Abstract
This paper presents a novel self-localization technique for mobile robots using a central catadioptric camera. A unified sphere model for the image projection is derived by the catadioptric camera calibration. The geometric property of the camera projection model is utilized to obtain the intersections of the vertical lines and ground plane in the scene. Different from the conventional stereo vision techniques, the feature points are projected onto a known planar surface, and the plane equation is used for depth computation. The 3D coordinates of the base points on the ground are calculated using the consecutive image frames. The derivation of motion trajectory is then carried out based on the computation of rotation and translation between the robot positions. We develop an algorithm for feature correspondence matching based on the invariability of the structure in the 3D space. The experimental results obtained using the real scene images have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method for mobile robot localization applications.
Highlights
To make the mobile robot have the ability to navigate autonomously, it is commonly equipped with various sensors for environment perception
The results demonstrate that the robot positions can be derived using the geometric constraints and a single catadioptric camera in the experiment
We present an approach for the self-localization of mobile robots using a single catadioptric camera
Summary
To make the mobile robot have the ability to navigate autonomously, it is commonly equipped with various sensors for environment perception. The sensing techniques are essential to many mobile robot navigation applications, such as the self-localization, obstacle detection and avoidance, human–machine interaction, and object handling, etc. In the past few decades, a number of techniques and algorithms have been proposed to accomplish these tasks. The technological development mainly depends on the types of sensors adopted for mobile robot navigation. Some widely used sensors include sonars, laser rangefinders, odometers, GPS (global positioning system), infrared sensors, and cameras. GPS is usually not applicable to indoor environments and some satellite signal denied areas. This might include the application scenarios for extra-planetary rovers and under-ground robots
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