On-line real-time path planning of mobile robots in dynamic uncertain environment

A new path planning method for mobile robots in globally unknown environment with moving obstacles is pre- sented. With an autoregressive (AR) model to predict the future positions of moving obstacles, and the predicted position taken as the next position of moving obstacles, a motion path in dynamic uncertain environment is planned by means of an on-line real-time path planning technique based on polar coordinates in which the desirable direction angle is taken into consideration as an optimization index. The effectiveness, feasibility, high stability, perfect performance of obstacle avoidance, real-time and optimization capability are demonstrated by simulation examples.

Dynamic path planning strategy based on improved RRT^(*)algorithm

In order to solve the problem of path planning of mobile robots in a dynamic environment,an improved rapidly-exploring random tree^(*)(RRT^(*))algorithm is proposed in this paper.First,the target bias sampling is introduced to reduce the randomness of the RRT^(*)algorithm,and then the initial path planning is carried out in a static environment.Secondly,apply the path in a dynamic environment,and use the initially planned path as the path cache.When a new obstacle appears in the path,the invalid path is clipped and the path is replanned.At this time,there is a certain probability to select the point in the path cache as the new node,so that the new path maintains the trend of the original path to a greater extent.Finally,MATLAB is used to carry out simulation experiments for the initial planning and replanning algorithms,respectively.More specifically,compared with the original RRT^(*)algorithm,the simulation results show that the number of nodes used by the new improved algorithm is reduced by 43.19%on average.

Study on path planning and compensation of off-line programming for thick walled curve welding

Thick walled curve welding are usually joined by multi-layer and multi-pass welding, which quality and efficiency could be improved by off-line programming of robot welding. However, the precision of off-line programming welding path was decreased due to the deviation between the off-line planned welding path and the actual welding path. A path planning algorithm and a path compensation algorithm of multi-layer and multi-pass curve welding seam for off-line programming of robot welding are developed in this paper. Experimental results show that the robot off-line programming improves the welding efftcieney and precision for thick walled curve welding seam.

Cooperative path planning for multi-AUV in time-varying ocean flows

For low-speed underwater vehicles, the ocean currents has a great influence on them, and the changes in ocean currents is complex and continuous, thus whose impact must be taken into consideration in the path planning. There are still lack of authoritative indicator and method for the cooperating path planning. The calculation of the voyage time is a difficult problem in the time-varying ocean, for the existing methods of the cooperating path planning, the computation time will increase exponentially as the autonomous underwater vehicle（AUV） counts increase, rendering them unfeasible. A collaborative path planning method is presehted for multi-AUV under the influence of time-varying ocean currents based on the dynamic programming algorithm. Each AUV cooperates with the one who has the longest estimated time of sailing, enabling the arrays of AUV to get their common goal in the shortest time with minimum timedifference. At the same time, they could avoid the obstacles along the way to the target. Simulation results show that the proposed method has a promising applicability.

Swarm intelligence based dynamic obstacle avoidance for mobile robots under unknown environment using WSN

To solve dynamic obstacle avoidance problems, a novel algorithm was put forward with the advantages of wireless sensor network (WSN). In view of moving velocity and direction of both the obstacles and robots, a mathematic model was built based on the exposure model, exposure direction and critical speeds of sensors. Ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm based on bionic swarm intelligence was used for solution of the multi-objective optimization. Energy consumption and topology of the WSN were also discussed. A practical implementation with real WSN and real mobile robots were carried out. In environment with multiple obstacles, the convergence curve of the shortest path length shows that as iterative generation grows, the length of the shortest path decreases and finally reaches a stable and optimal value. Comparisons show that using sensor information fusion can greatly improve the accuracy in comparison with single sensor. The successful path of robots without collision validates the efficiency, stability and accuracy of the proposed algorithm, which is proved to be better than tradition genetic algorithm (GA) for dynamic obstacle avoidance in real time.

Parallel Evaluation of a Spatial Traversability Cost Function on GPU for Efficient Path Planning

A parallel version of the traditional grid based cost-to-go function generation algorithm used in robot path planning is introduced. The process takes advantage of the spatial layout of an occupancy grid by concurrently calculating the next wave front of grid cells usually evaluated sequentially in traditional dynamic programming algorithms. The algorithm offers an order of magnitude increase in run time for highly obstacle dense worst-case environments. Efficient path planning of real world agents can greatly increase their accuracy and responsiveness. The process and theoretical analysis are covered before the results of practical testing are discussed.

