Vector Marks versus Potential Field

Abstract

In navigation of robots in indoor environment potential field, electrostatic or based on artifical potential functions, are often used. There are known, except of advantages, some weeknesses of this usage – found paths are not optimal, large amount of data is required, possible deadlocks etc. The new method of representation of an environment, preserving the main advantage of usage of potential fields – possibility to define path of movement dynamicali and do not requirening complicated calculations during movement and ensuering paths near the shortest proposed. Robot moves orienting only by the set of virtual vectors (vector marks) associated with the goal pont. Vector marks touches obstacles and are an elongations of fragments of the shortest path. They are placed so, that at least one vector mark is visible from any position of a robot. Attributes of vector marks and the algorithm of robot orientation are presented. Ill. 7, bibl.5 (in English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian).