Indoor Mobile Robot Localization based on a Particle Filter Approach

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of mobile robot positioning in indoor environments. Indeed, we propose a system based on seven ultrasonic sensors to measure the position and the direction of the robot on a well structured map, which reflects geometric information about the environment and allow it to avoid the obstacles. Nevertheless, measurements taken by on-board sensors are uncertain since they are sensitive to environmental conditions. Correspondingly, actuators are not exact as joints and gears have backlash and wheels do slip. To deal with these uncertainties, a new algorithm based on particle filter has been proposed. The information obtained from the sensors, combined with odometry data, corresponds to the inputs of the particle filter to precisely estimate the trajectory of the robot. To highlight the validity and the efficiency of the propound approach, numerical simulations using different designed maps are carried out to demonstrate that the mobile robot can freely move by avoiding any obstacles.