一种基于声纳信息的地图创建方法

地图创建是实现机器人在未知环境中自主导航的关键。该文对移动机器人在地图创建中所收集的不确定传感信息进行研究,分析声纳传感器的散射和镜面反射特性,提出一种改进的概率栅格的地图创建方法。该方法将距离信任因子引入到声纳传感器模型。利用该模型,实现移动机器人的自主地图创建,并有效地减少由于声纳传感器所引起的不确定性。通过机器人平台上进行的实验表明该方法的有 效性。     

Sensor Fusion for SLAM Based on Information Theory

We present a sensor fusion management technique based on information theory in order to reduce the uncertainty of map features and the robot position in SLAM. The method is general, has no extra postulated conditions, and its implementation is straightforward. We calculate an entropy weight matrix which combines the measurements and covariance of each sensor device to enhance reliability and robustness. We also suggest an information theoretic algorithm via computing the error entropy to confirm the relevant features for associative feature determination. We validate the proposed sensor fusion strategy in EKF-SLAM and compare its performance with an implementation without sensor fusion. The simulated and real experimental studies demonstrate that this sensor fusion management can reduce the uncertainty of map features as well as the robot pose.     

Probabilistic state estimation of dynamic objects with a moving mobile robot

Mobile service robots are designed to operate in dynamic and populated environments. To plan their missions and to perform them successfully, mobile robots need to keep track of relevant changes in the environment. For example, office delivery or cleaning robots must be able to estimate the state of doors or the position of waste-baskets in order to deal with the dynamics of the environment. In this paper we present a probabilistic technique for estimating the state of dynamic objects in the environment of a mobile robot. Our method matches real sensor measurements against expected measurements obtained by a sensor simulation to efficiently and accurately identify the most likely state of each object even if the robot is in motion. The probabilistic approach allows us to incorporate the robot’s uncertainty in its position into the state estimation process. The method has been implemented and tested on a real robot. We present different examples illustrating the efficiency and robustness of our approach.     

Autonomous robotic exploration using a utility function based on Rényi’s general theory of entropy

In this paper we present a novel information-theoretic utility function for selecting actions in a robot-based autonomous exploration task. The robot’s goal in an autonomous exploration task is to create a complete, high-quality map of an unknown environment as quickly as possible. This implicitly requires the robot to maintain an accurate estimate of its pose as it explores both unknown and previously observed terrain in order to correctly incorporate new information into the map. Our utility function simultaneously considers uncertainty in both the robot pose and the map in a novel way and is computed as the difference between the Shannon and the Rényi entropy of the current distribution over maps. Rényi’s entropy is a family of functions parameterized by a scalar, with Shannon’s entropy being the limit as this scalar approaches unity. We link the value of this scalar parameter to the predicted future uncertainty in the robot’s pose after taking an exploratory action. This effectively decreases the expected information gain of the action, with higher uncertainty in the robot’s pose leading to a smaller expected information gain. Our objective function allows the robot to automatically trade off between exploration and exploitation in a way that does not require manually tuning parameter values, a significant advantage over many competing methods that only use Shannon’s definition of entropy. We use simulated experiments to compare the performance of our proposed utility function to these state-of-the-art utility functions. We show that robots that use our proposed utility function generate maps with less uncertainty and fewer visible artifacts and that the robots have less uncertainty in their pose during exploration. Finally, we demonstrate that a real-world robot using our proposed utility function is able to successfully create a high-quality map of an indoor office environment.     

全自主机器人足球系统的全局地图构建研究

研究和讨论了如何通过多机器人的协作,实现全局地图的构建．在单个机器人通过自身携带的多传感器进行局部地图构建的基础上,研究了前向单目视觉传感器的建模方法,在此观测模型的基础上,用极大似然融合算法对球的位置信息进行融合,而对于多机器人返回的对方机器人位置信息,使用基于密度的空间聚类算法（DBSCAN）进行信息融合,从而实现全局地图构建．实验结果表明,通过多机器人的协作,可以准确地构建出全局地图,弥补了单个机器人自身传感器的有限感知范围,本文研究的方法完全满足全自主机器人足球比赛中动态环境地图构建的需要．     

Autonomous Exploration with Exact Inverse Sensor Models

This paper is focused on probabilistic occupancy grid mapping and motion planning such that a robot may build a map and explore a target area autonomously in real time. The desired path of the robot is developed in an optimal fashion to maximize the information gain from the sensor measurements on its path, thereby increasing the accuracy and efficiency of mapping, while explicitly considering the sensor limitations such as the maximum sensing range and viewing angle. Most current exploration techniques require frequent human intervention, often developed for omnidirectional sensors with infinite range. The proposed research is based on realistic assumptions on sensor capabilities. The unique contribution is that the mapping and autonomous exploration techniques are systematically developed in a rigorous, probabilistic formulation. The mapping approach exploits the probabilistic properties of the sensor and map explicitly, and the autonomous exploration is designed to maximize the expected map information gain, thereby improving the efficiency of the mapping procedure and the quality of the map substantially. The efficacy of the proposed optimal approach is illustrated by both numerical simulations and experimental results.     