Path Planning of Multi-Axis Robotic Arm Based on Improved RRT*

An improved RRT∗algorithm,referred to as the AGP-RRT∗algorithm,is proposed to address the problems of poor directionality,long generated paths,and slow convergence speed in multi-axis robotic arm path planning.First,an adaptive biased probabilistic sampling strategy is adopted to dynamically adjust the target deviation threshold and optimize the selection of random sampling points and the direction of generating new nodes in order to reduce the search space and improve the search efficiency.Second,a gravitationally adjustable step size strategy is used to guide the search process and dynamically adjust the step-size to accelerate the search speed of the algorithm.Finally,the planning path is processed by pruning,removing redundant points and path smoothing fitting using cubic B-spline curves to improve the flexibility of the robotic arm.Through the six-axis robotic arm path planning simulation experiments on the MATLAB platform,the results show that the AGP-RRT∗algorithm reduces 87.34%in terms of the average running time and 40.39%in terms of the average path cost;Meanwhile,under two sets of complex environments A and B,the average running time of the AGP-RRT∗algorithm is shortened by 94.56%vs.95.37%,and the average path cost is reduced by 55.28%vs.47.82%,which proves the effectiveness of the AGP-RRT∗algorithm in improving the efficiency of multi-axis robotic arm path planning.

Dynamic Modeling and Hybrid Fireworks Algorithm-Based Path Planning of an Amphibious Robot

The task of path planning in amphibious environments requires additional consideration due to the complexity of the amphibious environments.This paper presents a path planning method for an amphibious robot named\AmphiRobot"with its dynamic constraints considered.First,an explicit dynamic model using Kane's method is presented.The hydrodynamic parameters are obtained through computational°uid dynamics simulations.Furthermore,a path planning method based on a hybrid¯reworks algorithm is proposed,combining the¯reworks algorithm and bare bones¯reworks algorithm,aiming at the amphibious robot's characteristics of multiple motion modes and working environments.The initially planned path is then smoothed using Dubins path under constraints determined by the dynamic model.Simulation reveals that the performance of the hybrid¯reworks algorithm approach is better than the¯reworks algorithm and bare bones¯reworks algorithm is applied separately in the amphibious environment scenarios.

Complete coverage path planning for an Arnold system based mobile robot to perform specific types of missions

We propose a contraction transformation algorithm to plan a complete coverage trajectory for a mobile robot to ac-complish specific types of missions based on the Arnold dynamical system. First, we construct a chaotic mobile robot by com-bining the variable z of the Arnold equation and the kinematic equation of the robot. Second, we construct the candidate sets including the initial points with a relatively high coverage rate of the constructed mobile robot. Then the trajectory is contracted to the current position of the robot based on the designed contraction transformation strategy, to form a continuous complete cov-erage trajectory to execute the specific types of missions. Compared with the traditional method, the designed algorithm requires no obstacle avoidance to the boundary of the given workplace, possesses a high coverage rate, and keeps the chaotic characteristics of the produced coverage trajectory relatively unchanged, which enables the robot to accomplish special missions with features of completeness, randomness, or unpredictability.

A model-based approximate λ-policy iteration approach to online evasive path planning and the video game Ms.Pac-Man

This paper presents a model-based approximate λ-policy iteration approach using temporal differences for optimizing paths online for a pursuit-evasion problem,where an agent must visit several target positions within a region of interest while simultaneously avoiding one or more actively pursuing adversaries.This method is relevant to applications,such as robotic path planning,mobile-sensor applications,and path exposure.The methodology described utilizes cell decomposition to construct a decision tree and implements a temporal difference-based approximate λ-policy iteration to combine online learning with prior knowledge through modeling to achieve the objectives of minimizing the risk of being caught by an adversary and maximizing a reward associated with visiting target locations.Online learning and frequent decision tree updates allow the algorithm to quickly adapt to unexpected movements by the adversaries or dynamic environments.The approach is illustrated through a modified version of the video game Ms.Pac-Man,which is shown to be a benchmark example of the pursuit-evasion problem.The results show that the approach presented in this paper outperforms several other methods as well as most human players.

