7. Line Track

Let Pico 4wd walk on its exclusive avenue! Tape a line on a light-colored ground (or table) with black insulating tape.

You will see Pico-4wd track the line to forward.

Warning

When pasting this line, there should be no sharp turns so that the car does not drive off the path.

Quick User Guide

1. Run the app_7_line_track.py file under the pico_4wd_car\examples\app_control path and then power on the Pico 4WD car.

2. As shown below, create a controller that adds Grayscale Indicator and Switch widgets to A and N areas, respectively.

   

3. After saving () and connecting () the controller, click to run it.

4. While this controller is running, Grayscale Value(A) will show the values of the three grayscale sensors in real time.

5. Place the grayscale module in three environments: white, black and hanging in the air (10cm or more) to see how the data in the changes.

   White surface

   You will find that the value of the white surface is generally large, for example mine is around 240,000.

   

   Black line

   The value on the black line will be smaller, and now I’m at about 2000.

   

   Overhang (10cm or more)

   And the value of the overhang will be even smaller, already less than 1000 in my environment.

   

6. Set the threshold value.

   • My car reads around 24000 in the white area and around 2000 in the black line, so I set line_ref to about the middle value of 10000.

   • In the cliff area it reads less than 1000, so I set cliff_ref to 1000.

   • Now click the button to enter edit mode.

     

   • Click on the Settings button in the upper right corner of the Grayscale Value(A) widget.

     

   • Fill in the cliff and line thresholds.

     

7. Now re-save the SunFounder Controller and toggle the Switch widget to ON. Place the car on the black line and you will see the Pico-4wd tracking line advancing.

How it works?

1. In on_receive(data), the grayscale values are sent to the A area for showing and responding to the data from the N area.

   • Send the grayscale value to area A for showing.

   • Then read the value of the widget in area A. If there are set thresholds, then use the set thresholds, otherwise use the default thresholds.

   • When the widget in area N is toggled to ON, the output value is True to let Pico 4WD car switch to the line track mode.

   '''----------------- on_receive (ws.loop()) ---------------------'''
   def on_receive(data):
       global mode
   
       ''' if not connected, skip & stop '''
       if not ws.is_connected():
           return
   
       ''' data to display'''
       # grayscale
       ws.send_dict['A'] = grayscale.get_value()
   
       # grayscale reference
       if 'A' in data.keys() and isinstance(data['A'], list):
           grayscale.set_edge_reference(data['A'][0])
           grayscale.set_line_reference(data['A'][1])
       else:
           grayscale.set_edge_reference(GRAYSCALE_CLIFF_REFERENCE_DEFAULT)
           grayscale.set_line_reference(GRAYSCALE_LINE_REFERENCE_DEFAULT)
   
       # mode select:
       if 'N' in data.keys() and data['N'] == True:
           if mode != 'line track':
               mode = 'line track'
               print(f"change mode to: {mode}")
       else:
           if mode != None:
               mode = None
               print(f"change mode to: {mode}")
   

2. Create a line_track() function to move the car in different directions based on the detection result of the grayscale module.

   • When the detected grayscale value of the corresponding channel is less than set threshold, a 1 will be output, which means a black line is detected.

   • Then all three sets of data ([0, 1, 0]) will be output by get_line_status().

   • Then make the car move in different directions according to the output data.

   '''----------------- line_track ---------------------'''
   def line_track():
       global line_out_time
       _power = LINE_TRACK_POWER
       gs_data = grayscale.get_line_status()
       #print(f"gs_data: {gs_data}, {grayscale.line_ref}")
   
       if gs_data == [0, 0, 0] or gs_data == [1, 1, 1] or gs_data == [1, 0, 1]:
           if line_out_time == 0:
               line_out_time = time.time()
           if (time.time() - line_out_time > 2):
               car.move('stop')
               line_out_time = 0
           return
       else:
           line_out_time = 0
   
       if gs_data == [0, 1, 0]:
           car.set_motors_power([_power, _power, _power, _power]) # forward
       elif gs_data == [0, 1, 1]:
           car.set_motors_power([_power, int(_power/5), _power, int(_power/5)]) # right
       elif gs_data == [0, 0, 1]:
           car.set_motors_power([_power, int(-_power/2), _power, int(-_power/2)]) # right plus
       elif gs_data == [1, 1, 0]:
           car.set_motors_power([int(_power/5), _power, int(_power/5), _power]) # left
       elif gs_data == [1, 0, 0]:
           car.set_motors_power([int(-_power/2), _power, int(-_power/2), _power]) # left plus
   

3. In remote_handler() function, the line_track() function will be called if the line tracking mode is turned on, otherwise the car is stopped.

   def remote_handler():
   
       ''' move && anti-fall '''
       if mode == 'line track':
           line_track()
   
       ''' no operation '''
       if mode == None:
           car.move('stop')