Generalized Path Corridor-based Local Path Planning for Nonholonomic Mobile Robot

A new generalized path corridor-based local planner for a nonholonomic mobile robot is proposed to avoid dynamic obstacles while following the lead of a global path. Rather than applying the global path directly, the proposed local planner will transform the global path into a normative path. Then, a generalized path corridor (GPC) is constructed based on the normative path. GPC defines the maximum free space along the normative path for local path planning. This avoids the local planner searching the entire space but still provides enough flexibility to deal with the dynamic obstacles. Additionally, a new type of heuristic cost is also proposed, which is measured based on the distance from the current location to the goal along the normative path. The integration of the normative path-based heuristic makes the local path planning more goal-oriented and helps the robot to navigate through the GPC and reach the goal more effectively.