• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• 제16권10호
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• pp.3373-3389
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• 2022

Exploration of mobile robot without prior data about environments is a fundamental problem during the SLAM processes. In this work, we propose improved version of previous Rmap algorithm by modifying its Exploration submodule. Despite the previous Rmap's performance which significantly reduces the overhead of the grid map, its exploration module costs a lot because of its rectangle following algorithm. To prevent that, we propose a new Rmap+ algorithm for autonomous path planning of mobile robot to explore an unknown environment. The algorithm bases on paired frontiers. To navigate and extend an exploration area of mobile robot, the Rmap+ utilizes the inner and outer frontiers. In each exploration round, the mobile robot using the sensor range determines the frontiers. Then robot periodically changes the range of sensor and generates inner pairs of frontiers. After calculating the length of each frontiers' and its corresponding pairs, the Rmap+ selects the goal point to navigate the robot. The experimental results represent efficiency and applicability on exploration time and distance, i.e., to complete the whole exploration, the path distance decreased from 15% to 69%, as well as the robot decreased the time consumption from 12% to 86% than previous algorithms.

• ETRI Journal
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.580-593
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• 2021

When operating in confined spaces or near obstacles, collision-free path planning is an essential requirement for autonomous exploration in unknown environments. This study presents an autonomous exploration technique using a carefully designed collision-free local planner. Using LiDAR range measurements, a local end-point selection method is designed, and the path is generated from the current position to the selected end-point. The generated path showed the consistent collision-free path in real-time by adopting the Euclidean signed distance field-based grid-search method. The results consistently demonstrated the safety and reliability of the proposed path-planning method. Real-world experiments are conducted in three different mines, demonstrating successful autonomous exploration flights in environment with various structural conditions. The results showed the high capability of the proposed flight autonomy framework for lightweight aerial robot systems. In addition, our drone performed an autonomous mission in the tunnel circuit competition (Phase 1) of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.67-73
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• 2023

As interest in underwater structures and ocean exploration increases, many researchers are proposing methods for modeling and controlling various remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Recently, hybrid systems composed of an autonomous underwater vehicle and an ROV capable of remote control and autonomous navigation are being developed. In this study we introduce a method that models Ariari-aROV, an ROV consisting of five thrusters, and performs navigation. The proposed ROV can be controlled manually and by autonomous navigation when given a target point. An extended Kalman filter is utilized for sensor measurement correction for more precise navigation. The proposed method is verified through a simulation.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 제어로봇시스템학회 2001년도 ICCAS
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• pp.38.3-38
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• 2001

In the planetary surface exploration , micro-rovers or nano-rovers are very attractive choices for a surface exploration system providing mobility functions and other features required in the surface probe missions at small mass and relatively small cost. This paper surveys and summarizes the requirements for Mars exploration rovers in micro or nano scale and outlines the control concepts for navigation including the obstacle/hazard avoidance and the path planning. In this context, autonomous reaction capabilities are the key elements to control design in conjunction with the remote control schemes to deal with the significant signal propagation delays. Other navigation and control aspects such as the instrument fine positioning and the flip-over of the rovers are also briefly introduced. The current technical limitations of the micro- and nano-rovers are summarized.

• 한국해양공학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.106-113
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• 2008

This paper presents an underwater navigation system based on range measurements from a known reference station fixed on the sea bottom or floated at surface with a buoy, for which the system is extended to 3-dimensional coordinates. We formulated a state equation in polar coordinates and constituted an extended Kalman filter for discrete-time implementation of the navigation algorithm. The autonomous underwater vehicle, lSiMl, cruising with a constant speed can estimate its trajectory using just range measurements and additional depth, heading and pitch sensors. Simulation studies were performed to evaluate the underwater navigation of the maneuvering AUV with range measurements. We modulated the sample rate of range measurements to evaluate the effect of the update rate, and changed the initial position error of the AUV to check the robustness to estimation errors. Simulation results illustrates that the extended navigation system provides convergence of the state estimates. The navigation system was conditionally stable when it had initial position errors.

