DVFF navigation: A combined approach to real time mobile robot navigation without prior knowledge of the environment.

Abstract

Often autonomous mobile robots operate in environment for which prior maps are incomplete or inaccurate. They require the safe execution for a collision free motion to a goal position. This paper addresses a complete navigation method for a mobile robot that moves in unknown environment. Thus, a navigation method called DVFF combining the Virtual Force Field (VFF) obstacle avoidance approach and global path planning based on D* algorithm is proposed. While D* generates global path information towards a goal position, the VFF local controller generates the admissible trajectories that ensure safe robot motion. Results and analysis from a battery of experiments with this new method implemented on a ATRV2 mobile robot are shown.