Methods and systems of navigational state detection for unobservable regions

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a map of occupied regions of a facility;

controlling a navigational sensor of a mobile apparatus to capture sensor data within a sensor field of view (FOV);

based on a current location of the mobile apparatus in the facility, identifying an unobservable occupied region, located outside the sensor FOV, in the map;

selecting, from the map, a first reference occupied region having a first reference identifier, and a second reference occupied region having a second reference identifier;

generating a first connection score associating the unobservable occupied region with the first reference occupied region, and a second connection score associating the unobservable occupied region with the second reference occupied region;

selecting a handling operation for the unobservable occupied region, based on the first and second connection scores;

updating the map according to the selected handling operation; and

controlling a locomotive assembly of the mobile apparatus according to the updated map.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

processing the captured sensor data to detect an observed occupied region located in the sensor FOV; and

updating the map according to the observed occupied region;

wherein the first reference occupied region includes the observed occupied region.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the map includes a static occupied region; and

wherein the second reference occupied region includes the static occupied region.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second reference identifiers are respective obstacle identifiers.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second reference identifiers are respective obstacle categories.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

responsive to detecting the observed occupied region, assigning an obstacle category to the observed occupied region based on a comparison of the observed occupied region to a set of predefined static obstacles.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the first and second connection scores is based on at least:

(i) proximity between the reference occupied region, and

(ii) presence of unoccupied regions separating the reference occupied region from the unobservable occupied region.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the first and second reference occupied regions includes selecting occupied regions in the map within a threshold distance of the unobservable occupied region.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region includes:

determining that neither of the first and second connection score exceeds a threshold; and

clearing the unobservable occupied region in the map.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region includes:

selecting the greater of the first and second connection scores; and

associating the corresponding reference identifier with the unobservable occupied region.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein selecting the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region includes:

comparing the corresponding reference ID with a previous reference ID associated with the unobservable occupied region; and

when the corresponding and previous reference IDs are different, clearing the unobservable occupied region in the map.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein mobile apparatus includes:

a chassis base supporting the locomotive assembly and the sensor; and

a rack extending from the chassis to support one or more receptacles.

13. A computing device, comprising:

a sensor having a sensor field of view (FOV); and

a processor configured to:

maintain a map of occupied regions of a facility;

control the sensor to capture sensor data within a sensor field of view (FOV);

based on a current location of a mobile apparatus in the facility, identify an unobservable occupied region, located outside the sensor FOV, in the map;

select, from the map, a first reference occupied region having a first reference identifier, and a second reference occupied region having a second reference identifier;

generate a first connection score associating the unobservable occupied region with the first reference occupied region, and a second connection score associating the unobservable occupied region with the second reference occupied region;

select a handling operation for the unobservable occupied region, based on the first and second connection scores;

update the map according to the selected handling operation; and

control a locomotive assembly of the mobile apparatus according to the updated map.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

process the captured sensor data to detect an observed occupied region located in the sensor FOV; and

update the map according to the observed occupied region;

wherein the first reference occupied region includes the observed occupied region.

15. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the map includes a static occupied region; and

wherein the second reference occupied region includes the static occupied region.

16. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second reference identifiers are respective obstacle identifiers.

17. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second reference identifiers are respective obstacle categories.

18. The computing device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

responsive to detecting the observed occupied region, assign an obstacle category to the observed occupied region based on a comparison of the observed occupied region to a set of predefined static obstacles.

19. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to generate the first and second connection scores based on at least:

(i) proximity between the reference occupied region, and

(ii) presence of unoccupied regions separating the reference occupied region from the unobservable occupied region.

20. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to select the first and second reference occupied regions by: selecting occupied regions in the map within a threshold distance of the unobservable occupied region.

21. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to select the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region by:

determining that neither of the first and second connection score exceeds a threshold; and

clearing the unobservable occupied region in the map.

22. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to select the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region by:

selecting the greater of the first and second connection scores; and

associating the corresponding reference identifier with the unobservable occupied region.

23. The computing device of claim 21 , wherein the processor is configured to select the handling operation for the unobservable occupied region by:

comparing the corresponding reference ID with a previous reference ID associated with the unobservable occupied region; and

when the corresponding and previous reference IDs are different, clearing the unobservable occupied region in the map.

24. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein mobile apparatus includes:

a chassis base supporting the locomotive assembly and the sensor; and

a rack extending from the chassis to support one or more receptacles.