Publications
2015
In: Journal of Field Robotics, pp. n/a–n/a, 2015, ISSN: 1556-4967, (In Press).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags:
@article{troni2015jfr,
title = {Advances in In Situ Alignment Calibration of Doppler and High/Low-end Attitude Sensors for Underwater Vehicle Navigation: Theory and Experimental Evaluation},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rob.21551},
doi = {10.1002/rob.21551},
issn = {1556-4967},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Field Robotics},
pages = {n/a--n/a},
abstract = {This paper reports the development and comparative performance evaluation, using laboratory and at-sea field data, of new methods for the problem of in situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report four novel alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. We report the results of comparative analysis of the performance of these new methods and a previously reported method with a navigation laboratory and at-sea field data. Laboratory data were obtained with the Johns Hopkins University JHU remotely operated underwater vehicle in the JHU Hydrodynamic Test Facility. At-sea field data were obtained from deep-water survey missions of the Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle conducted in March, 2011 in the Kermadec Arc in the Southern Pacific Ocean. In addition, we report a comparative experimental evaluation of several recently reported calibration methods when employing low-cost microelectromechanical system attitude sensors. In all these cases, the results reveal consistent differences in performance of the various methods when analyzed on navigation data from several different vehicle dives.},
note = {In Press},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper reports the development and comparative performance evaluation, using laboratory and at-sea field data, of new methods for the problem of in situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report four novel alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. We report the results of comparative analysis of the performance of these new methods and a previously reported method with a navigation laboratory and at-sea field data. Laboratory data were obtained with the Johns Hopkins University JHU remotely operated underwater vehicle in the JHU Hydrodynamic Test Facility. At-sea field data were obtained from deep-water survey missions of the Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle conducted in March, 2011 in the Kermadec Arc in the Southern Pacific Ocean. In addition, we report a comparative experimental evaluation of several recently reported calibration methods when employing low-cost microelectromechanical system attitude sensors. In all these cases, the results reveal consistent differences in performance of the various methods when analyzed on navigation data from several different vehicle dives.
2014
Troni, Giancarlo; Eustice, Ryan M
Magnetometer bias calibration based on relative angular position: Theory and experimental comparative evaluation Inproceedings
In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 444–450, Chicago, IL, USA, 2014.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags:
@inproceedings{troni2014a,
title = {Magnetometer bias calibration based on relative angular position: Theory and experimental comparative evaluation},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Ryan M Eustice},
doi = {10.1109/IROS.2014.6942597},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-09-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems},
pages = {444--450},
address = {Chicago, IL, USA},
abstract = {This paper reports on a novel method for estimating the sensor bias of three-axis magnetometers (or any other field sensor). Our approach employs relative angular position measurements to estimate the three-axis magnetometer measurement bias, significantly improving magnetometer-based attitude estimation. Relative angular position measurements can be calculated from a variety of sources, including multiview image registration or laser-based scan matching. We report two methods implementing this approach based on batch linear least squares and a real-time discrete Kalman filter. Compared with previously reported methods our approach is time independent and less restrictive with data sampling. In addition, our two methods (i) are empirically shown to impose less restrictive conditions for the movements of the instrument required for calibration, (ii) do not require knowledge of the direction of the field (e.g., the local magnetic field) or the attitude of the instrument, and (iii) also ensure convergence for the estimated parameters. The proposed methods are evaluated and compared with previously reported methods in both numerical simulation and in comparative experimental evaluation using cameras and magnetometer sensors under different conditions.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper reports on a novel method for estimating the sensor bias of three-axis magnetometers (or any other field sensor). Our approach employs relative angular position measurements to estimate the three-axis magnetometer measurement bias, significantly improving magnetometer-based attitude estimation. Relative angular position measurements can be calculated from a variety of sources, including multiview image registration or laser-based scan matching. We report two methods implementing this approach based on batch linear least squares and a real-time discrete Kalman filter. Compared with previously reported methods our approach is time independent and less restrictive with data sampling. In addition, our two methods (i) are empirically shown to impose less restrictive conditions for the movements of the instrument required for calibration, (ii) do not require knowledge of the direction of the field (e.g., the local magnetic field) or the attitude of the instrument, and (iii) also ensure convergence for the estimated parameters. The proposed methods are evaluated and compared with previously reported methods in both numerical simulation and in comparative experimental evaluation using cameras and magnetometer sensors under different conditions.
Troni, Giancarlo
Advances in precision navigation of underwater vehicles PhD Thesis
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2014.
