Library Overview

Understand the architecture and core concepts behind the UNI library.

Architecture

The UNI ecosystem is designed for the UniBase robotic platform. It consists of two main components:

1. UniBase (ESP32)

The core library runs on the ESP32 microcontroller onboard the robot. It handles:

  • Motor PID Control: Ensures precise speed and distance using encoders.
  • Odometry: Calculates position (X, Y) relative to the start point.
  • Hardware Abstraction: Manages OLED, LEDs, voltage sensors, and IMU.

2. UniBaseControl (Arduino Nano / Remote)

An optional library for controlling the robot from a secondary processor via UART.

  • Sends high-level commands (e.g., "move 100mm") to the ESP32.
  • Receives sensor data (odometry, battery) from the ESP32.
  • Ideal for educational kits where students program an Arduino Nano plugged into the robot.

Core Concepts

Non-Blocking Operations

Most movement commands in the UNI library (like moveDist or rotate) are designed to be intuitive. However, under the hood, the ESP32 uses FreeRTOS tasks to handle high-frequency PID loops without blocking your main code.

Coordinate System

The robot uses a standard 2D cartesian coordinate system:

  • X Axis: Forward direction from the starting point.
  • Y Axis: Left direction from the starting point.
  • Angle (Theta): 0 degrees is facing forward. Positive angles turn counter-clockwise (Left), negative angles turn clockwise (Right).

Robot Name

You can assign a custom name to your robot during initialization. This name is displayed on the OLED screen startup. 

robot.begin("WALL-E");