Control device for intelligent car

Abstract

The application discloses a control device of an intelligent trolley, which comprises a function board and an extension board. A single-chip microcomputer and an ultrasonic module are arranged on the function board. The ultrasonic module measures the distance between the intelligent trolley and an obstacle within a preset distance range and feeds back to the single-chip microcomputer, and generates a direction control signal and outputs the same to the extension board. A motor driving module and a rudder control module are arranged on the extension board. The motor driving module is electrically connected with the rudder control module. The motor driving module provides power for the running of the intelligent trolley. The rudder control module controls the running direction of the intelligent trolley. The rudder control module is electrically connected with the ultrasonic module, receives the direction control signal generated by the ultrasonic module and controls the running direction of the intelligent trolley. The control device of the application is provided with the function board capable of generating the running control signal and the extension board capable of changing the running direction based on the control signal, so that the running direction of the intelligent trolley can be controlled in real time, and the flexibility and real-time performance of the intelligent trolley are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent control technology, and in particular to a control device for an intelligent vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] After a central computer is installed, the car can be remotely controlled through programming and a signal transceiver, thus becoming an intelligent car. It can also travel along a prescribed guide path according to a pre-programmed program. Currently, intelligent cars are mainly designed based on microcontrollers or Arduino platforms, and most of them have limited functions, limited storage space, and limited I / O interfaces.

[0003] While Raspberry Pi-based car devices offer relatively powerful functionality, including obstacle avoidance and straight-line driving, they lack the ability to assess images or complex environments. When moving in narrow areas or at excessive speeds, the vehicle is prone to collisions with its surroundings, causing damage. Furthermore, vibrations can loosen the battery, leading to poor contact between the battery and the device and hindering stable operation. Secondly, most smart cars rely on wired remote control or pre-programmed commands, lacking the assistance of mobile devices, which limits their flexibility and real-time capabilities. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a Raspberry Pi-based control device for intelligent vehicles that improves the flexibility and real-time performance of intelligent vehicles.

[0005] This application discloses a control device for an intelligent vehicle. The control device is mounted on the intelligent vehicle and includes a function board and an expansion board. The function board is equipped with a microcontroller and an ultrasonic module. The ultrasonic module measures the distance between the intelligent vehicle and obstacles within a preset distance range and feeds it back to the microcontroller, generating a direction control signal output. The expansion board is electrically connected to the function board and is equipped with a motor drive module and a servo control module. The motor drive module is electrically connected to the servo control module, providing power for the intelligent vehicle's movement. The servo control module controls the direction of the intelligent vehicle's movement. The servo control module is electrically connected to the ultrasonic module, receiving the direction control signal generated by the ultrasonic module and controlling the intelligent vehicle's direction of movement.

[0006] Optionally, the control device further includes a Raspberry Pi development board. Both the function board and the expansion board are equipped with input / output ports, which are electrically connected to the Raspberry Pi development board via their respective input / output ports. The Raspberry Pi development board is equipped with a camera module and a tracking module, which are interconnected. The camera module is used to capture photos of the environment surrounding the intelligent vehicle. The tracking module determines the intelligent vehicle's driving route based on the photos captured by the camera module. The tracking module is electrically connected to the servo control module, which controls the intelligent vehicle to drive along the driving route based on the vehicle's route.

[0007] Optionally, the motor drive module includes a four-wheel drive motor and a motor interface. The motor interface is electrically connected to the four-wheel drive motor. There are four motor interfaces, which are respectively connected to the four wheels of the smart car to drive the four wheels of the smart car to move.

[0008] Optionally, the ultrasonic module includes at least four ultrasonic units, and at least one ultrasonic unit is provided on each of the four sides of the intelligent vehicle.

[0009] Optionally, the Raspberry Pi development board is also equipped with an ambient light module, which is connected to the microcontroller on the function board. The ambient light module includes an ambient light and an ambient light control unit, which controls the number and color of the ambient light emitted based on the instructions of the microcontroller.

[0010] Optionally, the Raspberry Pi development board is also equipped with a speaker control module, which is connected to the audio output terminal of the Raspberry Pi development board. During the driving of the smart car, it can emit an alarm sound when turning or encountering an obstacle, or play music when the ambient light is turned on.

[0011] Optionally, the Raspberry Pi development board is also provided with a heat dissipation module, which is located at the edge of the camera module at a distance of d, where d > 2cm. The heat dissipation module includes a heat sink and a temperature monitoring unit. The heat sink is connected to the temperature monitoring unit, which monitors the temperature of the area covered by the camera module. When the temperature is higher than a preset temperature, the heat sink is controlled to dissipate heat from the camera module.

