Systematic Design of Complex Artefacts: Robot Vision

In this paper we use the design of an innovative on-board vision system for a small commercial minirobot to demonstrate the application of the demand compliant design (DeCoDe) method. Vision systems are amongst the most complex sensor systems both in nature and in engineering and thus provide an excellent arena for testing design methods. A review of current design methods for mechatronic systems shows that there are no methods that support or require a complete description of the product system. The DeCoDe method is a step towards overcoming this deficiency. The minirobot robot design is carried from the generic vision system level down to first refinement for a minirobot vision system for visual navigation.