Line segment based map building and localization using 2D laser rangefinder

We study a new scheme for map building and describe localization techniques for a mobile robot equipped with a 2D laser rangefinder. We propose to use line segments as the basic element for the purpose of localization and to build the map. Line segments do provide considerable geometric information about the scene that can also be used for accurate and fast localization. We introduce a new closed line segment (CLS) map which consists of only line segments and defines a closed and connected region. Virtual line segments are drawn, for the spots that do not adequately describe a line segment on the range data. These are further explored via navigation and we argue that the CLS map provides an efficient mobile robot exploration scheme. All these techniques have been implemented on our Nomad XR4000 mobile robot and results are described in this paper