Detecting changes in a dynamic environment for updating its maps by using a mobile robot

For mobile robots working in a dynamic environment, there is a great need for a global environment map that is updated frequently. In the paper, we propose a new method by which a mobile robot with an original environment map automatically detects changes in the environment and modifies the map into a new version. The changes are identified by performing robot localization and change detection alternatively at some planned observation positions. To deal with robot position errors caused by dead reckoning, available information on the original map and a local map recording already detected changes is utilized as much as possible. Simulation results show this method is efficient even for detecting large changes in a complex environment