Robust and real-time self-localization based on omnidirectional vision for soccer robots

Self-Localization is the basis to realize autonomous ability such as motion planning and decision making for mobile robots, and omnidirectional vision is one of the most important sensors for RoboCup Middle Size League (MSL) soccer robots. According to the characteristic that RoboCup competition is highly dynamic and the deficiency of the current self-localization methods, a robust and real-time self-localization algorithm based on omnidirectional vision is proposed for MSL soccer robots. Monte Carlo localization and matching optimization localization, two most popular approaches used in MSL, are combined in our algorithm. The advantages of these two approaches are maintained, while the disadvantages are avoided. A camera parameters auto-adjusting method based on image entropy is also integrated to adapt the output of omnidirectional vision to dynamic lighting conditions. The experimental results show that global localization can be realized effectively while highly accurate localization is achieved in real-time, and robot self-localization is robust to the highly dynamic environment with occlusions and changing lighting conditions. keywords: soccer robots, omnidirectional vision, self-localization, RoboCup