Abstract
The work described in this paper is a contribution to providing mobility aid for people with motor disability. It constitutes a part of the VAHM project which aims to design a smart powered wheelchair able to control its displacements in a known environment. Original methods established for the static localisation of the wheelchair using readings provided by a belt of 14 ultrasonic sensors is presented. This approach is based on a classical matching of occupancy grids. Yet because of the presence of the person on the wheelchair any complementary movement intended to obtain additional measures is impossible. That is why our study is centred on the search for the best way to represent ultrasound measures, to model environment and to define the matching criterion in order to mitigate the imperfections of ultrasonic sensors. The method thus developed is implemented on our prototype. Examples are given of the tests carried out in real-life conditions in a typical environment consisting of a flat recreated in our laboratory. The results obtained using real and simulated readings show that the approach is reliable and fitted to our project.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anousaki, G. C. and Kyriapoulos, K. J.: Simultaneous localization and map building for mobile robot navigation, IEEE Robotics Automat. Mag. (1999), 42-53.
Atiya, S. and Hager, G. D.: Real-time vision-based robot localization, IEEE Trans. Robotics Automat. 9(6) (1993), 785-800.
Ayrulu, B. and Barshan, B.: Identification of target primitives with multiple decision-making sonars using evidentional reasoning, Internat. J. Robotics Res. 17(6) (1998), 598-623.
Barshan, B. and Baskent, D.: Morphological surface profile extraction with multiple range sensors, Pattern Recognition 34 (2001), 1459-1467.
Borenstein, J., Everett, H. R., Feng, L., and Wehe, D.: Mobile robot positioning sensors and techniques, J. Robotic Systems 14(4) (1997), 231-249.
Borglote, U., Hoyer, H., Buhler, C., Heck, H., and Hoepler, R.: Architectural concepts of a semi-autonomous wheelchair, J. Intelligent Robotic Systems 22 (1998), 233-253.
Bourhis, G. and Agostini, Y.: The VAHM robotized wheelchair: system architecture and human-machine interaction, J. Intelligent Robotic Systems 22 (1998), 269-287.
Bourhis, G., Horn, O., Habert, O., and Pruski, A.: The VAHM project: Autonomous vehicle for people with motor disabilities, IEEE Robotics Automat. Mag. 7(1) (2001), 21-28.
Courcelle, A.: Localisation d'un robot mobile: Application à l'aide à la mobilité des personnes handicapées moteur, Thèse de l'Université de Metz, 2000.
Courcelle, A. and Horn, O.: Ultrasonic data representation: Application to mobile robots localisation, in: Proc. of the IEEE/RSJ Internat. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Canada, 1998, pp. 559-1564.
Cox, I. J.: Blanche-An experiment in guidance and navigation of an autonomous robot vehicle, IEEE Trans. Robotics Automat. 7(2) (1991), 193-204.
Drumheller, M..: Mobile robot localization using sonar, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intelligence 9(2) (1987), 325-332.
Duckett, T. and Nehmzow, U.: Mobile robot self-localization using occupancy histograms and mixture of Gaussian location hypotheses, Robotics Autonom. Systems 34 (2001), 117-129.
Elfes, A.: Sonar-based real-world mapping and navigation, IEEE J. Robotics Automat. 3(3) (1987), 233-249.
Gutierrez-Osuna, R., Janet, J. A., and Luo, R. C.: Modeling of ultrasonic range sensors for localization of autonomous mobile robots, IEEE Trans. Industrial Electronics 45(4) (1998), 654-662.
Harris, K. D. and Recce, M.: Experimental modelling of time of flight sonar, Robotics Autonom. Systems 24 (1998), 33-42.
Horn, O. and Courcelle, A.: Localisation statique d'un fauteuil électrique autonome, RAIROAPII-JESA 31(5) (1997), 867-878.
Horn, O., Courcelle, A., and Kreutner, M.: Le projet VAHM (Véhicule Autonome pour Handicapés Moteur): La localisation, Traitement du Signal 17(3) (2000), 221-231.
Jeom, H. J. and Kim, B. K.: Feature-based probabilistic map building using time and amplitude information of sonar indoor environments, Robotica 19 (2001), 423-437.
Jetto, L., Longhi, S., and Venturini, G.: Development and experimental validation of an adaptative Kalman filter for the localization of mobile robots, IEEE Trans. Robotics Automat. 15(2) (1999), 219-229.
Kieffer, M.: Estimation ensembliste par analyse par intervalles. Application à la localisation d'un véhicule, Thèse de l'Université Paris XI Orsay, 1999.
Kuc, R. and Siegel, M. W.: Physically based simulation model for acoustic sensor robot navigation, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intelligence 9(6) (1987), 766-778.
Lankenau, A. and Röfer, T.: A versatile and safe mobility assistant, IEEE Robotics Automat. Mag. 7(1) (2001), 29-37.
Levine, S. P., Bell, D. A., Jaros, L. A., Simpson, R. C., Koren, Y. K., and Borenstein, J.: The NAVCHAIR assistive wheelchair navigation system, IEEE Trans. Rehabilitation Engrg. 7(4) (1999), 443-451.
Lu, F. and Milios, E.: Robot pose estimation in unknown environments by matching 2D range scans, J. Intelligent Robotic Systems 18 (1997), 249-275.
Mazo, M. and the Reasearch Group of the SIAMO Project: An integral system for assisted mobility, IEEE Robotics Automat. Mag. 7(1) (2001), 46-56.
Prabler, E. A. and Milios, E. E.: Position estimation using equidistance lines, in: Proc. of the IEEE Internat. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Nagoya, Japan, 1995, pp. 85-92.
Prassler, E., Scholz, J., and Fiorini, P.: A robotic wheelchair for crowded public environments, IEEE Robotics Automat. Mag. 7(1) (2001), 38-45.
Schultz, A. C., Adams, W., and Yamauchi, B.: Integrating exploration, localization, navigation and planning with a common representation, Autonom. Robots 6 (1999), 293-308.
Thrun, S., Fox, D., Burgard, W., and Dellaert, F.: Robust Monte Carlo localization for mobile robots, Artificial Intelligence 128 (2001), 99-141.
Yoder, J. D., Baumgartner, E. T., and Skaar, S. B.: Initial results in the development of a guidance system for a powered wheelchair, IEEE Trans. Rehabilitation Engrg. 4(3) (1996), 143-151.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Horn, O., Courcelle, A. Interpretation of Ultrasonic Readings for Autonomous Robot Localization. Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems 39, 265–285 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JINT.0000021068.04254.19
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JINT.0000021068.04254.19