Real-time generation of environmental map and obstacle avoidance using omnidirectional image sensor with conic mirror

An omnidirectional image sensor COPIS (conic projection image sensor) is proposed for guiding navigation of a mobile robot. It features passive sensing of the omnidirectional environment in real-time using a conic mirror. Because the conic mirror is used, its image is under conic projection; where the azimuth of each point in the scene appears in the image as its direction from the image center. The authors describe COPIS and its application to guide the navigation of a mobile robot. The COPIS system acquires an omnidirectional view around the robot in real-time by using a conic mirror. Under the assumption of constant motion of the robot, locations of objects around the robot can be estimated by detecting their azimuth changes in the omnidirectional image. Using this method, the robot generates an environmental map of an indoor scene while it is moving in the environment. A method to avoid collision against objects by detecting their azimuth changes is presented