Autonomous Karting Series Official Rulebook

Ruleset Table of Contents

Overview

This repository contains the development pages and official document for the Autonomous Karting Series Competition Rules. The individual sections of the rules have a folder with a markdown file for development and discussion purposes. The official document will be a protected latex file that requires approval to edit and modify.

Development Rulebook can be seen here

Changes

Disclaimer

This section covers changes that take place during Team Leads meetings with AKS and are not yet in the official rulebook but overwrite existing rules or add clarification to them.

January 17, 2024

Electrical

  1. Quick battery removal is no longer a requirement. Instead batteries must be mounted and secured with the intent to reduce risk of puncture, overheating, and overcurrent to reduce risk of incidents.
    • A remote disconnect or emergency button will be required to cut any electrical connections to the battery in the case of an incident.
  2. Alternative tires are allowed as long as they are comparable in hardness (durometer) to Hoosier R60B compound.
    • Vega tires are allowed.
      • Vega 5" XH3 Green (Hard compound) - https://www.vegausa.com/Tires/XH3.htm
      • Vega 5" XM3 White (Medium compound) - https://www.vegausa.com/Tires/XM3.htm
    • Tire sizes must remain exactly as are in the rules.

January 31, 2024

Administrative

  1. No persons in go-kart while the go-kart is turned on.
    • A person can be in the go-kart as long as the go-kart is turned off completely.
  2. Safety Officer helps to inspect other teams and support other teams pass inspections.

Safety

  1. Urgent Braking
    • All teams must prove that they have a deadman/urgent braking switch that has the go-kart come to a safe stop.
      • Deadman switch must trigger if a controller leaves range or disconnects
    • The urgent stop must be commandable through software and via a physical switch
    • 3 Points of stopping:
      • Automatic stopping on command (physical or software)
      • Can be satisfied by switching to RC control to stop
      • Emergency Stop final measure if nothing else works
  2. Emergency Disconnect
    • Physical switch must exist on go-kart to disconnect ALL power on the go-kart
      • Minimum of 1 switch, (multiple are allowed for different power systems, ie. 1 for main power and 1 for pc power)
      • Can be remote controlled --not required
    • Team must explain all kill-switches in inspection

February 28, 2024

Mechanical

  1. Minimum weight requirements have been removed.
    • Please note that there is a point at which too light of a go-kart will make controlling the kart more difficult. If your team is struggling with tires lifting off the ground or sliding then look into attaching lead weights to the desired areas to disburse weight better.

Administrative

Who is allowed to compete

  1. Teams are required to be affiliated with an Academic Institution.
  2. A team can consist of members from more than one University, however any one person cannot be on multiple teams.

Required Roles

  1. All teams must establish at least one member as their Autonomous Safety Officer.
    • The Autonomous Safety Office will ensure that their team’s kart is operating in a safe manner on and off track.
  2. All teams must establish at least one Designated Driver.
    • A Designated Driver is a separate person from a team’s Autonomous Safety Officer.
    • A Designated Driver is responsible for driving the team’s kart as either a driver within the kart or when the kart is being operated remotely.

Documentation Requirements from teams

  1. All participants must sign and submit a liability waiver.
    1. All teams must submit the required videos and design documentation before specified race deadlines.
  2. Some events may require certain components and features to be demonstrated in person.
    1. Teams must be able to demonstrate all components and features in person if requested.
    2. Teams will be notified of specific demonstrations before the event.

Jurisdiction of rules

  1. All announcements and comments posted on the official website of the competition are to be considered part of the official ruleset

Disclaimer

These rules are open to interpretation where specifics are not given. This means that, for example, a material that is stated to be banned in one section is banned in all sections except where explicitly allowed. Other sections may have exceptions that explicitly allow or disallow under specific circumstances for those sections.

Mechanical Rules

Frame / Chassis

  1. Any Commercial Full Size "Sprint Kart" chassis may be used
    • Custom Chassis may not be built from scratch.
  2. All Chassis components must be documented on a BOM declaring the part number and supplier.
    1. For Custom Chassis the BOM must be broken down by fabricated parts.
  3. All Chassis must include mounting points for Front and Rear bumpers.

Tires

  1. All teams must use the following tire sizes:
    • Front Tires - 10 x 4.50-5
    • Rear Tires - 11 x 7.10-5
  2. All teams must use the following compounds of slick tires:
    • Hoosier R60B
    • Alternative brands and compounds must be requested for evaluation and if approved this section of the rules will be amended.
  3. All teams must have the Wheel or Wheel Hub mounted to the chassis with a Castle Nut and Cotter Pin or with a Locking Nut and Safety Wire.
  4. If teams choose to use Wheel Hubs then the tires must be secured to the Wheel Hub with a Locking Nut. Safety Wires are not required.

