Localization¶

Localization Packages¶

Sylphase INS

Discussion¶

Currently we are investigating 3 types of sensor to be used used for localization:

Inertial Navigator Sensors and GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, etc.)¶

INS and GNSS are usually coupled into an single device.

Pros¶

Directly yields position and orientation data, minimal computation required.
RTK and other corrections can greatly boost the accuracy of the position measurement.

Cons¶

GNSS data rate is slow < 10Hz
Position can drift if too reliant on inertial sensors.
GNSS is known to produce large errors if environmental conditions negatively affect the signals.

LIDAR Localization¶

Pros¶

High definition geometric data that can be compared to a know point cloud.
Plenty of existing algorithms to do this: e.g NDT Matching
Operates in almost any lighting conditions

Cons¶

Slow data acquisition rate, at high speeds a mechanical spinning LIDAR would not capture the world correctly
Somewhat costly, not as bad anymore
Mechanical spinning LIDARS will be affected my the fast movements of the vehicle.

Camera Localization¶

Camera based localization would rely on algorithm suchs as [ORB-SLAM](https://webdiis.unizar.es/~raulmur/orbslam/) to determine the position and orientation of the sensor with respect to a pre-constructed map.

Pros¶

Cheaper than LIDARs most of the time
High data acquisition rate, 100+ FPS

Cons¶

Camera based computations can be costly which would reduce the effectiveness of their high data acquisition
Lighting can extremely affect the usability of the sensor.