Route Map Generation Using Node Verification to Correct Odometry Drift
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In areas where markers cannot be detected, the self-location of a robot can become erroneous due to wheel slip, leading to incorrect route map generation as the same nodes are misidentified or different nodes are recognized as the same.
Innovation Solution
A map generation device that includes a node detector, node information obtainer, node determiner, node information adder, and map corrector to accurately identify and correct nodes in a route map, using path information and self-location detection, even when errors occur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If self-location is obtained by odometry sensor in areas where marker cannot be detected, then the robot can continue to navigate, but error accumulates due to wheel slip causing incorrect route map generation
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously compares detected nodes with previously-reached nodes to detect discrepancies caused by odometry errors. When a node is detected that should have been visited before, the system triggers a correction process that adjusts the route map to account for accumulated errors, thereby maintaining long-term navigation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary comparison of detected nodes with stored node information before finalizing route map updates. By checking whether a detected node matches previously-reached nodes beforehand, the system can prevent error accumulation from propagating into the route map structure.
2Device complexity
If node detection relies solely on odometry sensor data, then the system remains simple, but different nodes are misrecognized as the same node or the same node is recognized as different
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary comparison mechanism that mediates between odometry sensor data and route map construction. The node determination unit acts as an intermediary that validates whether detected nodes truly represent new locations or are actually previously-visited nodes, preventing misidentification without requiring complex additional sensors.
3Measurement precision
If the robot corrects self-location using markers, then positioning accuracy improves, but the system fails in areas where markers are not present
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its own detected node information and route map as a reference framework to correct odometry errors, rather than relying on external markers. By serving itself with internally-generated spatial references, the system can operate autonomously in environments without markers while maintaining positioning accuracy through continuous node comparison and correction.
Data Source
AI summary
A map generation device that generates a route. The map generation device includes: a node detector that detects a node; a node information obtainer that obtains detected node information including location information of the detected node and path information indicating a positional relationship between the detected node and a path connected to the detected node; a node determiner that determines whether the detected node information matches previously-reached node information; a node information adder that adds, to the route map, the detected node information as new previously-reached node information when the node determiner determines a mismatch; and a map corrector that, when the node determiner determines a match, determines that the detected node corresponding to the detected node information and a node corresponding to the previously-reached node information are a same node and corrects the route map.