Patent ID: 11948468
Assignee: AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES CORPORATION
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for detecting and avoiding conflict along a current route of a robot, the apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store computer-readable program code; and
processing circuitry configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to cause the apparatus to at least:
access or determining trajectories of the robot and a nearby moving object forward in time from respective current positions of the robot and the nearby moving object;
detect a conflict between the robot and the nearby moving object from a comparison of the trajectories;
select a maneuver to avoid the conflict, including:
determine a plurality of angles that describe the conflict, the plurality of angles including a first angle at which the robot observes the moving object, and either a second angle at which the moving object observes the robot, or a third angle between the trajectories at a crossing point of the trajectories; and
evaluate the plurality of angles to select the maneuver to avoid the conflict include applying an algorithm that includes a first conditional statement by which the first angle and the second angle are evaluated to determine if the trajectories cross, a second conditional statement evaluated when the first conditional statement is evaluated to true, and a third conditional statement evaluated when the first conditional statement is evaluated to false; and

output an indication of the maneuver for use in at least one of guidance, navigation or control of the robot to avoid the conflict;
a region centered on the robot is divided into sectors, and the first angle is evaluated to determine if the moving object is within one of the sectors, and
wherein the maneuver as selected from the second conditional statement is a first maneuver when the moving object is within a first one or more non-adjacent ones of the sectors, a second maneuver when the moving object is within a second one or more non-adjacent ones of the sectors, and one of the first maneuver or the second maneuver dependent on the second angle when the moving object is within a third one or more non-adjacent ones of the sectors.