Brakes

  1. All teams must at minimum have brakes on both rear tires.
    • A rear axle with 1 brake assembly attached will count for both rear tires.
  2. Teams are encouraged to have brakes on all 4 wheels of the kart.
  3. Teams must be able to lock the brakes on any wheel with a brake attached.
    • This will be enforced by having the kart accelerate over a given distance and then the team must brake as much as needed to lock the brakes.
    • At this time there is no maximum stopping distance.
  4. All hydraulic brake lines must be braided lines with the appropriate fittings to prevent leaks.

Weight

  1. There is no maximum weight.
  2. There is a minimum weight of 250 pounds with all components attached to the kart.

Mounting

  1. Any component mounted directly to the chassis not mentioned already must be secured with a threadlocker.
    1. Components that are needed to be removed and remounted frequently may be secured with a Locking Nut.
    2. Electrical wires may be secured with cable ties or similar items.
  2. Internally Mounted Components must be securely mounted such that the components do not become detached or loose inside their container.
  3. The above mounting rules are enforcable through visual inspection with physical inspections if there is concern.

Materials

  1. Any non-Internally Mounted Component must not be subject to the following:
    • Acrylic
    • Any Brittle Material

BOM (Bill of Materials)

  1. Teams must provide a Bill of Materials for all mechanical components NOT mounted internally.
    1. Each mechanical component must be represented by an individual section in the BOM.
  2. A Team's Mechanical BOM cost shall not exceed $10,000 USD.
    • A team is able to estimate the cost of a component if it is unsure of the total value of the component. This must be stated if the cost is estimated.

Resources

The following resources are not affiliated with Autonomous Karting Series Inc. but are included to aid teams in finding and sourcing components.

Go Kart Suppliers

Tires

Electrical Rules

Drivetrain

  1. The Drivetrain of the kart must be entirely electric.
  2. Teams are allowed to use Brushed and Brushless motors.
  3. Teams are not limited to the number of motors driving the rear tires.
  4. Teams are not permitted to use motors to drive the front tires.
  5. The Total Drivetrain Output of the motor(s) driving the rear tires must not exceed 15kW.
    1. Teams are permitted to use higher output motors as long as it is configured not to exceed the above value.
    2. Total Drivetrain Output must be measured before motor controllers.
    3. Teams are encouraged to seek out ways to record their Total Drivetrain Output in a manner that the data can be monitored without external systems.
  6. The Wiring Harness for the Drivetrain must include a fuse for the maximum expected current draw for a team's configured Total Drivetrain Output.

Batteries

  1. Teams are allowed up to two battery systems which are listed below.
    • Drivetrain Battery System
    • Auxiliary Battery System
  2. Each battery system must have an accessible and clearly labeled Kill Switch.
  3. Teams are allowed to utilize the following battery chemistries:
    • Lithium Polymer (LiPo)
    • Lithium Ion Cells (18650, 21700, etc.)
    • Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
    • Lead-Acid
  4. All batteries must satisfy the following criteria:
    1. Removeable from the kart without the use of tools.
    2. Clearly labelled and secured in place.
    3. Safely constructed.
    4. Sufficiently cooled.
    5. Cannot have any exposed connectors or contacts.
    6. Contains Short Circuit protections to disconnect power in the event of a short circuit.
  5. Drivetrain Battery System Cannot exceed 100V nominal.
  6. Auxiliary Battery System Cannot exceed 50V nominal.

General Wiring

  1. All Wiring Harnesses must be contained without any wires hanging out.
    • Wires are not contained when they are able to easily get caught on something or loosely laying on the kart.
    • Wires are contained when they are tied down and/or enclosed in a wire loom that is tied down.
  2. All wires must be rated appropriately for the power being drawn through them.
  3. There should be no exposed contacts or connectors.

Computers and Sensors

  1. There is no regulation on sensors
  2. There is no regulation on computers
  3. Computation must be entirely contained to the kart
    1. Karts are not allowed to send data to an outside computer for computation used while running.

Design Documentation

  1. Teams are required to provide a design document for the electrical systems.
  2. Electrical Design Documentation must include at minimum the following:
    1. A description of every Wiring Harness.
    2. A description of every battery system.

Race Procedure Rules

Spirit of the Competition

The goal of the Autonomous Karting Series is to create an accessible and exciting autonomous go kart race. The race presents a realistic scenario in which teams need to build go-karts that will race and compete on a track autonomously. It is encouraged that teams will work to create innovative and performant hardware, electrical, and software solutions.

Race Structure

  1. Two race categories:
    1. Prior-mapping allowed category
    2. Reactive required category
  2. Team rankings will be by total time taken to complete the 5 laps.
  3. Obstacle avoidance will be a part of both categories and will be required.
    1. The exact time penalty for hitting the obstacle will be decided before the race as decided in a competition briefing.
  4. The team order in which each category will be run will be decided at random.

Race Track definition

  1. The track is defined by both solid lines and Reflective Pavement Markers. Reflective Pavement Marker Image
    1. Markers will be yelow with yelow reflectors.
    2. Markers placed along track will be spaced a minimum of 10 feet apart.
  2. Track width must be at minimum 15 feet and a maximum of 20 feet.
  3. The start/finish line will be identified on a per track basis.

Obstacle avoidance rules

  1. The obstacle is considered a separate entity from the track definition.
  2. Possible placement locations of the obstacle will be determined in the competition briefing prior to the race.
  3. The obstacle’s starting side (left or right side) will be the same for all teams and categories.
  4. Each consecutive lap the obstacle will be swapped to the other side of the track.
  5. The obstacle’s location will not be able to be pre-mapped.
  6. The obstacle will be provided by the race organizers at the race track.
    • 3 cardboard Home Depot Boxes will be painted white and taped together in a pyramid shape with two boxes forming the base and one placed on top, as shown below: Obstacle Diagram

Prior-mapping allowed category

  1. The spirit of this category is that any data on the track definition from any prior runs or outside track data is allowed to be used throughout the race.
  2. A non-encompassing list of allowed data:
    • GPS waypoints
    • Track centerline

Reactive required category

  1. The spirit of this category is to prevent prior models of the track definition from being used as an input.
  2. Throughout the race, teams are encouraged to perform mapping during the race.
  3. No Pre-Mapping is allowed to be done prior to starting the race, including:
    • Any representation of the track
    • GPS waypoints
    • Data from a prior to the race start

Awards

  1. Fastest lap Award
    • The fastest lap overall of the competition completed in any category.
  2. Category Awards
    1. For each category the top 3 teams will receive placement awards.
    2. Placement will be determined by the fastest Adjusted Total Time for each team around the track.
  3. Engineering Excellence Award
    • The awarded team will be selected from judges based on design documents and implementation of components on the kart.

Safety Rules

Required Safety Components

  1. Remote Estop must be tied to at minimum a physical controller.
    1. Off the shelf Emergency Stop systems are allowed as long as they do not interfere with the track and has a physical trigger.
  2. Remote Estop that when triggered does the following:
    1. Apply the brakes bringing the kart to a full stop.
    2. Disconnect power to the Drivetrain.
  3. Physical Estop that is clearly labelled and cuts all power to the kart.
  4. Batteries must be abte to be removed from the kart quickly in the incident of a fire.
  5. Moving Commponents must have covers to prevent risk of injury or damage.
    1. Chains must have chain covers.
  6. There must be no exposed sharp edges on the kart.
  7. Front and Rear bumpers are required.
    1. Bumpers cannot be custom made and must be purchased.

Remote Control

  1. Remote Control is needed to drive the kart in and out of the pits.
  2. Remote Control is needed to drive around other teams that may be on track during practice.
    1. Autonomous Driving around teams is not allowed when people are on track.
  3. The Remote Control Driving Controller must always have a Deadman Switch in order for the kart to be driving.
  4. The Remote Estop controller is required to reach at minimum 200 meters line of sight to the kart.

Enforcement

  1. Before a kart is alloSwed to run on the track it must undergo safety inspections and comply with all rules set forth in this document.
  2. Inspections may consist of the following:
    1. Visual inspections.
    2. Physical inspections.
    3. Document inspections.

Resources

The following resources are not affiliated with Autonomous Karting Series Inc. but are included to aid teams in finding and sourcing components.

Bodywork

Long Range Control (Including Remote EStop)

Software Rules

WIP

Appendix

Definable Terms

  • BOM - Bill of Materials
  • Internally Mounted Components - a component or collection of components enclosed completely inside something mounted directly to the chassis.
  • Brittle Materials - materials that are prone to shattering and/or creating stiff sharp edges upon breaking.
  • Drivetrain - the motor(s) and motor controller(s) that drive the kart.
  • Total Drivetrain Output - the total power output in kilowatts of all motors on the drivetrain.
  • Wiring Harness - a collection of wires and connectors for a specific component or grouping of components.
  • Remote E-stop - a remotely controlled emergency stop system that can be triggered if the kart becomes unstable.
  • Physical E-stop - a physical button or switch that can be activated if the kart becomes unstable.
  • Autonomous Driving - when the kart is being controlled only by the pre-programmed logic contained on the kart.
  • RC Driving - when the kart is being controlled by a remote controller exterior to the kart.
  • Deadman Switch - a switch on the remote controller that has a default value of off and must be held in the on state for the kart or controller to function.
  • Pre-Mapping - utilizing data collected prior to a race start with the intent to use it to compete in the race.