Autonomous Navigation Path Generation Without Prior Occupancy Maps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile robots require a previously generated occupancy grid map for navigation, which is time-consuming to create and requires large data storage, especially in city-scale environments, and typical navigation techniques fail to identify waypoints in real-time generated maps without prior mapping.
Innovation Solution
Generate a global path using a topology map and convert it to an occupancy grid map, projecting sub-waypoints into drivable areas to create a local path, utilizing sensor data for real-time mapping and reducing data capacity needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a previously generated occupancy grid map is used for navigation, then the robot can perform autonomous navigation, but the map generation requires large data storage and much time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the navigation system into two parts: a lightweight topology map containing only essential navigation information (nodes and edges) and a detailed occupancy grid map. This segmentation allows the robot to navigate using minimal data while maintaining autonomous navigation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential navigation elements (nodes and edges representing drivable paths) from the complete occupancy grid map to create a topology map. This extraction removes unnecessary detailed information while preserving the core navigation functionality.
2Reliability
If a previously generated occupancy grid map is used for navigation, then the robot can perform autonomous navigation, but the map generation requires much time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-generating the topology map offline containing essential navigation structures. This allows the robot to skip time-consuming full map generation during operation, as the topology map can be created once and reused.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting map generation into offline topology creation and online occupancy updates, the system separates time-intensive operations from real-time operations, reducing the time required for navigation preparation.
3Measurement precision
If sensor data from all sensors is used to generate the occupancy grid map, then the map accuracy is improved, but the data capacity becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential navigational features from sensor data to create the topology map (nodes and edges), rather than storing complete sensor data. This extraction maintains map accuracy for navigation purposes while dramatically reducing data capacity requirements.
4Area of stationary object
If the robot visits a site to generate the previous occupancy grid map in city-scale environments, then the navigation coverage is expanded, but the time required for map generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-generating topology maps for large areas using offline processing. This allows the robot to navigate city-scale environments without requiring time-consuming on-site map generation, as the topological structure is prepared in advance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of generating a path for autonomous navigation of a mobile computing apparatus is provided. The mobile computing apparatus includes one or more processors configured to map a set global path, which connects a current position of the mobile computing apparatus with a future destination of the mobile computing apparatus based on a topology map, to a real-time generated occupancy grid map that represents, based on sensor data of a surrounding environment of the mobile computing apparatus, an un-drivable area and a drivable area in the surrounding environment, and generate a local path, for a traveling of the mobile computing apparatus, connecting the current position with a sub-waypoint that corresponds to the drivable area in response to a next waypoint, to which the mobile computing apparatus is set to travel based on the global path, being determined to correspond to the un-drivable area.