| This thesis deals with mobile robot localization in indoor environments. Real-time localization is a fundamental requirement for mobile robot navigations. The problem spans from tracking the position given an initial estimate, over locating the robot without any prior knowledge about its position, to automatically building a representation of the environment while performing localization.; In particular, this thesis introduces an innovative use of optical mice to improve relative localization method which is commonly referred to as dead reckoning. A novel localization algorithm based on proposed edge and plane (EP) and its extension (EEP) landmarks which capture the large scale structures of an indoor environment is analyzed. Based on improved dead reckoning method, a novel sensor fusion strategy-asynchronous sensor fusion (ASF) proposed in this thesis becomes feasible. This thesis first shows how a mobile robot utilizes the range sensor data reflected from a plane for immediate localization purpose. Without complicating the complexity of mobile robot localization, the whole package of design presented in this thesis provides scalable and low-complexity solutions and makes more efficient use of sensor data. |
