Robot Localization via Visual Feature Matching and Sensor Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile robots face challenges in accurate localization due to differences in travel distances over various surfaces, leading to inaccuracies in maps created by simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) systems, resulting in accumulative errors.
Innovation Solution
A localization system and method that uses an image acquisition device to capture frames, a processing device to determine the robot's position and pose by matching features between image frames, and a movement sensing device to compensate for errors, establishing a corresponding relationship between image and physical space coordinate systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If SLAM is performed based on movement information from motion sensors like IMU or odometers, then navigation capability is improved, but localization accuracy deteriorates due to accumulative errors from different travel distances over surfaces with different materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual features from image frames as an intermediary to establish correspondence between image coordinate system and physical space coordinate system. This mediator allows the system to correct accumulative errors by matching features across frames and comparing with pre-stored landmark information, thereby improving localization accuracy while maintaining navigation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously comparing detected feature positions in current image frames with expected positions based on SLAM-generated map data. When discrepancies are detected, the system adjusts the localization estimate to compensate for errors, creating a closed-loop correction mechanism that reduces accumulative drift
2Measurement precision
If feature matching between image frames is used to determine robot position and pose, then localization accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional image acquisition and processing components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the image acquisition device serve multiple functions: it captures images for navigation visualization, extracts visual features for localization, and provides landmark matching for error correction. By making this single component multi-functional, the system achieves improved localization accuracy without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the robot's own movement to its advantage by capturing sequential image frames during navigation. The same movement that enables exploration and navigation also provides the temporal sequence of images needed for feature matching and localization, eliminating the need for separate dedicated localization infrastructure
Data Source
AI summary
The present application provides a localization system and method, and robot using the same. The localization system comprises: a storage device, configured to store the corresponding relationship between an image coordinate system and a physical space coordinate system; an image acquisition device, configured to capture image frames during movement of the robot; and a processing device, connected with the image acquisition device and the storage device, and configured to acquire positions of visual features in an image frame at the current time and positions of the corresponding visual features in an image frame at the previous time and to determine the position and pose of the robot according to the corresponding relationship and the positions. In the present application, the localization error of the robot can be effectively reduced.