adept technology Lynx Platform, User Manual, Page: 9 / 126

Adept Lynx Platform User's Guide, Rev D
Page 9 of 126
Chapter 1: Introduction
This manual covers the setup, operation, and user maintenance of the Adept Lynx™ platform.
Other than the basics, this manual does not cover configuration performed using the software
that comes with the platform. That is covered in the
Adept Motivity
®
User's Guide .
Definitions
Platform : The most basic part of the robot. It includes the chassis, drive assemblies, sus-
pension, wheels, battery, safety scanning laser, sonar, an on-board Lynx core with a built-in
gyroscope, software needed to navigate, connectors for interfacing with and powering the pay-
load structure, and the platform covers.
Payload Structure : Anything you attach to the Lynx platform. This could be as simple as a box
for holding parts or documents that you want transported, or as complicated as a robotic arm
that will be used to pick up parts to transport.
AIV (Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle): The Lynx platform with a payload structure attached to
it. This is your complete mobile robot, which will transport your products, parts, or data.
When referring to the initial setup, configuration, and connections, we will refer to the plat-
form.
When talking about controlling or monitoring the full mobile robot, with a payload structure
attached, we will refer to the AIV.
1.1 Product Description
The Adept Lynx platform is a general-purpose, mobile robot platform, designed and sized to
carry loads up to 60 kg (132 lb) while working around people. It is self-guided and self-char-
ging, with an automated docking station. The platform's size and drive assembly are designed
to work in any wheelchair-accessible environment.
The platform combines hardware and mobile-robotics software to provide an intelligent,
mobile platform to support and transport your payload structure. The platform comes com-
plete with the ability to know where it is within a workspace, and to navigate safely and
autonomously to any accessible destination within that workspace, continuously and without
human intervention.
Its primary guidance uses a safety scanning laser to navigate, comparing the laser readings to
a digital map stored on the platform. The laser is backed up by two front- and two rear-facing
sonar pairs, a front sensing bumper, a gyroscope mounted on the internal Lynx core, and
encoders and Hall sensors on each drive wheel.
For situations which are so dynamic that laser localization becomes difficult, Adept offers the
Acuity Localization option, which localizes the platform using an upward-facing camera to
recognize overhead lighting patterns. This is covered in detail in the Adept Lynx Platform Peri-
pherals Guide. This would apply to areas where objects, such as pallets or carts, are moved so
frequently that they can’t be mapped, or where they block the laser’s view of the mapped fea-
tures.