Retrieving topological information for mobile robots provided with grid maps

Abstract

In the context of mobile robotics, it is crucial for the robot to have a consistent representation of the surrounding area. However, common grid maps used in robotics do not provide any evidence as to connectivity, making it harder to find appropriate paths to particular points on the site. Therefore, abstracting the environment where mobile robots carry out some mission can be of a great benefit. Topological maps have been increasingly used in robotics, because they are fairly simple and an extremely intuitive representation for tasks that involve path planning. In this article, a method for retrieving a topological map from an a priori generic grid map of the environment is presented. Beyond extracting a 2D diagram which portrays the topology of the infra-structure, the focus is placed on obtaining graph-like data related to the connectivity of important points in the area, that can be passed on to robots or to a centralized planner, in order to assist the navigation task. The proposed method is further elaborated in detail and its results prove the simplicity, accuracy and efficiency of the approach. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.