A Path Planning Method for Robotic Belt Surface Grinding

The flexible contact and machining with wide strip are two prominent advantages for the robotic belt grinding system, which can be widely used to improve the surface quality and machining efficiency while finishing the workpieces with sculptured surfaces. There lacks research on grinding path planning with the constraint of curvature. With complicated contact between the contact wheel and the workpiece, the grinding paths for robot can be obtained by the theory of contact kinematics. The grinding process must satisfy the universal demands of the belt grinding technologies, and the most important thing is to make the contact wheel conform to the local geometrical features on the contact area. For the local surfaces with small curvature, the curve length between the neighboring cutting locations becomes longer to ensure processing efficiency. Otherwise, for the local areas with large curvature, the curve length becomes shorter to ensure machining accuracy. A series of planes are created to intersect with the target surface to be ground, and the corresponding sectional profile curves are obtained. For each curve, the curve length between the neighboring cutting points is optimized by inserting a cutter location at the local area with large curvatures. A method of generating the grinding paths including curve length spacing optimization is set up. The validity is completely approved by the off-line simulation, and during the grinding experiments with the method, the quality of surface is improved. The path planning method provides a theoretical support for the smooth and accuracy path of robotic surface grinding.

Collision-Free Path Planning with Kinematic Constraints in Urban Scenarios

In urban driving scenarios,owing to the presence of multiple static obstacles such as parked cars and roadblocks,planning a collision-free and smooth path remains a challenging problem.In addition,the path-planning problem is mostly non-convex,and contains multiple local minima.Therefore,a method for combining a sampling-based method and an optimization-based method is proposed in this paper to generate a collision-free path with kinematic constraints for urban scenarios.The sampling-based method constructs a search graph to search for a seeding path for exploring a safe driving corridor,and the optimization-based method constructs a quadratic programming problem considering the desired state constraints,continuity constraints,driving corridor constraints,and kinematic constraints to perform path optimization.The experimental results show that the proposed method is able to plan a collision-free and smooth path in real time when managing typical urban scenarios.

多障碍环境下巡检机器人路径规划优化研究

针对大规模、密集的障碍物分布,高效地搜索最佳路径是一个挑战,为规划出更短的巡检路线,并实现多障碍环境下的灵活避障,文中提出一种多障碍环境下巡检机器人路径规划优化方法。使用二维矩阵构建巡检环境模型,应用D*算法在巡检环境模型中进行巡检机器人路径规划,并将传统D*算法中的扩展步长方式改变为自适应扩展步长,使机器人在面积较大的巡检场地能够更快地完成巡检;将代价函数由欧氏距离替换为切比雪夫诺距离和曼哈顿距离融合的代价函数,并引入了平滑度函数优化线路规划结果,使规划的路径更为平滑,在遇到由于多种原因产生的新障碍物时可以重新规划路径。通过实验结果可知,无论是静态地图还是动态地图,该方法均可以快速准确地规划出一条最佳路线,并且在多种环境中应用该方法能够高效获取路径规划结果。

改进Informed-RRT^(*)算法的移动机器人路径规划

针对Informed-RRT^(*)算法初始路径形成缓慢、失败率高及路径质量差的问题,提出基于人工势场法的选点策略。首先,筛选出优质采样点,同时,引入双向直连的贪心策略和动态步长策略,快速获得初始路径并尽快进入遍历寻优阶段;其次,通过新的采样策略及评价函数,保证规划路径更优;最后,对路径优化处理,所得路径更适合移动机器人的行驶。仿真实验结果表明,改进算法相比于Informed-RRT^(*)算法性能更优,其中,改进算法在不同环境中的成功率均为100%,同时也证明了在限定采样次数下改进算法的收敛速度、路径质量均优于原算法。

Optimal Motion Planning of the Space Manipulator for Minimum Reaction Torque to Satellite

For the problem of free⁃floating space robot(FFSR)that the motion of manipulator will cause a large disturbance to the attitude of satellite,a path planning method based on hp⁃adaptive Gauss pseudospectral method(hp⁃AGPM)is proposed in this paper.In this method,the minimum reaction torque acting on satellite is taken as the objective function,and the number of segments and the order of polynomial in each segment are determined adaptively to improve the accuracy and the efficiency of the solution.At the same time,the theoretical convergence of the designed method is innovatively proved to ensure that the solution of the discretized nonlinear programming(NLP)problem is the optimal solution to the original optimal problem.The simulation results of a planar two degree⁃of⁃freedom(2⁃DOF)space manipulator show that the proposed path planning method is more effective than the resolved acceleration control(RAC)method and the control variable parameterization(CVP)method,and is better than other pseudospectral methods both in computation speed and the number of collocation points.

