Hi all,

I have a mobile robot with different sensors on it like Rotary Encoders, IMU, Kinect, Hokuyo Lidar and Ultrawide band. I am using robotposeekf to get the odom_combined -> base_footprint transformation and I have a fixed transformation from base_footprint -> base_link. I have two sources of map->odom_combined transformation : amcl and robot_localization (running with world_frame as map) with inputs from Rotary encoders(odometry data), IMU (They are in the odom_combined frame) and UWB sensor (Its in the map_frame). Now, I have a condition and when it is satisfied, I want to use amcl and when another condition is satisfied, I want to use robot_localization. For example when the robot is in a corridor, I want to use amcl because Laser scan is available whereas if the robot is in a big hall where there is no laser scan because there are no walls within the range of the Hokuyo Lidar (Its range is 5m), I want to use robot_localization (which uses Ultrawide band sensor). So, I want to dynamically change which map->odom_combined transformation source I am using based on my criterion. What is the best way to do something like this?

Update 1:
a) If I give amcl output as input to robot_localization and in the case when I am not broadcasting amcl (meaning the values on the /amcl_pose topic are not changing), will robot_localization ignore amcl and continue without it? The same thing goes with UWB sensor.
b) Also, I am getting absolute pose measurements from amcl and UWB sensor, can I set both of their differential parameters as false? Most of the time, I will be using only one of the inputs (either UWB or amcl) but there is definitely a possibility that there will be times, I will be using both. The problem with setting differential for one of them as true is that when I am using only that particular input, I have no absolute measurement as input to robot_localization. Also, in that case I can not set initial pose of the robot.

Update 2:

Are you saying that amcl stops sending messages when its output is not changing?

No, I meant under the condition when I don't have to use amcl, I can tell amcl not to publish anything on the amcl_pose topic and yes, I will always have wheel odometry and IMU data.

To be more clear, I have 4 inputs to the second instance of robot_localization (first instance takes wheel odometry and IMU data and gives odom->base_link tf) : wheel odometry, IMU, UWB sensor and AMCL. The reason I said that I want both UWB and AMCL as absolute (not differential) because in cases where I am using only one of them and it is differential (For example if AMCL differential = true and I am using wheel odometry, IMU and AMCL, then differential for all 3 sources is true), then I don't have any absolute source of pose measurement (I am not sure whether this is okay or not) to give to robot_localization.

Also, I am not using orientation from UWB sensor (only x and y) and in the case where I only have wheel odometry (differential = true), IMU (differential = true) and UWB sensor (differential = false), I don't have any absolute source of orientation (both IMU and wheel odometry has differential = true). Is this okay or should I make differential = false for IMU for second instance of robot_localization?

Thanks in advance.
Naman Kumar