Convergence analysis of kinematic parameter calibration for a Car-Like Mobile Robot

Automated parking assist systems are being commercialized and rapidly spread in the market. In order to improve odometry accuracy, we proposed a practical odometry calibration scheme of Car-Like Mobile Robot (CLMR) in [5]. However, there were some open problems in our prior work. For example, it was not clear whether the kinematic parameters always converged or not using the proposed calibration scheme. In addition, test driving had to be carried out "twice" without detailed explanation. This research aims to provide answers for the addressed questions though the convergence property analysis of the calibration scheme. In this paper, we evaluate on the effect of the kinematic parameter error on the odometry error at the final pose by numerical computation. The evaluation will show that the wheel diameter and tread of the CLMR can be calibrated by iterative test drives. In addition, the region of convergence in the parametric space will be discussed. Presented experimental results clearly showed that the proposed calibration scheme would be useful in practical applications.