采用社会约束自适应动态窗口法的服务机器人路径规划

针对传统动态窗口法在行人密集环境下动态路径规划存在灵活性差、效率低、安全性缺乏等问题,提出一种社会交互空间下基于社会约束自适应动态窗口法(social_DWA),并采用其解决服务机器人局部路径规划问题。首先,采用非对称高斯公式对单行人以及多人群组交互空间进行模型化描述;其次,在传统动态窗口法的基础上,采用动态行人方位角约束对动态行人进行避让;改进距离评价函数,分类决策与行人、多人群组、一般障碍物的安全距离;最后,提出速度权重自适应调整策略,优化服务机器人在途经不同密集度社会交互区域时的移动速度。为验证算法有效性,在两种模拟社会场景下,先后开展了social_DWA算法与传统DWA算法、FIDWA算法的路径规划仿真对比实验。结果表明:采用social_DWA算法所消耗的运动时间在场景1中较传统DWA和FIDWA算法分别缩短了1.53、0.43 s,在场景2中较传统DWA和FIDWA算法分别缩短了26.3、2.86 s;相较于传统DWA算法和FIDWA算法,social_DWA算法能保持有效的行人安全距离,并使运行轨迹更加合理。social_DWA算法在行人避让、环境适应能力等方面具有一定的优越性。

改进Q-Learning的路径规划算法研究

针对Q-Learning算法学习效率低、收敛速度慢且在动态障碍物的环境下路径规划效果不佳的问题,本文提出一种改进Q-Learning的移动机器人路径规划算法.针对该问题,算法根据概率的突变性引入探索因子来平衡探索和利用以加快学习效率;通过在更新函数中设计深度学习因子以保证算法探索概率;融合遗传算法,避免陷入局部路径最优同时按阶段探索最优迭代步长次数,以减少动态地图探索重复率;最后提取输出的最优路径关键节点采用贝塞尔曲线进行平滑处理,进一步保证路径平滑度和可行性.实验通过栅格法构建地图,对比实验结果表明,改进后的算法效率相较于传统算法在迭代次数和路径上均有较大优化,且能够较好的实现动态地图下的路径规划,进一步验证所提方法的有效性和实用性.

采摘机器人的路径规划系统动态性优化研究

为进一步改善采摘机器人的工作性能,提出以动态调控为主导的理念,针对整机的路径规划系统展开优化研究。以当前果园采摘机器人的通用性结构组成为前提,将云平台数据处理与路径规划核心算法有效融合后搭建动态控制模型,分别针对路径规划系统的硬件配置与软件控制进行合理设计,得到可应用于采摘实践且布局完整的路径规划系统。展开动态性优化下的采摘作业试验,结果表明:优化后采摘机器人路径规划系统的整体路径搜索率与路径平滑性得到明显提升,相对提升度分别为10.93%和9.71%,路径偏离率相对降低了50%左右,很好地优化了机器人的避障能力,满足系统稳定性需求,具有较高的实用价值。

融合改进A^(*)算法与动态窗口法的移动机器人路径规划

为解决移动机器人在随机障碍物环境的导航过程中,使用A星(简称A^(*))算法出现碰撞导致路径规划失败的问题,设计了一种融合改进A_(*)算法和动态窗口法(dynamic window approach,DWA)的全局动态路径规划方法。首先,从以下两方面改进传统A^(*)算法:混合使用4邻域和8邻域A^(*)搜索算法,与通过删除冗余路径点和转折点来提高路径的平滑性;接着将改进A^(*)算法与DWA融合,利用融合算法使移动机器人进行全局实时动态路径规划。Matlab仿真试验结果表明,改进后的A^(*)算法较传统A^(*)算法不会使机器人穿越障碍物及其顶点,这有效减少了碰撞,从而提高了安全性;融合DWA后,在获得全局最优路径的基础上,能避开静态随机障碍物和动态障碍物,这证明了融合算法有良好的路径规划能力。