Mobile robot floor classification using motor current and accelerometer measurements

Yanming Pei, Lindsay Kleeman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference PaperResearch

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Accurate localisation of an indoor robot critically depends on the odometry calibration which varies with different types of floor surfaces. Motion control accuracy of robots can be improved by independently calibrating odometry parameters for each floor surface [1]. This paper presents a new robot floor classification system based on motor current measurements with compensation for variations in the floor inclination angles. The motor current is proportional to the rolling resistance on a flat floor when the robot travels at a constant velocity. We show that commonly occurring small deviations of less than one degree in the inclination of indoor floors significantly affects motor current measurements. The paper compensates for floor inclination variations with a low cost accelerometer. Floors are classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) with an accuracy of 95% for a 0.2 m travelling distance and 4 indoor surfaces that include similar carpets. Experimental results show that our proposed method significantly improves a previous floor classification system based on a colour sensor [1]. Our previous work has shown that correct floor classification can improve robot motion control through more accurate odometry calibration, localisation, mapping and path planning.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 14th International Workshop on Advanced Motion Control (AMC 2016)
Subtitle of host publicationAuckland, New Zealand, 22-24 April 2016
Place of PublicationPiscataway NJ
PublisherIEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781479984640
ISBN (Print)9781479984657
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jun 2016
Event14th IEEE International Workshop on Advanced Motion Control, AMC 2016 - Auckland, New Zealand
Duration: 22 Apr 201624 Apr 2016

Conference

Conference14th IEEE International Workshop on Advanced Motion Control, AMC 2016
Country/TerritoryNew Zealand
CityAuckland
Period22/04/1624/04/16

Keywords

  • Odometry Calibration
  • Robot
  • Sensors
  • Support vector machince

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