Location and curvature estimation of 'spherical' targets using a flexible sonar configuration

A novel, flexible, three-dimensional (3-D) multi-sensor sonar system is employed to localize the center of a spherical target and estimate its radius of curvature. The interesting limiting cases for the problem under study are the point and planar targets, both of which are important for the characterization of a mobile robot's environment. A noise model is developed based on real sonar data. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) which incorporates the developed noise model is employed as an estimation tool for optimal processing of the sensor data. Simulations and experimental results are provided for specularly reflecting cylindrical targets