scholarly journals A Fast Global Flight Path Planning Algorithm Based on Space Circumscription and Sparse Visibility Graph for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Electronics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Majeed ◽  
Sungchang Lee

This paper proposes a new flight path planning algorithm that finds collision-free, optimal/near-optimal and flyable paths for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in three-dimensional (3D) environments with fixed obstacles. The proposed algorithm significantly reduces pathfinding computing time without significantly degrading path lengths by using space circumscription and a sparse visibility graph in the pathfinding process. We devise a novel method by exploiting the information about obstacle geometry to circumscribe the search space in the form of a half cylinder from which a working path for UAV can be computed without sacrificing the guarantees on near-optimality and speed. Furthermore, we generate a sparse visibility graph from the circumscribed space and find the initial path, which is subsequently optimized. The proposed algorithm effectively resolves the efficiency and optimality trade-off by searching the path only from the high priority circumscribed space of a map. The simulation results obtained from various maps, and comparison with the existing methods show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and verify the aforementioned claims.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5340
Author(s):  
Abdul Majeed ◽  
Seong Oun Hwang

Finding an optimal/quasi-optimal path for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) utilizing full map information yields time performance degradation in large and complex three-dimensional (3D) urban environments populated by various obstacles. A major portion of the computing time is usually wasted on modeling and exploration of spaces that have a very low possibility of providing optimal/sub-optimal paths. However, computing time can be significantly reduced by searching for paths solely in the spaces that have the highest priority of providing an optimal/sub-optimal path. Many Path Planning (PP) techniques have been proposed, but a majority of the existing techniques equally evaluate many spaces of the maps, including unlikely ones, thereby creating time performance issues. Ignoring high-probability spaces and instead exploring too many spaces on maps while searching for a path yields extensive computing-time overhead. This paper presents a new PP method that finds optimal/quasi-optimal and safe (e.g., collision-free) working paths for UAVs in a 3D urban environment encompassing substantial obstacles. By using Constrained Polygonal Space (CPS) and an Extremely Sparse Waypoint Graph (ESWG) while searching for a path, the proposed PP method significantly lowers pathfinding time complexity without degrading the length of the path by much. We suggest an intelligent method exploiting obstacle geometry information to constrain the search space in a 3D polygon form from which a quasi-optimal flyable path can be found quickly. Furthermore, we perform task modeling with an ESWG using as few nodes and edges from the CPS as possible, and we find an abstract path that is subsequently improved. The results achieved from extensive experiments, and comparison with prior methods certify the efficacy of the proposed method and verify the above assertions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taizhi Lv ◽  
Chunxia Zhao ◽  
Jiancheng Bao

For path planning algorithms based on visibility graph, constructing a visibility graph is very time-consuming. To reduce the computing time of visibility graph construction, this paper proposes a novel global path planning algorithm, bidirectional SVGA (simultaneous visibility graph construction and path optimization by A⁎). This algorithm does not construct a visibility graph before the path optimization. However it constructs a visibility graph and searches for an optimal path at the same time. At each step, a node with the lowest estimation cost is selected to be expanded. According to the status of this node, different through lines are drawn. If this line is free-collision, it is added to the visibility graph. If not, some vertices of obstacles which are passed through by this line are added to the OPEN list for expansion. In the SVGA process, only a few visible edges which are in relation to the optimal path are drawn and the most visible edges are ignored. For taking advantage of multicore processors, this algorithm performs SVGA in parallel from both directions. By SVGA and parallel performance, this algorithm reduces the computing time and space. Simulation experiment results in different environments show that the proposed algorithm improves the time and space efficiency of path planning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (19-21) ◽  
pp. 1740091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taizhi Lv ◽  
Maoyan Feng

Path planning is an essential and inevitable problem in robotics. Trapping in local minima and discontinuities often exist in local path planning. To overcome these drawbacks, this paper presents a smooth path planning algorithm based on modified visibility graph. This algorithm consists of three steps: (1) polygons are generated from detected obstacles; (2) a collision-free path is found by simultaneous visibility graph construction and path search by A[Formula: see text] (SVGA); (3) the path is smoothed by B-spline curves and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Simulation experiment results show the effectiveness of this algorithm, and a smooth path can be found fleetly.


Author(s):  
Raffaele Di Gregorio

A novel type of parallel wrist (PW) is proposed which, differently from previously presented PWs, features a single-loop architecture and only one nonholonomic constraint. Due to the presence of a nonholonomic constraint, the proposed PW type is under-actuated, that is, it is able to control the platform orientation in a three-dimensional workspace by employing only two actuated pairs, one prismatic (P) and the other revolute (R); and it cannot perform tracking tasks. Position analysis and path planning of this novel PW are studied. In particular, all the relevant position analysis problems are solved in closed form, and, based on these closed-form solutions, a path-planning algorithm is built.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Majeed ◽  
Sungchang Lee

This paper presents a new coverage flight path planning algorithm that finds collision-free, minimum length and flyable paths for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation in three-dimensional (3D) urban environments with fixed obstacles for coverage missions. The proposed algorithm significantly reduces computational time, number of turns, and path overlapping while finding a path that passes over all reachable points of an area or volume of interest by using sensor footprints’ sweeps fitting and a sparse waypoint graph in the pathfinding process. We devise a novel footprints’ sweep fitting method considering UAV sensor footprint as coverage unit in the free spaces to achieve maximal coverage with fewer and longer footprints’ sweeps. After footprints’ sweeps fitting, the proposed algorithm determines the visiting sequence of footprints’ sweeps by formulating it as travelling salesman problem (TSP), and ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is employed to solve the TSP. Furthermore, we generate a sparse waypoint graph by connecting footprints’ sweeps’ endpoints to obtain a complete coverage flight path. The simulation results obtained from various scenarios fortify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and verify the aforementioned claims.


2011 ◽  
Vol 422 ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhong Huang ◽  
Yu Wan Cen

For the demand of AGV’s environment modeling and path-planning,the paper discusses how to establish static environment model of visibility graph and proposes a visibility table method.Moreover,based on the environment modeling,we put forward a new kind of global path-planning algorithm by the combination between ant colony algorithm and immune regulation.


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