Path planning and obstacle avoidance for vision guided quadrotor UAV navigation

Author(s):  
Xin-Zhong Peng ◽  
Huei-Yung Lin ◽  
Jyun-Min Dai
Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2244
Author(s):  
S. M. Yang ◽  
Y. A. Lin

Safe path planning for obstacle avoidance in autonomous vehicles has been developed. Based on the Rapidly Exploring Random Trees (RRT) algorithm, an improved algorithm integrating path pruning, smoothing, and optimization with geometric collision detection is shown to improve planning efficiency. Path pruning, a prerequisite to path smoothing, is performed to remove the redundant points generated by the random trees for a new path, without colliding with the obstacles. Path smoothing is performed to modify the path so that it becomes continuously differentiable with curvature implementable by the vehicle. Optimization is performed to select a “near”-optimal path of the shortest distance among the feasible paths for motion efficiency. In the experimental verification, both a pure pursuit steering controller and a proportional–integral speed controller are applied to keep an autonomous vehicle tracking the planned path predicted by the improved RRT algorithm. It is shown that the vehicle can successfully track the path efficiently and reach the destination safely, with an average tracking control deviation of 5.2% of the vehicle width. The path planning is also applied to lane changes, and the average deviation from the lane during and after lane changes remains within 8.3% of the vehicle width.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 172988142110264
Author(s):  
Jiqing Chen ◽  
Chenzhi Tan ◽  
Rongxian Mo ◽  
Hongdu Zhang ◽  
Ganwei Cai ◽  
...  

Among the shortcomings of the A* algorithm, for example, there are many search nodes in path planning, and the calculation time is long. This article proposes a three-neighbor search A* algorithm combined with artificial potential fields to optimize the path planning problem of mobile robots. The algorithm integrates and improves the partial artificial potential field and the A* algorithm to address irregular obstacles in the forward direction. The artificial potential field guides the mobile robot to move forward quickly. The A* algorithm of the three-neighbor search method performs accurate obstacle avoidance. The current pose vector of the mobile robot is constructed during obstacle avoidance, the search range is narrowed to less than three neighbors, and repeated searches are avoided. In the matrix laboratory environment, grid maps with different obstacle ratios are compared with the A* algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed improved algorithm avoids concave obstacle traps and shortens the path length, thus reducing the search time and the number of search nodes. The average path length is shortened by 5.58%, the path search time is shortened by 77.05%, and the number of path nodes is reduced by 88.85%. The experimental results fully show that the improved A* algorithm is effective and feasible and can provide optimal results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
Yushan Sun ◽  
Xiaokun Luo ◽  
Xiangrui Ran ◽  
Guocheng Zhang

This research aims to solve the safe navigation problem of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in deep ocean, which is a complex and changeable environment with various mountains. When an AUV reaches the deep sea navigation, it encounters many underwater canyons, and the hard valley walls threaten its safety seriously. To solve the problem on the safe driving of AUV in underwater canyons and address the potential of AUV autonomous obstacle avoidance in uncertain environments, an improved AUV path planning algorithm based on the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm is proposed in this work. This method refers to an end-to-end path planning algorithm that optimizes the strategy directly. It takes sensor information as input and driving speed and yaw angle as outputs. The path planning algorithm can reach the predetermined target point while avoiding large-scale static obstacles, such as valley walls in the simulated underwater canyon environment, as well as sudden small-scale dynamic obstacles, such as marine life and other vehicles. In addition, this research aims at the multi-objective structure of the obstacle avoidance of path planning, modularized reward function design, and combined artificial potential field method to set continuous rewards. This research also proposes a new algorithm called deep SumTree-deterministic policy gradient algorithm (SumTree-DDPG), which improves the random storage and extraction strategy of DDPG algorithm experience samples. According to the importance of the experience samples, the samples are classified and stored in combination with the SumTree structure, high-quality samples are extracted continuously, and SumTree-DDPG algorithm finally improves the speed of the convergence model. Finally, this research uses Python language to write an underwater canyon simulation environment and builds a deep reinforcement learning simulation platform on a high-performance computer to conduct simulation learning training for AUV. Data simulation verified that the proposed path planning method can guide the under-actuated underwater robot to navigate to the target without colliding with any obstacles. In comparison with the DDPG algorithm, the stability, training’s total reward, and robustness of the improved Sumtree-DDPG algorithm planner in this study are better.


Author(s):  
Baoyu Shi ◽  
Hongtao Wu

Path planning technology is one of the core technologies of intelligent space robot. Combining image recognition technology and artificial intelligence learning algorithm for robot path planning in unknown space environment has become one of the hot research issues. The purpose of this paper is to propose a spatial robot path planning method based on improved fuzzy control, aiming at the shortcomings of path planning in the current industrial space robot motion control process, and based on fuzzy control algorithm. This paper proposes a fuzzy obstacle avoidance method with speed feedback based on the original advantages of the fuzzy algorithm, which improves the obstacle avoidance performance of space robot under continuous obstacles. At the same time, we integrated the improved fuzzy obstacle avoidance strategy into the behavior-based control technology, making the avoidance become an independent behavioral unit. Divide the path planning into a series of relatively independent behaviors such as fuzzy obstacle avoidance, cruise, trend target, and deadlock by the behavior-based method. According to the interaction information between the space robot and the environment, each behavior acquires the dominance of the robot through the competition mechanism, making the robot complete the specific behavior at a certain moment, and finally realize the path planning. Furthermore, to improve the overall fault tolerance of the space, robot we introduced an elegant downgrade strategy, so that the robot can successfully complete the established task in the case of control command deterioration or failure of important information, avoiding the overall performance deterioration effectively. Therefore, through the simulation experiment of the virtual environment platform, MobotSim concluded that the improved algorithm has high efficiency, high security, and the planned path is more in line with the actual situation, and the method proposed in this paper can make the space robot successfully reach the target position and optimize the spatial path, it also has good robustness and effectiveness.


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