Millimeter Wave Radar as Navigation Sensor on Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

Sammanfattning: Does millimeter-wave radar have the potential to be the navigational instrument of a robotic vacuum cleaner in a home? Electrolux robotic vacuum cleaner is currently using a light sensor to navigate through the home while cleaning. Recently Texas Instruments released a new mmWave radar sensor, operating in the frequency range 60-64 GHz. This study aims to answer if the mmWave radar sensor is useful for indoor navigation. The study tests the sensor on accuracy and resolution of angles and distances in ranges relevant to indoor navigation. It tests if various objects made out of plastic, fabric, paper, metal, and wood are detectable by the sensor. At last, it tests what the sensor can see when it is moving while measuring. The radar sensor can localize the robot, but the ability to detect objects around the robot is limited. The sensor’s absolute accuracy is within 3° for the majority of angles and around 1dm for most distances above 0.5 m. The resolution for a displacement of one object is 1°, respectively 5 cm, and two objects must be located at least 14° or 15 cm apart from each other to be recognized. Future tasks include removing noise due to antenna coupling to improve reflections from within 0.5 meter and figure out the best way to move around the sensor to improve the resolution.