Odometry

Error Detection & Correction

- Sudhan Kanitkar

Papers & Documents

Where am I ? Sensors & Methods

for Mobile Robot Positioning Ch.5

J. Borenstein, H.R.Everett, L.Feng.

Measurement and Correction of

Systematic Odometry Errors In
Mobile Robots

J. Borenstein, L. Feng.

What is Odometry ?

Fundamental idea is incremental

motion information over time.
Based on assumption that wheel
revolutions can be translated into linear
displacement relative to the floor.
This however also leads to
accumulation of errors.
It provides good short term accuracy,
inexpensive, allows high sampling rates

Significance & Uses

Fused with position measurements to

provide better position estimation
Increased accuracy can result in lesser
absolute position updates
In some cases when no external
references are available odometry is the
only navigation information available.
Many mapping and landmark matching
algorithms assume that the robot can
maintain its position well enough to allow
it to look for landmarks in a limited region.

Errors in Odometry

Systematic

Unequal wheel diameters

Actual diameter different from nominal
diameter
Actual wheelbase different from nominal
wheelbase
Misaligned wheels
Finite encoder resolution
Finite encoder sampling rate

Errors in Odometry

Non-Systematic

Travel over uneven floor

Travel over unexpected objects on floor
Wheel slippage

Slippery floor
Overacceleration
Fast turning
Interaction with external bodies
Internal forces(castor wheel)
Non-point wheel contact with floor

Position Estimation Error

Detect the uncertainty in the position

Each position is surrounded by a characteristic
error ellipse which indicates region of uncertainty
These ellipses grow in size with travel direction
till absolute position measurement resets the
size of error ellipse
Only systematic errors are considered

Measurement of Odometry
Errors

Borenstein & Feng established a

simplified error model for Systematic
errors.
They considered two dominant causes
of errors :

Unequal wheel diameters

Ed = D R / D L

Uncertainty about wheelbase

Eb = bactual / bnominal

Unidirectional square path

test

Robot starts at a
position x0,y0,0
labelled START
Then it moves along a
square path to a return
position x,y,

x = xabs xcalc

y = yabs ycalc

= abs calc

Drawback

It is not possible to
determine whether
unequal diameters
or uncertainty
about wheelbase is
causing the error
Not able to identify
if two errors
compensate each
other

Bidirectional Square Path

Test

Overcomes the drawback of

Unidirectional test
Principle is that two dominant
systematic errors which may
compensate in each other in one
direction add up in the opposite
direction.

Bidirectional Square path

UMBmark test

Measurement of Non-Systemic
Errors

Some information can be derived from

the spread of return position errors.
This can be through the estimated
standard deviation .
This depends on the robot & surface and
might be different for different robots on
the same floor.
Hence its almost impossible to design
test procedure for non-systematic errors.

Extended UMBmark
Average Absolute
Orientation Error

Measurable Parameter

If the bumps are concentrated at the

beginning of first leg return position
error will be small, conversely if they
aare concentrated towards the end
then the return error will be larger.
Hence return position error is not a
good choice.
Instead the return orientation error
should be used.

Specifications about
Bumps

Bumps should resemble a cable of

diameter 9 to 10 millimeters
10 bumps should be distributed as evenly
as possible
Bumps should be introduced during first
segment of the square path along the
wheel which faces inside of the square
Effect is an orientation error in direction
of the wheel which encountered the
bump

Reduction of Odometry
Errors

Vehicles with a small wheelbase are more

prone to orientation errors.
Castor wheels which bear significant
portion of weight are likely to induce
slippage.
Synchro-drive design provides better
odometric accuracy
The wheels used for odometry should be
knife-edge thin and not compressible

Auxiliary Wheels

Along with weight

bearing wheels we
also have steel
wheels especially for
encoding
Feasible for
Differential drive,
tricycle drive and
Ackerman vehicles

Basic Encoder Trailer

Especially used with

tracked vehicles because of
large amount of slippage
during turning
A separate trailer is used
for the purpose of encoding
It can be used only when
ground characteristics
allow one to use it
Trailer will be raised when
crossing obstacles

Systematic Calibration

Needs UMBtest. The error

characteristics are meaningful only
in context of UMBtest.
Type A - Orientation error that
reduces or increases in both
directions
Type B - Orientation error reduces in
one direction but increases in other
direction

Type A & Type B Errors

Determining Type A or B

Type A

|total,cw| < |nominal| AND |total,ccw| < |nominal|

Type B

|total,cw| < |nominal| AND |total,ccw| > |nominal|

Computation for
Diameters

is the error in angle of rotation

is the angle that the robot deviates

= (xc.g,cw - xcg.,ccw)/(-4L)

R is the radius curvature of curved

path

= (xc.g,cw + xcg.,ccw)/(-4L)

R = (L/2)/sin(/2)

Ed = DR/DL = (R+b/2)/(R-b/2)

Computation for
wheelbase

bactual/90 = bnominal/(90-)

bactual = (90/(90-)). Bnominal

Hence,
Eb = 90/90-

Corrections

To keep average diameter constant

we get

Da = (DR + DL)/2

Using this and the equation for Ed we

get

DL = 2.Da / (Ed + 1)

DR = 2.Da / ((1/Ed) + 1)

Results

Reduction of NonSystematic Errors

Mutual Referencing

Use two robots that could measure

positions mutually
When one moves, other remains still
and observes motion
Thus one robot localizes with
reference to fixed object
Limits the efficiency of the robots

IPEC

Internal position error correction

This method also uses two robots, except

that the robots are in continuous motion.
The robots should be able to measure
their relative distance and bearing
continuously and accurately

This has been implemented in

CLAPPER

CLAPPER

Compliant Linkage Autonomous

Platform with Position Error Recovery
Fast Growing Error

Slow Growing Error

Irregularity on floor will cause immediate

orientation error
Associated Lateral displacement

Detect only the Fast growing errors

relying on fact that lateral position
errors were small

CLAPPER

Le line where A
expects B to be
Lm line where A
actually finds B
Even if B hit a bump
orientation error
measurement wont
be affected

Smart
Encoder
Trailer