Obstacle Detection and Classification Algorithm using a Laser Scanner

Abstract

This paper proposes algorithm for the obstacle detection and classification using a single laser scanner. In a measurement data from a laser scanner, there exist points with large differential value called singular points, which can be used to obtain the boundary of an obstacle such that obstacle information can be analyzed. On the other hand, measurement data include a lot of measurement error, which makes it difficult to analyze the accurate obstacle information. To solve this problem, the least square estimation algorithm is used to obtain the accurate information using a single laser scanner, by compensation for the measurement error. This algorithm can be used for the effective obstacle avoidance of mobile robots, and the experimental results are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the propose algorithm.