BibTeX | Tags:
@phdthesis{troni2013phdthesis,
title = {Advances in precision navigation of underwater vehicles},
author = {Giancarlo Troni},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-08-01},
address = {Baltimore, MD, USA},
school = {Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
2013
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
Adaptive estimation of measurement bias in three-dimensional field sensors with angular rate sensors: Theory and comparative experimental evaluation Inproceedings
In: Proc. Robot.: Sci. & Syst. Conf., Berlin, Germany, 2013.
BibTeX | Tags:
@inproceedings{troni2013b,
title = {Adaptive estimation of measurement bias in three-dimensional field sensors with angular rate sensors: Theory and comparative experimental evaluation},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-06-01},
booktitle = {Proc. Robot.: Sci. & Syst. Conf.},
address = {Berlin, Germany},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
Preliminary experimental evaluation of a Doppler-aided attitude estimator for improved Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles Inproceedings
In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013.
@inproceedings{troni2013a,
title = {Preliminary experimental evaluation of a Doppler-aided attitude estimator for improved Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-05-01},
booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation},
address = {Karlsruhe, Germany},
abstract = {Doppler navigation is one of the most widely practiced navigation methods for underwater robotic vehicles, yet its accuracy is limited both by sensor calibration and by the accuracy of the vehicle’s attitude measurement. This paper reports a method to improve the dynamic attitude estimation for underwater vehicles employing Doppler sonar and low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) attitude and heading reference systems (AHRSs). Our approach employs three-axis velocity measurements from a Doppler velocity log (DVL) to estimate acceleration to provide corrections to the AHRS accelerometer signals that improve the dynamic estimates of vehicle roll and pitch. We report an implementation of this approach with a nonlinear complementary filter to estimate the vehicle attitude dynamically. We report the results of an in-water comparative experimental evaluation of the proposed and previously reported attitude estimation methods using low-cost MEMS AHRSs. We also report an experimental evaluation of the effect of the attitude estimation accuracy on the spatial accuracy of three-dimensional Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Doppler navigation is one of the most widely practiced navigation methods for underwater robotic vehicles, yet its accuracy is limited both by sensor calibration and by the accuracy of the vehicle’s attitude measurement. This paper reports a method to improve the dynamic attitude estimation for underwater vehicles employing Doppler sonar and low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) attitude and heading reference systems (AHRSs). Our approach employs three-axis velocity measurements from a Doppler velocity log (DVL) to estimate acceleration to provide corrections to the AHRS accelerometer signals that improve the dynamic estimates of vehicle roll and pitch. We report an implementation of this approach with a nonlinear complementary filter to estimate the vehicle attitude dynamically. We report the results of an in-water comparative experimental evaluation of the proposed and previously reported attitude estimation methods using low-cost MEMS AHRSs. We also report an experimental evaluation of the effect of the attitude estimation accuracy on the spatial accuracy of three-dimensional Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles.
Troni, Giancarlo; Abusleme, Angel
Introduction to microbots: a hands-on, contest-driven, interdisciplinary course on mobile robot design in a developing country. Journal Article
In: International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 395 - 407, 2013, ISSN: 00207209.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: developing engineering education, ENGINEERING -- Study & teaching, ENGINEERING design, microcontrollers, mobile robots, multidisciplinary group project, robotics contest, ROBOTS, SYSTEMS design
@article{troni2013ijeee,
title = {Introduction to microbots: a hands-on, contest-driven, interdisciplinary course on mobile robot design in a developing country.},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Angel Abusleme},
issn = {00207209},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education},
volume = {50},
number = {4},
pages = {395 - 407},
abstract = {Engineering outreach in a developing country like Chile is a difficult challenge. Different reasons explain a sustained decrease in the number of students enrolling in engineering education in the past years, and a special effort is necessary to reverse this trend. Focusing on teamwork, the non-conventional undergraduate-level course described in this paper represents an opportunity for motivated students in a developing country to focus their abilities in engineering design. In order to make the course more attractive for students, the final project consisted of designing an autonomous robot to compete in a contest. This article reviews experiences associated with this course and the students' design teams over a five-year period. The course methodology is explained, and the results are summarised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]},
