Mobile Robot Control for Human-Avoidance Trajectory Planning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Robots face challenges in moving autonomously while avoiding contact with people, as immediate changes in their behavior can induce changes in human behavior, increasing the likelihood of contact.
Innovation Solution
A mobile apparatus with a control system that recognizes current and future images of itself and objects, determining spatial elements on a discriminant plane to set routes that avoid contact by minimizing changes in movement direction and velocity, thereby reducing the likelihood of inducing changes in human behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the robot immediately changes behavior in response to a change in human behavior, then the robot can respond quickly to avoid contact, but the possibility of contact increases because the robot's behavior change induces behavior change in humans
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary actions by maintaining stable behavior patterns and only changing course when absolutely necessary. The control system evaluates multiple factors including relative position, velocity, and acceleration before deciding to change behavior, thereby avoiding unnecessary reactions that could induce unpredictable human responses while still maintaining readiness to respond when truly needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes behavioral parameters (movement direction, velocity) only when evaluation results indicate a genuine need for avoidance. By controlling the conditions under which parameter changes occur and smoothing the transitions, the robot maintains reliability without inducing erratic human responses.
2Reliability
If the robot frequently changes movement direction and velocity to avoid contact with objects, then the robot can maintain safe distances from obstacles, but the frequency of behavior changes increases which may induce changes in human behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The control system carefully manages changes in movement parameters by evaluating multiple factors (relative position, velocity, acceleration) before initiating behavior changes. The system smooths transitions and limits the frequency of parameter changes to prevent inducing unpredictable human responses while maintaining adequate safety margins.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs dynamic behavior adjustment by adapting its response characteristics based on the situation. The system maintains stability during normal operation and only introduces behavioral changes when evaluation criteria are met, creating a dynamic balance between avoidance reliability and behavior stability.
3Reliability
If the robot uses a larger spatial element for avoidance planning, then the robot can more reliably avoid contact with objects, but the robot requires more space for movement which reduces navigation flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The spatial element is segmented into multiple components (current position, predicted future positions at different time points) rather than using a single large conservative buffer. This allows the robot to plan avoidance based on actual predicted trajectories while maintaining reliability through multiple evaluation points.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot performs preliminary evaluation at multiple future time points to predict object positions before committing to avoidance maneuvers. This allows for more precise planning that maintains reliability without requiring excessive safety margins that would reduce navigation flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile apparatus or the like capable of moving or acting by avoiding contact with an object, such as a person, while reducing the possibility of inducing a change of the behavior of the object. It is determined whether or not there is a first spatial element Q1 that satisfies a contact condition that there is a possibility of contact with a reference spatial element Q0 on a discriminant plane. The reference spatial element Q0 and the first spatial element Q1 represent current images of a robot 1 and an object x, respectively. When it is determined that there is a first spatial element Q1 that satisfies the contact condition on the discriminant plane, a route that allows the reference spatial element Q0 to move by avoiding contact with a second spatial element Q2 is set as a new “first action plan element” on the discriminant plane.