• 로봇학회논문지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.79-85
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• 2018

This study focuses on autonomous exploration based on map expansion for an underwater robot equipped with acoustic sonars. Map expansion is applicable to large-area mapping, but it may affect localization accuracy. Thus, as the key contribution of this paper, we propose a method for underwater autonomous exploration wherein the robot determines the trade-off between map expansion ratio and position accuracy, selects which of the two has higher priority, and then moves to a mission step. An occupancy grid map is synthesized by utilizing the measurements of an acoustic range sonar that determines the probability of occupancy. This information is then used to determine a path to the frontier, which becomes the new search point. During area searching and map building, the robot revisits artificial landmarks to improve its position accuracy as based on imaging sonar-based recognition and EKF-SLAM if the position accuracy is above the predetermined threshold. Additionally, real-time experiments were conducted by using an underwater robot, yShark, to validate the proposed method, and the analysis of the results is discussed herein.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.321-338
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• 2008

This paper presents a Modified Multiple Depth First Search algorithm for the exploration of the indoor environments occupied with obstacles in random distribution. The proposed algorithm was designed and implemented to employ one or a team of Khepera II mini robots for the exploration process. In case of multi-robots, the BlueCore2 External Bluetooth module was used to establish wireless networks with one master robot and one up to three slaves. Messages are sent and received via the module's Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) interface. Real exploration experiments were performed using locally developed teleworkbench with various autonomy features. In addition, computer simulation tool was also developed to simulate the exploration experiments with one master robot and one up to ten slaves. Computer simulations were in good agreement with the real experiments for the considered cases of one to one up to three networks. Results of the MMDFS for single robot exhibited 46% reduction in the needed number of steps for exploring environments with obstacles in comparison with other algorithms, namely the Ants algorithm and the original MDFS algorithm. This reduction reaches 71% whenever exploring open areas. Finally, results performed using multi-robots exhibited more reduction in the needed number of exploration steps.

• 로봇학회논문지
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.487-495
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• 2023

This paper presents a method for autonomous exploration of indoor environments using a 2-dimensional Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) scanner. The proposed frontier-based exploration method considers navigability from the current robot position to extracted frontier targets. An approach to constructing the point cloud grid map that accurately reflects the occupancy probability of glass obstacles is proposed, enabling identification of safe frontier grids on the safety grid map calculated from the point cloud grid map. Navigability, indicating whether the robot can successfully navigate to each frontier target, is calculated by applying the skeletonization-informed rapidly exploring random tree algorithm to the safety grid map. While conventional exploration approaches have focused on frontier detection and target position/direction decision, the proposed method discusses a safe navigation approach for the overall exploration process until the completion of mapping. Real-world experiments have been conducted to verify that the proposed method leads the robot to avoid glass obstacles and safely navigate the entire environment, constructing the point cloud map and calculating the navigability with low computing time deviation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.1153-1164
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• 2024

In recent years, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have been used to search for lost or stolen radioactive sources to avoid radiation exposure for operators. To achieve autonomous localization of radioactive sources, the UGVs must have the ability to automatically determine the next radiation measurement location instead of following a predefined path. Also, the radiation field of radioactive sources has to be reconstructed or inverted utilizing discrete measurements to obtain the radiation intensity distribution in the area of interest. In this study, we propose an effective source localization framework and method, in which UGVs are able to autonomously explore in the radiation area to determine the location of radioactive sources through an iterative process: path planning, radiation field reconstruction and estimation of source location. In the search process, the next radiation measurement point of the UGVs is fully predicted by the design path planning algorithm. After obtaining the measurement points and their radiation measurements, the radiation field of radioactive sources is reconstructed by the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model based on machine learning method. Based on the reconstructed radiation field, the locations of radioactive sources can be determined by the peak analysis method. The proposed method is verified through extensive simulation experiments, and the real source localization experiment on a Cs-137 point source shows that the proposed method can accurately locate the radioactive source with an error of approximately 0.30 m. The experimental results reveal the important practicality of our proposed method for source autonomous localization tasks.

• 지구물리
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.351-359
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• 2006

We investigated subsurface structures of the Bransfield Basin, the Antarctic with AUH (Autonomous Underwater Hydrophne) which was designed to record abyssal T-waves generated from submarine earthquakes. The data obtained from a multi-channel seismic survey and an AUH were used for this study. A seismic reflection method was applied to the multi-channel seismic survey data in order to identify bathymetry and sedimentary structures, and the signals recorded in the AUH were used to obtain deep structures as we applied a seismic refraction method. Even though we couldn’t investigate deeper and detailed structure in study area because of lack of Airgun’s capacity, the AUH showed possibilities for being used for a marine seismic survey. From this experiment, we decided the upper and lower sediment layer velocities, detected irregular basement topography probably caused by submarine volcanic/magmatic activities, and retrieved the velocity of the basement and the depth of the sediment layer/basement boundary.