Accurate odometry and error modelling for a mobile robot

This paper presents the key steps involved in the design, calibration and error modelling of a low cost odometry system capable of achieving high accuracy dead-reckoning. A consistent error model for estimating position and orientation errors has been developed. Previous work on propagating odometry error covariance relies on incrementally updating the covariance matrix in small time steps. The approach taken here sums the noise theoretically over the entire path length to produce simple closed form expressions, allowing efficient covariance matrix updating after the completion of path segments. Systematic errors due to wheel radius and wheel base measurement were first calibrated with UMBmark test. Experimental results show that, despite its low cost, our system's performance, with regard to dead-reckoning accuracy, is comparable to some of the best reported odometry vehicle.