Research on Visual Positioning of a Roadheader and Construction of an Environment Map

Abstract

The autonomous positioning of tunneling equipment is the key to intellectualization and robotization of a tunneling face. In this paper, a method based on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) to estimate the body pose of a roadheader and build a navigation map of a roadway is presented. In terms of pose estimation, an RGB-D camera is used to collect images, and a pose calculation model of a roadheader is established based on random sample consensus (RANSAC) and iterative closest point (ICP); constructing a pose graph optimization model with closed-loop constraints. An iterative equation based on Levenberg–Marquadt is derived, which can achieve the optimal estimation of the body pose. In terms of mapping, LiDAR is used to experimentally construct the grid map based on open-source algorithms, such as Gmapping, Cartographer, Karto, and Hector. A point cloud map, octree map, and compound map are experimentally constructed based on the open-source library RTAB-MAP. By setting parameters, such as the expansion radius of an obstacle and the updating frequency of the map, a cost map for the navigation of a roadheader is established. Combined with algorithms, such as Dijskra and timed-elastic-band, simulation experiments show that the combination of octree map and cost map can support global path planning and local obstacle avoidance.