A maximum likelihood algorithm for solving the correspondence problem in tri-aural perception

To solve some of the problems associated with using conventional ultrasonic range sensors for mobile robots, the author proposes the use of tri-aural sensors. A tri-aural sensor consists of one ultrasonic transceiver and two additional receivers. With it the robot can determine accurate position estimates, both distance and bearing, of most of the objects in its field of view. This sensor also has object recognition capabilities, making it possible to discriminate between edges and planes. However, this information is available only if the echoes detected by the three receivers can be combined in groups consisting of echoes generated by the same reflector. In this paper the author proposes a matching algorithm based on the maximum likelihood principle. The problem can thus be formulated as an integer programming problem. To test how this matching algorithm fares in realistic circumstances the author has done extensive simulations. These results as well as possible improvements are discussed in the final section of the paper