Sonar-based AUV localization using an improved particle filter approach

This paper presents a sonar-based localization approach for an autonomous underwater vehicle, valid both in structured and unstructured environments. The presented system is based on a particle filter approach to represent the vehicle state. It uses a mechanical scanning imaging sonar, as the main sensor to have information about the environment. In this paper we present the chosen approach, highlighting the achieved results. An important feature is the robustness in presence of a partially unknown map, with excellent results for the test configuration. A particular attention is given to the exploration of the state space and to the reduction of computational complexity, leading to real-time capability.