Mobile Robot Navigation With Local Obstacle Rerouting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation systems for mobile robots, particularly those using topological maps, are inadequate in dynamically changing environments with unforeseeable obstacles, as they fail to provide alternative paths when obstacles are encountered, leading to navigation failures.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid navigation system that integrates a topological map with a local obstacle map, allowing the robot to generate an alternative path using current sensor data to avoid obstacles and resume the navigation route, minimizing computational costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a topological map is used for navigation, then computational costs are reduced, but the system cannot handle unforeseeable obstacles in dynamic environments
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system is segmented into two distinct components: a global topological map for high-level route planning and a local metric map for detailed obstacle avoidance. This segmentation allows each component to operate at its optimal computational level while maintaining overall system reliability in dynamic environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges topological map navigation with metric map obstacle avoidance into a hybrid system. The topological map provides computationally efficient route guidance while the metric map handles real-time obstacle detection and local path adjustment, combining the advantages of both approaches.
2Ease of operation
If a topological map is used for navigation, then navigation simplicity is improved, but the system fails when obstacles obstruct the path
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system separates global route planning (topological map) from local path execution (metric map). This segmentation maintains the simplicity of topological navigation while adding adaptive capability through the local metric map that handles obstacles and dynamic changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The local metric map acts as an intermediary between the global topological route and the robot's actual movement. It translates high-level topological directions into actionable paths while adapting to real-time obstacles, maintaining both simplicity and adaptability.
3Loss of energy
If only a global navigation route is used, then computational resources are saved, but the robot cannot avoid unforeseeable obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments computational tasks between global topological planning (low computational demand) and local metric obstacle avoidance (higher computational demand but localized). This segmentation minimizes overall computational resource consumption while maintaining obstacle avoidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The metric map is maintained locally around the robot's current position rather than globally, allowing detailed obstacle detection and avoidance computations to be performed only where needed. This local quality approach reduces overall computational resource requirements while maintaining effectiveness.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A computer-implemented method (300) when executed by data processing hardware causes the data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include receiving a navigation route for a mobile robot (302). The navigation route includes a sequence of waypoints connected by edges (302). Each edge corresponds to movement instructions that navigate the mobile robot between waypoints of the sequence of waypoints (302). While the mobile robot is traveling along the navigation route, the operations include determining (304) that the mobile robot is unable to execute a respective movement instruction for a respective edge of the navigation route due to an obstacle obstructing the respective edge, generating (306) an alternative path to navigate the mobile robot to an untraveled waypoint in the sequence of waypoints, and resuming (308) travel by the mobile robot along the navigation route. The alternative path avoids the obstacle.