Robot Navigation System with RFID and Ultrasonic Sensors
Abstract
This Paper proposed a new navigation method for indoor mobile robots. The robot system is composed of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag sensor and Ultrasonic sensors. The RFID tags are used as landmarks for global path planning and the topological relation map which shows the connection of scattered tags through the environment is used as course instructions to a goal. The robot automatically moves along hallways using the scanned range data until a tag is found and then refers to the topological map for the next movement. Our proposed technique would be useful for realworld robotic applications such as intelligent navigation for motorized wheelchairs, surveillance and security purposes and in Nuclear power plants where humans are prone to harmful radiations.
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Introduction
Navigation services which usually depend on GNSS are limited to use in open areas with satellite signals. If the users or robots are about to move in buildings, another approach must be used to navigate accurately. In our approach Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used to determine the location indoors. In RFID positioning there are two common approaches to estimate the location. One method is based on signal strength. We take received signal strength indication (RSSI) which presents the power of received signal as the measurement. Then the position is computed with certain methods based on the measurements. Several methods have been studied, such as RFID location fingerprinting, cell-based positioning and the way using ranges to the tags calculated with RSSI. Another particular method to estimate the location is based on the landmarks. In the landmark-based navigation, landmarks are required to be set in the building, usually on certain doors and corners. A topological map with nodes corresponding to the landmarks is used to do the navigation.[1]
Conclusion
A novel RFID based robot navigation system is proposed in this paper. This system makes the robot able to navigate around the building and records in indoor environment. The core part of the system is the RFID system and the ultrasonic sensors, which enable the robot to locate itself and move without mistakes. This also uses a topological map of the building plan, which makes the robot to move in proper route quickly. This paper brings a new product to the world of industry to increase speed and efficiency. This approach is a practical and feasible way to create a smart security robot with navigation function. For future extension of this paper the robot may use different materials to its designing process, based on different functional operations of it. More number of IR sensors can be used to avoid obstacles from different sides. And also the robot may increase RFID ranges.