Distance-Map Ray Casting for Faster Obstacle Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile apparatuses employed in complex environments for tasks like inventory management face inefficiencies due to computationally expensive ray casting methods, which require querying numerous map portions for localization and mapping, leading to performance bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for navigational ray casting that utilize a distance map with cells representing sub-regions, allowing for efficient selection of an origin cell, ray casting direction, and determination of obstacle distances, reducing the need for extensive map querying by directly calculating distances to nearest obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional ray casting methods are used to determine distances between mobile apparatus and obstacles, then localization and mapping functions can be performed, but computational expense increases significantly requiring numerous map queries and vector representation generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores distance information from each map cell to the nearest obstacle in a distance map before navigation. This preliminary action allows the mobile apparatus to quickly retrieve pre-computed distances during navigation without performing expensive real-time ray casting operations, thus reducing computational complexity while maintaining localization accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified distance map representation that copies only the essential distance information from the full map, replacing the need for complex vector representations and numerous ray casting queries. This copied distance information enables efficient distance determination while maintaining the necessary precision for localization
2Measurement precision
If traditional ray casting methods query numerous map portions to determine obstacle distances, then accurate obstacle detection is achieved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The distance map is pre-computed to store the minimum distance from each cell to the nearest obstacle before navigation begins. This eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time queries of numerous map portions during obstacle detection, reducing processing time while maintaining detection accuracy through direct distance retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential distance information from the full map data, creating a condensed distance map that contains pre-calculated minimum distances to obstacles. This extraction eliminates the need to query numerous map portions during navigation, significantly reducing processing time while preserving obstacle detection accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A method of navigational ray casting in a computing device includes: obtaining a distance map having a plurality of cells representing respective sub-regions of an environment containing obstacles; wherein each cell defines a minimum obstacle distance indicating a distance from the corresponding sub-region to a nearest one of the obstacles; selecting an origin cell from the plurality of cells, and setting the origin cell as a current cell; selecting a ray cast direction for a ray originating from the origin cell; retrieving the minimum obstacle distance defined by the current cell; selecting a test cell at the minimum obstacle distance from the current cell in the ray cast direction; determining whether the test cell indicates the presence of one of the obstacles; and when the determination is affirmative, determining a total distance between the origin cell and the test cell.