A receding horizon control approach to obstacle avoidance

Abstract

The dynamic window approach to collision avoidance is a well-known method in the mobile robotics field. It provides an elegant way to navigate safely in the presence of obstacles, also taking the dynamic properties of the robot into account. There are different variants of this method, all having the same limitation, namely they use an objective function consisting of weighted terms. Different situations require different weights, however, there is no algorithm for choosing them. An inappropriate weighting can inhibit reaching the goal. This paper presents a navigation scheme based on the idea of dynamic window approach (DWA) and using receding horizon control (RHC). This method uses an objective function that does not contain weights. Kinematic and dynamic constraints of the robot are taken into account and a safe and goal-oriented motion is ensured.