Robust Incremental SLAM under Constrained Optimization Formulation

© 2016 IEEE. In this letter, we propose a constrained optimization formulation and a robust incremental framework for the simultaneous localization and mapping problem (SLAM). The new SLAM formulation is derived from the nonlinear least squares (NLS) formulation by mathematically formulating loop-closure cycles as constraints. Under the constrained SLAM formulation, we study the robustness of an incremental SLAM algorithm against local minima and outliers as a constraint/loop-closure cycle selection problem. We find a constraint metric that can predict the objective function growth after including the constraint. By the virtue of the constraint metric, we select constraints into the incremental SLAM according to a least objective function growth principle to increase robustness against local minima and perform χ 2 difference test on the constraint metric to increase robustness against outliers. Finally, using sequential quadratic programming (SQP) as the solver, an incremental SLAM algorithm (iSQP) is proposed. Experimental validations are provided to illustrate the accuracy of the constraint metric and the robustness of the proposed incremental SLAM algorithm. Nonetheless, the proposed approach is currently confined to datasets with sparse loop-closures due to its computational cost

Uncertainty modelling in power system state estimation

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University.As a special case of the static state estimation problem, the load-flow problem is studied in this thesis. It is demonstrated that the non-linear load-flow formulation may be solved by real-coded genetic algorithms. Due to its global optimisation ability, the proposed method can be useful for off-line studies where multiple solutions are suspected. This thesis presents two methods for estimating the uncertainty interval in power system state estimation due to uncertainty in the measurements. The proposed formulations are based on a parametric approach which takes in account the meter inaccuracies. A nonlinear and a linear formulation are proposed to estimate the tightest possible upper and lower bounds on the states. The uncertainty analysis, in power system state estimation, is also extended to other physical quantities such as the network parameters. The uncertainty is then assumed to be present in both measurements and network parameters. To find the tightest possible upper and lower bounds of any state variable, the problem is solved by a Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) technique. A new robust estimator based on the concept of uncertainty in the measurements is developed here. This estimator is known as Maximum Constraints Satisfaction (MCS). Robustness and performance of the proposed estimator is analysed via simulation of simple regression examples, D.C. and A.C. power system models.Embassy of Kuwai

