A Control Barrier Function Based Approach for Safe and Efficient Navigation of Unicycle Mobile Robots

This paper proposes a control barrier function (CBF)-based approach to ensure safe and efficient navigation of a unicycle-modeled mobile robot in complex environments. The proposed method combines a baseline controller for primary control objectives, such as path tracking and goal reaching, with a safety filter that guarantees collision avoidance by confining the robot’s motion within a safe region. To address the inherent under-actuation challenges of the unicycle, a higher-order control barrier function (HOCBF) is integrated into the control framework. The HOCBF effectively handles system constraints and ensures safety while allowing for flexible trajectory planning. The performance of the proposed controller is rigorously evaluated through numerical simulations in various scenarios, to demonstrate its effectiveness.