A two-level optimized graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm

Purpose Because submaps including a subset of the global map contain more environmental information, submap-based graph simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) has been studied by many researchers. In most of those studies, helpful environmental information was not taken into consideration when designed the termination criterion of the submap construction process. After optimizing the graph, cumulative error within the submaps was also ignored. To address those problems, this paper aims to propose a two-level optimized graph-based SLAM algorithm. Design/methodology/approach Submaps are updated by extended Kalman filter SLAM while no geometric-shaped landmark models are needed; raw laser scans are treated as landmarks. A more reasonable criterion called the uncertainty index is proposed to combine with the size of the submap to terminate the submap construction process. After a submap is completed and a loop closure is found, a two-level optimization process is performed to minimize the loop closure error and the accumulated error within the submaps. Findings Simulation and experimental results indicate that the estimated error of the proposed algorithm is small, and the maps generated are consistent whether in global or local. Practical implications The proposed method is robust to sparse pedestrians and can be adapted to most indoor environments. Originality/value In this paper, a two-level optimized graph-based SLAM algorithm is proposed.