Automatic Conversion of Building Plan to Graph for Navigation of Robots – A Computer-Aided Approach Based on Extended Conditional Erosion Algorithm

This research work proposes a computer-aided algorithm for the conversion of building plans into a graph for the navigation of robots. Rescuing people from burning buildings manually is a tedious process. Robots play a pivotal role in industrial automation and the deployment of robots in rescue operations can save many people. Indoor navigation for robots is a challenging task since every building has a unique structure. A routing graph is inevitable to find the path in a building quickly for the navigation of robots to perform the rescue operation. The automatic extraction of the routing graph from the image of the floor plan is offered in this research work. The floor plan images are acquired and converted into a raster image. Then, by using the predefined kernels, the white pixels are eroded for obtaining the routing path of common walkways through corridors and rooms. The Extended Conditional Erosion Algorithm is used for the extraction of the routing graph from the floor plan images. The resultant graph as output aids the navigation of the robot.