The article discusses the problem of determining the nature of an obstacle using a force sensor for terrain mapping. Three classes of objects have been introduced: the first class is "static" obstacles, the second class is "moving" obstacles, the third class is "unstable" obstacles. To conduct experiments, a simulation system was built in the Gazebo modeling environment, including a manipulator with the ability to horizontally move a probe with a force sensor and a set of obstacles corresponding to three classes of obstacles. All experiments were carried out using the ROS framework, the Gazebo simulator and the Movelt manipulation software. Processing of signals from the force sensor showed that the signals for the three classes of obstacles are different, which makes it possible to identify the class based on sensor readings. Based on the analysis of data received from the sensor, rules were formed that make it possible to determine the class of an obstacle during its interaction with the manipulator in real time. To determine the obstacle class, the values of the force sensor signals are considered, smoothed by the moving average method. According to the rules discussed in the article, an algorithm was developed to determine the class of obstacle, which was implemented in the Gazebo modeling environment. Testing of the algorithm showed the stability of its operation under the given experimental conditions. Successful determination of the obstacle class will allow one not only to construct a map of the area, but also to prevent damage to the device when exposed to a "static" object with excessive force. The presented approach can be expanded to narrower classes of obstacles that characterize objects that can be encountered by a mobile device when mapping a forest area.
Read full abstract