POSITION ESTIMATION OF MOBILE ROBOTS BASED ON CODED INFRARED SIGNAL TRANSMISSION

A system based on coded infrared signal transmission for the estimatio n of position of mobile robots in a structured environment is reported . Particular emphasis is placed on the polar coordinate arrangement in which signals are sent from the transmitters situated at the corners of the boundaries of operation. A multisensor system, strategically si tuated onboard the robot, has been Pound to improve the accuracy of th e position estimation substantially. The information detected by the s ensors is suitably processed to calculate the central position of the robot geometrically. The algorithms for the position calculations and the operational strategy are presented. This system forms the basis fo r the coordination and cooperation philosophy of multiple mobile robot s sharing the same environment and performing cooperative or competiti ve tasks.