US Patent 10054447 Lazier graph-based path planning for autonomous navigation

A navigation method comprises receiving data modeling an environment, finding an optimal path to a goal in the environment, and reporting the optimal path to a navigation system. An autonomous vehicle comprises a path-finding system configured to receive data modeling an environment to be traversed and to find an optimal path to a goal. The vehicle further comprises a navigation system configured to receive the optimal path and to formulate drive data for driving the vehicle along the optimal path. The vehicle further comprises a drive system configured to receive the drive data and to drive the vehicle along the optimal path. A navigation device comprises a path-finding system configured to receive data modeling an environment and to find an optimal path to a goal. The navigation device further comprises a display configured to receive the optimal path and to represent the optimal path in a human-readable format.