[0012] Optionally, the camera module includes a camera and a camera pan-tilt unit. The camera is mounted on the camera pan-tilt unit, and the camera pan-tilt unit is connected to the control interface of the servo control module. The servo control module has at least three control interfaces, two of which are used for the rotation control of the camera pan-tilt unit, and the other is used for the steering control of the intelligent vehicle.

[0013] Optionally, the control device further includes a wireless communication module, which is wirelessly connected to a mobile device. The mobile device can control the driving direction of the smart car through the wireless communication module.

[0014] Compared to wired remote-controlled smart cars, the smart car of this application adds a control device. The control device includes a function board and an expansion board. The function board is equipped with a microcontroller and an ultrasonic module. The ultrasonic module measures the distance between the smart car and obstacles within a preset distance range and feeds it back to the microcontroller, generating a direction control signal and outputting it to the expansion board. The expansion board is equipped with a motor drive module and a servo control module. The motor drive module is electrically connected to the servo control module, and the servo control module is electrically connected to the ultrasonic module. It receives the direction control signal generated by the ultrasonic module and controls the driving direction of the smart car, thereby improving the flexibility and real-time performance of the smart car. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification, are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of this application and illustrate the implementation methods of this application, together with the textual description, to explain the principles of this application. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and the intelligent vehicle according to the first embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and the intelligent vehicle according to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another control device and intelligent vehicle according to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and the intelligent vehicle according to the third embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and intelligent vehicle according to the fourth embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and intelligent vehicle according to the fifth embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the control device and intelligent vehicle according to the sixth embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a structural schematic diagram of the intelligent vehicle according to the sixth embodiment of this application.

[0016] Among them, 100 is the control device; 110 is the function board; 111 is the microcontroller; 112 is the ultrasonic module; 113 is the ultrasonic unit; 120 is the expansion board; 121 is the motor drive module; 122 is the servo control module; 123 is the four-wheel drive motor; 124 is the motor interface; 130 is the Raspberry Pi development board; 131 is the camera module; 132 is the tracking module; 133 is the ambient light module; 134 is the ambient light; 135 is the ambient light control unit; 136 is the speaker control module; 137 is the heat dissipation module; 138 is the heat sink; 139 is the temperature monitoring unit; 140 is the camera; 141 is the camera pan-tilt unit; 150 is the wireless communication module; and 200 is the intelligent vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0017] It should be understood that the terminology, specific structural and functional details used herein are merely for describing particular embodiments and are representative. However, this application may be implemented in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0018] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating relative importance or implying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature; "multiple" means two or more. The term "comprising" and any variations thereof mean non-exclusive inclusion, where one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components, and / or combinations thereof may be present or added.

[0019] In addition, terms such as “center,” “horizontal,” “up,” “down,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer” that indicate orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the purpose of simplifying the description of this application and do not indicate that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0020] Furthermore, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0021] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and optional embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings in the specification... Figures 1 to 5 The diagrams are for corresponding modules or circuit units. Some modules are connected by traces on the circuit board. Because the traces on the circuit board are quite complex, they are not fully shown. The connection relationships between some structures are described directly in words. In reality, there are many more traces on the circuit board, and the connections between modules are also achieved through different traces.

[0022] refer to Figure 1 As shown, as a first embodiment of this application, a control device 100 for an intelligent vehicle 200 is disclosed. The control device 100 is mounted on the intelligent vehicle 200 and includes a function board 110 and an expansion board 120. The function board 110 is equipped with a microcontroller 111 and an ultrasonic module 112. The ultrasonic module 112 measures the distance between the intelligent vehicle 200 and obstacles within a preset distance range and feeds it back to the microcontroller 111, generating a direction control signal output. The ultrasonic module 112 mainly measures obstacles in front of the intelligent vehicle 200. The expansion board 120 and... The functional board 110 is electrically connected, and the expansion board 120 is equipped with a motor drive module 121 and a servo control module 122. The motor drive module 121 is electrically connected to the servo control module 122. The motor drive module 121 provides power for the movement of the intelligent vehicle 200, and the servo control module 122 controls the direction of movement of the intelligent vehicle 200. The servo control module 122 is electrically connected to the ultrasonic module 112, receives the direction control signal generated by the ultrasonic module 112, and controls the direction of movement of the intelligent vehicle 200, realizing the forward, backward, left turn, and right turn of the vehicle.

