In coverage applications, a common assumption is that the robot can fully cover the environment without recharging. However, in reality most mobile robot systems operate under battery limitations. To incorporate this constraint, we consider the problem when the working environment is large and the robot needs to recharge multiple times to fully cover the environment. We focus on a geometric version where the environment is represented as a polygonal grid with a single charging station. Energy consumption throughout the environment is assumed to be uniform and proportional to the distance traveled. We first present a constant-factor approximation algorithm for contour-connected environments. We then extend the algorithm for general environments. We also validate the results in experiments performed with an aerial robot.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.