Robust navigation for industrial service robots

Pla de Doctorats Industrials de la Generalitat de CatalunyaRobust, reliable and safe navigation is one of the fundamental problems of robotics. Throughout the present thesis, we tackle the problem of navigation for robotic industrial mobile-bases. We identify its components and analyze their respective challenges in order to address them. The research work presented here ultimately aims at improving the overall quality of the navigation stack of a commercially available industrial mobile-base. To introduce and survey the overall problem we first break down the navigation framework into clearly identified smaller problems. We examine the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) problem, recalling its mathematical grounding and exploring the state of the art. We then review the problem of planning the trajectory of a mobile-base toward a desired goal in the generated environment representation. Finally we investigate and clarify the use of the subset of the Lie theory that is useful in robotics. The first problem tackled is the recognition of place for closing loops in SLAM. Loop closure refers to the ability of a robot to recognize a previously visited location and infer geometrical information between its current and past locations. Using only a 2D laser range finder sensor, we address the problem using a technique borrowed from the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) which has been successfully applied to image-based place recognition, namely the Bag-of-Words. We further improve the method with two proposals inspired from NLP. Firstly, the comparison of places is strengthened by considering the natural relative order of features in each individual sensor reading. Secondly, topological correspondences between places in a corpus of visited places are established in order to promote together instances that are ‘close’ to one another. We then tackle the problem of motion model calibration for odometry estimation. Given a mobile-base embedding an exteroceptive sensor able to observe ego-motion, we propose a novel formulation for estimating the intrinsic parameters of an odometry motion model. Resorting to an adaptation of the pre-integration theory initially developed for inertial motion sensors, we employ iterative nonlinear on-manifold optimization to estimate the wheel radii and wheel separation. The method is further extended to jointly estimate both the intrinsic parameters of the odometry model together with the extrinsic parameters of the embedded sensor. The method is shown to accommodate to variation in model parameters quickly when the vehicle is subject to physical changes during operation. Following the generation of a map in which the robot is localized, we address the problem of estimating trajectories for motion planning. We devise a new method for estimating a sequence of robot poses forming a smooth trajectory. Regardless of the Lie group considered, the trajectory is seen as a collection of states lying on a spline with non-vanishing n-th derivatives at each point. Formulated as a multi-objective nonlinear optimization problem, it allows for the addition of cost functions such as velocity and acceleration limits, collision avoidance and more. The proposed method is evaluated for two different motion planning tasks, the planning of trajectories for a mobile-base evolving in the SE(2) manifold, and the planning of the motion of a multi-link robotic arm whose end-effector evolves in the SE(3) manifold. From our study of Lie theory, we developed a new, ready to use, programming library called `manif’. The library is open source, publicly available and is developed following good software programming practices. It is designed so that it is easy to integrate and manipulate, and allows for flexible use while facilitating the possibility to extend it beyond the already implemented Lie groups.La navegación autónoma es uno de los problemas fundamentales de la robótica, y sus diferentes desafíos se han estudiado durante décadas. El desarrollo de métodos de navegación robusta, confiable y segura es un factor clave para la creación de funcionalidades de nivel superior en robots diseñados para operar en entornos con humanos. A lo largo de la presente tesis, abordamos el problema de navegación para bases robóticas móviles industriales; identificamos los elementos de un sistema de navegación; y analizamos y tratamos sus desafíos. El trabajo de investigación presentado aquí tiene como último objetivo mejorar la calidad general del sistema completo de navegación de una base móvil industrial disponible comercialmente. Para estudiar el problema de navegación, primero lo desglosamos en problemas menores claramente identificados. Examinamos el subproblema de mapeo del entorno y localización del robot simultáneamente (SLAM por sus siglas en ingles) y estudiamos el estado del arte del mismo. Al hacerlo, recordamos y detallamos la base matemática del problema de SLAM. Luego revisamos el subproblema de planificación de trayectorias hacia una meta deseada en la representación del entorno generada. Además, como una herramienta para las soluciones que se presentarán más adelante en el desarrollo de la tesis, investigamos y aclaramos el uso de teoría de Lie, centrándonos en el subconjunto de la teoría que es útil para la estimación de estados en robótica. Como primer elemento identificado para mejoras, abordamos el problema de reconocimiento de lugares para cerrar lazos en SLAM. El cierre de lazos se refiere a la capacidad de un robot para reconocer una ubicación visitada previamente e inferí información geométrica entre la ubicación actual del robot y aquellas reconocidas. Usando solo un sensor láser 2D, la tarea es desafiante ya que la percepción del entorno que proporciona el sensor es escasa y limitada. Abordamos el problema utilizando 'bolsas de palabras', una técnica prestada del campo de procesamiento del lenguaje natural (NLP) que se ha aplicado con éxito anteriormente al reconocimiento de lugares basado en imágenes. Nuestro método incluye dos nuevas propuestas inspiradas también en NLP. Primero, la comparación entre lugares candidatos se fortalece teniendo en cuenta el orden relativo natural de las características en cada lectura individual del sensor; y segundo, se establece un corpus de lugares visitados para promover juntos instancias que están "cerca" la una de la otra desde un punto de vista topológico. Evaluamos nuestras propuestas por separado y conjuntamente en varios conjuntos de datos, con y sin ruido, demostrando mejora en la detección de cierres de lazo para sensores láser 2D, con respecto al estado del arte. Luego abordamos el problema de la calibración del modelo de movimiento para la estimación de la edometría. Dado que nuestra base móvil incluye un sensor exteroceptivo capaz de observar el movimiento de la plataforma, proponemos una nueva formulación que permite estimar los parámetros intrínsecos del modelo cinemático de la plataforma durante el cómputo de la edometría del vehículo. Hemos recurrido a una adaptación de la teoría de reintegración inicialmente desarrollado para unidades inerciales de medida, y aplicado la técnica a nuestro modelo cinemático. El método nos permite, mediante optimización iterativa no lineal, la estimación del valor del radio de las ruedas de forma independiente y de la separación entre las mismas. El método se amplía posteriormente par idéntica de forma simultánea, estos parámetros intrínsecos junto con los parámetros extrínsecos que ubican el sensor láser con respecto al sistema de referencia de la base móvil. El método se valida en simulación y en un entorno real y se muestra que converge hacia los verdaderos valores de los parámetros. El método permite la adaptación de los parámetros intrínsecos del modelo cinemático de la plataforma derivados de cambios físicos durante la operación, tales como el impacto que el cambio de carga sobre la plataforma tiene sobre el diámetro de las ruedas. Como tercer subproblema de navegación, abordamos el reto de planificar trayectorias de movimiento de forma suave. Desarrollamos un método para planificar la trayectoria como una secuencia de configuraciones sobre una spline con n-ésimas derivadas en todos los puntos, independientemente del grupo de Lie considerado. Al ser formulado como un problema de optimización no lineal con múltiples objetivos, es posible agregar funciones de coste al problema de optimización que permitan añadir límites de velocidad o aceleración, evasión de colisiones, etc. El método propuesto es evaluado en dos tareas de planificación de movimiento diferentes, la planificación de trayectorias para una base móvil que evoluciona en la variedad SE(2), y la planificación del movimiento de un brazo robótico cuyo efector final evoluciona en la variedad SE(3). Además, cada tarea se evalúa en escenarios con complejidad de forma incremental, y se muestra un rendimiento comparable o mejor que el estado del arte mientras produce resultados más consistentes. Desde nuestro estudio de la teoría de Lie, desarrollamos una nueva biblioteca de programación llamada “manif”. La biblioteca es de código abierto, está disponible públicamente y se desarrolla siguiendo las buenas prácticas de programación de software. Esta diseñado para que sea fácil de integrar y manipular, y permite flexibilidad de uso mientras se facilita la posibilidad de extenderla más allá de los grupos de Lie inicialmente implementados. Además, la biblioteca se muestra eficiente en comparación con otras soluciones existentes. Por fin, llegamos a la conclusión del estudio de doctorado. Examinamos el trabajo de investigación y trazamos líneas para futuras investigaciones. También echamos un vistazo en los últimos años y compartimos una visión personal y experiencia del desarrollo de un doctorado industrial.Postprint (published version