keywords = {developing engineering education, ENGINEERING -- Study & teaching, ENGINEERING design, microcontrollers, mobile robots, multidisciplinary group project, robotics contest, ROBOTS, SYSTEMS design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Engineering outreach in a developing country like Chile is a difficult challenge. Different reasons explain a sustained decrease in the number of students enrolling in engineering education in the past years, and a special effort is necessary to reverse this trend. Focusing on teamwork, the non-conventional undergraduate-level course described in this paper represents an opportunity for motivated students in a developing country to focus their abilities in engineering design. In order to make the course more attractive for students, the final project consisted of designing an autonomous robot to compete in a contest. This article reviews experiences associated with this course and the students' design teams over a five-year period. The course methodology is explained, and the results are summarised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
2012
Troni, Giancarlo; Kinsey, James C; Yoerger, Dana R; Whitcomb, Louis L
Field performance evaluation of new methods for in-situ calibration of attitude and Doppler sensors for underwater vehicle navigation Inproceedings
In: Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2012 IEEE International Conference on, pp. 5334–5339, Ieee, St Paul, MN, 2012, ISSN: 1050-4729.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: alignment rotation matrix, attitude measurement, attitude sensor, calibration, Doppler radar, Doppler sensor, Doppler sonar velocity sensor, in-situ calibration, inertial navigation, inertial navigation sensor, internal vehicle navigation sensor, sensors, sonar, underwater sound, underwater vehicle navigation, underwater vehicles
@inproceedings{troni2012a,
title = {Field performance evaluation of new methods for in-situ calibration of attitude and Doppler sensors for underwater vehicle navigation},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and James C Kinsey and Dana R Yoerger and Louis L Whitcomb},
issn = {1050-4729},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-05-01},
booktitle = {Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2012 IEEE International Conference on},
pages = {5334--5339},
publisher = {Ieee},
address = {St Paul, MN},
abstract = {We report a comparative performance evaluation, using at-sea field data, of recently reported methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and inertial navigation sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We briefly review four recently reported alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. We report the results of comparative analysis of the performance of these recently reported methods and a previously reported method with navigation data from deep-water survey missions of the Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle conducted in March, 2011 in the Kermadec Arc in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The results reveal consistent differences in performance of the various methods when analyzed on navigation data from several different vehicle dives.,` doi = 10.1109/ICRA.2012.6225249},
keywords = {alignment rotation matrix, attitude measurement, attitude sensor, calibration, Doppler radar, Doppler sensor, Doppler sonar velocity sensor, in-situ calibration, inertial navigation, inertial navigation sensor, internal vehicle navigation sensor, sensors, sonar, underwater sound, underwater vehicle navigation, underwater vehicles},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
We report a comparative performance evaluation, using at-sea field data, of recently reported methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and inertial navigation sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We briefly review four recently reported alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. We report the results of comparative analysis of the performance of these recently reported methods and a previously reported method with navigation data from deep-water survey missions of the Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle conducted in March, 2011 in the Kermadec Arc in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The results reveal consistent differences in performance of the various methods when analyzed on navigation data from several different vehicle dives.,` doi = 10.1109/ICRA.2012.6225249
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
Preliminary experimental evaluation of in-situ calibration methods of MEMS-based attitude sensors and Doppler sonars for underwater vehicle navigation Inproceedings
In: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), 2012 IEEE/OES, Southampton, UK, 2012.
BibTeX | Tags:
@inproceedings{troni2012b,
title = {Preliminary experimental evaluation of in-situ calibration methods of MEMS-based attitude sensors and Doppler sonars for underwater vehicle navigation},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-01-01},
booktitle = {Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), 2012 IEEE/OES},
address = {Southampton, UK},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
Experimental evaluation of a MEMS inertial measurements unit for Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles Inproceedings
In: OCEANS 2012, Virginia Beach, VA, 2012.
