Improved 2D laser grid mapping by solving mirror reflection uncertainty in SLAM

Abstract

Purpose

Accurate perception of the environment using range sensors such as laser scanner, SONAR, infrared, vision, etc., for the application, such as path planning, localization, autonomous navigation, simultaneously localization and mapping, is a highly challenging area. The reliability of the perception by range sensors relies on the sensor accuracy, precision, sensor model, sensor registration, resolution, etc. Laser scanner is even though accurate and precise but still the efficient and consistent mapping of the environment is yet to be attained because laser scanner gives error as the extrinsic and intrinsic parameters varied which cause specular reflection, refraction, absorption, etc., of the laser beam. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an error analysis in sensory information of laser scanner due to the effect of varying the scanning angle with respect to the optical axis and surface reflectivity or refractive index of the targets. Uncertainties caused by these parameters are reduced by proposing a new technique, tilt mounting system (TMS) with designed filters of tilting the angular position of a laser scanner with the best possible selection of range and scanning angle for the robust occupancy grid mapping. Various experiments are performed in different indoor environments, and the results are validated after the implementation of the TMS approach with designed filters.

Findings

After the implementation of the proposed TMS approach with filters, the errors in the laser grid map are reduced by 15.6 percent, which results in 62.5 percent reduction in the collision of a mobile robot during autonomous navigation in the laser grid map.

Originality/value

The TMS approach with designed filter reduces the effect of variation in intrinsic and extrinsic parameters to generate efficient laser occupancy grid map to achieve collision-free autonomous navigation.

Citation

Singh, R. and Nagla, K.S. (2018), "Improved 2D laser grid mapping by solving mirror reflection uncertainty in SLAM", International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 93-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIUS-01-2018-0003