GRIL-Calib: Targetless Ground Robot IMU-LiDAR Extrinsic Calibration Method using Ground Plane Motion Constraints (2312.14035v2)

Abstract: Targetless IMU-LiDAR extrinsic calibration methods are gaining significant attention as the importance of the IMU-LiDAR fusion system increases. Notably, existing calibration methods derive calibration parameters under the assumption that the methods require full motion in all axes. When IMU and LiDAR are mounted on a ground robot the motion of which is restricted to planar motion, existing calibration methods are likely to exhibit degraded performance. To address this issue, we present GRIL-Calib: a novel targetless Ground Robot IMU-LiDAR Calibration method. Our proposed method leverages ground information to compensate for the lack of unrestricted full motion. First, we propose LiDAR Odometry (LO) using ground plane residuals to enhance calibration accuracy. Second, we propose the Ground Plane Motion (GPM) constraint and incorporate it into the optimization for calibration, enabling the determination of full 6-DoF extrinsic parameters, including theoretically unobservable direction. Finally, unlike baseline methods, we formulate the calibration not as sequential two optimizations but as a single optimization (SO) problem, solving all calibration parameters simultaneously and improving accuracy. We validate our GRIL-Calib by applying it to various real-world datasets and comparing its performance with that of existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy and robustness. Our code is available at https://github.com/Taeyoung96/GRIL-Calib.

• The paper introduces GRIL-Calib, a novel method that integrates ground plane constraints for simultaneous 6-DoF IMU-LiDAR extrinsic calibration without requiring predefined targets.
• It employs a unified optimization approach that mitigates z-axis drift and improves odometry accuracy in environments with inherent planar motion.
• Validation on multiple datasets shows significantly reduced rotation and translation RMSE compared to existing methods, demonstrating robustness in real-world robotic applications.

Overview of GRIL-Calib: Targetless Ground Robot IMU-LiDAR Extrinsic Calibration

The paper "GRIL-Calib: Targetless Ground Robot IMU-LiDAR Extrinsic Calibration Method using Ground Plane Motion Constraints" addresses the critical problem of calibrating the spatial transformations between Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems on ground robots. This task is pivotal for the effective fusion of IMU-LiDAR data, which is widely used in robotics for applications such as localization, mapping, and motion estimation. Traditional calibration methods often necessitate full motion along all axes, which is not feasible for ground robots due to their inherent planar motion constraints. This paper proposes GRIL-Calib, a novel calibration framework that leverages ground plane motion constraints to estimate accurate 6-DoF extrinsic parameters without relying on predefined targets or extensive motion.

Key Contributions and Methodology

GRIL-Calib innovatively integrates ground plane information to compensate for the lack of full-motion observability, addressing a significant gap in existing calibration methodologies. It comprises three primary contributions:

1. LiDAR Odometry with Ground Plane Residuals: The method enhances LiDAR odometry by integrating ground plane constraints, which mitigates the drift typically observed around the z-axis when operating in planar motion. This involves introducing a ground plane residual into an Iterative Error State Kalman Filter (IESKF), thus improving the odometry accuracy and stability.
2. Ground Plane Motion (GPM) Constraints: Unlike baseline methods which treat the estimation of extrinsic parameters sequentially, GRIL-Calib employs GPM constraints in a single optimization framework. This allows the simultaneous estimation of the entire parameter set, including directions that are theoretically unobservable in planar motion. The GPM constraints effectively exploit geometric relationships between the sensors and the ground, ensuring robust calibration even with restricted motions.
3. Single Optimization Approach: This approach resolves the calibration as a unified optimization problem instead of splitting it into sequential tasks for translation and rotation. This method benefits from the correlations between different parameter sets, significantly enhancing the calibration accuracy.

Validation and Implications

The authors validate GRIL-Calib on three publicly available datasets: M2DGR, Hilti, and S3E, showing that it consistently outperforms existing state-of-the-art targetless methods. It particularly excels in reducing root mean square error (RMSE) in both rotation and translation parameters across various scenarios and robot platforms, evidencing its robustness and adaptability.

The theoretical implications of this research are profound, as it expands the capabilities of sensor fusion in constrained motion environments by achieving accurate calibration in situations previously deemed challenging or impossible. Practically, the robust performance of GRIL-Calib in diverse datasets suggests its potential utility in real-world robotic systems, where accurate motion estimation is critical for autonomous operations, especially in outdoor and cluttered environments.

Future Directions

The paper opens several pathways for subsequent research. Future work may explore extending the framework to accommodate scenarios with uneven or dynamic ground surfaces, a natural extension given the method's reliance on ground plane constraints. Moreover, integrating additional sensor modalities and investigating adaptive weighting strategies in the optimization could further enhance calibration robustness. Additionally, as autonomous systems continue to evolve, adapting these calibration strategies to account for changes in sensor performance over time will be crucial for maintaining long-term accuracy.

In conclusion, GRIL-Calib represents a significant advance in the calibration of IMU-LiDAR systems for ground robots, providing a reliable solution to a previously challenging problem. Its emphasis on exploiting available ground plane information within a robust optimization framework positions it as a valuable tool in the continued advancement of robotic navigation and perception systems.