• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.260-270
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• 2023

We introduce a novel Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) algorithm designed to improve the performance of thermal-inertial odometry. Thermal infrared image, though advantageous for feature extraction in low-light conditions, typically suffers from a high noise level and significant information loss during the 8-bit conversion. Our algorithm overcomes these limitations by approximating a 14-bit raw pixel histogram into a Gaussian mixture model. The conversion method effectively emphasizes image regions where texture for visual tracking is abundant while reduces unnecessary background information. We incorporate the robust learning-based feature extraction and matching methods, SuperPoint and SuperGlue, and zero velocity detection module to further reduce the uncertainty of visual odometry. Tested across various datasets, the proposed algorithm shows improved performance compared to other state-of-the-art VIO algorithms, paving the way for robust thermal-inertial odometry.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.189-198
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• 2019

In recent years, visual-inertial odometry(VIO) algorithms have been extensively studied for the indoor/urban environments because it is more robust to dynamic scenes and environment changes. In this paper, we propose loosely coupled(LC) VIO algorithm that utilizes the velocity vectors from both visual odometry(VO) and inertial measurement unit(IMU) as a filter measurement of Extended Kalman filter. Our approach improves the estimation performance of a filter without adding extra sensors while maintaining simple integration framework, which treats VO as a black box. For the VO algorithm, we employed a fundamental part of the ORB-SLAM, which uses ORB features. We performed an outdoor experiment using an RGB-D camera to evaluate the accuracy of the presented algorithm. Also, we evaluated our algorithm with the public dataset to compare with other visual navigation systems.

• IEMEK Journal of Embedded Systems and Applications
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.185-193
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• 2024

Visual-inertial odometry (VIO) is a method that leverages sensor data from a camera and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for state estimation. Whereas conventional VIO has limited capability to estimate scale of translation, the performance of recent approaches has been improved by utilizing depth maps obtained from RGB-D camera, especially in indoor environments. However, the depth map obtained from the RGB-D camera tends to rapidly lose accuracy as the distance increases, and therefore, it is required to develop alternative method to improve the VIO performance in wide environments. In this paper, we argue that leveraging depth map estimated from a deep neural network has benefits to state estimation. To improve the reliability of depth information utilized in VIO algorithm, we propose a kernel-based sampling strategy to filter out depth values with low confidence. The proposed method aims to improve the robustness and accuracy of VIO algorithms by selectively utilizing reliable values of estimated depth maps. Experiments were conducted on real-world custom dataset acquired from underground parking lot environments. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective to improve the performance of VIO, exhibiting potential for the use of depth estimation network for state estimation.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.561-571
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• 2023

Ensuring the safety of a structure necessitates that repairs are carried out based on accurate inspections and records of damage information. Traditional methods of recording damage rely on individual paper-based documents, making it challenging for inspectors to accurately record damage locations and track chronological changes. Recent research has suggested the adoption of building information modeling (BIM) to record detailed damage information; however, localizing damages on a BIM model can be time-consuming. To overcome this limitation, this study proposes a method to automatically localize damages on a BIM model in real-time, utilizing consecutive images and measurements from an inertial measurement unit in close proximity to damages. The proposed method employs a visual-inertial odometry algorithm to estimate the camera pose, detect damages, and compute the damage location in the coordinate of a prebuilt BIM model. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method were validated through an experiment conducted on a campus building. Results revealed that the proposed method successfully localized damages on the BIM model in real-time, with a root mean square error of 6.6 cm.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.344-352
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• 2022

Accurate indoor localization of construction workers and mobile assets is essential in safety management. Existing positioning methods based on GPS, wireless, vision, or sensor based RTLS are erroneous or expensive in large-scale indoor environments. Tightly coupled sensor fusion mitigates these limitations. This research paper proposes a state-of-the-art positioning methodology, addressing the existing limitations, by integrating Stereo Visual Inertial Odometry (SVIO) with fiducial landmarks called AprilTags. SVIO determines the relative position of the moving assets or workers from the initial starting point. This relative position is transformed to an absolute position when AprilTag placed at various entry points is decoded. The proposed solution is tested on the NVIDIA ISAAC SIM virtual environment, where the trajectory of the indoor moving forklift is estimated. The results show accurate localization of the moving asset within any indoor or underground environment. The system can be utilized in various use cases to increase productivity and improve safety at construction sites, contributing towards 1) indoor monitoring of man machinery coactivity for collision avoidance and 2) precise real-time knowledge of who is doing what and where.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2023

