Mobile Robot Localization with Reinforcement Learning Map Update Decision aided by an Absolute Indoor Positioning System

Abstract

This paper introduces a new mobile robot localization solution consisting of two main modules: a Particle-Filter based Localization (PFL) and a Reinforcement-Learning based map updating, integrating relative measurements and absolute indoor positioning sensor (A-IPS) data. Concerning localization using 2D-LiDARs, featureless areas are known to be problematic. To solve this problem a classic PFL approach was modified to incorporate A-IPS position measurements in the prediction and update stages. The localization approach has the particularity of including the possibility of updating the map whenever major modifications are detected in the environment in relation to the current localization map. Due to the random sampling-based nature of the PFL, an associated map update solution is not trivial since small inconsistencies in the estimated pose can lead to erroneous map associations. The proposed method learns to decide by assigning higher rewards the greater is the overlap between the map and the 2DLIDAR scans, via RL, and then a proper update of the map is achieved. Validation of the proposed pipeline was carried out in a differential drive platform with algorithms developed in ROS. Tests were performed in two scenarios in order to assess the performance of both the localization module and the map update stage. The results show that the proposed localization method offers improvements in relation to known approaches, and consequently suggest promising perspectives for the proposed map update decision framework.