Localization of UGV based on 2-point absolute pose algorithm

This paper introduces a new approach to recognize the position of a UGV - Unmanned Ground Vehicle - utilizing a Digital Surface Map (DSM) along with forward direction three dimensional (3D) distance sensors and cameras. The proposed method consists of a P2P-based (Perspective 2-Point) pairwise registration, and an ICP refinement registration that implements the DSM. A new cost function, which utilizes simultaneously acquired forward direction 3D distance data and DSM information, is also introduced when proposing ICP. The excellence of the proposed position estimation method is evaluated through quantitative analysis of several experiment results.