Title: Simultaneously firing sonar ring based high-speed navigation for non-holonomic mobile robots in unstructured environment

Authors: Zhijun Li, Zhaoxian Xie, Aiguo Ming

Addresses: Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Department of Mechanical and Control Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu-Shi, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan. ' Department of Mechanical and Control Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu-Shi, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan. ' Department of Mechanical and Control Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu-Shi, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan

Abstract: To achieve high-speed navigation in narrow, cluttered, dynamic, unstructured environments, a sensing system using a sonar ring for a mobile robot capable of rapid detection and avoidance of obstacles has been developed and a prototype of the sensing system with 24 sonar sensors is fabricated. A composite method of firing all ultrasonic sensors simultaneously with the scanning rate up to 66 Hz of panoramic detection and Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) is presented. The experimental results show that a rapid navigation of the mobile robot in the unstructured environment becomes possible.

Keywords: ultrasonic sensors; high speed navigation; dynamic window approach; DWA; sonar ring; mobile robots; unstructured environments; nonholonomic robots; obstacle detection; obstacle avoidance; collision avoidance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2008.016484

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2008 Vol.6 No.1/2, pp.172 - 185

Published online: 31 Dec 2007 *

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