Research on estimating the smoothed value and the differential value of the distance measured by an ultrasonic wave sensor

Abstract

To recognize an environment, the robot should have as many sensors as possible. When we use sensors, we must consider the characteristics of the sensors, such as range, processing time, error, and so on. We use an ultrasonic wave sensor that is today the most common technique employed on indoor mobile robotic systems, and we propose a technique to estimate the smoothed value and the differential value of the distance measured by the ultrasonic wave sensor. While proposing this system, we take the characteristics of the sensors mentioned above into consideration. In spite of the many methods proposed, it is still very difficult to eliminate the noise of sonar perfectly. So, we smooth the distance value by supposing the continuity of the signal that is obtained by the sonar, and taking advantage of this continuity, we compose a robust estimator. The estimator is based on a sliding mode system.