Multiple Integrated Navigation Sensors for Improved Occupancy Grid FastSLAM

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle must accurately observe its location within the environment to interact with objects and accomplish its mission. When its environment is unknown, the vehicle must construct a map detailing its surroundings while using it to maintain an accurate location. Such a vehicle is faced with the circularly defined Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) problem. However difficult, SLAM is a critical component of autonomous vehicle exploration with applications to search and rescue. To current knowledge, this research presents the first SLAM solution to integrate stereo cameras, inertial measurements, and vehicle odometry into a Multiple Integrated Navigation Sensor (MINS) path. The implementation combines the MINS path with LIDAR to observe and map the environment using the FastSLAM algorithm. In real-world tests, a mobile ground vehicle equipped with these sensors completed a 140 meter loop around indoor hallways. This SLAM solution produces a path that closes the loop and remains within 1 meter of truth, reducing the error 92% from an image-inertial navigation system and 79% from odometry FastSLAM.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA540121

Entities

People

  • Christopher P. Weyers

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Autonomous Navigation
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Computational Complexity
  • Computer Vision
  • Ground Vehicles
  • Image Processing
  • Inertial Measurement Units
  • Inertial Navigation
  • Inertial Navigation Systems
  • Kalman Filters
  • Mathematical Filters
  • Navigation
  • Simultaneous Localization And Mapping
  • Two Dimensional
  • United States Government
  • Unmanned Vehicles

Readers

  • Computer Vision.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy