SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR HIGH-SPEED TRAVERSAL OF PRESCRIBED ROUTES
First Claim
1. A method of autonomously navigating an environment by a robot, comprising the steps of:
- collecting data about at least a portion of said environment using at least one sensor;
assessing said collected sensor data to identify obstacles within at least a portion of said environment;
assessing said collected sensor data to determine terrain roughness and terrain slope for at least a portion of said environment to establish a traversability rating for said portion of said environment;
generating a cost map of said environment incorporating said identified obstacles and said traversability rating;
planning a path through said environment using said cost map; and
traversing said environment.
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for high-speed navigation. The present invention preferably encompasses systems, methods, and apparatuses that provide for autonomous high-speed navigation of terrain by an un-manned robot. By preferably employing a pre-planned route, path, and speed; extensive sensor-based information collection about the local environment; and information about vehicle pose, the robots of the present invention evaluate the relative cost of various potential paths and thus arrive at a path to traverse the environment. The information collection about the local environment allows the robot to evaluate terrain and to identify any obstacles that may be encountered. The robots of the present invention thus employ map-based data fusion in which sensor information is incorporated into a cost map, which is preferably a rectilinear grid aligned with the world coordinate system and is centered on the vehicle. The cost map is a specific map type that represents the traversability of a particular environmental area using a numeric value. The planned path and route provide information that further allows the robot to orient sensors to preferentially scan the areas of the environment where the robot will likely travel, thereby reducing the computational load placed onto the system. The computational ability of the system is further improved by using map-based syntax between various data processing modules of the present invention. By using a common set of carefully defined data types as syntax for communication, it is possible to identify new features for either path or map processing quickly and efficiently.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. A method of autonomously navigating an environment by a robot, comprising the steps of:
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collecting data about at least a portion of said environment using at least one sensor;
assessing said collected sensor data to identify obstacles within at least a portion of said environment;
assessing said collected sensor data to determine terrain roughness and terrain slope for at least a portion of said environment to establish a traversability rating for said portion of said environment;
generating a cost map of said environment incorporating said identified obstacles and said traversability rating;
planning a path through said environment using said cost map; and
traversing said environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. An apparatus for the autonomous navigation of an environment, comprising:
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a chassis;
a plurality of sensors adapted to generate data about said environment;
an engine adapted to drive said apparatus;
a steering mechanism capable of steering said apparatus;
a gimbal, wherein said gimbal houses at least one of said plurality of sensors; and
at least one computer processor, wherein said computer processor is adapted to;
evaluate said sensor data to identify obstacles in said environment;
evaluate said sensor data to determine terrain roughness and terrain slope for at least a portion of said environment to establish a traversability rating for said portion of said environment; and
generate a cost map of said environment incorporating said identified obstacles and said traversability rating. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification