A collision-free area search and 3D map building algorithm for a ground mobile robot in unknown indoor environments

In this paper, we propose an algorithm combining collision-free area search and 3D map building of unknown indoor environments for a ground mobile robot. The robot is equipped with two 2D range finder sensors. According to the proposed algorithm, the robot travels on the ground with obstacle avoidance and explores the unknown area. Simultaneously, the robot scans the 3D structure of the environment by the range finder sensor and builds a complete 3D map. According to the mathematical analysis, it is proved that the robot can complete the map building in a finite time by the proposed algorithm. The computer simulation confirms the performance of the proposed method. The proposed algorithm is simple with small computation. It solves the collision-free area search problem and complete 3D map building problem simultaneously.