Real-time obstacle avoidance using subtargets and Cubic B-spline for mobile robots

A new method is proposed which combines the subtargets algorithm and B-spline curve to generate collision-free and smooth paths for mobile robots to deal with the obstacle avoidance problem in highly dynamic environments. Firstly the via-points are generated using the subtargets algorithm iteratively. Then the Cubic B-spline curve method is used to create geometric paths by interpolating via-points. Lastly the motion laws are taken into account to transfer geometric paths to trajectories which will be tracked by the robot. Simulation results prove that the method is more efficient in generating collision-free and smooth paths than the original subtargets algorithm. Furthermore, the velocity and acceleration can be set to any desired profiles when tracking trajectories.