Probabilistic Self-Localization and Mapping - An Asynchronous Multirate Approach
[EN] In this paper, we present a set of robust and efficient algorithms with O(N) cost for the solution of the Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) problem of a mobile robot. First, we introduce a novel object detection method, which is mainly based on multiple line fitting method for landmark detection with regular constrained angles. Second, a line-based pose estimation method is proposed, based on LeastSquares (LS). This method performs the matching of lines, providing the global pose estimation under assumption of known Data-Association. Finally, we extend the FastSLAM (FActored Solution To SLAM) algorithm for mobile robot self-localisation and mapping by considering the asynchr…
FastSLAM 2.0: Least-Squares Approach
In this paper, we present a set of robust and efficient algorithms with O(N) cost for the following situations: object detection with a laser ranger; mobile robot pose estimation and a FastSLAM improved implementation. Objected detection is mainly based on a novel multiple line fitting method, related with walls at the environment. This method assumes that walls at the environment constitute a regular constrained angles. A line-based pose estimation method is also proposed, based on Least-Squares (LS). This method performs the matching of detected lines and estimated map lines and it can provide the global pose estimation under assumption of known Data-Association. FastSLAM 1.0 has been imp…
Asynchronous sensor fusion of GPS, IMU and CAN-based odometry for heavy-duty vehicles
[EN] In heavy-duty vehicles, multiple signals are available to estimate the vehicle's kinematics, such as Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Global Positioning System (GPS) and linear and angular speed readings from wheel tachometers on the internal Controller Area Network (CAN). These signals have different noise variance, bandwidth and sampling rate (being the latter, possibly, irregular). In this paper we present a non-linear sensor fusion algorithm allowing asynchronous sampling and non-causal smoothing. It is applied to achieve accuracy improvements when incorporating odometry measurements from CAN bus to standard GPS+IMU kinematic estimation, as well as the robustness against missing da…
Elementary Clothoid-Based Three-Dimensional Curve for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
UNMANNED aerial vehicles (UAVs), either multirotor or fixed-wing UAVs, can be used in many fields to solve complex problems in safety [1], communications [2, 3], military applications [4, 5], civilian applications [6, 7], protection of nuclear plants [8], energy efficiency [9], nonlinear control [10, 11], and path planning [12], among others. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) is by far the most used UAV's configuration [13]. Probably the main reason is that, nowadays, there are lots of low-cost multirotor models. VTOL strategies can be applied to fixed-wing airplanes [14]; however, in normal operation they usually fly horizontally to keep a constant altitude [15, 16], but they need to per…
Smooth Three-Dimensional Route Planning for Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles With Double Continuous Curvature
This paper presents a smooth flight path planner for maneuvering in a 3D Euclidean space, which is based on two new space curves. The first one is called 'Elementary Clothoid-based 3D Curve (ECb3D)', which is built by concatenating two symmetric Clothoid-based 3D Curves (Cb3D). The combination of these curves allows to reach an arbitrary orientation in 3D Euclidean space. This new curve allows to generate continuous curvature and torsion profiles that start and finish with a null value, which means that they can be concatenated with other curves, such as straight segments, without generating discontinuities on those variables. The second curve is called 'Double Continuous Curvature 3D Curve…
Clothoid-Based Three-Dimensional Curve for Attitude Planning
Interest in flying robots, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has grown during last years in both military and civil fields [1, 2]. The same happens to autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) [3]. These vehicles, UAVs and AUVs, offer a wide variety of possible applications and challenges, such as control, guidance or navigation [2, 3]. In this sense, heading and attitude control in UAVs is very important [4], particularly relevant in airplanes (fixed-wing flying vehicles), because they are strongly non-linear, coupled, and tend to be underactuated systems with non-holonomic constraints. Hence, designing a good attitude controller is a difficult task [5, 6, 7, 8, 9], where stabilit…
Real-time clothoid approximation by Rational Bezier curves
This paper presents a novel technique for implementing Clothoidal real-time paths for mobile robots. As first step, rational Bezier curves are obtained as approximation of the Fresnel integrals. By rescaling, rotating and translating the previously computed RBC, an on-line Clothoidal path is obtained. In this process, coefficients, weights and control points are kept invariant. This on-line approach guarantees that an RBC has the same behavior as the original Clothoid using a low curve order. The resulting Clothoidal path allows any two arbitrary poses to be joined in a plane. RBCs working as Clothoids are also used to search for the shortest bounded-curvature path with a significant comput…