A Robust 2D Lidar SLAM Method in Complex Environment

Abstract

The two-dimensional (2D) lidar is a ranging optical sensor that can measure the cross-section of the geometric structure of the environment. We propose a robust 2D lidar simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm working in ambiguous environments. To improve the front-end scan-matching module’s accuracy and robustness, we propose performing degeneration analysis, line landmark tracking, and environment coverage analysis. The max-clique selection and odometer verification are introduced to increase the stability of the SLAM algorithm in an ambiguous environment. Moreover, we propose a tightly coupled framework that integrates lidar, wheel odometer, and inertial measurement unit (IMU). The framework achieves the accurate mapping in large-scale environments using a factor graph to model the multi-sensor fusion SLAM problem. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a highly accurate front-end scan-matching module with an error of 3.8% of the existing method. And it can run stably in ambiguous environments where the existing method will be failed. Moreover, it ccan successfully construct a map with an area of more than 250 000 square meters.