Regional Robot Path Planning With Dynamic Speed Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing route planning approaches for autonomous or semi-autonomous robots are inefficient for long distances, fail to account for changes in speed due to different environmental regions and dynamic obstacles, and lack extensibility for different drivetrain configurations, leading to suboptimal navigation and increased travel time.
Innovation Solution
A regional path planning system that uses Frenet coordinate discretization and semantic information to generate paths efficiently, dynamically adjusting speed based on real-time perception and obstacle interactions, allowing for smoother and safer navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If existing route planning approaches are used for long distances, then the robot can cover large areas, but the processing time becomes intractable and the approach is impractical for real-time deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the path planning problem into two hierarchical levels: global route planning that determines the overall path from start to destination, and local path planning that generates specific trajectories for path following. This segmentation allows each level to operate independently with appropriate complexity, enabling real-time execution while covering large areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and separates the path following functionality from the route planning functionality. The local path planner extracts only the necessary trajectory generation tasks needed to follow the global route, rather than recomputing the entire path plan, significantly reducing processing time for real-time operation.
2Device complexity
If existing route planning approaches select routes without considering speed changes, then the route planning is simpler, but the actual travel time increases due to unexpected speed reductions in certain regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary speed analysis during the global route planning phase by evaluating speed profiles along candidate routes. This preliminary action identifies regions where speed reductions will occur, allowing the planner to select routes that minimize total travel time by avoiding problematic regions or accounting for speed changes in the route selection criteria.
3Productivity
If existing route planning approaches do not account for dynamic obstacles, then the planning process is faster, but the robot cannot safely navigate regions with moving obstacles such as automatic doors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic obstacle handling by continuously updating the local path planner with real-time obstacle information during path following. The system dynamically adjusts trajectories to avoid moving obstacles like automatic doors while maintaining progress along the global route, ensuring both safety and continuous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, a technique for generating a path between a current location and a target waypoint is disclosed that includes receiving a route plan that is associated with a plurality of waypoints representing locations in a physical environment. The technique also includes identifying a search space that includes the route plan, and identifying a target waypoint of the plurality of waypoints—the target waypoint being in a portion of the search space between a current location of a mobile robot and an end waypoint of the route plan. A path between the current location of the mobile robot and the target waypoint may then be generated.