SS-LIO: Robust Tightly Coupled Solid-State LiDAR–Inertial Odometry for Indoor Degraded Environments

Abstract

Solid-state LiDAR systems are widely recognized for their high reliability, low cost, and lightweight design, but they encounter significant challenges in SLAM tasks due to their limited field of view and uneven horizontal scanning patterns, especially in indoor environments with geometric constraints. To address these challenges, this paper proposes SS-LIO, a precise, robust, and real-time LiDAR–Inertial odometry solution designed for solid-state LiDAR systems. SS-LIO uses uncertainty propagation in LiDAR point-cloud modeling and a tightly coupled iterative extended Kalman filter to fuse LiDAR feature points with IMU data for reliable localization. It also employs voxels to encapsulate planar features for accurate map construction. Experimental results from open-source datasets and self-collected data demonstrate that SS-LIO achieves superior accuracy and robustness compared to state-of-the-art methods, with an end-to-end drift of only 0.2 m in indoor degraded scenarios. The detailed and accurate point-cloud maps generated by SS-LIO reflect the smoothness and precision of trajectory estimation, with significantly reduced drift and deviation. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of SS-LIO in addressing the SLAM challenges posed by solid-state LiDAR systems and its capability to produce reliable maps in complex indoor settings.