Mobile robot navigation using single camera vision

This thesis describes the research carried out in overcoming the problems encountered during the development of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) which uses a single
television camera for navigation in environments with visible edges, such as corridors and hallways. The objective was to determine the minimal sensing and signal
processing requirements for a real AMR that could achieve self-steering, navigation and obstacle avoidance in real unmodified environments. A goal was to design
algorithms that could meet the objective while being able to run on a laptop personal computer (PC). This constraint confined the research to computationally efficient
algorithms and memory management techniques. The methods by which the objective was successfully achieved are described.
A number of noise reduction and feature extraction algorithms have been tested to determine their suitability in this type of environment, and where possible
these have been modified to improve their performance. The current methods of locating lines of perspective and vanishing points in images are described, and a
novel algorithm has been devised for this application which is more efficient in both its memory usage and execution time. A novel obstacle avoidance mechanism is
described which is shown to provide the low level piloting capability necessary to deal with unexpected situations. The difficulties of using a single camera are described, and it is shown that a second camera is required in order to provide robust performance. A prototype AMR was built and used to demonstrate reliable navigation and obstacle avoidance in real time in real corridors. Test results indicate that the prototype could be developed into a competitively priced commercial service robot.

This thesis supplied via ROAR to UEL-registered users is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication of any part of the material is not permitted, except for your personal use for the purposes of non-commercial research and private study in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission from the copyright-holder for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, for sale or otherwise, to anyone. No quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.