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Downloaded from ijr.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA BERKELEY LIB on June 18, 2014Article Motion planning with sequential convex optimization and convex collision checkin

Information-Theoretic Active Perception for Multi-Robot Teams

Multi-robot teams that intelligently gather information have the potential to transform industries as diverse as agriculture, space exploration, mining, environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and construction. Despite large amounts of research effort on active perception problems, there still remain significant challenges. In this thesis, we present a variety of information-theoretic control policies that enable teams of robots to efficiently estimate different quantities of interest. Although these policies are intractable in general, we develop a series of approximations that make them suitable for real time use. We begin by presenting a unified estimation and control scheme based on Shannon\u27s mutual information that lets small teams of robots equipped with range-only sensors track a single static target. By creating approximate representations, we substantially reduce the complexity of this approach, letting the team track a mobile target. We then scale this approach to larger teams that need to localize a large and unknown number of targets. We also examine information-theoretic control policies to autonomously construct 3D maps with ground and aerial robots. By using Cauchy-Schwarz quadratic mutual information, we show substantial computational improvements over similar information-theoretic measures. To map environments faster, we adopt a hierarchical planning approach which incorporates trajectory optimization so that robots can quickly determine feasible and locally optimal trajectories. Finally, we present a high-level planning algorithm that enables heterogeneous robots to cooperatively construct maps

Uncertainty modelling in power system state estimation

As a special case of the static state estimation problem, the load-flow problem is studied in this thesis. It is demonstrated that the non-linear load-flow formulation may be solved by real-coded genetic algorithms. Due to its global optimisation ability, the proposed method can be useful for off-line studies where multiple solutions are suspected. This thesis presents two methods for estimating the uncertainty interval in power system state estimation due to uncertainty in the measurements. The proposed formulations are based on a parametric approach which takes in account the meter inaccuracies. A nonlinear and a linear formulation are proposed to estimate the tightest possible upper and lower bounds on the states. The uncertainty analysis, in power system state estimation, is also extended to other physical quantities such as the network parameters. The uncertainty is then assumed to be present in both measurements and network parameters. To find the tightest possible upper and lower bounds of any state variable, the problem is solved by a Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) technique. A new robust estimator based on the concept of uncertainty in the measurements is developed here. This estimator is known as Maximum Constraints Satisfaction (MCS). Robustness and performance of the proposed estimator is analysed via simulation of simple regression examples, D.C. and A.C. power system models.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceEmbassy of KuwaitGBUnited Kingdo