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arXiv · 1606.09278

Motion Planning With Gamma-Harmonic Potential Fields

Ahmad A. Masoud
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Abstract

This paper extends the capabilities of the harmonic potential field (HPF) approach to planning. The extension covers the situation where the workspace of a robot cannot be segmented into geometrical subregions where each region has an attribute of its own. The suggested approach uses a task-centered, probabilistic descriptor of the workspace as an input to the planner. This descriptor is processed, along with a goal point, to yield the navigation policy needed to steer the agent from any point in its workspace to the target. The approach is easily adaptable to planning in a cluttered environment containing a vector drift field. The extension of the HPF approach is based on the physical analogy with an electric current flowing in a nonhomogeneous conducting medium. The resulting potential field is known as the gamma-harmonic potential (GHPF). Proofs of the ability of the modified approach to avoid zero-probability (definite threat) regions and to converge to the goal are provided. The capabilities of the planer are demonstrated using simulation.

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Ahmad A. Masoud. 2016-06-29. Motion Planning With Gamma-Harmonic Potential Fields. https://doi.org/10.1109/taes.2012.6324661

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