A Path Planning Algorithm for Automated Construction Equipment

This paper presents a new sensor-based path planning algorithm, the ACE algorithm, in unknown environment with multiple moving obstacles. The ACE algorithm is designed for an automated construction equipment (ACE). The algorithm is based on the practical assumptions that tit to the construction environment. It is assumed that the robot can measure instantaneous velocity of obstacles in a range of vision and has a cache memory to memorize a generated path from a tracking point. The ACE algorithm is an extension of the Tangent algorithm [5, 6]. The ACE algorithm guarantees reachability in an unknown environment with not only multiple moving obstacles but also composite obstacles. If an obstacle that is being tracked moves and/or if the robot returns to the generated path after a tracking point in clockwise tracking direction, the ACE algorithm terminates Tracking mode and resumes Toward Destination mode.