Using a dual compass configuration with shaft encoders for self-localization of an autonomous maneuverable nonholonomic mobile robot

This paper presents a novel approach to self-localization for the maneuverable mobile robot. This system is predominantly adapted to mobile robots that require autonomous positioning information at a low computation cost for real time applications. This system combines telemetry from the wheel shaft encoders and the rotational position of two magnetic compasses, and uses analytical equations to solve for the mobile robot's relative position on a two dimensional Cartesian plane. The paper first presents a brief discussion on typical procedures used to achieve self-localization of non-holonomic mobile autonomous robots. Then, the developed double compass self-localization system is presented as it is integrated to a two wheel autonomous maneuverable mobile robot configuration. Finally, the theoretical solutions are presented that allow characterization of the performance of the self-localization system, illustrating the robustness and resilience of using an on-line analytical solution over an off-line computation-hungry numerical solution.