A 2D-mapping strategy based on line segment extraction

This paper presents a strategy for a 2D-map building process for indoor environments. The strategy is conformed by two main processes: a line extraction phase based on a modified version of the Incremental algorithm, followed by a merging phase that grouped the extracted lines which represents the same real structure. This strategy is oriented for a sensory system configuration conformed by a set of range sensors. No a priori knowledge about the shape, or the number of the structures of the environment is necessary. The resulting map is a line-based representation in a global reference, without being necessary a previous construction of a local representation of the environment. The implemented algorithm is tested in both, simulated and real environments, with a robot platform equipped with a sensory system composed by 24 ultrasonic sensors in a ring configuration. Results show the viability of the proposed strategy.