Optimal estimation of position and heading for mobile robots using ultrasonic beacons and dead-reckoning

An active beacon localization system that estimates position and heading for a mobile robot is described. An iterated extended Kalman filter was applied to the beacon and dead-reckoning data to estimate optimal values of position and heading, given a model for the localizer and robot motion. The author describes the implementation and experimental results of the localization system. Position and heading angle updates were calculated in real time every 150 ms with a measured standard deviation of path error of 40 mm in a 12 m² workspace