also shown. sensors and their interfaces are tabulated, with
F. Controllers
2109 Journal of Positive School Psychology

the external mount sensors there might be slight

lag or error present
TABLE V COMPARISON OF CONTROLLERS

Platform Processors Sensor Interfaces Software Operating

system
(On
Board)
Arduino ATmega 328P Nil Multiple Arduino IDE Arduino CLI
Micro low- and
Micro high-level
controller controller sensors
Raspberry ARM1176JZF Nil I2C, SPI, Linux, Raspbian
-pi -S Processor
VNC Raspberry pi
OS
NI MyRIO ARM Cortex 3 axis USB, 2 x16 LabView Windows
A9 accelerome Digital I/O
ters port lines
Pixhawk ARM Cortex Gyroscope, PWM, PPM, Ardupilot, Nuttx ROS
M4 ADC inputs,
accelerome UART, QGround
ter, CAN, SPI, station
Barometer, I2C
Magnetom
eter
Nvidia ARM® Cortex Nil 1x USB 2.0 JetPack SDK, Linux
®
Jetson -A57 MP Micro-B, 4x DeepStream
nano Core processor USB 3.0 SDK

Likewise, in case of the on-board mounted hardware complexity in integrating them all
sensors functions perfectly minimize the error. together. In another perspective all sensors are
From the comparison table there are no on-board not compatible with all controllers, the
sensors mounted on the raspberry-pi, Arduino or transmission properties also matter. So here
any micro controller. In choosing these pixhawk autopilot controller works perfectly for
controllers for the autonomous rover creates a our required specification. [17] – [20]
Input path/
Movement Towards
Reference point
The Path
+ Controller Actuator
-

Actual Rover Position/

Speed/ Direction Sensors
Feedback

Figure 4 Block Diagram of Controller Working

Figure 4 represents the general functioning the reference point and matching it with the
block diagram of a controller, with considered sensor’s feedback keeps the rover more stable
L Hemanth et al. 2110

and accurate. From, table 2 all the sensors are rover with the GPS navigation strategy, the
required in positioning the rover accurately. movement of the rover will be in the specified
path. The Lidar technology is more functional
There are inertial based sensors mounted on the for the object detection with the transmission of
controller called as IMU (Inertial Measurement light rays. All the sensors included in the
Unit). It is a combination of accelerometers, controller i.e., IMU unit enhances the
gyroscopes and magnetometers. These sensors autonomous capabilities of the rover and
are being mounted on the controllers where the establishment of the radio telemetry
system depends on them to serve applications. communication with long range provides the
Calibrating these sensors based on the controller position and status of the rover.
performance enhances the working of the
autonomous rover. This sensor system is largely
deployed in robotic and mobile navigation
III. CONCLUSION
systems. Pixhawk is one of its kind for having
IMU unit mounted. The new technologies have enhanced and
facilitate the way of life of human beings in
which their exposure and environmental dangers
II. SUMMARY OF VARIOUS APPROACHES and hazard have been cut down to the minimum.
In this paper, we have been able to present a
From specifying the block diagram of background and analyse the challenges of an
autonomous rover, the method of the locomotive autonomous rover. The objective of the
system compared in table 1 draws the skid autonomous operation in various location where
steering mechanism in bringing the more human intervention is not feasible in all the
efficient power to the rover. The GPS navigation situation, in that criteria self-diagnosis of faults
strategy considered for the outdoor movement of and fault tolerance are the characteristics that an
the rover on assimilation with the object autonomous rover must possess. Utilizing a
detection parameter which strengthens the single sensor to detect the pose of an object may
autonomous capability to the rover. From table not be reliable and accurate thus, the use of
4, the stable communication setup with the radio multi-sensor is supported for effective
frequency techniques enhances the long-range performance. Finally, the paper emphasized
ability to the system with minimization of error some of the research areas that can be inspected
and lag to the error in communication link. Table for better work.
VI represents the overall comparison of various
controllers integrated with different sensors.
Skid Steering mechanism is efficient for the
Windows form

MyRIO/ IMAQ Vision/

JetsonJetPack SDK
mega Arduino IDE

Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE

mega Arduino IDE

Arduino UNO Arduino IDE

Arduino UNO Arduino IDE

application

Basic.NET
mega LabVIEW/

pi, Raspbian,
Microsoft
Software

Raspbian
pi, Raspbian

Raspbian
Raspbian
Visual

2010

Nil

Raspberry pi

Raspberry pi
Raspberry pi
Arduino uno
Arduino uno

Arduino uno
Controller

Raspberry

Raspberry
Computer

Computer
Arduino

Arduino

Arduino
ARM 7

Nvidia
2560

2560

2560
TX2
NI
 2111

S. Reference paper Steering Strategy Sensors

TABLE VI COMPARISON OF VARIOUS APPROACHES
Communication link
No
1 J. Suthakorn, et al. [3] Skid Map generating and pathCompass, camLAN
planning Accelerometer,
Range Finder
2 Arif Ainur Rafiq, et al. [4] Rocker Image processing Camera Wireless Joystick PS2
Bogie
mechanism
3 M.Haritha, et al. [5] Ackerman GPS Navigation GPS module, Nil
Ultra-sonic
4 Riccardo Giubilato, et al. [6] Skid Simultaneous Lidar On board
localization and mapping Communication
5 İlker Ünal, et al. [7] Ackerman (SLAM)
GPS Navigation GPS moduleMicrosoft SQL Server
(Wi-Fi)
Ultrasonic
6 R.Vairavan, et al. [8] Ackerman Obstacle avoidance Ultrasonic Nil
7 Sandeep Polina, et al. [9] Ackerman Line Following IR Nil
8 Carlos Fernandez, et al. [12] Ackerman GPS Navigation GPS module, Mobile
Lidar Telecommunication
9 Mohammed Z, et al. [13] Skid GPS Navigation GPS module (UMTS)
Xbee
10 Shridhar J A, et al. [14] Nil Machine Learning Ultra-sonic, IR RF Trans receiver
11 Yasir A, et al. [15] Skid Object detection Camera, Ultra- Wi-Fi
sonic
12 Md. Razaul Haque Usmani, et Skid Machine Learning Camera Wi-Fi
al. [16]
13 Prof. Z.V. Thorat, et al. [17] Ackerman Machine Learning Camera, Ultra- Wi-Fi
sonic
14 Raj Shirolkar, et al. [18] Nil Edge detection Camera Wi-Fi
15 N.Suganthi, et al. [19] Nil GPS Navigation GPS module, Wi-Fi
Ultra-sonic
Journal of Positive School Psychology
L Hemanth et al. 2112

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mr. L. Hemanth is currently

pursuing his Batchelor of
technology in specialization of
Electronics and
Instrumentation Engineering in
Velagapudi Ramakrishna
Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada,
Andhra Pradesh, India.

Mr. P Srinivas is currently

pursuing his Ph.D. in solar
systems in Department of
Instrument technology, AU
College of Engineering,
Visakhapatnam, India. He is
working as Associate Professor at Velagapudi
Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering, Andhra
Pradesh, India. He obtained his M.Tech degree
in Electronic Instrumentation from NITW,
Warangal, India. He has published several
papers in International Journals and
conferences. He completed two projects funded
by national agencies. His areas of interest
include renewable energy and Process Control.