Path Planning of Mecanum Wheel Chassis Based on Improved A* Algorithm

Abstract

This study is concerned with path planning in a structured greenhouse, in contrast to much of the previous research addressing applications in outdoor fields. The prototype mainly comprises an independently driven Mecanum wheel, a lidar measuring module, a single-chip microcomputer control board, and a laptop computer. Environmental information collection and mapping were completed on the basis of lidar and laptop computer connection. The path planning algorithm used in this paper expanded the 8-search-neighborhood of the traditional A* algorithm to a 48-search-neighborhood, increasing the search direction and improving the efficiency of path planning. The Floyd algorithm was integrated to smooth the planned path and reduced the turning points in the path. In this way, the problems of the traditional A* algorithm could be solved (i.e., slow the path planning speed and high numbers of redundant points). Tests showed that the turning points, planning path time, and distance of the improved algorithm were the lowest. Compared with the traditional 8-search-neighborhood A* algorithm, the turning point was reduced by 50%, the planning time was reduced by 13.53%, and the planning distance was reduced by 13.96%. Therefore, the improved method of the A* algorithm proposed in this paper improves the precision of the planning path and reduces the planning time, providing a theoretical basis for the navigation, inspection, and standardization construction of greenhouses in the future.