Obstacle Avoidance Path Planning With Segment-Wise Abort Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous aviation systems face challenges in performing time-critical onboard sensor-based autonomous path planning while avoiding obstacles in constrained and uncertain environments, as existing methods struggle with verification timing requirements due to the complexity of data-dependent software functions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that identify safe paths by breaking down short-range paths into segments based on control operations and timing, ensuring abort procedures are available for each segment, and excluding paths without viable abort options, using a 3D world model manager, path guide planner, receding horizon module, abort route module, and safe to proceed module to navigate around known obstacles and unknown regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex data-dependent software functions are used for obstacle avoidance path planning, then path planning capability is improved, but verification timing requirements become intractable
Solution Approach 1:
The path planning system is divided into multiple independent modules: a path planning module that generates candidate paths, a verification module that checks timing requirements, and an obstacle detection module. This segmentation allows each module to be verified independently, making the overall complex system tractable for verification while maintaining adaptive path planning capabilities.
2Speed
If time-critical path planning is performed in uncertain environments, then response speed is improved, but safety verification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of timing requirements for path planning algorithms before deployment. By pre-verifying the computational timing characteristics of different path planning approaches in uncertain environments, the system ensures that time-critical operations can be executed safely and reliably during actual operation without compromising verification standards.
3Reliability
If abort procedures are identified for each segment of short range paths, then safety is improved, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different levels of abort procedure verification to different path segments based on their risk characteristics. High-risk segments near unknown regions or obstacles receive comprehensive abort procedure analysis, while lower-risk segments use simplified verification. This local differentiation maintains safety where needed while reducing unnecessary computational overhead in safer regions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for identifying a safe path in a partially unknown environment in a time critical fashion includes identifying long range paths that avoid known obstacles. Short range paths within a receding horizon are identified corresponding to the long range paths, the short range paths avoiding known obstacles and unknown regions. Each short range path is broken into segments based on subsequent control operations or timing, and abort procedures are identified corresponding to each segment to enforce time critical availability of a safe action. Short range paths are excluded unless abort procedures can be identified for subsequent segments.