A New Collision Avoidance Methodology for Multi-Robot-Systems Based on the Robots’ Dynamics

Abstract

With the use of cooperative multi-robot-systems new chances and perspectives are revealed for service, industrial, space- and underwater-applications. A versatile multi-robot-control, which fully exploits the inherent flexibility of a multi-robot-system, guarantees optimized system-throughput and increases system-autonomy significantly [Freund and Roßmann, 1995; Roßmann, 1993]. On the other hand, the flexible use of multi-robot-systems requires new methodologies to ensure safe and collision-free movement of the controlled robots. The “intelligence” of the implemented security measures must keep up with the increase of autonomy of the robotic system. The new method CARE (Collision Avoidance in Realtime Environments), that is presented in this paper, is such a new safety methodology. It anticipates collision-danger between robots and robots and their environment and it actively avoids a collision by changing the predetermined path of the endangered robots in realtime. The planning of evasive actions is performed under consideration of static and dynamic constraints of the robots’ movements and of static and dynamic task-specific constraints. In particular, CARE allows to plan evasive actions without modifying the movement of the TCP only using the redundant kinematics of a robot.