A New Distributed Localization Approach for Multi-Robot Formation Control Systems

This paper considers the distributed localization problem for multi-robot formation control systems. For the scenarios when GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals are not reliable and landmarks are not enough, high-precision inertial sensors are essential for the accurate localization of multi-robot formation systems. To deal with this issue and save cost, a new distributed localization strategy is proposed, where only leader robot is equipped with high-precision inertial sensors while the other follower robots are equipped with low-cost sensors such as cameras and low-cost LiDARs etc. It is assumed that satisfactory relative pose information between leader and follower robots can be obtained. Three distributed localization scenarios are considered for the multi-robot formation control systems. Experiment results verify the effectiveness of the algorithms proposed.