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Automated robotic parking systems: real-time, concurrent and multi-robot path planning in dynamic environments

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Abstract

This paper presents an integrated framework for a suite of dynamic path planning algorithms for real time and concurrent movement of multiple robotic carts across a parking garage floor layout without driving lanes. Planning and search algorithms were formulated to address major aspects of automation for storage and retrieval of cars loaded onto robotic mobile carts. Path planning algorithms including A*, D* Lite and Uniform Cost Search were implemented and integrated within a unified framework to guide the robotic carts from a starting point to their destination during the storage and the retrieval processes. For the circumstances where there is no clear path for a car being stored or retrieved, a procedure was developed to unblock the obstacles in the path. A policy that minimizes obstructions was defined for assigning the parking spots on a given floor for arriving cars. Performance evaluation of the overall proposed system was done using a multithreaded software application. A variety of rectangular parking lot layouts including those with 20 × 20, 20 × 40, 30 × 40, and 40 × 40 parking spaces were considered in the simulation study. Performance metrics of path length, planning or search time and memory space requirements were monitored. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed design facilitates near optimal paths, and is able to handle tens of concurrent requests in real time and in the presence of immobilized carts.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognize the contribution by Mr. Dustin Baumgartner who performed a preliminary exploration of the search and planning algorithms for the same problem considered in this paper.

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  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA

    Gursel Serpen & Chao Dou

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  1. Gursel Serpen
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  2. Chao Dou
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Correspondence to Gursel Serpen.

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Serpen, G., Dou, C. Automated robotic parking systems: real-time, concurrent and multi-robot path planning in dynamic environments. Appl Intell 42, 231–251 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-014-0598-x

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