Intelligent and Efficient Strategy for Unstructured Environment Sensing Using Mobile Robot Agents

In field environments it is not usually possible to provide robots in advance with valid geometric models of its task and environment. The robot or robot teams need to create these models by scanning the environment with its sensors. Here, an information-based iterative algorithm to plan the robot's visual exploration strategy is proposed to enable it to most efficiently build 3D models of its environment and task. The method assumes mobile robot (or vehicle) with vision sensors mounted at a manipulator end-effector (eye-in-hand system). This algorithm efficiently repositions the systems' sensing agents using an information theoretic approach and fuses sensory information using physical models to yield a geometrically consistent environment map. This is achieved by utilizing a metric derived from Shannon's information theory to determine optimal sensing poses for the agent(s) mapping a highly unstructured environment. This map is then distributed among the agents using an information-based relevant data reduction scheme. This method is particularly well suited to unstructured environments, where sensor uncertainty is significant. Issues addressed include model-based multiple sensor data fusion, and uncertainty and vehicle suspension motion compensation. Simulation results show the effectiveness of this algorithm.     

From pixels to multi-robot decision-making: A study in uncertainty

Mobile robots must cope with uncertainty from many sources along the path from interpreting raw sensor inputs to behavior selection to execution of the resulting primitive actions. This article identifies several such sources and introduces methods for (i) reducing uncertainty and (ii) making decisions in the face of uncertainty. We present a complete vision-based robotic system that includes several algorithms for learning models that are useful and necessary for planning, and then place particular emphasis on the planning and decision-making capabilities of the robot. Specifically, we present models for autonomous color calibration, autonomous sensor and actuator modeling, and an adaptation of particle filtering for improved localization on legged robots. These contributions enable effective planning under uncertainty for robots engaged in goal-oriented behavior within a dynamic, collaborative and adversarial environment. Each of our algorithms is fully implemented and tested on a commercial off-the-shelf vision-based quadruped robot.     

一种基于MAP估计的移动机器人视觉自定位方法

提出一种能够工作在三维路标环境中的视觉自定位系统. 机器人通过 MAP 估计器融合里程计和单向摄象机的图像信息递归估计其自身位姿状态. 本文构建了传感器的非线性模型并且在系统运行中嵌入和跟踪机器人运动和视觉信息的不确定性. 本文从概率几何观点阐述传感信息不确定性, 用 unscented 变换传播经过非线性变换的相关系统信息. 考虑到处理能力, 机器人在地图元素的投影特征附近提取相应图像特征并通过统计距离描述数据关联程度. 本文的一系列系统性实验证明了该系统的稳定性和精确性.     

Distributed information-based guidance of multiple mobile sensors for urban target search

We present a framework for distributed mobile sensor guidance to locate and track a target inside an urban environment. Our approach leverages the communications between robots when a link is available, but it also allows them to act independently. Each robot actively seeks the target using information maximization. The robots are assumed to be capable of communicating with their peers within some distance radius, and the sensor payload of each robot is a camera modeled to have target detection errors of types I and II. Our contributions include an optimal information fusion algorithm for discrete distributions which allows each agent to combine its local information with that of its neighbors, and a path planner that uses the fused estimate and a recent coverage result for information maximization to guide the agents. We include simulations and laboratory experiments involving multiple robots searching for a moving target within model cities of different sizes.     

Fuzzy logic decision making for multi-robot security systems

The paper proposes a fuzzy logic decision making system for security robots that deals with multiple tasks with dynamically changing scene. The tasks consist of patrolling the environment, inspecting for missing items, chasing and disabling intruders, and guarding the area. The decision making considers robot limitations such as maximum floor coverage per robot and remaining robot battery energy, as well as cooperation among robots to complete the mission. Each robot agent makes its own decision based on its internal information as well as information broadcast to it by other robots about events such as intruder sighting. As a result the multi-robot security system is distributive without a central coordinator. The system has been implemented both in simulations and on actual robots and its performance has been verified under different scenarios.     

Learning Object Affordances: From Sensory--Motor Coordination to Imitation

Affordances encode relationships between actions, objects, and effects. They play an important role on basic cognitive capabilities such as prediction and planning. We address the problem of learning affordances through the interaction of a robot with the environment, a key step to understand the world properties and develop social skills. We present a general model for learning object affordances using Bayesian networks integrated within a general developmental architecture for social robots. Since learning is based on a probabilistic model, the approach is able to deal with uncertainty, redundancy, and irrelevant information. We demonstrate successful learning in the real world by having an humanoid robot interacting with objects. We illustrate the benefits of the acquired knowledge in imitation games.     

移动机器人地图创建中的不确定传感信息处理

该文研究移动机器人自主创建地图中的不确定传感信息处理问题,基于灰色系统理论 提出了一种新的对传感信息进行解释和融合的方法用于声纳信息的处理,并以此建立环境的栅 格地图.声纳的传感信息存在较大的不确定性,这里引入灰数的概念来表示和处理这种不确定 性,对于机器人在不同位置的测量结果,根据灰色系统理论对信息的理解方式设计融合方法,得 到一个对环境的整体表示.通过仿真环境和真实机器人平台上进行的创建地图实验,表明这种 方法具有良好的鲁棒性和准确度.     

