An omnidirectional Time-of-Flight camera and its application to indoor SLAM

Abstract

Photonic mixer devices (PMDs) are able to create reliable depth maps of indoor environments. Yet, their application in mobile robotics, especially in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) applications, is hampered by the limited field of view. Enhancing the field of view by optical devices is not trivial, because the active light source and the sensor rays need to be redirected in a defined manner. In this work we propose an omnidirectional PMD sensor which is well suited for indoor SLAM and easy to calibrate. Using a single sensor and multiple planar mirrors, we are able to reliably navigate in indoor environments to create geometrically consistent maps, even on optically difficult surfaces.