Patent ID: 7587260

Claim:
A method for autonomously navigating a robot, comprising: repeating on each iteration through an event timing loop, the acts of: defining an event horizon comprising a distance from the robot that is proportional to a current velocity of the robot; detecting a range to obstacles around the robot; testing for an event horizon intrusion by determining if any range to the obstacles is within the event horizon; adjusting a rotational velocity comprising: modifying the rotational velocity if the event horizon intrusion occurs based on a proportion of a current rotational velocity reduced by a proportion of the range to a nearest obstacle within the event horizon; and adjusting a translational velocity comprising: modifying the translational velocity if the event horizon intrusion occurs based on a proportion of the range to the nearest obstacle within the event horizon; and setting the translational velocity if the event horizon intrusion does not occur to a ratio of a predetermined speed factor relative to a maximum allowable speed.