Analysis of landmark configuration for absolute positioning of autonomous vehicles

Landmark navigation is a common positioning method for material handling vehicles operating in industrial environments. The position is calculated based on relative measurements to landmarks, the locations of which are known in advance. This paper analyzes the sensitivity of absolute positioning techniques to noisy data and landmark configuration, aiming to determine landmark positioning guidelines to improve the accuracy of the material handling vehicle's navigation. An error sensitivity map (ESM) shows the critical zones where calculation is especially susceptible to erroneous data. These zones are then combined with the accuracy required by the operational constraints to determine the preferred landmarks' configuration. Results of analytical and simulated tests and their effect on the vehicle's dynamic performance are presented. Finally, an example that incorporates the analysis results is presented.