An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information
This study presents an extended vector polar histogram (EVPH) method for efficient robot navigation using omni-directional LiDAR data. Although the conventional vector polar histogram (VPH) method is a powerful technique suitable for LiDAR sensors, it is limited in its sensing range by the single Li...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Symmetry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/15/8/1545 |
| _version_ | 1797583134608326656 |
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| author | Byunguk Lee Wonho Kim Seunghwan Lee |
| author_facet | Byunguk Lee Wonho Kim Seunghwan Lee |
| author_sort | Byunguk Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents an extended vector polar histogram (EVPH) method for efficient robot navigation using omni-directional LiDAR data. Although the conventional vector polar histogram (VPH) method is a powerful technique suitable for LiDAR sensors, it is limited in its sensing range by the single LiDAR sensor to a semicircle. To address this limitation, the EVPH method incorporates multiple LiDAR sensor’s data for omni-directional sensing. First off, in the EVPH method, the LiDAR sensor coordinate systems are directly transformed into the robot coordinate system to obtain an omni-directional polar histogram. Several techniques are also employed in this process, such as minimum value selection and linear interpolation, to generate a uniform omni-directional polar histogram. The resulting histogram is modified to represent the robot as a single point. Subsequently, consecutive points in the histogram are grouped to construct a symbol function for excluding concave blocks and a threshold function for safety. These functions are combined to determine the maximum cost value that generates the robot’s next heading angle. Robot backward motion is made feasible based on the determined heading angle, enabling the calculation of the velocity vector for time-efficient and collision-free navigation. To assess the efficacy of the proposed EVPH method, experiments were carried out in two environments where humans and obstacles coexist. The results showed that, compared to the conventional method, the robot traveled safely and efficiently in terms of the accumulated amount of rotations, total traveling distance, and time using the EVPH method. In the future, our plan includes enhancing the robustness of the proposed method in congested environments by integrating parameter adaptation and dynamic object estimation methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4d3f445a74704c068c7fb4cb4d8ac8da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-8994 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Symmetry |
| spelling | doaj.art-4d3f445a74704c068c7fb4cb4d8ac8da2023-11-19T03:11:17ZengMDPI AGSymmetry2073-89942023-08-01158154510.3390/sym15081545An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR InformationByunguk Lee0Wonho Kim1Seunghwan Lee2School of Electronic Engineering, Kumoh National Institude of Technology, Gumi 39177, Republic of KoreaSchool of Electronic Engineering, Kumoh National Institude of Technology, Gumi 39177, Republic of KoreaSchool of Electronic Engineering, Kumoh National Institude of Technology, Gumi 39177, Republic of KoreaThis study presents an extended vector polar histogram (EVPH) method for efficient robot navigation using omni-directional LiDAR data. Although the conventional vector polar histogram (VPH) method is a powerful technique suitable for LiDAR sensors, it is limited in its sensing range by the single LiDAR sensor to a semicircle. To address this limitation, the EVPH method incorporates multiple LiDAR sensor’s data for omni-directional sensing. First off, in the EVPH method, the LiDAR sensor coordinate systems are directly transformed into the robot coordinate system to obtain an omni-directional polar histogram. Several techniques are also employed in this process, such as minimum value selection and linear interpolation, to generate a uniform omni-directional polar histogram. The resulting histogram is modified to represent the robot as a single point. Subsequently, consecutive points in the histogram are grouped to construct a symbol function for excluding concave blocks and a threshold function for safety. These functions are combined to determine the maximum cost value that generates the robot’s next heading angle. Robot backward motion is made feasible based on the determined heading angle, enabling the calculation of the velocity vector for time-efficient and collision-free navigation. To assess the efficacy of the proposed EVPH method, experiments were carried out in two environments where humans and obstacles coexist. The results showed that, compared to the conventional method, the robot traveled safely and efficiently in terms of the accumulated amount of rotations, total traveling distance, and time using the EVPH method. In the future, our plan includes enhancing the robustness of the proposed method in congested environments by integrating parameter adaptation and dynamic object estimation methods.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/15/8/1545extended vector polar histogramomni-directional polar histogramcollision-free obstacle avoidancetime-efficient obstacle avoidance |
| spellingShingle | Byunguk Lee Wonho Kim Seunghwan Lee An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information Symmetry extended vector polar histogram omni-directional polar histogram collision-free obstacle avoidance time-efficient obstacle avoidance |
| title | An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information |
| title_full | An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information |
| title_fullStr | An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information |
| title_short | An Extended Vector Polar Histogram Method Using Omni-Directional LiDAR Information |
| title_sort | extended vector polar histogram method using omni directional lidar information |
| topic | extended vector polar histogram omni-directional polar histogram collision-free obstacle avoidance time-efficient obstacle avoidance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/15/8/1545 |
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