Temporal occupancy grids: a method for classifying the spatio-temporal properties of the environment

This paper introduces the concept of a temporal occupancy grid as a method for modeling and classifying spatial areas according to the time properties of their occupancy. The method extends the idea of occupancy grids by considering occupancy over a number of different timescales. This paper presents the basic formalism and its implementation using planar laser rangefinders. It includes the results of a number of validation experiments, and an experiment in which we demonstrate the ability to locate doors in a real-world setting.