Motion planner of mobile robots for obstacles in occluded areas

Abstract

Motion planning for mobile robots considering occluded obstacles is a navigation challenge in dynamic environments. If an obstacle suddenly appears from the occluded area, a robot might collide with the obstacle. This is the occlusion problem. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel motion planner, Velocity Obstacle for Occlusion, VOO. The VOO is based on Velocity Obstacle, VO, which is effective for moving obstacles. In the proposed motion planner, information uncertainties about occluded obstacles, such as position, speed, and moving direction, are quantitatively addressed. Thus the robot based on the VOO is enabled to move in consideration of both observed and occluded obstacles. Through simulations and real robot experiments, we discuss the effectiveness of the VOO for the occlusion problem by comparing to the VO.

Keywords

• motion planner
• mobile robot
• navigation
• velocity obstacle
• occlusion problem