[0023] This application primarily discloses a control device 100 for an intelligent vehicle 200. The control device 100 includes a function board 110 and an expansion board 120. The ultrasonic module 112 on the function board 110 is in closed-loop control with the microcontroller 111. The ultrasonic module 112 measures the distance to obstacles in real time (typical accuracy ±3mm), and triggers obstacle avoidance logic based on a preset threshold (e.g., 0.2-2m). Direction control signals are directly generated instead of raw data, reducing the computational load on the microcontroller 111 (compared to the traditional "data transmission + algorithm processing" mode). The response time is shortened to within 50ms, meeting the requirements of high-speed mobile scenarios (e.g., racing cars). The motor drive module 121 (e.g., L298N) on the expansion board 120 is independently powered, avoiding voltage fluctuations during motor start-up and shutdown that could interfere with the servo control signal. The servo control module 122 directly receives the signal from the ultrasonic module 112, forming the shortest control link of "perception → steering". Through the vertical integration of perception-decision-execution, high-precision motion control is achieved under the premise of controllable cost.

[0024] As a second embodiment of this application, it is a further refinement and improvement of the first embodiment described above, with reference to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the control device 100 also includes a Raspberry Pi development board 130. Both the function board 110 and the expansion board 120 are equipped with input / output ports. The function board 110 and the expansion board 120 are electrically connected to the Raspberry Pi development board 130 through their respective input / output ports. The Raspberry Pi development board 130 is equipped with a camera module 131 and a tracking module 132, which are interconnected. The camera module 131 is used to capture photos of the environment surrounding the intelligent vehicle 200. The tracking module 132 determines the driving route of the intelligent vehicle 200 based on the photos captured by the camera module 131. The tracking module 132 is electrically connected to the servo control module 122, which controls the intelligent vehicle 200 to drive along the driving route based on the vehicle's driving route.

[0025] The expansion board 120 is equipped with a general purpose input / output port (GPIO) for connecting other modules to the Raspberry Pi development board 130. The expansion board 120 and the Raspberry Pi development board 130 are electrically connected via the GPIO interface. The function board 110 is equipped with a microcontroller 111 (responsible for data processing) and an ultrasonic module 112. The ultrasonic module 112 is connected to an obstacle avoidance sensor for obstacle avoidance. The function board 110 is electrically connected to the Raspberry Pi development board 130 via the GPIO port. The microcontroller 111 communicates with the Raspberry Pi development board 130 via the I / O port.

[0026] Generally, the motor drive module 121 includes a four-wheel drive motor 123 and a motor interface 124. The motor interface 124 is electrically connected to the four-wheel drive motor 123. There are four motor interfaces 124, which are respectively connected to the four wheels of the intelligent vehicle 200 to drive the four wheels of the intelligent vehicle 200 to move. The ultrasonic module 112 includes at least four ultrasonic units 113. There is at least one ultrasonic unit 113 on each of the four sides of the intelligent vehicle 200. The ultrasonic module 112 detects the distance between nearby obstacles and the intelligent vehicle 200, thereby controlling the intelligent vehicle 200 to turn in advance.

[0027] Furthermore, the camera module 131 includes a camera 140 and a camera pan-tilt unit 141. The camera 140 is mounted on the camera pan-tilt unit 141. The camera pan-tilt unit 141 rotates to control the shooting direction of the camera 140. The camera pan-tilt unit 141 is connected to the control interface of the servo control module 122. The servo control module 122 has at least three control interfaces, and usually eight. Two of them are used for the rotation control of the camera pan-tilt unit 141, and the other is used for the steering control of the intelligent vehicle 200.

[0028] refer to Figure 4 As shown, as a third embodiment of this application, it is a further refinement and improvement of the second embodiment described above. The Raspberry Pi development board 130 is also provided with an ambient light module 133. The ambient light module 133 is connected to the microcontroller 111 on the function board 110. The ambient light module 133 includes an ambient light 134 and an ambient light control unit 135. The ambient light control unit 135 controls the number and color of light emitted by the ambient light 134 based on the instructions of the microcontroller 111. The camera module 131 is electrically connected to the ambient light control unit 135. The camera module 131 includes a night shooting mode and a day shooting mode. When the camera module 131 turns on the day shooting mode, the ambient light control unit 135 controls the ambient light 134 to emit white light and other colors of light. When the camera module 131 turns on the night shooting mode at night, the ambient light control unit 135 controls the ambient light 134 to emit only white light.

