An autonomous vehicle with fuzzy logic navigational control

The design and construction of an autonomous vehicle with fuzzy logic navigational control are described. The design incorporates a 16-bit, on board Motorola´s MC68HC16Z1 microcontroller to coordinate the vehicle operations. Fuzzy logic is used in conjunction with the controlling software for steering and guidance. The optical guidance follows a UV sensitive track on which position information is encoded. Steering is performed through timing pulses from the microcontroller to a stepper motor connected to a home designed steering mechanism. The vehicle may be ordered to a chosen location by a remote handheld transmitter using frequency shift keyed data transmission on a radio link. The remote unit incorporates logic cell array (LCA) supporting circuitry. Track obstruction is detected by a front end infrared detection unit and a touch sensitive bumper.