Visual navigation using view-sequenced route representation

Previous work in vision-based mobile robotics have lacked models of the route which can be utilized for (1) localization, (2) steering angle determination, and (3) obstacle detection, simultaneously. In this paper, the authors propose a new visual representation of the route, the "view-sequenced route representation (VSRR)." The VSRR is a non-metrical model of the route, which contains a sequence of front view images along a route memorized in the recording run. In the autonomous run, the three types of recognition described above are achieved in real-time by matching between the current view image and the memorized view sequence using a correlation technique. the authors also developed an easy procedure for acquiring VSRRs, and a quick control procedure using VSRRs. VSRRs are especially useful for representing routes in corridors. Results of autonomous navigation using a two-wheeled robot in a real corridor are also presented.