A global path planning method for mobile robot based on a three-dimensional-like map

E-ISSN： 1469-8668|32|4|611-624

ISSN： 0263-5747

Source： Robotica, Vol.32, Iss.4, 2014-07, pp. : 611-624

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Abstract

This paper presents a novel global path planning method for mobile robots. An improved grid map, called three-dimensional-like map, is developed to represent the global workspace area. The new environment model includes not only contour information of obstacles but also artificial height information. Based on this new model, a simple but efficient obstacle avoidance algorithm is developed to solve robot path planning problems in static environment. The proposed algorithm only requires simple distance calculations and several comparison operations. In addition, unlike other algorithms, the proposed algorithm only needs to deal with some obstacles instead of all. The research results show that this method is computationally efficient and can be used to find an optimal or near optimal path.