Autonomous driving systems are likely to be operated in various complex environments. However, the well-known integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS), which is currently the major source for absolute position information, still has difficulties in accurate positioning in harsh signal environments such as urban canyons. To overcome these difficulties, integrated Visual/Inertial/GNSS (VIG) navigation systems have been extensively studied in various areas. Recently, a Compressed-State Constraint Kalman Filter (CSCKF)-based VIG navigation system (CSCKF-VIG) using a monocular camera, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and GNSS receivers has been studied with the aim of providing robust and accurate position information in urban areas. For this new filter-based navigation system, on the basis of time-propagation measurement fusion theory, unnecessary camera states are not required in the system state. This paper presents a performance evaluation of the CSCKF-VIG system compared to other conventional navigation systems. First, the CSCKF-VIG is introduced in detail compared to the well-known Multi-State Constraint Kalman Filter (MSCKF). The CSCKF-VIG system is then evaluated by a field experiment in different GNSS availability situations. The results show that accuracy is improved in the GNSS-degraded environment compared to that of the conventional systems.

• IEMEK Journal of Embedded Systems and Applications
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.107-111
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• 2021

A 3D point cloud map is an essential elements in various fields, including precise autonomous navigation system. However, generating a 3D point cloud map using a single sensor has limitations due to the price of expensive sensor. In order to solve this problem, we propose a precise 3D mapping system using low-cost sensor fusion. Generating a point cloud map requires the process of estimating the current position and attitude, and describing the surrounding environment. In this paper, we utilized a commercial visual-inertial odometry sensor to estimate the current position and attitude states. Based on the state value, the 2D LiDAR measurement values describe the surrounding environment to create a point cloud map. To analyze the performance of the proposed algorithm, we compared the performance of the proposed algorithm and the 3D LiDAR-based SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) algorithm. As a result, it was confirmed that a precise 3D point cloud map can be generated with the low-cost sensor fusion system proposed in this paper.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Broadcast Engineers Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.219-222
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• 2021

본 논문에서는 시각-관성 측위시스템(Visual-Inertial Odometry, VIO)에서 광학 문자 인식(Optical Character Recognition, OCR)을 활용해 문자의 영역을 찾아내고, 그 위치를 기억해 측위시스템에서 다시 인식되었을 때 비교하기 위해 위치와 특징점을 저장하고자 한다. 먼저, 실시간으로 움직이는 카메라의 영상에서 문자를 찾아내고, 카메라의 상대적인 위치를 이용하여 문자가 인식된 위치와 특징점을 저장하는 방법을 제안한다. 또한 저장된 문자가 다시 탐색되었을 때, 문자가 재인식되었는 지 판별하기 위한 방법을 제안한다. 인공적인 마커나 미리 학습된 객체를 사용하지 않고 상황에 따른 문자를 사용하는 이 방법은 문자가 존재하는 범용적인 공간에서 사용이 가능하다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.479-486
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• 2018

In order to ensure reliable navigation performance of a lunar exploration rover, navigation algorithms using additional sensors such as inertial measurement units and cameras are essential on lunar surface in the absence of a global navigation satellite system. Unprecedentedly, Visual Odometry (VO) using a stereo camera has been successfully implemented at the US Mars rovers. In this paper, we estimate the 6-DOF pose of the lunar exploration rover from gray images of a lunar-like terrains. The proposed algorithm estimates relative pose of consecutive images by sparse image alignment based semi-direct VO. In order to overcome vulnerability to non-linearity of direct VO, we add adaptive motion prior weights calculated from a linear function of the previous pose to the optimization cost function. The proposed algorithm is verified in lunar-like terrain dataset recorded by Toronto University reflecting the characteristics of the actual lunar environment.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.5_1
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• pp.1095-1109
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• 2021

The technology used to recognize the location and surroundings of autonomous vehicles is called SLAM. SLAM standsfor Simultaneously Localization and Mapping and hasrecently been actively utilized in research on autonomous vehicles,starting with robotic research. Expensive GPS, INS, LiDAR, RADAR, and Wheel Odometry allow precise magnetic positioning and mapping in centimeters. However, if it can secure similar accuracy as using cheaper Cameras and GPS data, it will contribute to advancing the era of autonomous driving. In this paper, we present a method for converging monocular camera with RTK-enabled GPS data to perform RMSE 33.7 cm localization and mapping on the urban road.