Environmental map building for a mobile robot using infrared range-finder sensors

This paper presents a methodology for building a high-accuracy environmental map using a mobile robot. The design approach uses low-cost infrared range-finder sensors incorporating with neural networks. To enhance the map quality, the errors occurring from the sensors are corrected. The non-linearity error of the sensors is compensated using a backpropagation neural network and the random error of readings including the uncertainty of the environment is taken into a sensor model as a probabilistic approach. The map is represented by an occupancy grid framework and updated by the Bayesian estimation mechanism. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through a series of experiments.     

基于认知差异的多机器人协同信息趋向烟羽源搜索方法

多机器人协同稀疏烟羽源搜索研究中,追求群体信息一致而忽视个体独立搜索能力的发挥,导致群体无法有效适应复杂搜索状况.为此,提出一种基于认知差异的协同信息趋向源搜索方法.首先,利用相对熵度量群内个体对源位置估计的认知差异;然后,据此赋予不同个体烟羽采样以相应权重,在贝叶斯推理过程自适应权衡自身线索与群体线索;最后,采用分布式信息熵决策实施协同信息趋向搜索.多种场景下的仿真结果验证了所提出算法的优越性.     

Virtual Triangulation Sensor Development, Behavior Simulation and CAR Integration Applied to Robotic Arc-Welding

Background: An increasing number of industrial robots are being programmed using CAR (Computer Aided Robotics). Sensor guidance offers a means of coping with frequent product changes in manufacturing systems. However, sensors increase the uncertainty and to preserve system robustness, a tool is needed that makes it possible to understand a sensor guided robot system before and during its actual operation in real life.Scope: A virtual sensor is developed and integrated in a CAR hosted environment. The real sensor is of a type commonly used in the arc-welding industry and uses a triangulation method for depth measurements. The sensor is validated both statically and dynamically by matching it with a real sensor through measurements in setups and by comparing a welding application performed in a real and a virtual work-cell created with a CAR application. The experimental results successfully validates its performance. In this context, a virtual sensor is a software model of a physical sensor with similar characteristics, using geometrical and/or process specific data from a computerized model of a real work-cell.     

Motion strategies for exploration and map building under uncertainty with multiple heterogeneous robots

In this paper, we present a multi-robot exploration strategy for map building. We consider an indoor structured environment and a team of robots with different sensing and motion capabilities. We combine geometric and probabilistic reasoning to propose a solution to our problem. We formalize the proposed solution using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) in states with imperfect information. Our modeling can be considered as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), which is optimized using SDP. We apply the dynamic programming technique in a reduced search space that allows us to incrementally explore the environment. We propose realistic sensor models and provide a method to compute the probability of the next observation given the current state of the team of robots based on a Bayesian approach. We also propose a probabilistic motion model, which allows us to take into account errors (noise) on the velocities applied to each robot. This modeling also allows us to simulate imperfect robot motions, and to estimate the probability of reaching the next state given the current state. We have implemented all our algorithms and simulations results are presented.     

Optimal sensor scheduling for resource-constrained localization of mobile robot formations

This paper addresses the problem of resource allocation in formations of mobile robots localizing as a group. Each robot receives measurements from various sensors that provide relative (robot-to-robot) and absolute positioning information. Constraints on the sensors' bandwidth, as well as communication and processing requirements, limit the number of measurements that are available or can be processed at each time step. The localization uncertainty of the group, determined by the covariance matrix of the equivalent continuous-time system at steady state, is expressed as a function of the sensor measurements' frequencies. The trace of the weighted covariance matrix is selected as the optimization criterion, under linear constraints on the measuring frequency of each sensor and the cumulative rate of the extended Kalman filter updates. This formulation leads to a convex optimization problem (semidefinite program) whose solution provides the sensing frequencies, for each sensor on every robot, required in order to maximize the positioning accuracy of the group. Simulation and experimental results are presented that demonstrate the applicability of this method and provide insight into the properties of the resource-constrained cooperative localization problem.     

Learned Action SLAM: Sharing SLAM through learned path planning information between heterogeneous robotic platforms

Currently when path planning is used in SLAM it is to benefit SLAM only, with no mutual benefit for path planning. Furthermore, SLAM algorithms are generally implemented and modified for individual heterogeneous robotic platforms without autonomous means of sharing navigation information. This limits the ability for robot platforms to share navigation information and can require heterogeneous robot platforms to generate individual maps within the same environment. This paper introduces Learned Action SLAM, which for the first time autonomously combines path-planning with SLAM such that heterogeneous robots can share learnt knowledge through Learning Classifier Systems (LCS). This is in contrast to Active SLAM, where path-planning is used to benefit SLAM only. Results from testing LA-SLAM on robots in the real world have shown; promise for use on teams of robots with various sensor morphologies, implications for scaling to associated domains, and ability to share maps taken from less capable to more advanced robots.