A Genetic Algorithm for Mobile Robot Localization Using Ultrasonic Sensors

A mobile robot requires the perception of its local environment for position estimation. Ultrasonic range data provide a robust description of the local environment for navigation. This article presents an ultrasonic sensor localization system for autonomous mobile robot navigation in an indoor semi-structured environment. The proposed algorithm is based upon an iterative non-linear filter, which utilizes matches between observed geometric beacons and an a-priori map of beacon locations, to correct the position and orientation of the vehicle. A non-linear filter based on a genetic algorithm as an emerging optimization method to search for optimal positions is described. The resulting self-localization module has been integrated successfully in a more complex navigation system. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in real world applications.