1D virtual force field algorithm for reflexive local path planning of mobile robots

Abstract

A one‐dimensional (1D) virtual force field (VFF) algorithm for real‐time reflexive local path planning of mobile robots is proposed. The 1D‐VFF is composed of the virtual steering, obstacle and integrated force fields (IFFs). The steering force field (SFF) is generated by the local or global goal position. This SFF leads a mobile robot to the goal. The obstacle force field (OFF) is created by the raw data of a range measurement sensor (RMS). By this OFF, a mobile robot avoids obstacles. The IFF is produced by combining the steering and OFFs in which weights between 0 and 1 are multiplied. Through this IFF, a final steering command by which a mobile robot reaches a goal by avoiding obstacles is generated. Various simulations compare the performance of the proposed 1D‐VFF with the weighted virtual tangential vector (WVTV), which is the recently suggested local path planning method to overcome the U‐shaped enclosure problem.