The fast detection of obstacles is the key technology for the navigation

obstacle avoidance

and trajectory tracking of mobile robots. Most sensors have problems such as distance blind zone and abnormal scale

and the existing algorithms are generally limited by complex calculation

making it difficult to meet real-time requirements. This paper proposes a new method of rapid obstacle detection and localization for mobile robots based on the difference of inverse perspective mapping. The method takes the level ground as the reference plane to perform inverse perspective transformation on the images captured by the adjacent view cameras in the around view monitoring system mounted on the mobile robots

and obtains the inverse perspective mapping difference by image difference. In the images

the point with zero pixel value is located on the reference plane; otherwise it is outside the plane. After thresholding and filtering operation

the method can be used to distinguish targets not on the reference plane

so as to realize the fast detection of obstacles. Besides

obstacles can be located accurately on the basis of the inverse projection mapping difference through the transformation from the pixel coordinate system to the coordinate system of the robot. Different types

sizes

and distances of obstacles within 5 m were tested. The average detection accuracy was 97.3%

the average detection time per frame was 46 ms

and the average localization error was 1.1%. The experimental results show that the proposed method can quickly and effectively detect and locate the dynamic and static obstacles near the mobile robot.