Ultra wide-band trajectory following for an omnidirectional factory automation vehicle

In this paper, an ultra wide-band (UWB) localization system is presented that is used in conjunction with on-board odometry sensors to precisely guide an autonomous factory vehicle along a specified path. A precise UWB-based system has many advantages over conventional automated path following technologies, but the most significant advantage is its reconfigurability. Paths are specified in software, and changing the path does not require any changes in factory infrastructure. Simulation and real-time experimental results demonstrate that by combining localization estimates with odometry data, it is feasible to achieve a very capable path following system in a practical factory environment.