Relative position localizing system for multiple autonomous mobile robots in distributed robotic system - algorithm to detect overlapped SLPM patterns

摘要

Each mobile robot in the distributed robotic system using the proposed localizing method is equipped with a rotating laser beacon which project vertical slit laser beam. Below the beacon, photo diodes are installed in circular array to detect laser beam from any direction around the robot. Measurement of distance is based on detecting linear velocity of a vertical slit laser beam from a rotating beacon that projected on the photodiode array mounted on a robot. Direction is also detected by locating area on the sensor array where the beam is projected and finding the center of that area. Output from photodiode array are acquired at a constant sampling rate and stored in a matrix named 'Swept Laser Projection Matrix' (SLPM). However, due to the omni-directional sensing capability, this sensor allows multiple laser beams to be swept on a sensor array. The paper proposes an algorithm to extract overlapped SLPM patterns. The algorithm is designed to be able to handle errors and noises while using as simple algorithm as possible so that real-time processing can be achieved.