Sensorposition

Sensorposition refers to the physical location and orientation of a sensor within a system or environment. It is typically described relative to a reference coordinate frame (for example a world frame, vehicle frame, or robot base) and expressed as a pose, consisting of translation (x, y, z) and rotation (roll, pitch, yaw). Knowledge of sensorposition is essential for interpreting measurements correctly and for combining data from multiple sensors in fusion, mapping, and control tasks.

Extrinsic calibration determines sensorposition with respect to the reference frame or another sensor. In static installations, sensorposition is fixed by design, while in mobile platforms it may change during operation and must be tracked or re-estimated. Methods include targeted calibration with known objects, self-calibration techniques, and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) approaches that estimate sensorposition jointly with the scene.

Representations of sensorposition depend on the application; Cartesian coordinates are common, while geospatial or local coordinate systems may be used for outdoor mapping. Uncertainty in sensorposition propagates to measurements and can degrade performance; calibration accuracy, mounting stability, and environmental factors influence it. Practical practices include documenting the reference frame, reporting extrinsic parameters with uncertainty, performing regular recalibration after mounting changes, and using redundancy or online estimation when possible. Sensorposition is a foundational element in robotics, autonomous systems, industrial sensing, and computer vision.