[0029] Generally, the Raspberry Pi development board 130 is also equipped with a speaker control module 136, which is connected to the audio output terminal of the Raspberry Pi development board 130. During the driving of the smart car 200, it emits an alarm sound when turning or encountering an obstacle, or plays music when the ambient light 134 is turned on.

[0030] refer to Figure 5As shown, as a fourth embodiment of this application, which is a further improvement on any of the above embodiments, the Raspberry Pi development board 130 is further provided with a heat dissipation module 137. The heat dissipation module 137 is disposed at the edge of the camera module 131, and the distance between the heat dissipation module 131 and the camera module 131 is d, where d > 2cm. The heat dissipation module 137 includes a heat sink 138 and a temperature monitoring unit 139. The heat sink 138 is connected to the temperature monitoring unit 139. The temperature monitoring unit 139 monitors the temperature of the area covered by the camera module 131. When the temperature is greater than a preset temperature, it controls the heat sink 138 to dissipate heat from the camera module 131.

[0031] It should be noted that the Raspberry Pi development board 130 uses the Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB development board. This version is equipped with the Broadcom BCM2711 SOC, which has higher performance than the Broadcom BCM2837B0 in the Raspberry Pi 3B+. This Raspberry Pi development board 130 is the core module of the entire device and is used for main control. It realizes the functions of line tracking, obstacle avoidance and music ambient light 134 by controlling the heat sink 138, speaker, camera 140, expansion board and function board 110.

[0032] The expansion board 120 uses Emakefun's full-function motor driver board, which can complete the power supply and charging / discharging management of the entire vehicle through a 12V lithium battery pack. The expansion board 120 is equipped with a motor interface 124 and a servo control interface. The motor interface 124 is used to control the forward, backward, left turn and / or right turn of the vehicle. Two of the servo control interfaces on the expansion board 120 are used to control the servos of the camera gimbal 141, so that the viewing angle of the camera 141 can be moved freely. The other one controls the steering servo of the vehicle, realizing the steering of the vehicle and the control requirements of the two-degree-of-freedom gimbal. The expansion board 120 also brings out all the GPIO ports, which is convenient for connecting other modules to the Raspberry Pi development board 130. In addition, the expansion board 120 provides a complete SDK, which can call all the modules and devices connected to the development board. The function board 110 is equipped with an STC89C52 microcontroller 111, which forms the minimum system of the controller. It also has an ultrasonic module 112 interface and a music ambient light module 133 interface, which are used to control the lighting effects of eight ambient lights 134 on each side. The microcontroller 111 communicates with the Raspberry Pi development board 130 through I / O ports. The function board 110 is equipped with a power amplifier board, which can amplify the output signal of the AUX output terminal of the Raspberry Pi development board 130 to drive the speakers to play music. In addition, the function board 110 also integrates four obstacle avoidance sensors, which are connected to the GPIO port through the function board 110 to communicate with the Raspberry Pi.

[0033] The collaborative operation of the Raspberry Pi development board 130, heat dissipation module 137, speaker control module 136, camera 140, expansion board 120, and function board 110 enables the vehicle's environmental perception, such as precise control of line tracking and obstacle avoidance, as well as the control of the ambient lighting 134 and the user interface on the mobile device. The connections and communication between these modules are achieved through the TCP protocol, ensuring stable data transmission and rapid response.

[0034] refer to Figure 6 As shown, the fifth embodiment of this application is a further refinement and improvement of any of the above embodiments. The control device 100 also includes a wireless communication module 150. The wireless communication module 150 is wirelessly connected to a mobile device. The mobile device can control the driving direction of the smart car 200 through the wireless communication module 150. The smart car 200 can be equipped with a wireless communication module such as Bluetooth, which can be paired and connected with the Bluetooth of the mobile phone. The user can operate the driving direction of the smart car 200 through the mobile phone, and transmit the data to the server through the wireless module for real-time monitoring and feedback of the car's driving status, so as to realize the control of the car's forward, backward, left turn, right turn and other tracking functions by the mobile device.