BibTeX | Tags:
@inproceedings{troni2012c,
title = {Experimental evaluation of a MEMS inertial measurements unit for Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-01-01},
booktitle = {OCEANS 2012},
address = {Virginia Beach, VA},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
2011
Troni, Giancarlo; McFarland, Christopher J; Nichols, Kirk A; Whitcomb, Louis L
Experimental evaluation of an inertial navigation system for underwater robotic vehicles Inproceedings
In: Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2011 IEEE International Conference on, pp. 3064–3071, Shanghai, China, 2011, ISSN: 1050-4729.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: bottom-lock Doppler sonar, high-frequency acoustic time-of-flight ranging, in-water laboratory evaluation, inertial navigation, inertial navigation system, mobile robots, path planning, precision pressure depth sensing, sonar, state estimation, telerobotics, true-North-seeking gyrocompass, underwater robotic vehicle, underwater vehicles
@inproceedings{troni2011a,
title = {Experimental evaluation of an inertial navigation system for underwater robotic vehicles},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Christopher J McFarland and Kirk A Nichols and Louis L Whitcomb},
doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2011.5980488},
issn = {1050-4729},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-01-01},
booktitle = {Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2011 IEEE International Conference on},
pages = {3064--3071},
address = {Shanghai, China},
abstract = {This paper reports the results of an in-water laboratory evaluation of the state estimation accuracy of a commercially available inertial navigation system (INS), and the effect of variations in the accuracy and the update rate of INS correction data on the accuracy of the INS state estimate. The navigation accuracy of the INS state estimate is evaluated by comparison with navigation data from a highly accurate navigation system available in our laboratory that employs high-frequency acoustic time-of-flight ranging, precision pressure depth sensing, bottom-lock Doppler sonar, and a true-North-seeking gyrocompass that is integral to the INS.},
keywords = {bottom-lock Doppler sonar, high-frequency acoustic time-of-flight ranging, in-water laboratory evaluation, inertial navigation, inertial navigation system, mobile robots, path planning, precision pressure depth sensing, sonar, state estimation, telerobotics, true-North-seeking gyrocompass, underwater robotic vehicle, underwater vehicles},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper reports the results of an in-water laboratory evaluation of the state estimation accuracy of a commercially available inertial navigation system (INS), and the effect of variations in the accuracy and the update rate of INS correction data on the accuracy of the INS state estimate. The navigation accuracy of the INS state estimate is evaluated by comparison with navigation data from a highly accurate navigation system available in our laboratory that employs high-frequency acoustic time-of-flight ranging, precision pressure depth sensing, bottom-lock Doppler sonar, and a true-North-seeking gyrocompass that is integral to the INS.
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 3722–3727, San Francisco, CA, 2011, ISSN: 2153-0858.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags:
@inproceedings{troni2011b,
title = {Experimental evaluation of new methods for in-situ calibration of attitude and Doppler sensors for underwater vehicle navigation},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
doi = {10.1109/IROS.2011.6094942},
issn = {2153-0858},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-01-01},
booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems},
pages = {3722--3727},
address = {San Francisco, CA},
abstract = {This paper reports the development and in-water experimental evaluation of two new methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and gyrocompass attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report two alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. Results from laboratory experiments comparing these methods to previously reported techniques indicate satisfactory performance of the proposed methods.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper reports the development and in-water experimental evaluation of two new methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and gyrocompass attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Most previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of absolute navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report two alignment calibration methods employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, attitude, and depth. Results from laboratory experiments comparing these methods to previously reported techniques indicate satisfactory performance of the proposed methods.
2010
Troni, Giancarlo; Whitcomb, Louis L
New methods for in-situ calibration of attitude and Doppler sensors for underwater vehicle navigation: Preliminary results Inproceedings
In: OCEANS 2010, pp. 1–8, Seattle, WA, 2010.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: attitude measurement, Doppler sonar velocity sensors, gyrocompass attitud, gyrocompass attitude sensors, in-situ calibration, simulated sensor noise, sonar signal processing, underwater vehicle navigation, underwater vehicles
@inproceedings{troni2010,
title = {New methods for in-situ calibration of attitude and Doppler sensors for underwater vehicle navigation: Preliminary results},
author = {Giancarlo Troni and Louis L Whitcomb},
doi = {10.1109/OCEANS.2010.5664279},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-01-01},
booktitle = {OCEANS 2010},
pages = {1--8},
address = {Seattle, WA},
abstract = {This paper reports two new methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and gyrocompass attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of navigation fixes from an absolute external navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report a alignment calibration method employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, and attitude. Results from simulation data comparing these new methods to previously reported methods indicate satisfactory performance of the proposed methods in the presence of simulated sensor noise.},
keywords = {attitude measurement, Doppler sonar velocity sensors, gyrocompass attitud, gyrocompass attitude sensors, in-situ calibration, simulated sensor noise, sonar signal processing, underwater vehicle navigation, underwater vehicles},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper reports two new methods for the problem of in-situ calibration of the alignment rotation matrix between Doppler sonar velocity sensors and gyrocompass attitude sensors arising in the navigation of underwater vehicles. Previously reported solutions to this alignment calibration problem require the use of navigation fixes from an absolute external navigation fixes of the underwater vehicle, thus requiring additional navigation sensors and/or beacons to be located externally and apart from the underwater vehicle. We report a alignment calibration method employing only internal vehicle navigation sensors for velocity, acceleration, and attitude. Results from simulation data comparing these new methods to previously reported methods indicate satisfactory performance of the proposed methods in the presence of simulated sensor noise.