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Wheel Odometry Distance Calculator

Work out wheel odometry distance instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Wheel Odometry Distance Calculator

Odometry distance is revolutions times wheel circumference, where revolutions come from encoder counts divided by counts per revolution. Slip and wheel diameter error are the dominant error sources, and because both are multiplicative the error grows linearly with distance travelled.

Formula

Odometry

distance = (counts / counts per rev) x pi x wheel diameter, reduced by slip

Worked example

With the default values below, Wheel Odometry Distance Calculator returns Distance travelled of 4.06. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Wheel diameter
120 mm
Encoder counts recorded
45,000 counts
Counts per wheel revolution
4,096 counts
Estimated slip
2 %

Results

Distance travelled
4.06 m
Wheel revolutions
10.99 rev
Distance before slip correction
4.14 m
Distance per count
0.09204 mm

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Odometry
  3. 3Distance travelled= 4.06 m
  4. 4Wheel revolutions= 10.99 rev
  5. 5Distance before slip correction= 4.14 m
  6. 6Distance per count= 0.09204 mm

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does odometry drift?

Wheel diameter changes with load and wear, and slip is unmeasured. Errors integrate, so position uncertainty grows without bound unless corrected by an absolute reference.

How is odometry usually corrected?

By fusion with an IMU for heading and with absolute references such as lidar scan matching, fiducial markers or GPS.

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Wheel Odometry Distance Calculator | Calcrivo