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Virginia Tech

A Low Cost Localization Solution Using a Kalman Filter for Data Fusion

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Position in the environment is essential in any autonomous system. As increased accuracy is required, the costs escalate accordingly. This paper presents a simple way to systematically integrate sensory data to provide a drivable and accurate position solution at a low cost. The data fusion is handled by a Kalman filter tracking five states and an undetermined number of asynchronous measurements. This implementation allows the user to define additional adjustments to improve the overall behavior of the filter. The filter is tested using a suite of inexpensive sensors and then compared to a differential GPS position. The output of the filter is indeed a drivable solution that tracks the reference position remarkably well. This approach takes advantage of the short-term accuracy of odometry measurements and the long-term fix of a GPS unit. A maximum error of two meters of deviation from the reference is shown for a complex path over two minutes and 100 meters long.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Mechanical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2008

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • King, Peter Haywood
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Wicks, Alfred L.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Reinholtz, Charles F.
  • Hong, Dennis W.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-05082008-095647
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32384

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

King, Peter Haywood. A Low Cost Localization Solution Using a Kalman Filter for Data Fusion. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32384