Development of traveling surface characteristics extraction equipment using optical mouse array

This paper presents the development of the traveling surface characteristics extraction equipment for accurate velocity estimation of a mobile robot using optical mice. In the traveling surface characteristics extraction equipment, a traveling surface sample is rotating relative to stationary optical mice, instead of a mobile robot equipped with optical mice traveling over a floor surface. First, the operational principle of the traveling surface characteristics extraction equipment is explained, Then, the mechanical design & construction, the hardware development, and the software development of the traveling surface characteristics extraction equipment are described in detail.