Localization and Mapping forOutdoor Mobile Robots with RTKGPS and Sensor Fusion : An Investigation of Sensor Technologies for theAutomower Platform

Sammanfattning: The following thesis addresses the problem of localizing an outdoor mobile robot and mapping the environment using the state of the art of consumer grade RTK GPS. The thesis investigates limitations and possibilities for sensor fusion to increase reliability and usability. The main subject of research is a robotic lawn mower from Husqvarna, the Automower 430x, connected to existing hardware on the product with an auxiliary real time kinematic global positioning system, the Emlid Reach. The test conducted showed that the auxiliary RTK GPS module is currently unsatisfactory as sole absolute position sensor for the Automower platform, mainly due to inconsistent performance. This thesis is meant as a preliminary study for future use of GNSS sensors for outdoor mobile robots and as a suggestive study of the current performance of the increasingly popular Emlid Reach GPS module.