Stereo vision system on mobile robots for measuring road surfaces

Abstract

Mobile robots need a visual sensing system. This paper proposes one type of visual sensing system for mobile robots which uses a stereo vision system for measuring road surfaces. The system uses the Laminated Difference Method which we developed and can measure depth in the direction of the field of view. The system changes the distance of depth measurement relative to three-dimensional space when set up diagonally across a road surface, using the system position and angle parameters. This paper explains the principles of operation and features, and proposes an environment map for mobile robots using the system. The paper also reports the experiments conducted, and investigates the effectiveness and feasibility of this visual sensing system for mobile robots.