A novel configuration of ultrasonic sensors for mobile robots

This paper introduces a new arrangement of ultrasonic sensors for mobile robots. The sensors employ a special configuration to widen the obstacle detection range. The sensors are placed at the front of the mobile robot, on left and right sides, and each sensor is pointed toward a predetermined direction in such a way as to cover the entire area in front of the mobile robot. The configuration can be used for navigation and obstacle avoidance while a robot moves along a desired path. This novel configuration is based on sensor radiation beam patterns and on the characteristics of the ultrasonic wave reflection. The paper describes some experiments comparing the conventional ring and line configurations with this novel configuration.<
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