Non-isotropic Omnidirectional Imaging System for an Autonomous Mobile Robot

A real-time omnidirectional imaging system that can acquire an omnidirectional field of view at video rate using a convex mirror was applied to a variety of conditions. The imaging system consists of an isotropic convex mirror and a camera pointing vertically toward the mirror with its optical axis aligned with the mirror´s optical axis. Because of these optics, angular resolution is independent of the azimuth angle. However, it is important for a mobile robot to find and avoid obstacles in its path. We consider that angular resolution in the direction of the robot´s moving needs higher resolution than that of its lateral view. In this paper, we propose a non-isotropic omnidirectional imaging system for navigating a mobile robot.