[0035] As the sixth embodiment of this application, it integrates all the above embodiments, that is, this embodiment includes all the modules and structures of the first embodiment, i.e., the fifth embodiment, as described above. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the control device 100 in this embodiment possesses the functions of the corresponding modules in all embodiments. Compared with other intelligent vehicles 200, it fully utilizes the high performance and rich I / O interfaces of the Raspberry Pi, and is equipped with various devices such as ultrasonic sensors, line-following sensors, and cameras 140 to perceive the surrounding environment, thus expanding the vehicle's perception and decision-making capabilities. Furthermore, based on the Raspberry Pi development board 130 with its active heat sink and fan, an expansion board 120 and a function board 110 are designed. The expansion board 120 enhances the stability of the vehicle while reducing the number of components on the vehicle. The function board 110 is used to implement obstacle avoidance and ambient lighting 134. Finally, data is transmitted to the server via a wireless module for real-time monitoring and feedback of the vehicle's driving status. This allows mobile devices to control the vehicle's forward, backward, left, and right line-following functions. The interface is highly interactive, and compared to traditional vehicles, it offers greater flexibility, creativity, and expandability, improving the vehicle's practicality and making it suitable for the multi-functional intelligent market.

[0036] It should also be noted that the inventive concept of this application can form many embodiments, but due to the limited space of the application documents, they cannot all be listed. Therefore, without conflict, the embodiments described above or the technical features can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments. After the embodiments or technical features are combined, the original technical effect will be enhanced.

[0037] The above description, in conjunction with specific optional embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of this application to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of this application, and all such modifications or substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A control device for an intelligent vehicle, wherein the control device is mounted on the intelligent vehicle, characterized in that, The control device includes: The function board includes a microcontroller and an ultrasonic module. The ultrasonic module measures the distance between the intelligent vehicle and obstacles within a preset distance range and feeds this information back to the microcontroller, generating a direction control signal output. An expansion board is electrically connected to the functional board. The expansion board is equipped with a motor drive module and a servo control module. The motor drive module is electrically connected to the servo control module. The motor drive module provides power for the movement of the intelligent vehicle, and the servo control module controls the direction of the intelligent vehicle. The servo control module is electrically connected to the ultrasonic module, receives the direction control signal generated by the ultrasonic module, and controls the driving direction of the intelligent vehicle.

2. The control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control device also includes a Raspberry Pi development board. Both the function board and the expansion board are provided with input / output ports. The function board and the expansion board are electrically connected to the Raspberry Pi development board through their respective input / output ports. The Raspberry Pi development board is equipped with a camera module and a tracking module, which are interconnected. The camera module is used to take pictures of the environment around the smart car, and the tracking module determines the driving route of the smart car based on the pictures taken by the camera module. The tracking module is electrically connected to the servo control module, and the servo control module controls the smart car to drive along the driving route based on the driving route.

3. The control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The motor drive module includes a four-wheel drive motor and a motor interface. The motor interface is electrically connected to the four-wheel drive motor. There are four motor interfaces, which are respectively connected to the four wheels of the smart car to drive the four wheels of the smart car to move.

4. The control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic module includes at least four ultrasonic units, and at least one ultrasonic unit is provided on each of the four sides of the intelligent vehicle.

5. The control device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The Raspberry Pi development board is also equipped with an ambient light module, which is connected to the microcontroller on the function board. The ambient light module includes an ambient light and an ambient light control unit. The ambient light control unit controls the number and color of the ambient light emitted based on the instructions of the microcontroller.

6. The control device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The Raspberry Pi development board is also equipped with a speaker control module, which is connected to the audio output terminal of the Raspberry Pi development board. During the driving of the smart car, it emits an alarm sound when turning or encountering an obstacle, or plays music when the ambient light is turned on.

7. The control device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The Raspberry Pi development board is also equipped with a heat dissipation module, which is located at the edge of the camera module at a distance of d, where d > 2cm. The heat dissipation module includes a heat sink and a temperature monitoring unit. The heat sink is connected to the temperature monitoring unit, which monitors the temperature of the area covered by the camera module. When the temperature is higher than a preset temperature, the heat sink is controlled to dissipate heat from the camera module.

8. The control device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The camera module includes a camera and a camera pan-tilt unit. The camera is mounted on the camera pan-tilt unit, and the camera pan-tilt unit is connected to the control interface of the servo control module. The servo control module has at least three control interfaces, two of which are used for the rotation control of the camera pan-tilt unit, and the other is used for the steering control of the intelligent vehicle.

9. The control device according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The control device also includes a wireless communication module, which is wirelessly connected to a mobile device. The mobile device can control the driving direction of the smart car through the wireless communication module.

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