A Novel UHF-RFID Dual Antenna Signals Combined With Gaussian Process and Particle Filter for In-Pipe Robot Localization

Abstract

Condition assessment of underground infrastructures such as pipe networks is crucial for aging cities around the globe. Recent development of robotic technologies facilitated application of them in condition assessment of pipe networks. However, there is still a gap for accurate localization technology in pipes due to complexity of the environment. In this letter, we propose a novel ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF-RFID) technology dual antenna system combined with Gaussian process and Particle filter algorithms to achieve millimeter level localization accuracy. The system is capable of achieving millimeter level accuracy over 50 m of length without an apparent estimation drift. The results were validated through experiments conducted using an extracted water pipe section.