Image modelling in real time using spheres and simple polyhedra

The modern industrial environment includes static and dynamic objects. It consists of moving machinery, robots, objects to be manipulated and obstacles to be avoided. The free space available to the moving machinery and robots depends on the accuracy of the models used for this changing environment. In the paper, two models are compared for use with a novel image modelling system working in real time. The system consists of a dynamic `World Model' updated by a vision system and is described fully in Sanders et al. (1991) and Sanders (1990). This supplies data to a `Path Planner' and `Path Improver'. The Path Planner contains a geometric model of the static environment and a robot. Given a task, the Path Planner calculates an efficient collision free path for the robot. This is passed to a control computer where a trajectory is generated and a robot completes the task