Local path planning of a free ranging mobile robot using the directional weighting method

Abstract

Taking into consideration that a laser range finder has excellent resolution as to measurement of angle and distance, elaborate and brief local path planning is studied. The local path planning algorithm uses a directional weighting method based on both the configuration space method and the potential approach. The directional weighting method decides the heading direction of the mobile robot by estimating the attractive resultant force which is obtained by directional weighting function times range data, and resting whether the collision-free path and the open pathway conditions are satisfied. The chosen heading direction enables the mobile robot to approach the goal through the shortest path, without any collision with surrounding obstacles. The effectiveness of the directional weighting method for real-time navigation of a mobile robot is estimated by computer simulation and experimentation in a complex environment.